by Alexander Maier ’15, Sports Section Editor

This year our community will lose a great teacher, Mr. Park Gilmore. He came to Country day 26 years ago as an aspiring history teacher, but he became a 6^th and 7^th grade English teacher because, at that time, there were no positions open for a history teacher. After a few years in the Middle School, he began to teach half of the 8^th grade English and History classes alongside Nick Sberna. Along the way, Mr. Gilmore created the Wall of Shame. Whenever a student says some silly thing about history, it goes up on the wall of shame. “It is a value thing because it teaches kids to laugh at themselves instead of taking themselves so seriously all the time,” stated Mr. Gilmore.

Mr. Gilmore says the best part about his teaching career is the relationships that he has developed over the years with all of the students.  It doesn’t matter whether the students were successful or unsuccessful, it is the relationships that he developed with them that means the most to him. Mr. Gilmore also has fond memories of being a successful football, basketball, and baseball coach. He became the Middle School’s boys’ basketball coach when he first came to CCD. The team won the MVC championship that year for the first time in the Middle School’s history. Under Mr. Gilmore’s direction, the MS teams also won multiple MVC football championships. One of his teams went unscored-on and untied throughout the entire season. With all of the basketball and football championships, Mr. Gilmore has won multiple MVC championships in baseball, too. He remembers one championship was in extra innings against CHCA. A CCDS student by the name of Webb Lawrence, who never had much experience with baseball, came up to bat. There was a runner on third and Mr. Gilmore told Lawrence to bunt, which ended up being a bad idea because he almost flew out. But this student with hardly any experience was able to hit a line drive over the head of CHCA’s second baseman and win the championship for CCD.

Mr. Gilmore will be taking all of his fond memories and wonderful relationships with him as he ends his teaching career this year at Country Day. From the bottom of all our hearts here at Country Day, we would like to say thank you and good luck as you enter a new chapter in your life.

This year an award honoring Mr. Gilmore was added to the Middle School Awards Ceremony. According to Middle School Head Teresa Hirschauer, “The Gilmore award is given each year to an eighth grade boy or girl who has demonstrated an appreciation of the absurd and the ability to laugh at themselves, who strive to be the best they can be, and above all, care deeply for others.  For twenty-six years Park Gilmore served as eighth grade U.S. history and English teacher, as well as coach of football, basketball, and baseball.  He consistently worked to bring out the best in his students, both in and out of the classroom.  The award recipient is nominated and selected by the eighth grade faculty.”