The Brownstone, Winter 2017

Dear Alumni Families,

Welcome to the eleventh issue of our Alumni newsletter for The Rumson Country Day School - The Brownstone! This issue is being sent to all alumni and members of the extended RCDS community. Please forward to others and have them inform RCDS of their email addresses if they did not receive this publication. Any questions or suggestions regarding RCDS Alumni affairs, please contact Missy Falkenberg mfalkenberg@rcds.org.

What's Happening at RCDS?

Hunting for History

Mr. Slade was one of the items on the list

About 150 students and their families put on their best detective caps to explore the historic halls of The Rumson Country Day School at a 90th Anniversary Scavenger Hunt hosted on campus Friday night. Their mission: follow clues to discover significant landmarks and complete tasks that represent 90 years of RCDS history.

Participants swapped the traditional gumshoe magnifying glass for the GooseChase Scavenger Hunt App to track down clues. The app allowed teams to capture live photos and videos as they worked together to unlock pieces of RCDS history.

“Scavenger hunts are good old-fashion fun. We thought the event was a great way to celebrate our history and to strengthen the bond among our RCDS family,” says Casey McChesney, the facilitator of the evening. (read more)

(Mr. Slade was one of the items on the list!)

FORENSICS NEWS- It Takes Two

SCENE: Twelve-year-old Sophia, a Rumson Country Day School sixth grader, rises to a platform to deliver her final line. She subtly glances down at her partner Kathryn, who gives Sophia a reassuring nod. The audience looks on in absolute silence, captivated by the pair of student performers in front of them. “I’m going in there a nervous little girl and coming out a star!” Sophia announces as she throws her hands in the air for dramatic effect. Spectators express their praise with applause. END SCENE.

Sophia was in character when she proclaimed her stardom. However, she could easily relate her role to her personal circumstances. On Saturday, December 3, Sophia and Kathryn collaborated to secure a finalist award at the annual Forensics Festival hosted by The Rumson Country Day School. About 45 students from four schools competed for top honors in three categories, including dramatic pairs, storytelling, and humorous interpretation of literature. (read more)

Annual Giving

Thank you to the 116 alumni have already given gifts this year. Imagine what we could do if all of our 3007 alumni gave in honor of our 90th Anniversary. We are hoping that alumni would give at least $90 in celebration of RCDS's birthday.

Please support RCDS today by donating at www.rcds.org/donate.

We also encourage you to visit www.rcds.org/annualdonorreport to view a complete list of all our 2015-16 donors – THANK YOU!

Phi Beta Kappa Day

RCDS will honor our alumni and Phi Beta Kappa members Sara Bellin ’04 & Alexis Harrison ’04 with a day off on February 21.

For a complete listing of our Phi Beta Kappa alumni CLICK HERE. Please email Missy Falkenberg at mfalkenberg@rcds.org if your name is missing.

Events at RCDS

7th Annual Young Alumni Turkey Bowl

This year, more than 50 young alumni returned to RCDS’ campus just before Thanksgiving in order to visit with faculty, visit with each other and also to watch the second annual Upper School powder puff football game. The group was represented by members of the RCDS classes of 2012 - 2016. It was a great opportunity for the high-school aged members of our alumni community to come together with friends and teachers and to kick-off their Thanksgiving breaks.

Go GATORS!

(pictured above is Jess Scopellite, Caitlyn Hickey, Hailey Freeman and Chloe Reynolds)

Parent Council Gator Bash – RCDS started a new tradition a few years ago to switch from a "ball" a formal gala type event to the next year having a "bash" a more casual event. This years bash is being held on Saturday, May 20. More information will be coming soon!

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After School Enrichment Programs

RCDS is offering after-school enrichment programs in a variety of subjects such as CHESS, KNITTING, SIGN-LANGUAGE, TECHNOLOGY, ART + more!

Registration is limited and these classes are open to both RCDS and non-RCDS students. Classes will take place at RCDS 3:45 pm - 4:45 pm, Monday through Thursday and will be taught by RCDS faculty and guest instructors.

For more information and to register click here.

Winter 2017

RCDS Lunch Recipe book is available online.

View it here

Click here to check out our newest ALUMNI STORIES to learn more about Life After RCDS!

RCDS Alumni Celebration

Planning is underway for our next Alumni Celebration on Saturday, September 9, 2017.

If you would like to help organize a reunion for your graduating class, please contact Missy Falkenberg at mfalkenberg@rcds.org.

Laurie Ferguson Bruckmann has volunteered to be the class agent for the class of 1967.

WANTED: Class Agents

Class Agents are vital to the success and life of our alumni community. We are looking for individuals to volunteer to:

Gather contact information for classmates
Share news with classmates about RCDS and pass along classmates’ news back the school
Forward event invitations and encourage attendance
Help organize your class’ next milestone Reunion year (i.e., 10^th, 20^th, 25^th, 50^th, etc.

This past September 2016 we had a great turn out at our reunion.