Rye Country Day School opened its 155th year at the annual Opening Ceremonies! 

The ceremony started with remarks from Head of School Randall Dunn. Mr. Dunn spoke about the 2023-24 theme of KINDNESS. He encouraged students to think about and practice kindness at every opportunity.

“The power of kindness is real,” said Mr. Dunn. “Stop to say good morning, to say hello to someone. Find out how you can be of service, and then do it! The greatest gift that being kind gives us is an awareness that we are all connected,” Mr. Dunn noted. “Let’s think of all the ways we can be kind. And then, let’s do it!”

 Next, Mr. Dunn introduced Upper School Student Body President David Colin ’24 to address the spirited audience. David shared his love of the Rye Country Day community’s hallmarks of kindness and joy, recounting specific moments during his time at the School.

“These moments don’t just make our days better, they are our days,” David said. “The people on this field—we craft most of each other’s days. Moments between students and teachers, teachers and teachers, students and students. Right here on this field is the entire web that is RCDS.”

David ended his speech with optimism for this year stating, “A better team means better days, bigger goals, and an epic 2023-24 school year. Let’s make it a good one!” 

Following both speeches, Senior Class President Sameer Hirani ’24, Senior Vice President Kate Burdick ’24, and Class Senators Alex Cohen and Ben Cousin joined David to present Mr. Dunn with the Class of 2024 banner.