Accreditations  & Awards

Over the past year, the programs, faculty, students and athletes at Carrollwood Day School received recognition at the local, national and international level for many accomplishments.

Accreditations
Scholastic Recognitions
Artistic Awards
Forensics and Debate
Leadership and Community Service
Faculty
Athletic MIlestones and Awards

Accreditations

April 2009.  Carrollwood Day School completed a joint in-depth self study and evaluation visit and earned re-accreditation from the Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS ) and full accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS ).

April 2008.  Carrollwood Day School has been an IB World School since March 2005 when it became the first school on the west coast of Florida authorized to offer the Primary Years Programme for preschool students through grade 5. In February 2008, CDS became authorized to offer the Diploma Programme for grades 11 and 12 and in April 2008, CDS received authorization to offer the Middle Years Programme for students in grades 6 - 10. Carrollwood Day School is the only school on the west coast of Florida to offer the full five-year MYP programme. CDS is the first IB World School in Florida fully authorized to offer the complete continuum of IB programmes and the sixth school in the U.S. to achieve this distinction. 

January 2008.  Following an extensive self study and evaluation visit, CDS’s Early Childhood Campus was re-accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). CDS is one of the first programs in the country to earn the mark of quality represented by the reinvented NAEYC accreditation system.  CDS received commendations in each of the ten program standards covered in the evaluation.

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Scholastic Recognitions

May 2010.  CDS graduated its second senior class. 100% of the 21 graduates in the Class of 2009 will be continuing on to college. These graduates were awarded more than $1,000,000 in scholarships. Click here to see list of college acceptances for the Classes of 2009 and 2010.

May 2010.  CDS Prep juniors were recipients of numerous book awards including the Rensselaer Medal, New College Junior Scholar Award, UPenn Book Award, Cornell Book Award, Brown Book Award, Columbia Book Award and Harvard Book Award. These prestigious awards are presented to promising secondary school juniors who have distinguished themselves in their scholarship, ledership, and service to the community.

Summer 2010.  high school students participated in a variety of selective summer programs at leading colleges and universities.  Student attended Brown University's Pre-College Summer@Brown 2010 program, New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Special Program in Dublin

April 2010.  A high school senior was accepted into The Nancy Ann and Ray L. Hunt Leadership Scholars Program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. The Hunt Leadership Scholars award is for full SMU tuition and fees, less the amount of resident tuition and fees at the leading public school of the student's state of residency. The award also underwrites tuition and transportation to one of SMU's study abroad programs.

March 2010.  Ten CDS middle school scientists qualified to compete with more than 800 other students from Hillsborough County at the 2010 Hillsborough County Regional Science and Engineering Fair. CDS students placed third in the Junior Medicine & Health Science and Junior Engineering categories and won second place in Junior Zoology.

March 2010. This is the first year CDS middle school students held a history fair as part of the National History Day Foundation. We are very proud of the showing our students made with their first entries in the Hillsborough County Competition. Two students won 3rd place for their documentary, “Era Electric: The Innovation of the Electric Guitar” and another CDS student placed 3rd for his web site, “Gunpowder and Dynamite.”

April 2009.  A high school senior was named a recipient of the Cornell Scholarship at Rollins College. This full scholarship includes tuition, room and board and is renewable for three additional years, bringing the value of each scholarship to more than $180,000 over four years.

March 2009.  A freshman member of the staff of Crimson Chronicle, CDS Prep's student newspaper, was selected to attend the prestigious Summer Journalism Institute at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.

February 2009.For the second year in a row, a CDS student qualified as one of 26 science team members to represent Hillsborough County at the Florida State Science and Engineering Fair.  His project, “Recycled Radio: Can antennas be built using recycled materials?” won 2nd place at the Hillsborough County Regional Science Fair.

Four additional middle school students earned recognitions at the Hillsborough County Regional Science Fair.  Two sixth grade students won 3rd place for their projects, “Concrete Strength” in the Junior Engineering category and “Sound . . . Silent or Shattering?” in the Junior Physics category. Also in the Junior Physics category, a seventh grade student received 2nd place for his project, “The Conduction of Electricity” and another seventh grader received a merit award and the Steve Spangler Science Award for “Riding on Air.”  An eighth grade student placed 3rd for his project, “If I Put Yeast Into Various Soft Drinks, Which Will Create the Most Carbon Dioxide?”

May 2008.  Eighteen members of the Eighth Grade Class qualified for the President’s Award for Educational Excellence. A high percentage of Carrollwood Day School students were recognized for their academic excellence by the Duke University Talent Identification Program with two students qualifying for recognition at the state level. These CDS students were recognized at the 2007 Florida Recognition Ceremony honoring students in the 7th grade Talent Search with the highest SAT or ACT scores.

May 2008.  Fourteen high school students were inducted as members of Carrollwood Day School’s Ernesto Lecuona of Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica Chapter of the Spanish National Honor Society.

May 2008.  Fourteen high school sophomores and juniors were selected as charter members of Carrollwood Day School’s Chapter of the National Honor Society.

April 2008.  An eighth grade student won first place at the Florida Science and Engineering Fair for his military safety project, “Can You See the Light?” He designed a robot to determine which fabrics best deflect infrared light at night – a form of night camouflage. His project also placed 2nd in Junior Physics at the Hillsborough County Regional Science Fair and was awarded the Clara Crumpton Memorial Award.

March 2008.  Three additional middle school students earned recognitions at the Hillsborough County Regional Science Fair.  Two seventh grade students won 2nd place for their projects, “Charged Up” in the Junior Computer Science category and “Which Method of Cleaning Will Produce a Cleaner Antique Coin?” in the Junior Chemistry category. A sixth grade student received Honorable Mention in Junior Chemistry along with the Environmental Sciences Award and the ASM Material Education Foundation Award for Most Outstanding Exhibit in Materials Science for his project, “Nut Power.”

January 2008.  A fifth grade student placed second in the 2007-08 Gus A. Stavros Free Enterprise Essay Contest for her essay titled “Good ‘n Better.”

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Artistic Awards 

May 2010.  A CDS Prep student placed 4th at the High School Arts 2010 Exhibition at the University of Tampa. Three other CDS Prep students also displayed artwork at this exhibit which is known for being highly selective and accepting only the best student work in Hillsborough County.

April 2009.  The CDS Prep Thespian Troupe completed its first year of competition.  The CDS Prep team received both Superior and Excellent ratings in all seven of their events at the district level.  The troupe qualified to compete at the State Festival where their five performance pieces earned 2 Superior, 2 Excellent, and 1 Good ratings. 

February 2009.  A high school junior was 1 of 47 high school students selected from the Tampa area for the juried Next Generation and 11th Congressional District High School Art Exhibition. He won Best of Sculpture and his work will be published in two architectural magazines.

April 2008.  Twelve students displayed their original artwork at the Eighth Annual Fine Arts Competition that showcases art from high school students throughout Hillsborough County. Two CDS Prep students received Honorable Mention in the juried art show for their work in photography and sculpture.

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Forensics and Debate

2008 - 2009.  The CDS Forensics Team won trophies in every category including 1st place finishes in the Declamation (2), Poetry, and Duo-Drama (2) competitions. CDS competes in a league with nine other Bay area schools including Academy at the Lakes, Admiral Farragut Academy, Berkeley Preparatory School, Hillel School of Tampa, Independent Day School, St. Lawrence, Shorecrest, and Tampa Community School.

September 2008.  The CDS Prep Debate Team competed at their first tournament at Berkeley Preparatory School. CDS Prep’s two teams competed at the novice level and both teams posted a record of 2 wins and 1 loss. 

2007 - 2008.  The CDS Forensics Team consistently placed in multiple categories at Bay area forensic meets throughout the year including 1st place finishes in the Declamation (3), Poetry, Impromptu (2), Prose (2), and Duo-Drama competitions.

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Leadership and Community Service 

July 2010.  A high school junior has been accepted to the Mote High School Internship Program sponsored by the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota. Interns are selected through a competitive application process and only 15 students are accepted into this program each year.

July 2010.  Two CDS Prep seniors have been selected to be part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 2010-2011 Student Advisory Board.

May 2010.  For the third year in a row, CDS Prep students participated in Relay for Life of Carrollwood. The CDS Prep team was recognized for contributing a lot of enthusiasm and spirit throughout the event as well as receiving a Silver Award for the amount of money the team raised for the event.

February 2010. A CDS Prep 9th grader was part of a student panel at the opening ceremony for USF Graduate School's new School of Global Sustainability. She was one of five teens invited to read statements about what sustainability means to them and their generation. The students' presentations served as an introduction to a discussion with Tampa Bay area community leaders that was part of a two-day major conference marking the opening of the USF School of Global Sustainability. The conference featured some of the world's leading researchers in climate change, the environment, and health. Also attending the conference were dignitaries from several countries including United Kingdom, China, South Korea, and Ghana.

May 2009. CDS Prep students participated in Relay for LIfe of Carrollwood. Students raised $5,100, the second highest amount raised by a high school.

April 2009.  Carrollwood Day School received the Certificate of Sustenance, the highest award, for the work we have done with the Watergoat at EcoFest.  EcoFest is organized by The Sustany Foundation and its education initiative, the EverGreen Schools Alliance, EGSA.

February 2009.  CDS families donated more than 700 pairs of gently used shoes to be distributed to children in Costa Rica and to local disadvantaged women. This project was inspired by the children's book, Shoes for Silvia, written by Johanna Hurwitz, a keynote speaker at the CDS 2009 Authors' Conference.

December 2008.  With money raised through monthly "Love for Liberia" bake sales, CDS students were able to purchase 300 pounds of rice, personal hygiene items and school supplies for orphanages in Liberia.

October 2008.  The entire CDS community joined together to "Paint the Campuses Pink" to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation and to support and raise awareness about the fight against cancer. More than $9,700 was raised through a variety of fundraising activities including the planting of pink flowers and a "Walk for the Cure."

April 2008.  The CDS Prep Relay for Life team won the Silver Team Award for the amount of money they raised to help the American Cancer Society in their research to find ways to cure cancer.

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Faculty

August 2010.  Julie Hall-Lavorgna completed work on the second textbook she has co-authored to meet the requirements of the MYP science course Levels 1 – 5.  This book will be used for the life sciences course in year two.

Summer 2010. Kindergarten teacher, Ruth Piazza, taught two workshops back to back for TIBS, the Texas IB Schools. These IB workshops were open to educators from around the world and there was quite a global representation. She co-led workshops for PYP 3-5 early years.

July 2010. Seven CDS administrators and IB Coordinators attended the 2010 IB Conference of the Americas. As one of only 10 full continuum IB schools in the US, CDS has distinguished itself as a model for IB schools across the nation.  Schools from around the world visit CDS to learn about our programme and CDS faculty travel around the country to lead IB teacher training workshops.

CDS Prep principal, Ryan Kelly, and the three CDS IB Coordinators led breakout sessions at the 2010 IB Conference of the Americas. Mr. Kelly's session addressed: "Financing the Diploma Programme in an Economic Downturn." Sabrina McCartney, PYP Coordinator, Jennifer Dosher, MYP Coordinator, and Ken Grodd, DP Coordinator, presented "Creating a Nurturing, Open Minded School."

February 2010. Mary Kanter, CDS Head of School, and the three principals, Ellen Nafe, Trudi Buscemi, and Ryan Kelly, attended the 2010 NAIS Annual Conference in San Francisco.  Mr. Kelly led a one-hour workshop about the IB Diploma along with Paul Campbell, head of regional development for the IB Americas, and Joseph Kennedy, Head of School at West Sound Academy (Washington). The topic for their presentation was: "The IB Diploma Programme: A Follow-up on Global and Programmatic Sustainability."

January 2010.  Carrollwood Day School was selected by the English Language Institute (ELI) at the University of South Florida to participate in a one month Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) program for a group of 31 elementary school English teachers from Korea. This is the second year CDS has participated in this program.  CDS hosted two site visits in coordination with a micro-teaching project for the program participants.

October 2009.  Dr. Cynthia Hallett, CDS Prep English Department Chair, has been contracted by Palgrave Macmillan Press to be primary Editor of a collection of essays for their Casebook Series, A Casebook on the Harry Potter Series.

April 2009.  Julie Hall-Lavorgna, CDS Prep biology teacher, has been selected to co-author a new MYP textbook for levels 4 and 5 sciences for Cengage out of Australia. This series will be marketed to schools world wide that teach MYP science in English.

February 2009.  Sabrina McCartney, 8th grade humanities teacher and PYP coordinator, was awarded an $1,000 savings bond for her first place win in the 2008-2009 Lesson Plan of the Year contest sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

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Athletic Milestones and Awards

May 2010.  Good sportsmanship rules at CDS! For the third year, the middle school athletic program received the Rick Stowell Sportsmanship Award from the FWCL for exemplary sportsmanship. The high school athletic program was nominated for the third time to receive the Fred E. Rozelle Sportsmanship Award from the FHSAA for exemplary sportsmanship.

April 2010.  Carrollwood Day School athletes placed first in an event at both the Boys and Girls Varsity Track and Field District Meets.  Six additional CDS athletes advanced to the regional level and one athlete continued on to the state competition.

July 2009.  CDS Prep varsity football team named 2009 Small School Division Champions at USF Sling and Shoot Camp.

May 2009.  The first CDS Prep athlete signed a letter of intent to play soccer with a university.

April 2009.  CDS was the only school in the Tampa Bay area invited to participate in the National Student Athlete Day at the University of South Florida.  Sixty CDS students in grades 4 through 8 were selected based on their outstanding athleticism, leadership, sportsmanship, attitude, behavior and academics.

April 2009. In its first season of competition, three CDS Prep varsity track and field athletes advanced to compete at the regional level.

February 2009.  The CDS boys' varsity basketball team played in the FHSAA District Semi-Final Tournament game. This is the first time in the history of CDS athletics that a team advanced to this level in FHSAA District Tournament competition.

October 2008.  Varsity Football Head Coach, Lane McLaughlin, was named the Tampa Bay Buccaneers High School Coach of the Week.

October 2008.  The CDS varsity golf team completed their inaugural season with a 5-2 winning record. An eighth grade player scored 99 at the District Tournament and qualified to advance as an individual to the Regional Tournament.

September 2008.  The CDS Patriots made history by playing their first middle school football game. Unfortunately the outcome on the scoreboard was not what everyone had hoped for; however, a number of positives emerged on which they can build as a team.

September 2008.  Hundreds of CDS fans came out to cheer the Patriots varsity football team on to victory at the first 11-man football game in CDS history. The home game was played on the newly expanded lakeside athletic fields that CDS uses. 

April 2008.  In only its second year as a member of the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA), Carrollwood Day School received the 2007-08 FHSAA/Fred E. Rozelle Sportsmanship Award, one of the highest honors in the state for high school athletics.  The Patriots’ athletics program was selected the winner for Class 1A, Section 3 and the overall winner for Class 1A.

CDS earned numerous honors during the 2007 - 2008 athletic seasons.

• Athletic Director, Frank Mabry, was awarded the Deane Booth Award by the Hillsborough County Volleyball Officials Association.
• CDS Prep’s varsity football team claimed the state championship title for the Florida Christian Association of Private and Parochial School six-man football league.
• Four CDS Prep football players were named to the FCAPPS All State Football Squad.
• The MS JV Girls Cross Country team finished the Florida West Coast League season in 1st place and the MS JV Boys team finished 2nd place in the league.
• In its first season of eligibility, the CDS Prep varsity Soccer team qualified to play in the FHSAA District Tournament.
• The MS JV Boys and JV Girls Track and Field teams finished the season in 1st place in the FWCL.  The Varsity Girls team had a 2nd place finish.
• The MS Girls Softball team was undefeated in the regular season and went on to win the FWCL Red Division Tournament.
• A MS tennis singles player was undefeated in regular season play and won the #1 singles Championship of the FWCL tennis tournament. The CDS Boys MS doubles team also finished the season in 1st place and won the FWCL Championship in their division.