Celebrating 54 years of teaching, learning and impacting young lives, Aylett Country Day School began in 1965 as several families came together with a vision for a concentrated learning environment. Bette Gwathmey, along with her husband, Dr. Owen Gwathmey, had the dream of opening a school with small classrooms that could provide individualized attention in a caring, sound environment. They wanted an environment that would offer a challenging curriculum along with an emphasis on art, music and athletics.
The Gwathmeys invited fellow parents Philip Minor, Frances Dillard, Merle and Helen Longest, Margie Mallory, Allen White and Mary Evelyn Acree, to meet and discuss the goals and direction of their children’s education. By August of 1966, they had recruited support from families in several surrounding counties in Virginia, including King and Queen, King William, Essex and Hanover, forming the first board of directors. With no money to begin, these parents rolled up their sleeves and got to work.
Mrs. Gwathmey interviewed and hired teachers, while Dr. Gwathmey personally guaranteed teacher salaries for the first year. Their dream became a reality on September 12, 1966, when 33 students became the first to attend Aylett Country Day School in the old Walkerton Hotel in Walkerton, Virginia.
One month after the opening was the school’s first annual Country Fair. It was held under the leadership of Mrs. Gwathmey and Mrs. Shirley Parker. The Country Fair raised approximately $2,300 to supplement the school’s meager budget.
The first year was a success, and year after year the school continued to grow. By 1970, the cornerstone was laid for the new school building to be constructed on the land in Millers Tavern that had been donated by the Gordon Lewis family of Tappahannock. With an outstanding debt of $74,000 on the new building, Earl Longest devised a fundraising campaign that became known as “Mission Impossible.” Longest pressed fellow board members into action and formed ten fundraising teams. Almost every patron of the school supported the campaign and by February 15, 1972, pledges totaling more than $76,000 came in and paid off the debt. The note was ceremoniously burned.
With the debt satisfied, the school was able to move ahead. In 1976, an 8,000-square-foot gymnasium was built and named for founder, Dr. Owen Gwathmey. In 1977, the school purchased seven adjoining acres so they could hold their renowned Country Fair on the school grounds.
As Aylett Country Day School continued to grow, the board of directors broke ground for a new middle school building in 1989. Raymond Atkins, board president at the time, served as contractor, chief fundraiser and bookkeeper for the project. Atkins was on campus almost daily, supervising the work and meeting with Mrs. Suny Monk, Head of School, about classroom design and fundraising. Atkins was instrumental in raising enough funds to have the building paid for by the time building was completed. Additions were made to the buildings in 1998 and again in 2007. The upgrades included preschool classrooms, administrative offices, a lunch room, locker rooms, renovation of the gymnasium and more.
Parents have played a major role in the history of Aylett Country Day School. Since the first Country Fair, they have worked tirelessly on numerous fundraisers. Parents have served as head of the school, cleaned bathrooms, swept hallways, planted and pruned bushes and trees, painted walls as well as bookcases and almost all of the furniture throughout the school. They have repaired broken equipment as well as donated used and new equipment, such as computers, furniture and kitchen appliances. In addition, they have substituted for teachers, coached sports teams, and driven to countless field trips and athletic events.
Aylett Country Day School focuses on a well-rounded, holistic approach to education by encouraging and supporting the life of the mind as well as talents in music, art, and sports. Many students have excelled and graduated from high schools as valedictorians or salutatorians. Former students stay actively involved with Aylett through the Alumni Association.
Although the Country Fair has been re-imagined into a popular Touch-A-Truck event, Aylett Country Day School faculty, staff, administration and parent volunteers participate in many area festivities to fund the school and involve the community. They organize a local golf tournament, rockfish tournament, set up a booth at the Urbanna Oyster Festival, and serve oysters at their own oyster roast in the spring.
The school continues to encourage new growth by keeping tuition low and competitive. They offer bus service and serve ten different counties. To assist working families, extended care is available until 6:00 PM each day.
Currently, Aylett Country Day School serves three years of preschool for three-year-olds, four-year-olds and five-year-olds. Then, ACDS offers classes for kindergarten through eighth grade in classrooms that range from eight to 18 students. After-school sports are available for students starting in fourth grade and include golf, volleyball, soccer, basketball, softball and baseball. New in 2020, Aylett started a trap team through the USA Clay Target League. The team is coached by Robert Hayden, a local accomplished trap competitor.
The success of Aylett Country Day School has been the involvement of the students and parents, but also has heavily depended on the high expectations and achievements of the teachers. The Gwathmeys set high expectations for the education of the students that were to attend Aylett, and that standard has continued. Teachers at Aylett are team players, creating a healthy working atmosphere for themselves and for their students. They are motivated, self-starters and create challenges in subjects by incorporating life experiences as well as local environmental opportunities into the curriculum. Teachers in kindergarten through third grade are training in the Orton-Gillingham approach to teach reading, and all teachers use technology to innovate and enhance their instruction. Aylett Country Day School is led by Head of School Tara Garner who has been serving the school for the past four years and is an Aylett alumna herself and parent of two ACDS students.
When Aylett closed in March because of COVID-19, teachers immediately pivoted and continued to provide their students with a sense of community as well as instruction. Through Zoom classes, Google Hangout, and Google Classroom, students were able to complete their academic school year. With small class sizes and the re-imagining of learning spaces, Aylett plans to have all students on campus each day in 2020-2021.
The mission of Aylett Country Day School from its inception has been to provide an education that would carry students far beyond their education, developing life skills for continued success. Consistency in quality and dedication has never faltered at Aylett, continuing the dream of the Gwathmeys and the founding families. Hard-working board members, dedicated teachers, supportive parents, and great students have perpetuated the ACDS mission of offering academic excellence in a nurturing family setting. The school continues to teach the whole child, build character, and foster traditional values such as integrity, respect, and citizenship.