Wayne Country Day School looks forward to new year
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on August 11, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Wayne Country Day School teachers Dawn Traveny, left, and Karen Mzyk practice CPR technique on a mannequin during a first aid training day for staff on Friday. Teachers are preparing for the first day of school on Wednesday.
Wayne Country Day School Headmaster Todd Anderson hasn't unveiled his theme for the upcoming school year.
So in the interest of time, since students return on Wednesdays, here's a suggestion -- growth.
The prep school is rapidly growing, Anderson readily admits.
"We have added two FTEs (full-time equivalents) and have replaced four teachers," he said last week. "For us, six teachers out of a faculty of 28 is a big number for us.
"The high school is right at the 1-A cutoff for independent schools, which is 135 and we're, I think, right at 132, so we have got to leave room because we know that some people will come here, military, they need options, they need choices."
When Anderson first arrived as administrator in 2005, things were markedly different, with about 63 students in the high school and 182 overall.
As he embarks on his 11th year at the pre-K to 12th grade school, that number has nearly doubled.
"We're at 306. It's a moving target," he said. "I'm excited. I think we'll be a 2-A school probably in the next three or four years, but we want to make sure that the demand is there before we jump into that because that's a brand-new category."
Some have questioned allowing athletics to dictate the size of the school, but a high percentage of students there participate in sports, Anderson said.
"For us, athletics are co-curricula," he said. "It isn't about winning state championships, although we get our fair share, too. It's about how to be a team member, how to deal with the unexpected, how to prepare for the unexpected.
"We're a traditional conservative school, that whole 'sound mind, sound body.'"
Every new term, the headmaster chooses a theme for the year. He promises to reveal the latest one, but in the meantime has been readying for the return of the students.
Orientation for new teachers was held last Wednesday, while veteran teachers returned on Thursday. Friday, CPR and first aid training was held for all staff, something offered every other year.
Students converged Monday to meet the teachers in the morning and open house events that afternoon.
Growing class sizes make this a momentous occasion, he noted.
"It's exciting. You have so many new people," he said. "Year ago, we had three times when we had our graduating class of 34 and that was '77, '78 and '84. And then one time we had 33 and that was the class of '81.
"We now this year, three of the four high school (classes) are above 30, including the sophomore class, which has 43."
Lower grades are not far behind, he said.
"We know it's going to be sustained because in the intermediate school they're all large classes," he said. "Making sure everybody's plugged in, it's going to be a real challenge.
"This is a big number for us, to go over 300 is a big deal and it's been many years since the school has seen that number."
Construction efforts have also been keeping pace in recent years, since the 2011 announcement of a $5 million capital campaign and three-phase expansion that will double the 42-year-old school's size.
The second phase, begun in 2012, added six new classrooms to the high school plus science labs, visual arts and performing arts classrooms, additional security cameras and an expanded library.
"We were gifted 10 acres right behind the school," Anderson added. "Getting that cross country track was wonderful.
"We're finishing Phase 2 and that's the library extension which we really need as well as the administrative complex."
A completed playground has also been advantageous for working parents, reliant on a year-round program for the youngest segment at the school.
"We're not going to be a year-round school but you have to shift the paradigm because the family paradigm is shifting," he said.