GDS Magazine | 27 Some of the comments from their report included: • The visiting team learned immediately that Greensboro Day School is an uncommonly warm and welcoming school; we were deeply impressed by the thoughtfulness, helpfulness, and responsiveness of the community during our visit. Everyone in the community made us feel welcome from the beginning of the process. • It is particularly notable that each constituency spoke effusively of the school’s strong community, culture of respect and openness, and access to multiple opportunities, from service to the arts to sports. • Interactions felt genuine and unforced, and everyone with whom we met was pleasant and accommodating. “Strong relationships” was a recurring theme throughout the school; there was a palpable culture of trust and mutual respect among administrators, faculty, parents, and students. Teachers felt particularly empowered, and acknowledged how much they appreciated being supported by administrators while being appropriately challenged to grow as professionals. The students we met were comfortable talking with adults, and they in turn felt that are given a strong voice within the school. The board of trustees is supportive of the school and understands its role as a governing body that focuses on strategic issues instead of day-to-day concerns about school operations. • The visiting team found Greensboro Day School to be committed to both the excellent daily experience of their students as well as maintaining a long-range, strategic posture that will serve students for generations to come. • We have every confidence that Greensboro Day School, with its keen focus on contemporary issues in education; can be a leader among schools in Greensboro and beyond. For this 5-year accreditation cycle, three goals were established. Goal #1: In order to help students grow as critical and independent thinkers and to become comfortable with disagreement, GDS will develop and implement a school-wide plan for engaging in civil discourse on difficult topics, including politics, history, social issues, and current events. Goal #2: In order to facilitate students’ social and emotional growth on campus, the Middle and Upper School divisions will conduct a review of their advising programs and develop a plan to strengthen them and coordinate these curricula. Goal #3: In order to support the emotional well-being and academic success of students, which research shows are directly related to cognitive and emotional development, the GDS counseling department will implement school-wide continuing education for faculty on topics of academic stress and social and emotional learning. These goals already have plans in place, and you will see more details in the upcoming school year. PLAN AND RESULTS Bridget Gwinnett - Chair, Upper School Counselor Robert Mimms, Upper School Social Sciences Kelly Sipe, Kindergarten Carol Williams, Middle School Mathematics Jillian Williams, Middle School World Languages SCHOOL PROFILE Susan Davis - Co-Chair, Director of Communication and Marketing Susan Doss - Co-Chair, Upper School Registrar Karen Baldwin, Middle School English Thomas Hefner, Upper School Science Laura Shue, Lower School Assistant Director Barbara Steslow, Upper School Science Michael Sumner, Director of Alumni Programs THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCREDITATION For twelve months, Greensboro Day School prepared for our re-accreditation by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and SACS/ Advanced Ed. This includes writing a report documenting how we meet the accreditation standards and how we will continue to carry out our mission in a rapidly changing world. Following the submission of our report, an accreditation committee visited our school November 15-17, 2017. The team met with groups of parents, teachers, students, board members and administrators to ensure compliance with the standards and to follow up on the School’s plans to advance its mission. This is a formal process that takes place every five years to ensure that we meet or exceed the expectations set before us by SAIS and SACS/Advanced Ed. Greensboro Day School received a unanimous recommendation for re-accreditation. It is meaningful to hear and read the comments made from the visiting team about many of the dynamic elements of Greensboro Day School. STANDARDS AND COMPLIANCE Estelle Bowden - Chair, Upper School World Languages Department Chair Randy Doss, Director of Admission and Enrollment Beth Dunbar, Middle School English Iraida Fung, Upper School World Languages Emily Transou, Early Education VISION Lorie Jones - Chair, Junior Kindergarten Karen Collins, Middle School Music Jennifer Ford, Assistant Director, Upper School Mara Montana, Upper School English Dana Smith, Director of Educational Technology Ayesha Swinton, Upper School World Languages Thank you to the following employees who served on the re-accreditation committee which was led by Peter Williams who served as our re-accreditation Chair.