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Many thanks to our CCES Arts Guild for honoring the arts experience at CCES by establishing the CCES Arts Endowment in the Spring of 2019. The Arts Guild recognized a need to create a permanent source of funding to support the arts experience at CCES. The CCES Arts Endowment Fund provides annual funding in support of all CCES arts activities. Funds contributed to the Arts Endowment Fund remain intact for perpetuity and are invested and managed as part of the overall CCES Endowment. The annual proceeds of the Arts Endowment Fund (4.5% of a rolling 3-year average of investment) will be used at the discretion of the Director of the Arts in consultation with the Arts Guild Executive Committee.

Gifts/pledges to the CCES Arts Endowment Fund may be made through cash, stock, planned, or deferred giving. For more information on making a gift to the CCES Arts Endowment Fund, please contact Jamie Inman, Assistant Head for Advancement, at 864.299.1522 ext. 1272 or inmanj@cces.org.

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At CCES there is a strong commitment to supporting and challenging all students, and meeting each and every student where they are. Nowhere is that more evident than in the Achievement Center (AC). The AC offers a wide array of services designed to meet the myriad needs of students in grades primer through twelfth. The AC Director and our six Learning Specialists collaborate closely with the Directors of the Lower, Middle and Upper School divisions to coordinate and deliver student support services.

The AC serves about 30% of our student body, contributing to elevated self-respect, resilience, and self confidence. Through the AC each student is provided an opportunity to have equal access and level the playing field to explore all of the possibilities that CCES has to offer. In addition, after school, almost 50 students flood the AC for ACES to learn executive functioning skills, complete homework, and learn leadership habits.

Those who serve the AC are passionate about advocating for individualized student needs. The AC has been able to meet the needs of students with a variety of learning differences including Autism or Asperger’s, learning disabilities such as reading (Dyslexia), written expression (Dysgraphia) or mathematics (Dyscalculia), working memory or processing speed, ADHD: inattentive, hyperactive or combined types, anxiety, nonverbal learning disabilities, Central Auditory Processing Disorder, Convergent Vision Disorder, and selective mutism. “The creation of the AC has allowed us to broaden our services and has allowed our students to be able to write their own success stories before they head off to college,” Upper School Learning Specialist Lane Abrams, in her fifteenth year at CCES said. “By the time they have graduated from CCES our students are able to push themselves by choosing to participate in the IB/AP Program or take Honors Classes.”

John and Emilie Pazdan, parents to twins Mary Bradley and Susannah ’15, and Sam ’19, generously endowed a major gift benefitting the Achievement Center (AC) this fall. The endowment, by nature of the AC, focuses on helping students gain the knowledge, preparation, insight, and skills needed for success in college and beyond. The gift supports a cause that is very near and dear to their hearts as the AC served their twin daughters Mary Bradley and Susannah.

“As a result of the education and learning support Mary Bradley and Susannah received at CCES, they went on to thrive at Furman, consistently making honor roll. In May, they will be graduating with honors. We are so proud of them and thankful to all who helped support them along the way,” said Emilie.

From students:

“Directed Studies and all the services of the Achievement Center offered prepared me to take on the challenges of being a college student-athlete. I learned a lot in my four years at CCES but thanks to this program I learned how to study properly, manage my time, and advocate for myself. I am thankful for this program and all they did because I am now a successful college student majoring in Special Education where I hope to one day impact students the same way they impacted me!”

“Directed studies help me develop as a student. Allowing me to be able to understand the importance of developing one on one relationship with my professors. My CCES experience with learning support services has helped me to develop habits that I still use in college today.”

“Directed Studies and using the Achievement Center taught me a lot about how to advocate for myself and tell teachers what I needed from them to be successful. This skill translated into both my undergraduate and graduate program in making sure that I was receiving the help that I need. The Learning Specialists were also amazing resources and a guide for me throughout my CCES experience but especially my Upper School experience as I transition to Furman.”

Gifts/pledges to the Emilie Roy Pazdan Endowment Fund may be made through cash, stock, planned or deferred giving. For more information on making a gift to the Emilie Roy Pazdan Endowment Fund, please contact Jamie Inman, Assistant Head for Advancement, at 864.299.1522 ext. 1272.

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Dr. Kupersmith joined CCES in 2006 as Associate Headmaster, served as Headmaster beginning in 2008, first alongside Lee Cox who served as President, and then as the sole leader of the school as Headmaster from 2010 until June of 2020, making him the longest serving Headmaster in the school’s history. During Leonard’s tenure, he exhibited integrity, grit, wisdom, and great depth of character when making important and sometimes difficult decisions to steer CCES in pursuit of excellence. His engagement in the community was unmatched, and we are fortunate to have had a leader who championed CCES’s academics, athletics, the arts, and Episcopal values and traditions.

Through his leadership in the Faith in the Future campaign, the athletic department improved its athletic facilities through a new track, extending the Linda Reeves Field to make room for the new lacrosse program, producing a new tennis facility, converting the former tennis courts into practice fields, and constructing the Robertson-Navarro Baseball Pavilion. That same campaign created the Achievement Center and, of course, the Hartness Performing Arts Center, providing parity to the arts. All of these efforts raised CCES’s academic, athletic, and arts programs to levels unsurpassed by its peers.

“The opportunity to serve CCES has consummated my career as an educator. I am inspired by the school and humbled to serve it.”

Also during his tenure, Leonard ushered in an era of great financial health for the school that permitted CCES to recruit and retain a superb faculty and staff. Exercising acumen in selection of a leadership team, Leonard assembled an outstanding administrative team, restructured the admissions and advancement offices, and streamlined the executive reporting structure. Leonard’s keen appreciation and deployment of the talents of colleagues drove his collaborative response to several purposeful initiatives and also reflected Leonard’s genuine desire to connect with others and his commitment to seeing that everyone in the CCES community feels a sense of belonging. It is said around campus that never has a Headmaster in the nearly 60-year history of CCES known the names, colleges attended, occupations, family members, and hobbies of so many students, parents, faculty, staff and other community members.

Leonard’s legacy at CCES endures, but perhaps nothing will be more durable or impactful than the 2017-2022 Strategic Plan. Leonard’s input was crucial during the gestation and birth of the plan, as he worked tirelessly for two years to bring the bold and dynamic Strategic Plan to fruition and now oversees its implementation. As the initiatives produce collaborative conversations and deliberate action, the Plan leverages the core values of the school, promotes common purpose, and enriches the daily experience of students and teachers. By 2022, the target for completion of the construction of new programs and inclusion of new personnel, this Plan will have touched the lives of all current students and become the new norm for a generation of students. Prior to his retirement, Leonard remained steadfast in addressing his duties and the pursuit of excellence for CCES. With this commitment in mind, he sharpened his focus on building the school’s Endowment, one area where CCES can improve among like-sized independent schools. To further his determination to strengthen and sustain the financial health of CCES in perpetuity, the Kupersmith Scholarship Fund has been created in his honor.

PURPOSE

To honor the tenure and leadership of Dr. Leonard Kupersmith, CCES is creating a named endowment to fund need and merit based awards to recruit and retain distinctive students. The selection of recipients is at the discretion of the head of school in consultation with division directors, the admission director, and the assistant heads of school.

THE KUPERSMITH AWARD CRITERIA ARE:

• A record and promise of contributions to school life that enhance student life and inspire the faculty. The range of noteworthy attributes runs from outstanding scholarship to exemplary service to others.
• To be named a Kupersmith Scholar, students either qualify for financial aid or otherwise stretch to fund full tuition.
• The Head of School will seek to maximize the number of students who receive an award. No award will exceed half tuition.

Gifts/pledges to the Leonard Kupersmith Endowment may be made through cash, stock, planned or deferred giving. For more information on making a gift to the Leonard Kupersmith Endowment, please contact Jamie Inman, Assistant Head for Advancement, at 864.299.1522 ext. 1272.

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Lila Kittredge ’78 has taught at CCES for nearly a quarter century. She has spent her entire career as a Primer teacher. She is an icon, not because of her tenure, but because of the limitless energy, light, and patience she exudes. If Lila has taught you or your child, chances are she is more than just a teacher; she is a member of your family.

Lila has always created a warm, inviting, exciting entry to students’ school life in her classroom. She enjoys making sure her students are happy, that they love being at CCES, and that they love learning. Primer is a child’s first step into “real” school, and Lila knows how to make them feel right at home.

Lila's deep love of reading and her passion for children have motivated countless students to learn how to read. In Lila’s classroom, reading is fun and exciting, stories and characters come alive in her voice, and a child’s interest in reading is truly ignited. Suffice it to say, her influence has inspired hundreds of children and shaped how they view reading.

“In 1997 my wife Penny and I, decided that a college preparatory education in a Christian environment was essential for our two children Alexis ’10 and Asheton ’13. Penny and I both grew up in Greer and had no affiliation with CCES at that time. During the summer, prior to Alexis entering Primer, Penny was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. As one can imagine, we were terrified and unsure how we were going to navigate this with a six-year- old and two-year-old. After having surgery to remove the tumor, Penny was insistent that she would attend Alexis’s first day of Primer and delay her chemo treatments. It was that day that Lila Kittredge would enter our lives forever. Lila, or as Alexis called her, Mrs. Kitt Kitt, was more than just her Primer teacher; she became a mother away from home for us while we were hiding the side effects of chemo from our children. Lila loved our family like the love of Jesus on the Cross, and for that our family is forever thankful and indebted to her. Lila is the true embodiment of CCES—Character, Community, Excellence and Service— and has made not just CCES, but the world a better place.” - Rodney Hinton

Never steering away from a messy, chaotic, or time-consuming classroom project, years later her students can still recall the projects they completed in her classroom. Lila has embraced technology, allowing her to take a global approach to teaching. For the past two years, her classes have been Skyping with a class in Brazil every month. Her classes use technology to learn about cultural differences.

Lila’s progressive teaching style is not limited to the latest in technology, though. Lila has always strived to find the best ways to teach young children. One innovation she’s implemented in her class is alternative seating. She allows students to select the best spot for them to do their work. The choice may be a wobble stool, a standing desk, a yoga mat— her approach to seating leaves the students plenty of room for group projects and exploration.

Lila does more than just teach: she creates experiences. She provides a wonderful foundation for students in their first year at CCES, and they leave with a wild curiosity; a determination to think, question, and wonder; and most importantly a sense that their beloved teacher is forever family.

To honor the tenure and teaching of Lila Kittredge, Rodney and Penny Hinton, parents of CCES alumni Alexis ’10 and Asheton ’14, have created a named endowment to fund need-based awards to recruit and retain distinctive students. The purpose of the fund is to provide financial assistance for entering Lower School students, preferably children of alumni. The Admission Office will play a central role in all decisions.

Gifts/pledges to the Lila Kittredge Endowment Fund may be made through cash, stock, planned or deferred giving. For more information on making a gift to the Lila Kittredge Endowment Fund, please contact Jamie Inman, Assistant Head for Advancement, at 864.299.1522 ext. 1272. 

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Genuine, honest, hard-working, and fiercely loyal— this was the essence of Mark Daniels. From the moment he became a CCES parent, he also became a beloved member of this community. His children Robert and Sarah began their CCES education in Primer and graduated as proud Cavaliers 13 years later. Mark was involved over the years in whatever ways he could be— serving on the CCES Board of Trustees, sharing his time and gifts in campus planning efforts, serving on the CCES Board of Visitors, Chair of the Finance Committee, and volunteering as a leader in many areas of the school. “His involvement is a testament as to how he felt about the school,” Robert stated. 

While he certainly appreciated the excellent education Robert and Sarah received, it was the close relationships and sense of family within the CCES community that fueled his passions to be involved. The family’s love for CCES led to a simple and remarkably unanimous decision after Mark’s death; in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts would be made to Christ Church Episcopal School in support of a Mark E. Daniels Endowment Fund.

This named endowment will provide financial assistance to students of merit and need—allowing for greater accessibility to the CCES experience for families from throughout the Upstate. Funds contributed to the Mark E. Daniels Endowment Fund remain intact for perpetuity and are invested and managed as part of the overall CCES Endowment. The annual proceeds of the Mark E. Daniels Endowment Fund (4.5% of a rolling 3-year average of investment) will be awarded at the discretion of the Head of School, Associate Head of School, Division Directors, and Admissions Director.

Awards will be given to students who meet the following criteria:

• A record and promise of contributions to school life that enhance student life and inspire the faculty. The range of noteworthy attributes runs from outstanding scholarship to exemplary service to others.
• Students either qualify for financial aid or otherwise stretch to fund full tuition.

“Dad was not going to spend his time and energy on anything he did not completely believe in,” said Robert. “He loved the institution, felt very highly of what we got out of it, what he and my mom got out of it, and where it is and continues to head. Everything that my dad dedicated himself to, he wanted to do it all the way and we are definitely going to grow and pursue this endowment with that same spirit.”

Gifts/pledges to the Mark E. Daniels Endowment Fund may be made through cash, stock, planned or deferred giving. For more information on making a gift to the Mark E. Daniels Endowment Fund, please contact Jamie Inman, Assistant Head for Advancement, at 864-299-1522 ext. 1272.

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Many thanks to Gary and Jennifer Johnsen for honoring the athletics experience at CCES by “seeding” the CCES Athletics Endowment in the summer of 2021, in collaboration with the Booster Club.

Gary and Jennifer Johnsen’s sons Jeffrey Johnsen ’17 and Ryan Johnsen ’21, were no strangers to athletic success when they were at Christ Church Episcopal School.  Both attended from Primer through 12^th grade, and both brothers were quarterbacks on the football team and pitchers on the baseball team.  Their parents declare that athletics played a huge role in their lives— teaching them how to work as a team, how to humbly win and graciously lose, and most importantly, how to overcome adversity.  

The CCES Athletics Endowment provides annual funding in support of all CCES athletics programs. Funds contributed to the Athletics Endowment Fund remain intact for perpetuity and are invested and managed as part of the overall CCES Endowment. The annual proceeds of the Athletics Endowment Fund (4.5% of a rolling 3-year average of investment) will be used at the discretion of the Athletics Director in consultation with the Head of School, Assistant Head for Finance and Operations, Assistant Head for Advancement, and Booster Club President.

Aside from the obvious long-lasting financial stability, gifts to athletics help open doors to initiatives that are essential to providing additional opportunities for student-athletes to learn, grow, and compete— and to strive toward even greater success.

“CCES was top of mind for this gift because no other organization has had such a personal and profound impact on our family, both in terms of academics and athletics,” said Jennifer.

Gifts/pledges to the CCES Athletics Endowment Fund may be made through cash, stock, planned, or deferred giving. For more information on making a gift to the CCES Athletics Endowment Fund, please contact Jamie Inman, Assistant Head for Advancement, at 864-331-4231 or inmanj@cces.org.

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Pete Cooper: English Coach, Tennis Coach, Life Coach

Pete Cooper served CCES from 1971 - 1979 as tennis coach, English teacher, Assistant Upper School Director, and, during his last four years at CCES, as the Director of the Upper School. A leader and mentor, Mr. Cooper touched the lives of so many during his time at CCES, but perhaps his greatest legacy was the relationships with the students he coached on the Varsity Boys Tennis Team.

In the Spring 2017 issue of Highlights magazine, CCES alumnus, Barry Cox ’77, shared his memories and gratitude for his teacher, coach, and mentor. The following are excerpts from his moving article, “Pete Cooper: English Coach, Tennis Coach, Life Coach”: “Pete Cooper was such a great mentor to us as students and as tennis players on the Varsity Boys team, that we still tell the stories, bringing those moments from black and white to Technicolor. Many of us were lucky enough to attend Christ Church Episcopal School from the Lower School until we graduated in 1977. During that time we were blessed to have been impacted by this very special man.
 

Mr. Cooper, as we respectfully called him during our time in school, was a man of smiles and discipline.

Mr. Cooper, as we respectfully called him during our time in school, was a man of smiles and discipline. We first came to know Mr. Cooper when we joined the tennis team in 6th grade. The Upper School had just been completed, and, without courts, most of our practices were held at the Greenville Country Club. Mr. Cooper spent time with all of us during those days, conveying a philosophy of aggressive competition while demonstrating a respect for other people. The Lord only knows how many miles he drove as we attended matches from Virginia to Tennessee to Charleston, but the message was always the same: Treat each other with respect. He brought us together as a team while also teaching us how to be kind and caring individuals -- often by his own example.”
 

The Lord only knows how many miles he drove as we attended matches from Virginia to Tennessee to Charleston, but the message was always the same: Treat each other with respect. He brought us together as a team while also teaching us how to be kind and caring individuals -- often by his own example.

Purpose

Many thanks to Barry Cox for establishing the Pete Cooper Tennis Endowment Fund in the Fall of 2019. Barry recognized a need to create a permanent source of funding to support the tennis program at CCES. Funds contributed to the Tennis Endowment Fund remain intact for perpetuity and are invested and managed as part of the overall CCES Endowment. The annual proceeds of the Tennis Endowment Fund (4.5% of the rolling 3-year average of investment) will be used to fund operating costs for the tennis program as well as provide for maintenance of the tennis courts. Gifts/pledges to the Pete Cooper Tennis Endowment Fund may be made through cash, stock, planned, or deferred giving. For more information on making a gift to the Pete Cooper Tennis Endowment Fund, please contact Jamie Inman, Assistant Head for Advancement, at 864.299.1522 ext. 1272 or inmanj@cces.org.

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The Cassell family established this endowment fund to provide support for all aspects of wellness at CCES throughout all three divisions.

For more information, contact Jamie Inman at inmanj@cces.org.

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