The Brooks’ Sabbatical was established by Dr. Jean Brooks (now deceased), mother of Jim Brooks ’77 and Helen Brooks ’80, and grandmother of Taylor Brooks-Murphy ’18. Dr. Brooks dreamed of a program that would reward and renew experienced GDS teachers. This grant supports a summer sabbatical opportunity for a faculty member each year. The first award was given in 1996, and the first recipients were Mr. Bob Satterfield and Mrs. Kathy Davis. Mrs. Davis and Mr. Satterfield used the grant to attend Advanced Sketchpad courses in Cal-Berkeley, studying with the creators of technology that allows students to explore concepts and discover geometric principles inductively.
Author: Courtney Sparrow
In 1994, a team coached by Trish Morris and Jane Gutsell and led by Kulbir Walha ’94 won the High IQ championship, defeating Morehead High School of Eden.
Greensboro Day School hosted the first North Carolina Association of Independent Schools (NCAIS) People of Color Conference on April 6, 1992, attended by representatives of 18 schools and one college. Keynote speaker Justice Henry Frye, a member of the North Carolina Supreme Court, spoke on “Education and People of Color in North Carolina.”
Here’s something to cheer about! In 1991, we were the first school in the area to create comprehensive, onsite Sports Medicine services for student-athletes. And while our facilities are comparable to those of a college, it’s our talented athletic trainers who really make the program stand out.
The Greensboro Day School Alumni Association, in recognition of excellence on the part of our alumni, established the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1991. This award is presented annually during Commencement to the alumnus/a who best exhibits at least one of the following qualities: A) extraordinary service to the City of Greensboro, the state of North Carolina, or the nation; B) extraordinary distinction in one’s field of specialization or extraordinary service to society and corresponding tangible benefit to fellow citizens. The first alumnus/a to receive this award was Mary Copeland ’79 in 1991.
The 1988-89 boys’ basketball team had a phenomenal season. With a record of 25-8, the Bengals went on to win the school’s first ever boys’ basketball state championship on March 4, 1989. Thirty years later, the 1989 team truly was the foundation that the Greensboro Day School boys’ basketball program was built on. Coach Johnson and the boys’ basketball program have won over 1,000 games, 11 state titles and 16 Little Four titles. Thomas Roberts ’89 exclaims, “Our team got the first of those titles. GDS is now a national power. I am so proud of, and in awe of, all that GDS basketball has become; I am so proud to have been a part of the team that brought the first state championship home to GDS (exactly where it belongs).” Since 1989, the boys’ basketball program has played in 19 of the 31 state championship games, winning 11 state championships, more than any other school in North Carolina.
At the time, the 1988 Varsity Boys’ Soccer team had the most successful season in the history of GDS boys’ soccer. The ’88 squad posted a 19-3-2 record including the state championship, the first for any boys’ team at Greensboro Day School. Mr. Carl Fenske served as Head Coach, and Coach Kim Burroughs served as an assistant coach. Coach Fenske says, “I know that we couldn’t have accomplished all that we did without the contributions that Coach Kim Burroughs made to the team that year.”
The first K-12 Greensboro Day School Science Fair took place on March 10th, 1988 and saw an impressive exhibit of 176 student projects in the theatre of the McMillion Center for the Arts. Bill O’Connor, Lower School Science Specialist and coordinator of the fair, said, “Our intention in having the first science fair was to encourage creativity and independent thinking in science. The overall quality of the projects was very, very high.”
At Ralph Davison’s first full board meeting on September 11, 1986, he emphasized “furthering the scope of the Day School’s reach into the Greensboro community,” and he announced the establishment of the Alumni Association under the leadership of its first President, Mary Copeland ’79. By 1991, alumni continued to distinguish themselves and play an increasingly important role in school affairs. With support from Jane Gorrell ’79, Bill Morrisette ’75, Newton Cowan ’84, Ed Cone ’80 and others, the Alumni Association developed a multifaceted program of service including the class agent network, senior send-off, graduation rehearsal luncheon, the Distinguished Alumni Award, the Alumni-Booster Golf Tournament, an Alumni-Scholarship fund drive and activities to maintain bonds of friendship.
Mary Copeland ’79 was the first alumna on the Board of Trustees. She served from 1986-1994.