I’ve been waiting 10 years to say this, having started my role in June 2012. After learning that the school would be celebrating its 40th anniversary shortly after I arrived, I made a point of gathering CDS history thinking it may come in handy when we celebrated the 50th.
The actual anniversary of the school’s opening is September 11, 1972, when 47 intrepid students first arrived in our classrooms. But rather than focus on one day, we have decided to celebrate the 50th anniversary for an entire academic year.
We will be doing this by sharing historical vignettes on social media and in The Link, driveway banners featuring a handful of our illustrious alumni, a coffee table book due out this spring in hard copy and digital version, alumni greetings, a 50th website, and numerous 50th-themed events throughout the year.
As illustrated in the inside front cover of this magazine, we “teed off” the celebration year on August 18th with a golf tournament open to all members of our community and hosted by the CDS Alumni Association.
On the first day of school, our students, teachers and parents wished CDS a Happy Birthday at the 50th-themed Welcome Back BBQ. And on October 1, we invited our Founding families back to see the school they conceived of and helped to build during the first decade of its existence.
The rest of the year will unfold with a series of macro- and micro-sized events stamped with the 50th anniversary theme. Our Junior School Building Magic wing is scheduled to open this academic year, likely April, which is when we will host a doors open style event. Stay tuned for more exciting details.
Then a month later, we will welcome everyone back in May for the much-anticipated return of CDS Auction – a Golden Jubilee edition! We’ve missed hosting this event for the past three years and can’t wait to bring it back to campus!
Finally, we will put a bow on our 50th celebration year with an all Alumni Octoberfest-style event in June featuring alumni microbrews, wines and music! We look forward to sharing the lineup with you.
Yes, this is going to be an incredibly exciting year for CDS and we would love to welcome you back to one or multiple events to help us celebrate the magnificent school you have helped to build and grow over the past 50 years! Be sure to check out our 50th anniversary website for more information at www.cds.on.ca/cdsturns50.