During the 20-21 school year, GDS welcomed its first 3rd generation students, Cross Johnson ’34 and Worth Johnson ’36. They are the sons of McKinley and Robert Johnson ’05 and grandsons of Mary Marr Dillard Johnson ’75 and Freddy Johnson.
Category: Firsts
2020 was a year for many firsts as the Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the world as we knew it. The entire learning model moved online for the first time as all students utilized distance learning from spring break until the end of the year. On May 29, 2020, the school held a ‘drive-by’ graduation to hand out diplomas and recognize the class of 2020.
Tracie Catlett started the 2019-20 year as the school’s 7th Head of School. Tracie is the first woman to hold this position.
Penny Hazlett ’18 is the first graduate to spend 14 years at GDS after enrolling in the first PK class offered. At the time, the class was known as “Transitional Kindergarten” (TK), but later the name changed to “Pre-Kindergarten” (PK).
On November 25, 2017, Coach Freddy Johnson won his 1,000th career game as Head Coach of the Boys’ Basketball Team. He became the first high school basketball coach in North Carolina to reach this milestone victory and the 20th in the nation to do so.
In 2017, Greensboro Day School became the only school in the area to have its own climbing wall for lower and middle school PE classes.
In 2012, Jonathan Campbell was recognized as the Gatorade Player of the Year for Boys Soccer in North Carolina. He was the first male student at Greensboro Day School to receive this honor in any sport. Jonathan played soccer at UNC-Chapel Hill before being drafted #12 in the 2016 Major League Soccer Draft by the Chicago Fire. He also played for the Seattle Sounders, where they won the 2019 MLS Cup! Following the 2019 season, he retired from soccer.
Konrad Wysocki ’00 became the first GDS alumnus to participate in the Olympics, when he played for the German Olympic Team in 2008.
In 2007, AEDs were both donated and purchased by the school in order to have one in each building on campus. Drs. Peter and Christi Dalldorf established an endowment fund in order to provide maintenance and replacement of this important medical emergency equipment. Their gift was in honor of Linda Sudnik Register ’79, Jon Schner and Mike Gale for their roles in helping the students of Greensboro Day School. GDS remains one of the only schools in Guilford County to have 98% of the student body trained and certified in CPR and AED use every year.
In 2005, Greensboro Day School was the first regional school to solely sponsor the building of a Habitat for Humanity home. At Greensboro Day School, we believe that service learning is a core value and is, therefore, an integral part of every student’s education. Partnering with local non-profits is a great way for our students to obtain service learning experience.