After 34 years as a teacher and administrator at Carrollwood Day School, CDS Lower School Head, Trudi Buscemi has announced her plan to retire at the end of this school year. Interim Head of School, Sara Rubinstein, reflects on the impact Trudi has had on CDS, "Trudi's legacy of student-centeredness and her insistence on prioritizing education with character permeates all aspects of the school she helped to build. She will be missed next year, but her impact will live on, in every student who will continue to benefit from the exceptional educational experience and warm community she holds so much responsibility for creating. I feel fortunate that our paths crossed these last few years and wish her all the best in her retirement."

Trudi Buscemi has touched the lives of generations of students, families, and faculty during her long tenure at Carrollwood Day School. Trudi first came to CDS as a parent when she enrolled her son Jimmy at the ECC. In 1987 Trudi joined the ECC faculty as a nursery teacher. She moved to the Michigan Avenue campus the following year to teach 1st grade. During her years as a teacher at CDS she also taught 4th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades and in the early 1990s Trudi was named principal of the elementary school. In 1998 during a restructuring of the school, Trudi was tapped to be principal of both the elementary and middle school. Following the move to Bearss Avenue and construction of the new elementary campus, Trudi became Head of the Lower School, bonding CDS' two campuses and creating a seamless progression between the preschool and elementary programs.

Trudi worked with her faculty to establish some of the most cherished traditions at CDS including International Festival (formerly Fall Festival) and Carnival, Hispanic Heritage Day, Authors' Conference, CDS Reads, Shakespeare Festival, Spring Fling, and the list goes on. She was part of the leadership team that helped CDS gain national and international recognition as a 2003 and 2017 National School of Character, 2004 Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, and in 2005, an IB World School.

As Trudi's roles and responsibilities grew – along with the school, she remained grounded in the tenets that have always been the foundation of Carrollwood Day School: keeping children at the heart of every decision and building a culture of character.  In recent years Trudi has been able to see her legacy in action at CDS as former students enroll their own children at CDS and alumni return to be teachers.  And so, generations of Patriots will continue to be touched by the ripple of Trudi's imprint. She will never leave CDS, she will always be present in the teachers, students, and parents.

For 34 years Trudi has been devoted to both students and staff. She has worked incredibly hard, constantly putting others first and retirement will be a well-deserved time to enjoy her time with family and friends doing things that she loves to do.