News and Multimedia


March 2nd Debate Tournament: An XIII Recaps Event Results

March 7, 2024  |   By: City and Country 

by Ara T., C&C XIII As we approach the end of the debate season, C&C debaters have been working hard to fulfill their hopes. C&C traveled to Ethical Culture Fieldston School on Saturday, March 2nd, for a day full of interesting debates from strong speakers. Debaters argued topics including “Only Violent Criminals Should Be Imprisoned,” “This House Regrets the Rise of Fast Fashion,” and the Varsity-Only “United States Supreme Court Justices Should Have Term Limits.” Two C&C teams went undefeated, winning first and third,…

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Bridging More Than Blocks

March 1, 2024  |   By: City and Country 

For many years, C&C’s VIIs (second graders) have reconstructed the Brooklyn Bridge using wooden unit blocks created by founder Caroline Pratt. The timing of this months-long endeavor aligns as seven-year-olds begin to connect their past and present.  “The Brooklyn Bridge quite literally bridges the ‘here and now’ with the ‘here and long ago,’” said VIIsR Group Teacher Adam Aharoni. “It represents the cognitive leap VIIs are making at this point in their development.” Notably, the building of the Bridge is not a…

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An XIII’s Report: African Storyteller Event, Ada Ari

February 22, 2024  |   By: City and Country 

by Trish G., C&C XIIIOn Wednesday, January 17th, award-winning author and educator Ada Ari visited C&C. More specifically, Ada visited the IIs, IIIs, IVs, Vs, VIs, and VIIs. Ada brought in and read her three children’s books, The Spider’s Thin Legs, The Lion’s Promise, and The Turtle’s Cracked Shell to the younger children. She also brought authentic African instruments and allowed children to experiment with them. “I noticed that [the IIs] were captivated by her. Her ability to story-tell was just thrilling for them,”…

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The Art of Literacy, Learning, and Language

February 14, 2024  |   By: City and Country  |   Uncategorized

by Jane Clarke, Lower School Division Director My last article focused on math. This one hopes to illuminate the ways in which we nurture children to become confident, critical, and joyful readers throughout the Lower School. In short, how do our children grow as readers here: We are proud of a program that we believe meets children exactly where they are in their journey to becoming those enthusiastic, independent readers. Our Lower School program is designed specifically to build skills consistently and…

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Pratt Featured in Exhibition of Notable Women Born in 1867

February 8, 2024  |   By: City and Country 

City and Country School founder Caroline Pratt is featured in the Hill-Stead Museum “Born in 1867: Theodate’s Generation” exhibition. The show profiles a generation of women – including Laura Ingalls Wilder, Madam C.J. Walker, and the Unsinkable Molly Brown – who overcame lingering Victorian views to become notable in their respective fields. The City & Country School Archives loaned unit blocks, an early XIs poetry journal, and original “do-with” dolls and drawings created and handcrafted by Pratt.  “To be included within this distinguished group of…

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A XIII’s Perspective: Meet the Grads Was Great

February 6, 2024  |   By: City and Country 

by Theo M-N, C&C XIII C&C’s meet the grads event has always been special to C&C. This year on January 18, we heard students from the C&C Class of 2020: Nuri R. (20) from Berkeley Carroll, Georgia G. (20) from the Spence School, and Peter B (20) from Trinity School. While a fourth student, Tallulah S. (20) was supposed to attend, but there were complications. It was amazing to…

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A Blocks Trend Inspires Field Trip to The Walker

January 31, 2024  |   By: City and Country 

It started with a child’s idea. Then Vs teacher Mona noticed that many of her children were building hotels in Blocks. She leaned in. How might the children’s natural curiosity inspire their learning? “At C&C, we consider trends, such as an interest in hotels, when we plan our field trips,” said Mona. “And, we are fortunate to have The Walker down the block. I am thankful to Suzi and Christoph for organizing the trip and serving as our tour guides, along with…

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Thank You, C&C, for Another Incredible MLK Family Service Day!

January 30, 2024  |   By: City and Country 

On Saturday, January 27, 2024, many families and community members gathered for C&C’s 12th Annual MLK Family Service Day. Co-hosted by the Xs and Community Outreach, C&C families worked together to create an abundance of decorations, many care cards with heartfelt messages, 400 toiletry gift bags, 820 homemade cookie packages, and 350 to-go lunch bags to distribute to people in need. In the afternoon, middle and upper school families served lunch at The Red Door Place. “The rooms were buzzing with activity!” said Gee…

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C&C Debate Wins the Top School Trophy (Again!)

January 25, 2024  |   By: City and Country 

Congratulations to C&C’s Debate Club for winning the Tournament Award, given to the school with the highest winning percentage, at last weekend’s ESU New York Debate League January Invitational. The one-day event was held at Tuckahoe School on Saturday, January 20, 2024, and featured 50 teams from area schools, including Dalton, Blind Brook, Nightingale-Bamford, and Salk School of Science. C&C has won the Tournament Award at two of the league’s last four events, including the championships last April.  On Saturday, the 50…

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“Math Is Everything.”

January 22, 2024  |   By: City and Country 

Written by Jane Clarke, Director of Lower School A comment was made by a VII the other day that struck a chord with me that felt important to share with you. The VII said: “Math is in everything.” This VII continued by sharing, “All of your thoughts have to do with math, actually. And everything in the world is math. Cooking, building, even thinking.”  My own experience with “maths” (that is what we called it in the UK!) was unusual and, I believe, shaped a passion that was quickly and dramatically…

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Research in the XIIIs

November 17, 2023  |   By: City and Country 

By Karen Brandt, Director of Middle and Upper School The IXs weren’t the only Group with a successful launch this fall! The Room to Room Report, the newspaper published by the XIIIs, released its first issue on October 5. The XIIIs Newspaper provides an opportunity for XIIIs to report on what’s happening internally in school, while also starting to peer outward into the world they will soon enter. Like the IXs Store, the XIIIs Newspaper also provides the school community with a service, keeping…

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Opening of the C&C School Store, Space Erase

November 17, 2023  |   By: City and Country 

By Karen Brandt, Director of Middle and Upper School One day, a mysteriously large letter arrived in my office. Once the IXs received the money required to purchase goods for the Store, the sales group sprung into action—surveying the faculty and staff to see what items were needed by community members, comparison shopping, purchasing, and, finally, pricing material. After days spent pricing notebooks, model magic, tissue boxes, and much much more, the IXs’ Room was a controlled chaos of material piled high on…

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Blocks Workshops for Prospective Families!

October 19, 2023  |   By: City and Country 

We are delighted to announce our Block Workshops for Prospective Families!  By spending time in a City and Country School classroom doing hands-on work with unit blocks (working in just the way our students do), you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the learning opportunities the blocks present to children. You’ll also experience a taste of C&C’s teaching style and learn more about our overall approach to education. Here’s what some past participants said about the C&C Block Workshop: “The block building workshop was…

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A Slide With No Sides

September 24, 2023  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

By Elise Bauer, Director of Admissions Showing people around City and Country School never gets old. As Director of Admissions since 2009, I have given more tours of the School than I can count, and it continues to be one of my favorite aspects of the job. For me, a highlight of touring people is the moment when, after going through the passageway towards the 12th Street Building, the space opens wide to reveal an open sky and the entire campus of our seven brownstones,…

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7s: Our Block Experts

September 14, 2023  |   By: City and Country 

By the time they are 7s (2nd graders), students have several years of working with unit Blocks under their belts and have become Block building experts! So when asked recently by their teachers, they eagerly shared some sage Block advice: “You should always carry longies up and down, not side to side, because they could hit someone while you walk by them;” “You should build away from the shelf so people have room to get more blocks.” “You shouldn’t…

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Welcome from C&C’s New Principal

July 6, 2023  |   By: City and Country 

July 5, 2023 Dear City and Country School Community, Dr. Frank Patti It is with great joy that I write to you as the new Principal of City and Country School. I am honored to join this vibrant community, and I am eager to begin getting to know all of you. I want to begin by expressing my gratitude for the warm welcome I have received since my arrival. The year ended on a high note at my former school, Milton Academy, and I now…

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Message from C&C Principal Scott Moran

June 27, 2023  |   By: City and Country 

June 27, 2023 Dear City and Country School Community, When I began at C&C in 2000 as a student teacher, I was immediately enamored with the School. It was a place that made sense to me in a way that none of the schools I attended as a child did. Full of agency, community, and making sense of the world, learning at C&C is a natural and purposeful activity. Over the years, I have held many roles and watched the school grow and evolve, all…

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Salute to the C&C Classes of 2023 and 2019!

June 9, 2023  |   By: City and Country 

C&C’s XIIIs (8th graders) have spent the past several months heavily focused on the high school application process and eagerly awaiting admission notifications. We are happy to share the list below of all the high schools to which they were accepted.  As we celebrate our XIIIs, our Class of 2019 is also approaching a major milestone—their high school graduation and college acceptances. Below is a list of the colleges they will be attending.  With these moments top of mind, we are sharing a video from…

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Register for a Spring Information Session!

April 27, 2023  |   By: City and Country 

Families interested in applying for admission for the 2024–2025 are invited to attend an Admissions Information Session this spring. These sessions will be held on Thursday, May 4, Thursday, May 11, and Monday, May 15 at 9:00–11:00 a.m., and will include a presentation from our admissions team, including lots of photos and some video, and a chance to speak with current C&C parents in a Q&A session. Space is limited; click here to register. City and Country School, for children ages…

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Announcing C&C’s Next Principal

January 19, 2023  |   By: City and Country 

January 11, 2023 Dear City and Country School Community, The City and Country School Board of Trustees and Search Committee are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Frank Patti as C&C’s next Principal, beginning on July 1, 2023. Frank’s mission-focused approach to leadership and commitment to progressive education make him exceptionally suited to bring our community together and to guide the School through its next chapter.  Frank joins C&C from Milton Academy in Massachusetts, where he is Lower School Principal. However, his family’s move to the…

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Brooklyn Bridge or Bust!

November 21, 2022  |   By: City and Country 

The VIIs have started their in-depth Study of the Brooklyn Bridge, and they recently went on a Trip to see the bridge up close! They took the subway from the School to the East River, then walked across the bridge, stopping at certain points to make observations. They then walked through DUMBO to have lunch at Brooklyn Bridge Park, and then back to the subway to return to school. The Trip to the Brooklyn Bridge allowed students to experience the walk up and down the…

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City and Country School Vocabulary

October 7, 2022  |   By: City and Country 

By Elise Bauer, former Director of Lower School and current Director of Admissions at C&C I would like to share a few City and Country School terms with you because they are integral to the City and Country School philosophy and reflect what is important to us as we work with your children. These words are “steady,” “work,” and “Group.”  The first word, “steady,” is a way that we help young children gain self-control. You’ll hear teachers say, “Please get steady,” or -It’s time to…

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Congratulations to the C&C Classes of 2022 and 2018!

July 14, 2022  |   By: City and Country 

On Tuesday, June 21, members of the C&C class of 2022 celebrated their graduation. Our 27 graduates were accepted to the following schools, with high school choices indicated by an asterisk (*). AvenuesThe Beacon School*The Berkeley Carroll School (2)*Blair Academy (NJ)The Brearley School*Bronx High School of ScienceBrooklyn Friends SchoolBrooklyn Technical High SchoolThe Calhoun School*The Chapin SchoolColumbia Grammar and Preparatory SchoolCrossroads School for Arts & Sciences (CA)*The Dalton School*Darien High School (CT)*Dominican AcademyDwight SchoolDwight-Englewood School*Ethical Culture Fieldston SchoolFranklin School (NJ)Friends Seminary*George School*Grace Church School (2)* The…

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Art Through the Years at C&C Highlighted in New Archives Display

April 11, 2022  |   By: City and Country 

As you enter C&C’s 13th Street Lobby, you’ll find on your right a rotating display of treasures from the C&C Archives. On exhibit now: a look at children’s work with clay through the decades at C&C. This curated collection includes photos of children immersed in creation, as well as finished pieces sprung from artistic imaginings and the culmination of deep research. Be sure to take a moment to soak up these evocative images of creative expression in the making, as well as the menagerie of…

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City and Country School Blocks Program Featured in Independent School Magazine

December 8, 2021  |   By: City and Country 

City and Country School’s 107-year-old Blocks Program couldn’t be thwarted by the pandemic and the virtual learning children experienced during the early months of lockdown. Click here to read an article from the Spring 2021 issue of Independent School Magazine about how C&C’s educators reimagined the Blocks Program, keeping children engaged and connected to one another, while maintaining the school’s progressive philosophy in a virtual setting. The article also highlights how the pandemic offered C&C an opportunity to rethink how the…

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Thanksgiving-in-a-Bag Drive Provides Perspective on Food Insecurity for XIIs

November 24, 2021  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

Each year, the C&C Community Outreach Team hosts a Thanksgiving-in-a-Bag Food Drive to benefit the patrons of The Red Door Place. This year’s goal was to gather enough donations to prepare 250 bags full of items to make complete Thanksgiving meals to distribute to people facing food insecurity. Thanks to the tremendous support of the community and hard work of the parent volunteers, we exceeded that goal and were able to donate 300 bags! The Community Roots Crew helped with sorting the donated food, and…

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Signs (of) Change: The Evolution of the Xs’ Job as Sign Makers

August 3, 2021  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

8/3/2021 On a typical first day of school in September, the hallways are filled with the rush of students greeting their friends after a long summer break, teachers leading their new Groups to their Rooms, and more than one confused parent or staff member trying to navigate the seven brownstones of City and Country School in search of the correct office or meeting room. Unlike most schools, C&C does not have permanent signs on classroom doors or in hallways to help orient visitors in the…

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Reimagining Lower School Trips in the Pandemic Era

July 27, 2021  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

7/27/2021 Jane Clarke, Director of Lower School Venturing out into the world has always been a foundation of City and Country School’s Social Studies curriculum—broadening children’s experience of how the world is connected and how they fit into that environment. Our teachers provoke children to ask questions and seek answers, and taking Trips outside the classroom allows children to see and hear new things—and gain new understandings about what they experience together. And so, as students began returning to C&C in September, our teachers asked:…

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Connect with C&C Admissions!

July 22, 2021  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

7/24/2019 Click HERE to meet the Admissions Team and stay informed of important information and updates.

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Tech, the C&C Way

July 20, 2021  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

7/20/2021 In March of 2020, the burgeoning pandemic pushed City and Country School to move its 105-year-old program entirely online. As the summer approached and faculty and staff could look beyond the immediacy of the day-to-day, they thought carefully about how the School could offer a program in the fall that would be true to C&C’s pedagogy while adapting to the realities of the continuing pandemic.   It was clear that technology would play an integral role in any hybrid or remote program; the key was to find…

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Class of 2021 High School Acceptances and Class of 2017 College Acceptances

July 19, 2021  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

7/19/2021 On Monday, June 14, members of the C&C class of 2021 celebrated their graduation. Our 24 graduates were accepted to the following schools, with high school choices indicated by an asterisk (*).  American Heritage School (FL) Archbishop Molloy High School Avenues: The World School* The Beacon School* Berkeley Carroll School The Boerum Hill School for International Studies* The Browning School* The Calhoun School The Chapin School Collegiate School* Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School The Dalton School Dwight School* Friends Seminary* Garden School Grace Church…

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Everyone’s Work: Anti-racism Comes into Focus at C&C

July 13, 2021  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

7/13/2021 By: Millie Cartagena, Director of Community Life, Equity, and Inclusion My first vivid encounter with racism was when I was looking for an apartment at the age of 21. After spending hours on the phone negotiating and landing on a rental price with the owner, I arrived at the location and was told it was no longer available. Before that, as an Afro-Latina living in a tight-knit Latinx community, I was mostly spared. Systemic racism and white privilege, though I didn’t powerfully experience either…

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Please Come to the Beautiful, Fun Art Show

June 29, 2021  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

6/29/2021 The second edition of C&C’s Portfolio series explores how the 2018–2019 VsM Group planned The Art Show to share their painting work with the greater community. Published in fall of 2020, City and Country School’s second Portfolio features 18 works of art, one from each student in the 2018–2019 VsM. Though they are beautiful representations of each child’s world, the aesthetic value of the art pieces is not the focus. As Jane Clarke, Director of Lower School, said, “The preparation for the show, and how…

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DON’T Stop the Presses

June 22, 2021  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

6/22/2021 XIIIs Continue to Tell Stories and Advance Social Justice Causes Through the Newspaper Deadlines in every press shop spark a flurry of activity—a last minute scramble to get stories and photos submitted, edited, and published. Despite the pandemic, the XIIIs—the journalists of C&C and the curators of the School Newspaper—and their Group Teachers were determined to keep the gears of the presses running smoothly and to further their understanding of social justice and action. This inspired a similar flurry: of creativity, innovation, and excitement…

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The Great Debate!

June 2, 2021  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

The C&C Admissions Team sends out a weekly message to newly admitted families. These may be updates from the school, communications from the Principal, or glimpses of the school offered by community members.This week, Nick Smart, our Associate Director of Admissions, gave families a look at the C&C Debate Team.Happy Friday, New Families! You’ve heard us mention City and Country Debate a few times before. There are a couple reasons for that: Debaters, who can join the class and team once they reach the Xs,…

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C&C’s Innovation Ambassadors

April 28, 2021  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

4/28/2021by City and Country School Virtual field trips. A digital newspaper. Social distancing and online math games.  Necessity is the mother of invention, and the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a lot of invention. Throughout the 2020-21 school year, teachers have been finding creative ways to maintain and build the progressive City and Country learning experience across screens and distance. The Innovation Ambassadors program was launched to help identify these new pedagogical inventions so they can be spread beyond a single classroom to the community at large.

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Stories of Collaboration: Teaching With Families, and Innovation Ambassador Feature

April 28, 2021  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

4/28/2021by Mona De Victoria, MSEd, VsM Group Teacher Stories of Collaboration: Teaching With Families At City and Country School, in the words of our founder, Caroline Pratt, we learn from children. The value of such a practice is immeasurable. As a Vs teacher at City and Country, I observe and listen to children in order to gain information and insight into their learning as well as my teaching. If children look engaged, and are animated, talking together and asking questions, I feel confident…

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Sharing the Rhythms of the School Week with New Families

April 23, 2021  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

4/23/2021 By City and Country School Each week, our Admissions Team sends out a missive to our newly admitted families. These may be updates from the school, communications from the Principal, or glimpses of the school offered by community members. This week, Nick Smart, our Associate Director of Admissions, gave families insight into some of the small details and big moments that contributed to the rhythm of our school over the past few days. ————–April 23, 2021 Hi New Families, One of our goals for…

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Physical Blocks and Virtual Connections: Expanding Educator Outreach and Reimagining a Blocks Program Through Remote Learning

January 26, 2021  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

1/26/2021By Jane Clarke, Director of Lower School If someone had told our founder, Caroline Pratt, that children would be learning apart from one another in 2020, she would have expressed deep concern. Pratt believed that learning was a fundamentally social process. Her educational philosophy centered around the idea that children benefit most when they work together to learn more about each other and the world around them, and through that process, themselves. C&C educators today—106 years after the school was founded—still hold a deep belief…

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C&C Community Dialogue About Racism and Inequities

September 1, 2020  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

9/1/2020Millie Cartagena September 1, 2020 Dear City and Country School Alumni, Alumni Parents, and Former Faculty and Staff, I am writing to share an update about our ongoing anti-racism work at C&C, and in particular, insights from our recent forums and meetings. Current C&C community members gathered in August to reflect on the facilitated forums that C&C hosted earlier this month and to look ahead to the important work that still lies in front of us. These August forums were dedicated to honoring, listening…

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C&C Admissions Hosting Virtual Information Session

September 1, 2020  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

9/1/2020 City and Country School is an institution for children ages two through eighth grade, located in the West Village of Manhattan. We would be delighted to see you at a Virtual Information Session, where you can learn about our innovative progressive model.  Despite our physical distance, we want to give you a glimpse of the traditions and dynamism of our school, which was founded in 1914. The sessions will include a presentation from our admissions team, and a live Q&A with current parents. …

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C&C Community Dialogue About Racism and Inequities

June 29, 2020  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

6/29/2020Millie Cartagena and Scott Moran June 29, 2020 Dear City and Country Community, We are at an inflection point in our nation’s history and in the independent school community. Students and alumni across the country have bravely broken their silence about the harm enacted in their communities by schools and institutions they have attended. At C&C, we know we are not exempt from having enacted that same brand of harm—racism and anti-Blackness in particular. The stories that have come to us from students across…

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End-of-Year Message from the Board of Trustees

June 12, 2020  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

6/12/2020 June 12, 2020  Dear C&C Community: As we bring our 105th school year to a close, our community and country is navigating a historic set of challenges. This new pandemic, compounded by the most recent violence against Black lives, has exposed the fragility of our social structures. Our awakening to how deeply rooted social and racial injustice is embedded in this country and in our systems has been painful to own. At the same time, these crises have given voice and visibility to…

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Response to Recent Racial Injustices from the C&C Administrative Team

May 31, 2020  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

5/31/2020C&C Administrative Team May 31, 2020  Dear C&C Community,  The recent murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, and the racism endured by Christian Cooper in our very own Central Park, are weighing heavy on our hearts. These are only the most recent crimes and injustices committed against Black and Brown people, and they come at a time when Black and Brown people are already being disproportionately devastated by the pandemic and its secondary effects.  Over the past few days, many students,…

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Looking Beyond New York: How the tragic fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris inspired the Vs to take action in their classroom

May 12, 2020  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

5/12/2020 From Works In Progress, the C&C Magazine, Issue III “Did you hear what happened last night?” a V in Will Sears’ Group asked last April during a Group meeting. “Notre Dame is burning!” Quickly, several more Vs chimed in, sharing what they had heard about the fire at the historic Parisian cathedral. The next day, the children raised the topic again, and an animated conversation ensued. The Group’s observations and questions ranged from the fire and firefighters, to the history of the…

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In Tune: The Power of Singalong at C&C

April 27, 2020  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

4/27/2020 From Works In Progress, the C&C Magazine, Issue IIIIt was only the fourth day of school for the full IIs–XIIIs community. Children dreamt of a summer well-spent; parents continued to adapt to the routines of the school year. Teachers, too, eased their students (and themselves) into the curriculum. For all of its potential, the first week of school can also be one of the most s It was only the fourth day of school for the full IIs–XIIIs community. Children dreamt of a…

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C&C Responds to Coronavirus Pandemic

March 30, 2020  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

3/30/2020Learning Continues through Virtual C&C During Coronavirus PandemicUpdate: 8/18/20 City and Country School is planning to reopen school on September 8 using a mix of in-person, hybrid, and remote learning. Click here to visit the C&C Reopening Plan web page. ————- Though our physical buildings are empty as we practice social distancing, C&C is committed to providing an engaging remote learning experience for our students through Virtual C&C. Students and teachers are continuing their work…

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VIDEO: I Learn from Children Panel Discussion and Book Release

December 6, 2019  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

In December 2019, our founder Caroline Pratt’s memoir, I Learn from Children, was republished in hardcover format for the first time since its original publication in 1948. I Learn from Children is the story of the inception and evolution of City and Country School. The reimagined 2019 hardcover edition features new photography from the C&C archives, as well as a beautifully redesigned hardcover and interior pages. C&C Trustee and alumni parent Barry Munger oversaw the production of the new edition. “One thing that often gets…

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Learning with Transparency at C&C

December 4, 2019  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

12/4/2019Scott Moran, Principal“What do you do? Is your job hard?” –IVs Students This year, as in most years, the IVs asked me some big questions when I visited their classroom. I tried to give an answer that felt satisfying for them and for me, but it was challenging to explain my role in ways that would make sense to them. Most of my job as Principal is opaque to the students, and aside from a few tangible examples I could give, I replied simply that,…

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Fall Letter to Parents from Karen

October 21, 2019  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

10/21/2019Karen Brandt, Director of Upper School Dear Upper School Parents,Fall has finally arrived, and there is so much going on in the Upper School that I am excited to share with you! In an ongoing effort to connect the Group rooms to the outside world, the Upper School has been quite busy engaging in field trips.  The XIIIs began the year by spending the day at Photoville in Brooklyn. Photoville is a powerful photography exhibit that is displayed in large shipping containers. The XIIIs were…

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Fall Letter to Parents from Ayesha

October 21, 2019  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

10/21/2019Ayesha Long, Director of Middle School Dear Middle School Families,During each Group night, I shared that the faculty and staff read Charles Vogl’s book, The Art of Community, over the summer. In the book, he expressed that community is where you begin to answer three foundational questions: Who are you? What do you do? What do you value?Now that your children are in their second month of school, they have begun to establish community within their Groups. This means they have also begun to answer…

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XIIIs-Eye View at C&C

May 31, 2019  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

5/31/2019 When walking the halls of C&C, visitors often see the XIIIs gathering the latest news, clipboard and pencil at the ready. Whether bending down to catch what the shy IV has to say about Rhythms, or seeing eye-to-eye with fellow XIIIs as they contemplate the end of their time at C&C, our thirteen-year-olds are capable of great insight into our unique community.Here are some highlights, featured in the second edition of our Works in Progress magazine, of what the XIIIs have…

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What is the Block Connection Initiative?

May 16, 2019  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

5/16/2019 C&C began the Block Connection initiative 13 years ago, helping to fulfill founder Caroline Pratt’s vision of making a real change in how all children are taught, and bringing her approach to education to schools across the city. Partnering with public school teachers and administrators, C&C educators demonstrate how open-ended materials, unit blocks in particular, and a commitment to dramatic play, are crucial components of learning for young children. Through the initiative, C&C’s educators have extensively and successfully partnered with PS 38, PS 130, and…

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All-Class Reunion 2019!

April 18, 2019  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

4/18/2019 Forty-five members of C&C classes from 1939 to 2018 and their guests came together April 12 for a Sing-Along with Music Teacher Maja Goceva, a Rhythms workshop with Rhythms Teachers Kate Tarlow Morgan ’68 and Zelda Gay ’06, followed by a general gathering in the Library.

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Journalist Vladimir Pozner ’47 Visits C&C

April 9, 2019  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

4/9/2019 Vladimir Pozner ’47, noted journalist, recently visited with a film crew, to include City and Country in a documentary being made about his life.  Vladimir Pozner ’47, noted journalist, recently visited with a film crew, to include City and Country in a documentary being made about his life. Vladimir toured the School and was interviewed for an article to be published in Works in Progress, the School magazine. Vladimir last visited in 1999 to discuss journalism with the XIIIs, who write the School newspaper. “Every…

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“American Injustice” An Evening with Bryan Stevenson

March 5, 2019  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

3/5/2019 C&C partnered with the other members of the Downtown Independent School Consortium to present “American Injustice” with Bryan Stevensonon February 20 at Friends Seminary. Stevenson is the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, author of Just Mercy, and a professor at the NYU Law School. His Equal Justice Initiative is the founding organization of The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration.  Stevenson shared his four-step prescription for positive change: Stay close to people we want to help; change the narrative of problems we are trying…

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Silver Award for C&C Annual Appeal

February 6, 2019  |   By: Lisa Pineda 

2/6/2019 City and Country has earned a Silver Accolade Award in the category of Fundraising Appeals: Individual, from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) for our 2017-2018 Annual Appeal. Out of 112 awards, only two went to institutions that were not colleges or universities.  This award is added to C&C’s growing roster of CASE awards, with a Bronze in the category of Fundraising Appeal: Individual for our 2016-2017 Annual Appeal and a Silver in Publications Design Multi-Page for the portfolio book, which featured the work of the…

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