| Lancaster Country Day School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, secular, coeducational college prep school |
| Motto | '"Fax mentis et cordis incendium gloriae" (The spark that kindles the mind and heart illuminates a lifetime.)[3] |
| Established | 1908 |
| Head of School | Steven D. Lisk[1] |
| Enrollment | 530 (PK-12)[2] |
| Average class size | 15 students[2] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 8:1[2] |
| Campus | Suburban, 26 acres |
| Color(s) | maron[3] white |
| Athletics | Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association |
| Mascot | Cougar[3] |
| Website | http://lancastercountryday.org/ |
Lancaster Country Day School (LCDS) is a private, secular, coeducational college preparatory school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It serves 530 students in preschool through twelfth grade.[2] All grades are housed under one roof, similar to schools of the 19th century.
Contents |
The school was founded in 1908 as a girls' school known as The Shippen School for Girls, the result of a merger between Lancaster College and Miss Stahr's School.[4] In 1943, with the closing of nearby Franklin and Marshall Academy for Boys, the Shippen School changed its charter to become coeducational and adopted its current name. In 1949, it moved to its current location on Hamilton Road.[5]
A facilities renovation and expansion project was undertaken in 2005,[6] including demolition of existing facilities and construction of a new two-story classroom wing that houses 23 classrooms, administrative offices and board room, computer labs, lecture hall, student lounges, conference rooms, book store, kitchen, and dining commons area.[7]
LCDS takes pride in its small class sizes (averaging 15 students)[2] and its programs in the arts.[8] The LCDS lower school program (preschool through fifth grade)[3] includes skill-based grouping for math and reading instruction, and emphasizes art, music and physical education in parallel with academics. Spanish language instruction begins in preschool.[9] In the middle school (grades six to eight),[3] French joins Spanish as a foreign language, and students are encouraged to participate in the fine and performing arts, including art, chorus, instrumental music ensemble, theatre, and animation art.[10] In the upper school, Advanced Placement courses are offered in 11 subjects,[11] and the foreign languages taught are French, Latin, and Spanish.[12] Independent study opportunities are offered for upper school students wanting to do advanced work beyond the curriculum.[11]
Since 1980, LCDS has regularly sent senior students to The Hague for International Model United Nations conferences. In 2009 it was one of just six U.S. schools invited to participate in this annual program.[13][14][15]
LCDS competes in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association.[2] The school sponsors the following sports:[16]
Fall
Winter
Spring
It has a cooperative agreement with the School District of Lancaster where McCaskey High School students can play lacrosse for LCDS, and LCDS students can participate in football, cross country, swimming, track and field, and wrestling for McCaskey.[2] The school mascot is a cougar, and the school colors are burgundy and grey.[3]
Their small athletic program is fairly successful. Teams from the school have competed for districts and states. The girls basketball team have made it to the district finals. Their soccer program is always strong. The teams are dedicated to playing their very best when they are competing against larger schools in the area. The squash team has gone to nationals two years in a row now. The lacrosse teams are currently taking in players from many different schools and their athletic program is currently very strong.
LCDS participates in A Better Chance, a program organized to offer educational opportunity to young African-American children.[17] Community service is a large part of the LCDS life from early years. Eighth graders visit Milagro House weekly to volunteer and there are a variety of service oriented clubs available in the Upper School, such as Community Service Club, Peer Mentoring Club, or Free the Children.