By Greg Dick, ’11, Contributor
I have been at CCDS for 14 years now, which means I have earned the title of lifer. But what does that really mean? When I was asked to write this article, I started to think about what it truly means to be a lifer at CCDS. The first thing that comes to mind is that lifer is all about how long someone has been at CCDS. However, after deeper thought, I realized that the number of years you attend CCDS is only one attribute of being a lifer. It means you know the faculty, the school, and your classmates.
During my 14 years at CCDS, I have had the privilege of being taught by outstanding faculty members, some of whom are not here anymore and others who are still at CCDS. Being taught by these great faculty members over the years has been quite an experience and is truly a part of what it means to be a lifer at CCDS. I have had the privilege of being taught by great teachers such as Mrs. Krody, Ms. McFarland, Mrs. Miller, Mr. Van Nuys, and Mrs. Eynon just to name some of the great teachers no longer at CCDS.
Being taught by such great teachers means that as a lifer, you know that according to Mr. Brownstein, “When the acorn grows up, he says, ‘Geometry,’” or you have a place on Mr. Gilmore’s Wall of Shame. It also means I have had experiences at this school which some students don’t have as memories. Some of these experiences include the time the Upper School was temporarily housed in trailers while the new building was being built. It means I remember when Fall Fest was called Country Fest and was held in the spring. It means I remember Ice Cream Social Day and the soda fountain at lunch, or even shaking hands of the past head of school, Dr. Clark, and tossing the football with Mr. Van Nuys.
The true experience of being a CCDS lifer lies in going through these experiences with other lifers and experiencing the sense of community CCDS always advertises. The experiences all lifers have taken part in range from being in the annual first-grade Christmas play, to competing in Field Day with classmates, to playing field hockey with Ms. Kennedy, to learning all the world capitals and playing football with “Not to mention any names” Mr. Van Nuys, to spending time on the Pad.
Some experiences I remember sharing with my fellow Class of ’11 lifers include breaking Mrs. Miller’s window when playing baseball, going to a hockey game with Mrs. Mullee and my second-grade class, playing in a pile of dirt by the tennis courts, breaking another window while playing football in the parking lot with Mr. Van Nuys, and performing in plays all through elementary school and the eighth-grade musical.
As a lifer, I have participated in many extracurricular activities varying from clubs to the after-school program and sports. My fellow lifers probably remember taking part in many different clubs and sports throughout their years at CCDS. For me, these clubs included Science Club with Mrs. French, field hockey with Ms. Kennedy, rugby with Mr. Schnieber, and almost every other sport offered.
Sports play a big part in a lifer’s experience at CCDS. Beginning in seventh grade, official sport teams start practicing. This program offers students the ability to interact with classmates both in and outside their own grade. For me, I was able to play or try almost every sport and interact with tons of people I might never have really gotten to know. These sports featured open teams, and you could easily switch from one to another until you found your sport. In my years at CCDS, I ran cross country; played basketball, baseball, tennis, football, and golf and even sat on a bench (my best) ; and lifted weights with one of the best members of the CCDS community, Mr. Allgeier.
In addition to playing sports, I have had the privilege of going on multiple trips with my classmates, most notably the fifth-grade ski trip; the trip to Washington, D.C.; and the junior rafting trip. I may not have any more trips with my classmates, and we may have replaced throwing a football with throwing a Frisbee, but we still are with each other every day.
All of these experiences from the House to graduation are what being a lifer is truly about. Teachers may leave; the school may change; but being a lifer means that you remember all of these changes and take advantage of the new opportunities with your classmates right up until the day you graduate.
Photo courtesy of Greg Dick.