Hooray for a Fantastic First Day of School

On Tuesday, August 20, the MICDS campus was buzzing once again with our vibrant, enthusiastic students throughout our 14 grade levels. Amid truly magnificent weather for August in St. Louis, students poured into school ready for the first day of the 2024-25 academic year. The highly-anticipated day was full of connection, reconnection, smiles, and just a few tears as students from Junior Kindergarten through 12th grade embarked on the start of this year’s adventure as Rams. Welcome and welcome back, students!

In the Ronald S. Beasley Lower School, Head of Lower School Amy Scheer was delighted to see students connecting with new friends and becoming familiar with their classrooms. “It was such a joy to have Lower Schoolers back in our classrooms, filling our spaces with energy, laughter, and learning,” she shared.

Part of the school year’s debut included special presentations during Middle and Upper School kickoff assemblies. Jen Schuckman, Head of Middle School, themed her remarks after the Olympics. “We are all here for the greater good of being the MICDS Middle School at its finest, our own version of Team USA,” she shared. “We must believe in one another, champion one another, and celebrate one another. Let’s treat every day like we are going for gold for Team MICDS.” Middle Schoolers also heard from Head of School Jay Rainey who hopes that the year will be full of “wonder” with curious, joyful learning. Middle School Librarian Bethany Kavanaugh likened each school day to a new, crisp page in a book of each student’s story.

At the Upper School, Head of Upper School Scott Small asked the freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors two questions: “Who do we want to be?” and “What does it mean to be fully present?” He also themed his remarks around the Olympics, the MICDS Mission Statement, and the Upper School Vision Statement. Both assemblies had student speakers including Lilly Loeb ’25 and Grant LaMartina ’25 in the Upper School as well as Vivienne Schwarzen ‘29 and Brody Jones ‘29 in the Middle School.

Check out the galleries below of the first-day action in our MICDS Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools. We can’t be more excited for the year ahead with our Rams and their families!