North Shore Country Day Celebrates Homecoming And Reunion Weekend

From North Shore Country Day:

About 200 North Shore Country Day alumni and many more students, parents, faculty, staff, friends and neighbors returned to campus September 29 and October 1 for a packed Homecoming weekend. After several years of less-than-ideal weather, the blue skies, warm sunshine and moderate temperatures—as well as the return of some beloved traditions—made this year’s events feel extra festive.

Friday afternoon kicked off with a fun run open to the entire community. The Parents’ Association and the Athletic Council once again teamed up to put on a family-friendly carnival, complete with inflatables, a temporary tattoo station, a free Kona Ice truck and a live DJ. Local restaurants Fat Shallot, Soul & Smoke and Rio Bamba Latin Kitchen also set up food trucks by the tennis courts.

Alumni from across the United States and Canada returned to campus with their friends and families to reconnect with former classmates, faculty and staff. The oldest alumnus in attendance was Pete Henderson ’47, who was celebrating both his 75th reunion and 92nd birthday.

Various formal and informal reunion class dinners and gatherings were held off campus, and alumni and their guests were invited to a Friday evening reception with current and former faculty and staff on campus in the Hall Library.

On Saturday, alumni, parents of alumni and former faculty gathered in the auditorium for a program that included an update from Head of School Tom Flemma, a panel discussion with current students and the Francis R. Stanton ’27 presentation to author and educator Jonathan Strong ’62. The Stanton recognition is given each year to an alum whose life work exemplifies the school’s motto, “Live and Serve.” The program also recognized members of the Jay Bach Iron Raiders Society—alumni who participated in 12 consecutive seasons of athletics during upper school. It concluded with a special recognition of lower school music teacher Linda Gibson Kiracibasi, who will be retiring at the end of the school year after 45 years of service.

Throughout the weekend, guests also had the chance to view the latest exhibition in the John Almquist Gallery, RE:Solving Permeated Perceptions. Curated by Dave Spencer, Director of Arts and Culture at the American Indian Center of Chicago, the show features Native artists from around Chicago whose works examine topics such as identity politics, misrepresentation and Native first-voice experiences. This exhibition is part of this year’s Franke Fund project, which aims to center Native voices and provide a way for NSCD students and the schoolwide community to engage with and learn from members of Chicago’s robust Native community.

As in past years, the Little Raiders field hockey clinic Saturday morning gave children aged 4 and up an opportunity to learn the basics of the game from NSCD players and coaches, and practice their shooting and passing.

NSCD varsity and junior varsity athletic teams celebrated on-campus victories throughout the weekend, winning four of their eight home games. The varsity field hockey team defeated Lake Forest Academy (3-0) and the varsity boys soccer team defeated Lisle Senior High School (2-0) to improve their record to 17-0-2 on the year.

This release was produced by North Shore Country Day. The views expressed here are the author's own.