The small world of Country School prepares students to meet the challenges of whatever they do next...from high school to college to their professional lives, they are taught to lead with courage, kindness, and acceptance.
Some 60 alumni, including two from the 1970s, three from the 1980s, and 50+ from the 2000s, returned to campus for our traditional Fall Alumni Reunion. As always, it was a festive occasion.
Kim Tobin King '85, Connecticut Teacher of the Year, lives the Country School mission. We are proud to welcome her back to campus to receive the 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award.
Ally Picard '07, a registered nurse specializing in pediatric psychiatry who is studying for her doctorate at Columbia University
Teachers at The Country School really cared, and it wasn't just caring about test scores. Everyone had their own thing, and that was okay. I’m learning in psychiatry that every kid is in a different place. Country School teachers taught to where we were individually. I’m very lucky to have had that. The Country School was so ahead of its time.
-Ally Picard '07, a registered nurse specializing in pediatric psychiatry who is studying for her doctorate at Columbia University
Harry Bradford ’00, deputy editorial director for The New York Times’ T Brand Studios
I largely credit The Country School for cultivating the desire to explore, discover, and continue to learn from an early age. It was an education that provided the foundation to keep looking toward the goal — much like the Times’ mission itself — of better understanding the world we live in.
-Harry Bradford ’00, deputy editorial director for The New York Times’ T Brand Studios
Jake Gadon ’08, weekend sports anchor at KOAA5 in Colorado Springs, CO, former sports director and anchor at CBS7-KOSA in Odessa, TX
Combine the the confidence to get out there and the knowledge that it’s okay to fail — and I know I wouldn’t be where I am today: a sports anchor at a local television station, in a position where I am in front of a camera, seen in households all over West Texas — without The Country School.
-Jake Gadon ’08, weekend sports anchor at KOAA5 in Colorado Springs, CO, former sports director and anchor at CBS7-KOSA in Odessa, TX
Kat Lauer ’06, development specialist at Motion Picture & Television Fund, former director of UCLA Athletics’ Bruin Varsity Club
At The Country School, my coaches, my advisors, everyone there had my best interests at heart and I didn’t feel like just another person in the crowd. Those are some of my most cherished memories. It’s rare to say when you’re in Middle School that you have that.
-Kat Lauer ’06, development specialist at Motion Picture & Television Fund, former director of UCLA Athletics’ Bruin Varsity Club
Marissa Irwin ’05, founder of her own jewelry company, Marissa Irwin Designs, and former associate in business strategy and management at BlackRock in London
You should never be afraid to be yourself, and part of being yourself is pursuing what you love. Country School created an environment where students could be whoever they wanted to be and never had to worry about being judged for it.
-Marissa Irwin ’05, founder of her own jewelry company, Marissa Irwin Designs, and former associate in business strategy and management at BlackRock in London
Country Connections
Serving the Common Good
The Country School has an active Alumni Association which oversees reunion planning, alumni communications, and other activities involving former students. The Alumni Association also identifies and nominates the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award.
341 Opening Hill Road, Madison, CT 06443 P. 203-421-3113 | Health Office F. 860-469-2550
Founded in 1955, The Country School is a coeducational, independent school serving students in PreSchool-Grade 8. The Country School is committed to active, hands-on learning and a vigorous curriculum that engages the whole child.