On February 14, 2025, our entire faculty and staff came together to celebrate colleagues who have dedicated 10, 20, 30, 35, and even 40 years of service to Country Day! This special tradition, now in its 35th year, honors the unwavering commitment of our educators and staff to our mission and students.
Congratulations, and deep gratitude to these incredible members of our academic community for the impact they make every day! A heartfelt thank you to the Parents' Association for your partnership in recognizing our Years of Service recipients and for hosting a wonderful lunch to celebrate our honorees.
40 Years of Service
Marsha Newton-Graham, Upper School
Lowell CombsUpper School Science
Perhaps her most enduring impact is Marsha’s legacy as an advisor. “Ms. N-G” as she is known was THE advisor that every student wanted! Students would literally calculate how many spots her advisory would have each year to estimate the odds they would be lucky enough to get in. When you ask Marsha’s advisees what they valued the most about her mentorship they all recount her remarkable patience, her willingness to listen without judgement, and her very practical world advice."
35 Years of Service
Art Hoffman, Middle School
McKensy PhillipsMiddle School Physical Education
Art's ability to weave life lessons into his daily instruction is something that only can be described as masterful, life altering, and one of his greatest qualities. His care for his students’ life-skill development is undebatable. He teaches young men how to tie ties, properly offer a hand-shake, hold the door for others and simply say ‘Good Morning’ while looking someone in the eyes."
Donna Witman, Upper School
Catherine OdumCollege Counseling
There is not much about Charlotte Country Day School that Donna Witman does NOT know! Donna’s depth of institutional knowledge is unparalleled. She has known generations of Buccaneers, and she is often found around campus enjoying memories and conversation with the parents and grandparents of current students – especially the decades of young men who played football, basketball and baseball for the Bucs."
30 Years of Service
Beatrice Eldredge, Upper School
Tim WaplesUpper School English and IB Extended Essay Coordinator
Beatrice is empathetic, funny, and resilient. She puts herself in her students’ shoes, always focusing on what’s best for kids, always tweaking last year’s lessons, finding a new and better way to create a real experience for students, never settling for just checking the box. That’s what great teachers do."
20 Years of Service
JG Bailey, Lower School
Jerry Griffin, Plant Operations
Molly Hefner, Middle School
Mike Hennessey, Upper School
Ellen Peery, Upper School
Molly Philips, Admissions
Shannon Starnes, Business Office
10 Years of Service
Katharine Atkins, Advancement
Patrick Buschman, Middle School
Heather Chesnutt, Business Office
Melanie Dennis, Upper School
Shannon Drosky, Marketing/Communications
Kate FitzGerald, Lower School
Kate Hardison, Middle School
Shanel Hine, Upper School
Christina Ihle, Information Systems
Beth Lawing, Middle School
Emily Maxwell, Lower School
Aaron Mize, Middle School
Bina Neumann, Middle School
Andy Nicoletti, Lower School
Ernest Ostrove, Security
Gabriel Rivera, Plant Operations
Becca Stern, Upper School
Kathy Thomas, Lower School
Drew Witman, Advancement and Athletics