A Home of our Own! 

Wednesday, April 13 was a day of historic proportion for Carrollwood Day School. 

State Tennis Championship
The excitement started at 6:00 a.m. when several students boarded a fan bus and headed to Red Bug Lake Park in Casselberry, FL for the Class 1A FHSAA Tennis State Championships! Congratulations to the Varsity Girls Tennis Team: Vian Baltimore (’19), McKenna Barkett (’18), Casey Brynjolfsson (’16), Chrissy Brynjolfsson (’16), Kira Davis (’19), Avery Hilbig (’20), Naynika Juvvadi (’19), Ava Kresic (’19), Sydney Ross (’17), Sarah Schoelhorn (’19), Samantha Wagner (’19), Nicole Wang (’17), and Abri Weissman (’17) for a great season. Seniors, Casey and Chrissy Brynjolfsson won their match, but the team did not qualify to continue. Congratulations to Tyler Frazee (’18) who won his first two singles matches and will continue play tomorrow. Best of luck to Tyler and Josh Abrams (’20), the #2 overall seed in the state, who will play their first doubles match later in the day.

National College Signing Day
Grades 1 – 12 began their day in the theatre. They gathered to celebrate a special signing ceremony for senior volleyball player, Stevie Schweitzer. Everyone cheered as she signed her letter of intent to play collegiate volleyball at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY.

Stevie shared with everyone assembled a lesson she learned from her first grade buddy, Maddie, "Hard work can help you accomplish anything. And now," she challenged the CDS athletes, "you have a new gym to work hard in!"

Dedication of The Hayes Family Gym
At the Early Childhood Campus, the kindergarten classes boarded their own fan bus to come to the Bearss Avenue Campus to join in the festivities planned for the opening of Carrollwood Day School’s first home gym – The Hayes Family Gym.

Beloved school mascot, RIOT, and the CDS cheerleaders from grades 2-12 were on hand to greet students in kindergarten through high school along with faculty, staff, administrators, trustees and parents as they assembled in front of the Hayes Family Gym for the highlight of the day – the ribbon cutting ceremony. Baker Mabry, athletic director, and Ryan Kelly, head of school, welcomed everyone and thanked all those who made this day possible. Special thanks were extended to Mary Kanter, former head of school who brought CDS to this campus, Bitha Wodrich and Frank Mabry for building the foundation for our award-winning Patriot athletic programs, the board of trustees for their leadership giving in support of this project, Dan Bergin, chair of the Land and Building Committee, Luke Johnson, Rick Shannon and the Williams Company for their construction expertise, and Peter Hepner and John Kidwell for their architectural design. Special recognition was given to the major donors to this campaign: Debra and Glenn Myer, Trish and Alan Brynjolfsson, Vanessa and Dan Bergin, and Sharilyn and Tim Hayes. After the Hayes cut the ribbon, everyone was invited in for the first all-school pep rally in the Patriots’ new home!

Ryan Kelly, head of school, shared, “This has been a dream of mine to provide high quality athletic facilities to our students. I'm thrilled students in grades 1-12 will now have this gym to call their own!" Once the 1,000 students and guests were settled inside the amazing gym, Baker Mabry, athletic director, welcomed everyone to “the biggest high school gymnasium in Tampa Bay.” 

This new 25,000 square foot facility is the first phase of CDS’s Center for Student Life and will provide a much needed indoor facility for CDS students to balance intellectual achievement and physical activity -- mind and body. It will be a focal point for all-school pep rallies and other major events. The 16,000 square foot gymnasium will be used by all grades 1 - 10 for PE classes as well as middle school and high school athletic teams The massive gym can be divided by a motorized roll-up divider curtain and has room for two regulation size basketball courts or three full-size volleyball courts. Bleachers emblazoned with “CDS” provide seating for 650 fans. In addition to a spacious fitness center there are also offices for the athletic directors and secretary. The modular building that was previously used for the weight room will be relocated adjacent to the new gym and will provide office space for coaches and the PE faculty.