Top Private School in Miami, FL

Pla Receives Honorable Mention at Tony Awards

6/2/2023

Miami, FL - Cristina Pla-Guzman, theatre teacher at Miami Country Day School, received an Honorable Mention at the Excellence in Theatre Education Award, presented by the Tony Awards. The award, sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University, recognizes theatre educators who have demonstrated a positive impact on the lives of their students and their communities. Pla -Guzman has crafted and directed student performances in various local and national competitions where her students have earned accolades and recognition for their talent and creativity.

Pla-Guzman was among 10 educators who received honorable mentions from a pool of candidates submitted by members of the public. During the 77th Annual Tony Awards ceremony.

Our school's President & Head of School, Mariandl Hufford, congratulated Pla-Guzman for her well-deserved honor. "We all know Cristina is an inspirational and life-transforming teacher, but it sure is wonderful to have an outside panel of experts confirm this." She writes. "When you see Cristina in these last few days of the school year, please be sure to congratulate her for this well-deserved honor!"

Pla-Guzman expressed her gratitude for the recognition and thanked her students, colleagues, and family for their support. Watch the video below to view what was submitted to the panel.

Dr. Nima Rouhanifard Completes his doctoral degree

5/25/2023

We are absolutely bursting with #SpartanPride as Dr. Nima Rouhanifard has successfully completed his doctoral degree from the University of Pennsylvania! 🎉

His dedication, hard work, and unwavering commitment to education have not only inspired our students but also elevated our school community. Dr. Rouhanifard's pursuit of academic excellence sets an outstanding example for all of us at Miami Country Day School. 👏

Congratulations to Guillermo Ouvina

5/25/2023

Congratulations to Guillermo Ouvina, the recipient of the 2023 William J. Creeden Humanitarian Award! 🌟 Guillermo personifies empathy, consideration, and a personal concern for the welfare of others, making him the perfect choice for this prestigious honor. For 14 years, he has been the friendly face that greets us with a smile, starting our day off right. He sets a warm and welcoming tone on our campus. Guillermo ensures our dietary needs are met and goes above and beyond to make us feel cared for. We are incredibly grateful for his unwavering devotion and are proud to call him a Spartan. Join us in celebrating Guillermo Ouvina

GATEway Jr and G8way Travel Announced

5/25/2023

GATEway, or Global Access to Education, is Miami Country Day School’s signature study abroad program. Next year we will commemorate 10 years of bringing personalized educational adventure and cultural awareness to our Spartans. GATEway stands as a model that is emulated by schools across the country, as we do not rely on third-party providers to put together trips but, rather, tap into the expertise of our dedicated faculty and staff to create lifechanging experiences in-house.

As you look ahead to next year, I wanted to announce our GATEway programs for our middle school students so that you can plan accordingly:

For our rising 8^th graders:

G8way Buenos Aires!

Dates: January 14-20, 2024

Now in its second year, we will travel to the city that is often referred to as “The Paris of South America,” Buenos Aires! Our adventure begins with an overnight plane ride from Miami to Buenos Aires. From there, we hit the ground running to fully take advantage of this amazing capital city. Buenos Aires is a melting pot of a multitude of global cultures, including Spanish, French, Irish, Italian, German, and Japanese, among many others. Combined with its rich indigenous history and Latin American soul, Buenos Aires offers something for everyone - and we will discover it all! Imagine a day spent living the life of a Gaucho on an authentic estancia. Delight in learning about and taking part in an Argentine cooking class while you sample a traditional asado, alfajores, and empanadas. Get accustomed to the art of drinking mate. Spend one day exploring the delta of the Río de la Plata by kayak. See the ins and outs of the vibrant neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, including La Boca, Palermo, Recoleta, and Puerto Madero. Walk with the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo and see the Casa Rosada, including the balcony from which Eva Perón would address the people. Take a short trip across the Río de la Plata and spend a day in the quaint colonial town of Colonia, Uruguay. It’s all at your fingertips. At the end of our experience, our G8mates will truly understand why Buenos Aires, and Argentina in general, are unique cultural destinations that cannot be missed. G8way BA awaits!

For our rising 6^th and 7^th graders:

GATEway Jr: Québec

Dates: March 21-26, 2024

Our adventure begins in majestic Montréal. Just a 3-hour plane ride away from Ft. Lauderdale, our students will be transported to an amazing mix of cultures… part Canadian, with a European flare, and always remembering its indigenous past. There, we learn about how this region came to be French-speaking with the Queen of England on its currency, taste some of the local dishes including poutine, visit the site of the 1976 summer Olympic games, take in Montreal Canadien hockey game, navigate the city by foot and metro, and become expert chefs in our personalized Canadian cooking class. To continue our journey, we make a 3-hour trek up north by train to the unique city of Québec. There, our students are transported back in time to a city steeped in French tradition. Of course, one cannot visit Canada in the winter and not have a dog sledding! We will spend some time with the locals, learning their traditions, enjoying maple syrup that we help to make and, perhaps, having a snowball fight or two. At the end of our experience, our Jr. GATEmates will truly understand why we all hold a special place in our hearts for our neighbors to the north. GATEway Jr. Québec awaits!

We anticipate that both programs will fill up, as space is limited. Registration will take place next September – be on the lookout for information when we return to school. Until then, get your passport ready, brush up on your Spanish and French, and get ready for the adventure!

Global Studies Diploma Endorsement candidates

5/25/2023

Congratulations to our Global Studies Diploma Endorsement candidates officially became global citizens and scholars. Congratulations! The world awaits! (Missing in photo: Maya B, Audrey M H, Mariana D-C)

Impact Studio Updates

5/25/2023

Students are wrapping up their year with several hands-on projects: building a board game in another language to teach the player about a country, designing and creating a commemorative plaque for a building, constructing a surfboard, proposing a passion project that can be implemented next year, designing and creating a cornhole set, just to name a few! We will celebrate their hard work with a trip to an exotic fruit farm and a field day on campus.