In 1964, the year of Sacramento Country Day’s founding, the school had 14 students enrolled, ranging from age six to age fourteen. In 2024, 60 years later, the student body has grown to 598 students across 14 grades. Events are planned throughout this year to celebrate the school’s 60th anniversary and its growth. 

Since the school’s 50th anniversary in 2014, sweeping changes have occurred. These include growing enrollment, new policies enacted, and, futurewise,  the administration’s plan to build a new performing arts center in the middle school.

According to Head of School Lee Thomsen, the school’s 60th anniversary celebration is not expected to be as large as the 50th. He and the administration plan to honor the anniversary by way of several small events.

“We’re going to try to piggyback on some other events that we already scheduled,” he said.

Some of these include the Founder’s Day Picnic taking place on September 14 – the date the school was founded. 

In addition to the annual auction being 60th anniversary-themed, the chalk mural high school art students will be creating on Oct. 4 will also reflect this milestone.  The mural is anticipated to incorporate a collection of past themes, with students crafting various sections inspired by different chalk murals made throughout Country Day’s history. 

Some of these past chalk murals include last year’s myth-inspired mural, 2019’s climate-themed mural and the 2017 mural dedicated to Japanese animator and filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki.

A notable change recalled by students and faculty is the difference in class size compared to 10 years ago.

The most growth has occurred in the high school, from 115 students in 2014 to 182 in 2024, a 58% increase in a decade. Crucially, the school changed its use permit four years ago, allowing for this increase in size.

According to Head of High School Brooke Wells, the greater number of students has increased the number of course offerings.

“It allows for more computer science, more upper-level humanities, and more upper-level math classes because there’s more kids to take those classes,” he said. 

Extracurriculars have also improved due to having more members. Wells mentioned the recent formation of the boys’ volleyball team, as well as the growing music and musical theater programs. 

“Things like that are a function of having more kids who are all into the mission,” he said. 

Contrastingly, lifers (students who have attended Country Day since kindergarten) do not necessarily support this growth, citing lack of physical space and strains on individualized education. Senior Zealand Schroeder is one of those. 

“There’s an upside and a downside because you don’t get as much attention from the teacher, but it’s nice to have a bigger class,” said Schroeder, who has attended Country Day since kindergarten. 

Senior Cara Shin, a Country Day student since Pre-K, added that some teachers struggle with large class sizes and not enough space.

“I’m not sure if we have the facilities and amenities to handle all those people,” she said. 

Thomsen agrees.

“The biggest challenge we’re facing is about space, physical space,” he said.

As a solution, Thomsen detailed  how the school is working on a capital campaign that will build a two-story building where the middle school ‘L building’ and multi-purpose room currently are located. 

The building will include a performing arts center, updated art room and space for the music program, in addition to more classrooms. 

“That will give us a lot more classroom space for kids. Right now, we’re really, really maxed out in terms of it. We’re using every inch of possible space for classrooms or offices,” Thomsen said. 

Construction on the building is estimated by Thomsen to start in the summer of 2027 and be completed by the beginning of the 2028-2029 school year. 

These plans for the future reflect the expansion of the school ten years ago in 2014, when the middle school center for science, mathematics and technology opened to students according to the school’s website. By 2034, Country Day’s 70th anniversary, the campus will have been expanded significantly twice.  

Outside of the school’s growing need for more space, a change specific to this year that was not necessary just a decade ago is addressing AI and technology. Speaker Dino Ambrosi, founder of Project Reboot, an organization promoting healthy tech relationships, has been  invited to speak on the topic.

One Country Day keystone that has not changed, however, is the school’s sense of community, according to Wells and Shin. Both said that in their combined years at Country Day (21 years for Wells and 14 for Shin), it has been the thing they appreciate the most. 

Wells in particular said that he appreciated the school’s mission in addition to the community.

“The way everyone buys into that mission of being compassionate and creative, smart and critical thinking, I like the way that it all comes together,” Wells said. 

Shin added that the community made her feel at ease, especially with her teachers.

“I truly know and feel comfortable with most of my teachers, just either talking to them in person or writing an email to them about anything,” Shin said. “I just feel really comfortable at this school.”

Similarly, high school English teacher Jane Bauman said that she appreciates the academic freedom, identifying it as a constant throughout her 22 years at the school.

“One of the things I’ve loved about working here is that I have so much input,” she said. “And that’s just really cool.”

“It makes it a great place to teach.”

— Kate Barnes