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Points of Pride 2023

Fort Worth Country Day shares Points of Pride each January as a summary of the most recent calendar year. These are just some of the 2023 highlights of FWCD magic that took place throughout campus. No doubt, there are more pride points to list. If you have one to share, please email Shannon Allen, Communications and Constituent Relations Manager.

Points of Pride 2023 Slideshow

Academics

Class of 2023 seniors Christopher Baker, Rob Batton, Eliana Garcia, Seth Mayhue, Alexis Rollings and Tommy Weaver were named 2023 National Merit Finalists.
Students and teachers from Nîmes, France, visited Texas through Fort Worth Sister Cities International and were hosted by FWCD families.
Students from sister school CENCA International (in Metepec, Mexico) came to FWCD in February 2023, and FWCD students traveled to Metepec in June 2023 for the inaugural homestay exchange.
17 Junior AP English Literature and Competition students attended the Interscholastic Colloquium celebrating Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet; six students were chosen to read their essays.
19 Upper School students were inducted into Cum Laude; 60 Middle School students were inducted into NJHS.
Fifth graders placed Bee Boxes on The Hill in science class.
Ledger Halpern ’32 and Laila Rafati ’28 won their division Spelling Bees.
James Thomas ’24 was honored with the University of Vermont 2023 Citizen Book Award.
FWCD graduated 93 students who earned $10.5 million in merit-based scholarships; Seth Mayhue ’23 was Valedictorian, and Matthew Lobo ’23 was Salutatorian.
Seventh graders participated in Prairie Day as part of the new Texas Wildlife Association program.
Alexis Rollings ’23 was named a UT Austin Forty Acres Scholars Program Class of 2027 Finalist.
College Counseling’s Signature event for grades 8-11 students, parents and guardians, College Colloquium featured college admission officers from Stanford University, University of Michigan and Wake Forest University.
FWCD’s first solar car team, Andrew Vallance ’24, Richard Souchik ’24, Arjun Vasudevan ’24, Walker Gaines ’23, Ginny Caceres ’24 and Bryce Evans ’24, received a heroes welcome home on July 20 when the 2023 Solar Car Challenge ended early in El Paso. The team brought home two trophies: first place for their day two drive of 82.5 miles and third place overall. The team drove a total of 147.7 miles.
Middle School and Upper School Latin teams traveled to Emory University in Atlanta to compete in the National Junior Classical Convention, with many Falcons placing in the top 20, including Hudson Parcels ’28, Brodie McCullough ’27, Blake Wood ’27, Andrew Lobo ’26.
Meredith Cunningham was named a Fort Worth Magazine Top Teacher.
FWCD hosted College Day with 200 college and university admission officers on campus.
Arjun Vasudevan ’24 was named FWCD’s lone National Merit Semifinalist in September 2023.
Seniors Abbie Proell, Rhea Alexander, Dabin Lee, James Thomas, Cal Stonesifer, Blake Brown and Jack Bradford were named National Merit Commended Students.
Ginny Caceres ’24, Alyssa Rollings ’25, Alexis Del Pozzo ’25, Gage Stubbs ’24, Rising Huckaby ’24, Jordan Jones ’25, Lucas Callahan ’25, Sofia Garcia ’25 and Carolina Zamorano Beyart ’25 earned College Board National Recognition Programs accolades.
Personal Injury Attorney Travis Patterson spoke to Upper School students about distracted driving.
Sean Hong ’27 represented FWCD at the Texas Junior Academy of Science State Competition, earning an Honorable Mention for his research paper and presentation titled “Design and Build of an Innovative Desktop Computer Using an Apple Power Macintosh G3 Housing with Aesthetic Appeal and Current Gaming Capabilities.”
Fourteen seniors presented Capstone projects in December 2023.

Arts

FWCD hosted its 35th Black & White Images Competition and Exhibition.
The Department of Fine Arts celebrated Rocco Leoni ’23 and the inaugural Fine Arts Signing.
The Lightning Thief cast and crew performed with one less week of rehearsal due to a February 2023 “ice-cation”; Upper School students were treated to a sneak peek of the musical – the first time for a peer performance.
Twenty students were finalists in the Slaughter Family Arts Awards and six earned Accolades.
Second graders and Upper School Painting and Drawing students swapped artist trading cards they created.
The William Campbell Fine Art Gallery selected Pamela Lancaster to participate in the 10th Rising Star Exhibition at Turner House in North Oak Cliff.
Upper School students performed Peter and the Star Catcher for their fall play.
Upper School Theatre Director Siouxsie Easter wrote a chapter on Emma Rice for The Routledge Anthology of Women’s Theatre Theory and Dramatic Criticism, the first wide-ranging anthology of theatre theory and dramatic criticism by women writers.
The School’s 2023 Thanksgiving card featured artwork by Oliver Horsch ’28.
Twelve Middle School students made the Texas Private School Music Educators Association Honor Choir. Madeline Settle ’30 and Leo Hatem ’28 were featured in an ensemble.
Grades 4-12 ballet students and a handful of faculty and staff performed The Nutcracker in December 2023; the production involved more than 100 cast and crew members.
Lower School music and language teachers collaborated with Eric Tysinger to write and perform a fourth grade musical for Grandparents' and Grandfriends’ Day titled “Falcon Flight 2023: A Multilingual Musical Journey Around the Globe.”
Lower School students put on a total of 10 performances the week before Thanksgiving.
Five Upper School students had an original play or monologue win in the 2022 Neighborhood Play Contest: Viktor Harrington ’23, Olivia Kersh ’24, Fiona Morris ’26, Chance Odom ’26 and Tanmay Yaramachu ’23.

Athletics

Rob Batton was named the 2023 Davey O’Brien High School Scholarship Award Winner and a WFAA Channel 8 Scholar-Athlete of the Week.
Class of 2023 graduates Jeremy Henderson and Paxton Matthews signed in spring 2023 to run track and play baseball in college.
FWCD teams and individuals were honored with SPC Sportsmanship Awards: Girls Basketball (team), Carly Walker ’24 (soccer), Chappel Carter ’25 (wrestling), Rachel Nelson ’23 (track and field) and Jackson Grace ’23 (boys tennis), Shamya Freeney ’24 (girls volleyball) and Jack Cimo ’24 (cross country). The girls volleyball team was a co-winner of the SPC North Zone Girls Volleyball Sportsmanship Award.
Walker Anderson ’23 earned the 2023 Drew Medford Scholarship.
Sixteen student-athletes were named to the 2022 Keith Waldman – Optimal Performance Associates/National Field Hockey Coaches Association High School National Academic Squad.
Three FWCD teams earned first-place finishes in the Spring 2023 SPC Championship: softball and boys track and girls track (first time ever for both track teams). Baseball and boys tennis finished in third place.
The eighth grade cheer squad attended UCA Cheer Camp, winning two blue ribbons for camp dance, a first in the division in camp dance, and a third for sideline and gameday presentation. The group also won the spirit stick every night for kindness, respect, punctuality, attitude and spirit.
Thanks to generous gifts from senior softball parents made on behalf of 2024 seniors and a commitment from both the Falcon Club and FWCD, there are now lights on the softball field.
Fall SPC took place in Fort Worth, and field hockey and volleyball games were hosted on the FWCD campus. Four runners earned medals in the 3A SPC Championship: Chloe Nelson ’27 placed second overall in the girls race, and Ty Williams ’27, Chuy Orozco ’25 and Rising Huckaby ’24 placed in the top 10. Boys cross country finished as runner-up in the SPC meet for the second consecutive year. Field hockey finished third.
Reagan Hall ’24 signed in fall 2023 to continue her softball career at Stephen F. Austin University.

60th Anniversary and Forward Together Comprehensive Campaign

In August 2023, FWCD revealed its 60th anniversary logo to kick off this milestone, which is being celebrated throughout the 2023-24 academic year.
Throwback Thursday was launched on social media in September 2023 in celebration of FWCD’s 60th anniversary. Each Thursday offers a new twist on FWCD’s history.
Thursday Trivia launched on Instagram and Facebook stories in mid-August 2023. Faculty and staff are featured weekly, and users are asked to guess the person through a poll-like feature.
In September 2023, FWCD celebrated a Birthday Convocation and Birthday Bash.
The School hosted a Past Presidents Luncheon to commemorate FWCD’s birthday and celebrate volunteers. Past Presidents/Chairs of the Alumni Council, Falcon Club, FWCD Fund, Parent Faculty Association, and Supporting CAST gathered. Patricia Schutts H’13, FWCD’s only living Founder, also attended.
The Forward Together Comprehensive Campaign kicked off its public phase on Friday, October 6, with a big reveal: a record $31,250,000 had been raised so far. More than 200 community members attended the celebration in Falcon Alley. The campaign priorities are the endowment, Lower School new construction, athletic fields enhancement (funded), and The FWCD Fund.
The Make Your Mark event in the Lower School drew over 200 alumni, families, and former and current faculty to campus to write “love notes” for the Lower School on the atrium wall.
Lower School faculty and staff moved from the Lower School building to their new digs in the Lower School Village.

Community Engagement

New Quad T-shirts debuted for all students, faculty and staff at Founders’ Day 2023; TCU Football Coach and FWCD parent Sonny Dykes spoke at Founders’ Day 2023 in March.
SAGE Dining Services debuted a special FWCD coffee blend – Country Daybreak – sold in the Falcon Feeder; SAGE also introduced a new Free-Style Lunch Station.
Six faculty members were inducted into Club Viginti for their 20 years of service to the School: Carrie Cheng, Dr. John Cordell, DeAnn Hall, Aaron Hoover, Molly Risewick and Mike Vincent.
Founders’ Day of Giving surpassed its goal, raising $71,260 for The FWCD Fund.
FWCD is participating in the Light Sensor Project in partnership with the city of Fort Worth, the Amon G. Carter Foundation, and a University of Oklahoma graduate student.
Breakthrough Fort Worth was gifted $92,000 from the Co-Chairs and Board of Directors of Design Inspirations. Breakthrough Fort Worth and Fancy Meal featured on/in Tell Me Something Good Broadcast on NBC5, Fort Worth Report, Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, and West Fort Worth Lifestyle Magazine.
The Class of 2027 won the 2022-23 FWCD Fund Falcon Fever Contest with 66% parent participation.
Paula Weatherholt was honored with Falcon Club’s Old Sport Award.
Amy Witten was named FWCD’s new Assistant Head of School for Student Services and Academics. Dr. Witten was featured in a variety of Fort Worth publications. Chad Peacock became FWCD’s first Personal Protection Officer.
Three new Master Teachers were named in May 2023: Natalie Bracken ’05, Laurie Brown and Mike Vincent.
As a result of 2022-23 fundraising, FWCD’s Parent Faculty Association provided funds for various School enhancements.
FWCD partners with the Parent Faculty Association to host Hawaii 6-0, a back-to-school parent party. The heat moved the party into the Moncrief Library, but spirits were high. Approximately 300 parents attended the event.
The 2023-24 academic year opened with 1,097 students in JK-12, 135 new Falcons, 74 new FWCD families, and 20 new faculty and staff members.
Fort Wonder and Falcon Sports Camps hosted 62 camps on campus, welcoming 1,047 unique camps for a total of 2,45 camp enrollments. This was the biggest camp season so far.
The Parent Faculty Association sells one spirit T-shirt to families for the academic year.
Fort Wonder launches the inaugural Fall Fest (October 9) and the second annual Winter Wonder Games (December 18-21) camps.
Social Media: Tuesday Takeovers kicked off in fall 2023, and a Happy Birthday Campaign launched, highlighting faculty and staff on the first day of their birthday month.
The PFA netted approximately $38,000 at its annual Pumpkin Patch and Faux Pumpkin Auction. Central Market donated over 600 pumpkins to this year’s patch.
Homecoming 2023 offered fun-filled activities for all, including the Upper School Pep Rally with the Homecoming Court Nominations, campus tours, the Make Your Mark event in the Lower School, Homecoming football game, Alumni Athletes recognition, a Class of 1990 Luncheon for winning The FWCD Fund Challenge, a Student Council Presidents Luncheon, a Whiz Quiz Reunion, Class Reunions for 3s and 8s, and a Homecoming dance.
In October, FWCD launched a new marketing campaign featuring Cooper Burleson ’15, J Mack Slaughter ’02 and Elyse Stoltz Dickerson ’93.
Veterans Day was celebrated throughout campus. Lower School hosted FWCD parent and Air Force Veteran Elijah Supper; Middle School seventh graders hosted the annual Veterans Day program, which featured Air Force Veteran Cavan Craddock, FWCD parent and husband of Humanities Teacher Dr. Tammy Craddock, as the keynote speaker; and Upper School experienced the powerful Missing Man Table ceremony.
The Rosacker Stadium flagpole was gifted to the School by an anonymous donor and dedicated to U.S. Marine Corps member Bill Arnold ’86 and fellow FWCD veterans.

Service, Giving and Service Learning

Sixth graders raised $40,285.83 for Water for South Sudan in a four-mile water walk around the Barrett Havern Track in Rosacker Stadium; the students also participated in a refugee simulation.
Second Grade Market Day raised nearly $3,000 for Blue Diamond Recreation, a nonprofit that helps veterans and their families challenged by the effects of the war.
The four kindergarten classes donated approximately 400 stuffed animal bears to Cook Children’s Medical Center Prayer Bear Den. The collection was a service project tied to the Kindergarten Teddy Bear Picnic tradition.
The Admission Office recruited 228 Student Admission Ambassadors (80 from Upper School and 148 from Middle School). This is the most Student Admission Ambassadors to date!
The Class of 2025 served at the Fort Worth Feast of Sharing event.
Kathryn Sohne organized a “goodie bag” assembly line in the Middle School for Lower School teachers during Lower School moving week. Students wrote notes on the bags and then stuffed them with goodies. These goodie bags were delivered to the LS teachers on November 27.
Giving Tuesday 2023 was dedicated to Clovis Murphree. An anonymous donor doubled the funds raised on this day and went directly to the Murphree family.
Middle School NJHS members completed multiple service projects over the year, including donating 400 stuffed Easter eggs to Como Community Center.
The Upper School Student Council hosted many events and service initiatives over the year, including a campus blood drive in partnership with Carter Blood Care.

Inclusion and Belonging

FWCD hosted the inaugural All-School MLK Service Day on January 16 at Mission Arlington
Holocaust survivor Paula Weissman shared her story with Upper School students during advisory.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Forum featured a community reading of Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
Rising Phoenix performed for the Upper School and Middle School during announcements/advisory to celebrate Lunar New Year.
FWCD’s Modern and Classical Languages Department hosted the International Global Fashion Show and Flavors of the World.
History Department Chair Colin Douglas ’06 spoke to Upper School students during assembly about the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas.

View Points of Pride Slideshow