On Tuesday, May 7, Charlotte Latin School executed its annual day of giving, FLY DAY, with the goal of encouraging gifts to the Latin Fund from as many people in the Latin community as possible in a 24-hour period. FLY DAY Headquarters, in Alumni Hall at the Beck Student Activities Center, erupted in celebration shortly after 11 p.m., with bell-ringing and Mylar balloons, as the day reached its goal of 1,600 donors (en route to a final total of 1,640).

FLY DAY raised $353,490 for the Latin Fund, which serves as an essential philanthropic supplement to the school’s operating budget. Money from the Latin Fund supports a multitude of needs and opportunities at the school — for example, upgrading the technology infrastructure on campus, bolstering school security, and financing an annual Gratitude Bonus for the faculty and staff of the school — the generosity of the Latin community supports the future of the school.

The class of 2002 had the most donors of any alumni class (44), while Grade 1 families had the highest participation rate among current parents (92.78%). (Grade 1, Grade 7, and Grade 10 had the highest yields in their divisions; all three grades will enjoy a visit from baby goats on May 22.) An amazing 102 volunteers showed up at FLY DAY headquarters to make phone calls and texts, write thank-you notes, and deliver missives to teachers. 

Playing off the “007” opportunities that came with 2024 marking the seventh FLY DAY, the day was wrapped in secret-decoder-ring trappings, with Director of Philanthropy Joanne O’Brien Beam P ’22 leading a team of “secret agents.” The most significant change to the event, however, was that while in previous years, donors could choose to send a cookie to a particularly beloved teacher or staff member, this year they could instead send personalized notes to Latin employees. (FLY DAY kicked off with one last cookie for each faculty and staff member.) Faculty members inspired the change after a staff-wide survey revealed that after five years, the cookies had gotten stale, and that the notes themselves were the most meaningful part of the day. The happy result: a wide array of Latin teachers and staff got a boost from messages where they learned just how much their hard work was appreciated.

“With any job, you get into the routine and the mundane,” said Lower School teacher Kim Wilkinson. “The feedback was a pick-me-up for the day — it’s nice to get recognized.”