Boulder Country Day School celebrated the opening of their new Commons Building with a ribbon cutting ceremony on August 21st. This new state-of-the-art building adds both a dining hall and a Center for Innovative Learning to their 5.5 acres campus abutting the Twin Lakes Open Space in Gunbarrel. The gathering took place in the amphitheater space outside the Commons and included both current and alumni families.
Planning for the new facility began in 2018, and while they experienced some delay due to Covid-19, school officials say the new facility is going to have a significant impact in supporting their mission.
“A core facet of a BCD education is empowering young learners to believe in and practice making positive global change,” says Head of School, John Suitor. “This facility is a strategic investment in designing physical spaces that can serve as a catalyst for new ways of thinking. All of our students from preschool through to 8th grade will benefit from what this facility will offer.”
The new dining hall will provide both daily food service as well as the space for meeting and gathering as a community. Sage Dining Services, a nationally recognized leader in sustainable and nutritious scratch-made food service, has been contracted and BCD students will participate through maintaining onsite gardens. Lunch fees are covered by tuition and financial services allowing for an inclusive experience for all students.
Susan Boyle, BCD’s Chief Enrollment and Strategy Officers shares, “We’ve brought our Arts and Design classrooms together in this building with the goal of teaching students the skill of connecting various disciplines and applying critical thinking in solving the challenges of our times and that which lie ahead. These are skills students will need to succeed both in classrooms and the work environments of the future.” Arts Teacher Londa Bevins adds, “I am so grateful for our new center that gives students access to incredible spaces for creative expression.”
BCD Middle School scientists got to share their experiments as they competed in the Boulder Valley Regional Science Fair on February 20th. BCD students made up 9 experiments out of 50 presented at the event with projects ranging from an app that detects shifts in tectonic plates to grading biases and everything in between.
BCD students placed 3rd, 2nd and 1st place! One team won the BVSD Creativity and Innovation prize. Two 1st place winners will compete at the State Science Fair in April. AND one student won the Best in Show award. Wow, impressive work!
The goal of the Alumni Relations department at BCD is to create an inspired community of alumni and friends of BCD whose lives are enriched through their shared experience and to whom BCD can extend value beyond their time at BCD.
We are consistently delighted by the interest our alumni show in remaining active members of our community. From attending Alumni Night to sharing their milestones with us to joining our networking groups, our alumni take joy in participating and take advantage of the benefits of being a BCD Alumni.
The Alumni Newsletter celebrates our alumni and their achievements. We hope you enjoy it.
Starting Fall 2024, tuition will include food service. We are thrilled to be partnering with Sage Dining Services. Sage has been defining the standard in quality school dining services since their inception and we look forward to unique menus, scratch cooking, locally sourced foods, crisp salads, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Their Spotlight Program will teach variety, balance, and moderation in eating and their app will allow families to interface with menus, ingredient lists, comprehensive allergen filters, and the online ordering system.
We are thankful for our amazing alumni and were so pleased to welcome them back to campus. We had a ton of fun and we think they did as well. We can't wait for next year!
BCD is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month 2023. We started with an assembly that included a lively performance by Mariachi Los Viajeros De Denver and recognition and education around famous Hispanic figures by the Middle School Student Council. Mr. Lopez, BCD's Coordinator of Equity and Community Engagement, also compiled stories from some of our students captured in the below video. As the month continues, so will our engagement of students in celebrating and honor Hispanic heritage.
It was a beautiful ceremony for the Class of 2023—filled with heartfelt "thank yous," "goodbyes," and "until next times." We wish our graduates the best of luck in their next adventure. They are an amazing group of people who we know will go on to do great things and bring their own unique excellence to whatever it is they choose to tackle. AND, they were the last graduating class to get their picture taken in front of the classic castle play structure. Congratulations and don't forget to come back and see us, Bulldogs! You will be missed.
This spring’s issue of the BCD Magazine highlights some of the students and alumni who we think represent the attributes outlined in the Portrait of the Graduate. In a sense, they are some of the best examples of students whom we’ve helped to “discover their excellence.” You’ll note from their stories that we choose to define excellence broadly, beyond the traditional academic to include leadership, service, social justice, and more.
On Thursday, April 20th at 8:15am we held the Groundbreaking Ceremony for our new Dining Commons and Center for Innovative Learning.
“Our new Center for Innovative Learning will spark collaboration among the arts and technology, accelerating our student experience beyond the norm and placing BCD at the forefront of creativity in the Boulder Valley and beyond,” John Suitor, BCD Head of School.
“The Commons Building will be a thriving hub for our community. As a place for parent coffees, meetings, and a home for small gatherings, we will have a physical space to grow and support our Bulldog spirit,” Julie Griffith, BCD Director of Development.
On April 26, 2023 from 6:00-7:30pm, Dr Lisa Damour will speak in-person at BCD. This event is free and open to the public.
Dr. Damour will offer urgently needed guidance to help parents understand their teenagers’ intense and often fraught emotional lives—and how to support them through this critical developmental stage.
Last week was Arts Week at BCD and our campus came alive with the thrill of artist energy and the anticipation of spring. Each year we welcome visiting artist to work with students in all grades from preschool through middle school. Students experience a fresh perspective on art forms ranging from music to theatre to visual art.
This event will include a screening of the film This Is [NOT] Who We Are followed by a Q & A session with the film's director. We are pleased to be able to support this important film and continue the discussion it has generated in the Boulder community and beyond.
Boulder, Colorado, prides itself on being beautiful, welcoming, and inclusive. However, in 2019, racially-charged and dangerous policing involving a Black university student made national news. The documentary film, This Is [Not] Who We Are, explores the gap between Boulder’s self-image and the more complex lived experiences—both historical and contemporary—of its Black citizens.
Black people have lived in Boulder continuously for nearly 150 years, but their history is not well known. Black families faced discrimination in housing, employment, education, health care, criminal justice, and social activities. By the 1920’s, Boulder had become a rallying point for the Ku Klux Klan. In the 1970s employment and housing opened up, but many problems remain. Although the particulars of Boulder’s history are unique, its social trajectory into the 21st century is nevertheless emblematic of many cities across the country that struggle to reconcile their liberal politics with the reality of their communities.
This is [Not] Who We Are braids the lived experiences of Black characters ranging in age from 12 to 78. Some stories are searing, while others are hopeful. The film seeks to open a space for dialogue among Boulderites and about cities like Boulder, overwhelmingly white, wealthy, and conflicted about issues of diversity, inclusion, and equity. Is a more economically and racially diverse future possible, both in Boulder and in cities like it across America?
This morning’s assembly was full of honor for Dr. Martin Luther King and the work our teachers and students have been doing around diversity, equity, and inclusivity. Second and fifth grade representatives shared the land acknowledgement they have created for BCD. They spoke eloquently about our need to take responsibility for educating ourselves and to acknowledge the history of this land and the peoples that have resided here before us. Then middle school students from the student initiated All Voices Are Heard student organization shared Dr. King’s story with the student body followed by the presentation of student group art projects featuring Dr. King quotes. Lastly, we were honored to have Minister Glenda Strong-Robinson to present to our community. Minister Glenda told of personal stories and affects the Civil Rights Movement has had in her lifetime and asked us to receive the torch she would like to pass on. We must take care of each other and love our neighbors as ourselves she implored. So, not just on this holiday in his honor, but on all days, let us remember the work of Dr. King and those who came before us as we strive to be the example in a world where all neighbors take care of each other.
Our students did a wonderful job and we would like to extend special thanks to our guest speaker, Minister Glenda Strong-Robinson, as well as all our teachers, especially Mr. Lopez, Ms. Bevins, Ms. Deuble, Ms. Woodring, Mr. Lacrampe and Ms. Mar.
They're in the playoffs! Monday, December 5th, at 4pm our A Team will play The Academy at home. Semis and finals are on Thursday and will likely be away, so come out and cheer them on. Go, Bulldogs!
BCD will hold our Days of Giving on November 15th & 16th. We are committing two days to achieve one goal. That goal is 100% participation in the BCD Fund. The BCD Fund is our primary fundraising initiative and supports Professional Growth, Diversity & Inclusion, Student Experience, and Financial Assistance. Let’s rally together and raise the funds that show our students, faculty, and staff how much we support them!
Boulder Country Day School 4820 Nautilus Court North • Boulder, Colorado 80301 • Phone - 303.527.4931 • info@bouldercountryday.org
Boulder Country Day School is a proudly independent institution serving students 2 ½ years old - 8th grade. In partnership with our outstanding faculty and committed families, we uphold the highest standard for our balanced educational experience. Through small class sizes and innovative engagement in a supportive environment, students at BCD learn to explore their strengths and apply them to the world. Guided by our values, we believe the empowered minds that graduate from BCD will be the ones to ignite global change.