The Summit Country Day School is a private,

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, PreK–12 co-educational school located in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, Ohio. In 2021, enrollment is 1,055 students from ages 18 months through 12th grade. Although located within the

Archdiocese of Cincinnati The Archdiocese of Cincinnati ( la, Archidiœcesis Cincinnatensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese that covers the southwest region of the U.S. state of Ohio, including the greater Cincinnati and Dayton metropolitan ...

, the school is run by the board of trustees and head of school.

Background

The Summit Country Day School was founded in 1890 by the

Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (Congregationis Sororum a Domina Nostra Namurcensi) are a Catholic institute of religious sisters, founded to provide education to the poor. The institute was founded in Amiens, France, in 1804, but the opposi ...

as a school for girls. The Summit Boys Middle School opened in 1941 and the upper school began admitting boys in 1972. In 1980, the school became a private, Catholic, independent school when an independent board of trustees assumed operations. Edward Tyrrell was named headmaster, the first layperson to lead the school, and retired in 2003 after 33 years of service to the Summit. The Summit is accredited by the

National Association of Independent Schools The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1962, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boar ...

, Ohio Association of Independent Schools, Independent Schools Association of the Central States and other agencies. The Summit continues to endorse the Hallmarks of a Notre Dame Education and maintains a relationship with the

. The school has four divisions. The

Montessori The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...

program serves ages 18 months to kindergarten. The Lower School serves Grades 1–4. Middle School is Grades 5–8. Upper School is Grades 9–12. Rich Wilson served as head of school from 2010 through 2022. Following his retirement, Kelley Schiess has succeeded Rich Wilson as head of school as of July 1, 2022.

Architecture

Summit's main building, designed by architect

Edwin Forrest Durang Edwin Forrest Durang (April 17, 1829June 7, 1911) was an American architect. He kept offices in Philadelphia and specialized in ecclesiastical and theatrical design. Life and career Durang was born in New York City, into a distinguished theatric ...

, was first constructed in 1890, then renovated in 1930. It was built in the Gothic Revival style and includes a chapel with seating for 500. In 1960 the school added a primary school building. In 1996, construction of a new middle school building was completed and the boys and girls middle schools were combined into one co-ed program. The athletic complex near Interstate 71 also opened in 1996. In 2003 Summit began another project at an estimated initial cost of $20 million to renovate many sections of the school, and build a new stadium, parking lot, and lower school. In 2004, the school suffered a partial collapse after excavation for an adjacent foundation wall undermined the structure. A renovation and expansion in 2015 included construction of a new a five-floor wing, renovation of all science labs in the middle and upper schools, expansion of the upper school library, and construction of an upper school art room and additional classrooms. In 2017, Pat and Joe Perin donated two antique brass

candelabra A candelabra (plural candelabras) or candelabrum (plural candelabra or candelabrums) is a candle holder with multiple arms. Although electricity has relegated candleholders to decorative use, interior designers continue to model light fixtures ...

to the school, items salvaged from the Albee Theater. The candelabra were made for

John Jacob Astor IV John Jacob Astor IV (July 13, 1864 – April 15, 1912) was an American business magnate, real estate developer, investor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish–American War, and a prominent member of the Astor family. He died in the sinki ...

, the wealthy financier, and stood outside the entrance to the dining hall of his New York mansion. Astor perished during the sinking of the

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...

Programs and activities

The Summit Country Day Latin Club is a local chapter of both the

Ohio Junior Classical League The National Junior Classical League (National JCL or NJCL) is a youth organization of Secondary education in the United States, secondary school students sponsored by the American Classical League (ACL). Founded in 1936, the NJCL comprises m ...

(OJCL) * and

National Junior Classical League The National Junior Classical League (National JCL or NJCL) is a youth organization of secondary school students sponsored by the American Classical League (ACL). Founded in 1936, the NJCL comprises more than 1,000 Latin, Greek and Classica ...

(NJCL). Summit Country Day holds the distinction of being the first Latin club to win the OJCL Convention state title after nearly three decades of consecutive wins from rival Stow-Munroe Falls. Prior to Summit's 2007 win, no other OJCL Latin Club had won the Overall Sweepstakes trophy since 1979 (the start of Stow's 28-year win streak). Summit went on to win the top prize again in 2009 and 2010. There are two academic centers in the high school, The Schiff Family Science Research Center and the Homan Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership.

Athletics

There is an athletic program for students beginning in kindergarten. Until Grade 7, the coaches are parent volunteers. In the high school, Summit fields varsity sports teams in 20 sports across three seasons. The school competes within the

Ohio High School Athletic Association The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio. The OHSAA governs eligibility of student athletes, resolves disputes, organizes levels of compe ...

and the

Miami Valley Conference The Miami Valley Conference is an Ohio High School Athletic Association, OHSAA athletic league whose members are located in the Ohio counties of Hamilton County, Ohio, Hamilton County and Butler County, Ohio, Butler County. The league was establis ...

. Summit has a "no cut" policy for athletics.

Ohio High School Athletic Association state championships

* Boys' 4x200m relay - 2022 * Boys'

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

– 1995 * Boys'

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

– 1999, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 * Boys'

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

– 2012 * Girls'

- 2011, 2015, 2017 * Boys' Cross Country - 2019

Other state championships

*Boys

Lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

2006, Division II Ohio High School Lacrosse Association

Notable alumni

* Austin Berry, former professional soccer player with the Chicago Fire and

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the club began playing in 201 ...

, who won the 2012 MLS Rookie of the Year Award. *

Kathleen Sebelius Kathleen Sebelius (; née Gilligan, born May 15, 1948) is an American businesswoman and politician who served as the 21st United States secretary of Health and Human Services from 2009 until 2014. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sebeli ...

, former Governor of

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

, and former Secretary of

Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is " ...

in the

Obama administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican ...

* Lindsay Reynolds, former Chief of Staff for First Lady

Melania Trump Melania Trump ( ; born Melanija Knavs , Germanized as Melania Knauss ; born April 26, 1970) is a Slovene-American former model and businesswoman who served as First Lady of the United States from 2017 to 2021 as the wife of 45th president Do ...

* Cynthia Hogan, political advisor who served as Counsel to Joe Biden from 2009 to 2013 * Dustin Cohen, former NFL linebacker with the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...

Super Bowl XXXVI Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...

Amy Yasbeck Amy Marie Yasbeck (born September 12, 1962) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Casey Chappel Davenport on the sitcom ''Wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Acc ...

, actress * Osagie Obasogie, professor at

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

Joan Brugge Joan S. Brugge is the Louise Foote Pfeiffer Professor of Cell Biology and the Director of the Ludwig Center at Harvard Medical School, where she also served as the Chair of the Department of Cell Biology from 2004 to 2014. Her research focuses on ...

, Director of the Ludwig Center at

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

* Eurie Hong, Vice President of Genomics at

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Ciara Bravo Ciara Quinn Bravo (; born March 18, 1997) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actress, starring in the Nickelodeon series ''Big Time Rush'' and the Fox series '' Red Band Society''. She also appeared in the Nickelodeon televi ...

, actress

Notes and references

External links

School website
{{Authority control High schools in Hamilton County, Ohio Private schools in Cincinnati Catholic secondary schools in Ohio Educational institutions established in 1890 Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati 1890 establishments in Ohio