After almost two years of quick pivoting, adaptation, and accommodation, the 2021-2022 school year started strong, minus our upper school students being on campus. Opening at the highest retention and admittance rates in CDS history, the stage was set for an unbelievable year. Parents, faculty, staff, and students patiently waited for the "second" first day of school that would happen after the Center for Innovation was completed and we could welcome our 9th - 12th graders on to campus. With iConstructors working at a breakneck pace around the clock, the landscape of CDS changed daily.

Along with Hepner Architects and the construction company, this multi-million dollar project was a group effort. CDS Head of School, Sara Rubinstein, the CDS Advancement team, board members, campaign cabinet members, and dedicated campaign chairs, Vanessa and Dan Bergin held countless fundraising and awareness events for the Center for Innovation. Our parents leaned in and proved that being part of the Patriot Nation meant that everyone shows up to make this dream a reality. Students and faculty willingly navigated changes in locations and schedules. All the while, the September 8th deadline got closer and closer. 

We did it Patriot Nation. 

We took a dream and built it and now we will achieve what our mission always set out to do. Our campus now matches our curriculum and reflects our core values. Seeing the students walking the bridge to the Wagner Entrepreneurial Center, gathering in the study gardens to eat their lunches and meet with friends, and working in the collaborative spaces, was a moment of excitement and joy. We did it. 

On the morning of September 10th, the rain stopped, chairs were set, and the Bearss Avenue student body at Carrollwood Day School gathered, along with board members and campaign chairs, to commemorate the momentous occasion of the Center for Innovation opening. The middle school band and the upper school drumline ushered us in with music. CDS cheerleaders marked the day with flair. The first and second graders saw their future, the middle schoolers found their purpose, and our seniors reveled in the fact that the building was complete for the culmination of their time at CDS. 

As the ribbon was cut and the crowd dispersed the reality that we, as a community, accomplished what we set out to do so many years ago set in. Patriot Nation, we've crossed the bridge to the future...and there's no looking back. 

Thank you Patriot Nation. This success belongs to all of us. 

There will be a special evening celebration on September 27. 2021 for our generous community of campaign supporters. It's not too late to be a part of this exciting endeavor in CDS history. Be a part of it!