School History
On April 1, 1982, some fifty people met at the Zion Episcopal Church in Charles Town to organize and to elect a steering committee charged with the establishment of an independent school in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. This meeting was initiated by parents from Clarke County, VA, and Jefferson County, WV, who believed that there was a strong need in this area for a traditional independent school which adhered to the highest academic standards.
The result was the formation of The Country Day School, an independent non-denominational, non-profit educational corporation, open to all children with potential for real academic achievement. It was founded in the spring of 1982 as an institution of academic excellence in Jefferson County, West Virginia, for grades Kindergarten through ninth. A Junior Kindergarten Program was added in 2001, and a Smart Start Program (for 3-year olds) was added in September 2005.
Situated on a large country campus off WV Route 51, 4½ miles west of Charles Town, approximately 7 miles east of Inwood, the school moved into its original buildings for the academic year 1983-84. In 1991, the Ellis Wing was dedicated and devoted to the Upper School classrooms, the Phoebe Williams Ellis Library, and a computer laboratory. The paved road was completed in May, 1997. A new 14,000 square foot classroom building was dedicated on September 8, 2001. In September, 2005, the new building was named Founders' Hall, with the new Library and Media Center dedicated to former Latin Teacher and Headmaster, Thomas H. Gast. At the same time, the Ellis wing was renamed the Phoebe and Garrison Ellis Wing.
Students are drawn from a wide, tri-state area, comprising northern Virginia, the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, and western Maryland. The Country Day School has a diverse student body and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, and/or national and ethnic origin in admitting students, and in the administration of its educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
Mr. Donald E.W. Niemann was appointed the first Headmaster of The Country Day School in June, 1982. He served in this capacity until June, 1985. He was granted the honorary title of Headmaster Emeritus.
Subsequent Headmasters/Heads of School:
1985 - 1988 James Stotler
1988 - 1998 Thomas H. Gast
1998 - 2000 T. Rex Wilson
2000 - 2004 Irene S. Bauer
2004 - 2010 Karen W. Stroup