Maumee Valley residence hall celebrates 10-year anniversary

TOLEDO – Northwest Ohio’s only residence hall for high school students celebrates its 10-year anniversary at a special ceremony Thursday, May 25.

Maumee Valley Country Day School opened the Dayal House in May 2013 for both international and domestic students. It is home to 28 students a year; more than 200 Maumee Valley alumni have lived in the House since its opening. This year, student residents come from China, Vietnam, South Korea, Serbia, Russia, and the Czech Republic. (In addition to Dayal residents, other Maumee Valley international students from China, Italy, and Spain are staying with host families during the year.)

“The Dayal House not only established Maumee Valley as a boarding school in the same tradition of traditional East Coast private schools, but has added global diversity and richness to campus,” said Lynn Casto, Maumee Valley’s head of school. The ceremony begins at 12:40 p.m. on the lawn between the House and the Upper School. It will include short remarks from Mrs. Casto as well as current and past residents. Cake and refreshments will be served to attendees.

The almost 8,800-square foot residence hall was built with a gift from Dr. Ned Lakshmipathy, whose two daughters Maya and Sukanya Dayal were MV students at the time. In conjunction with the House, the Dayal Center for Academic Excellence opened in the Upper School (grades 9-12) to help students with their academic success.

The idea for a residence hall emerged from a decade-long series of initiatives on campus in the early 2000s, from establishment of international sister schools and student exchanges to the introduction of Chinese language as an academic subject and the launch of the homestay (host family) program.

The building is on the east side of the school’s spacious and wooded 75-acre campus.