OCT 2026
ISSUE N.24
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL NEWS MAGAZINE
PG 1
UNTOLD STORIES OF DDS LIFE & CULTURE A FUNDRAISER FOR EMMA MISS VICKIE, A DAVIDSON DAY LEGEND
A FUNDRAISER FOR EMMA BY LILLIAN RUTTER, CLASS OF 2027
A
fter losing her longtime friend and fellow Davidson Day student Emma Biffle last year, sophomore Maija Kamp brainstormed ways to honor Emma for her fifteenth birthday this past July, and ultimately found a meaningful, nostalgic, and close-tothe-heart cause. While Emma was an avid tennis player and a lifer at Davidson Day, her love for helping animals stood out as the most meaningful way to honor her tenderheartedness, attentiveness, and care for those around her. “We [Emma and I] always had an amazing and close friendship throughout the stages of growing up,” Maija said. “She was always so funny, kind, and genuine, and her passing was especially hard and Photo by Maija Kamp shocking. This supply drive felt like something small we could do to reflect her huge impact on the lives of many.” Fitting Emma’s love of animals, her support for shelters and pet adoption, and her and Maija’s previous experience working with the Cornelius Animal Shelter, raising funds for this cause felt especially meaningful.
LILLIAN.RUTTER@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG SMCGILL@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG
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OCT 2026
ISSUE N.24
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL NEWS MAGAZINE
PG 2
CONTINUED A FUNDRAISER FOR EMMA “When we were in lower school,” Maija said, “Emma and I, along with a bunch of other girls in our grade, were a part of Girl Scouts. In second grade, our troop actually did a supply drive like this for this animal shelter (Cornelius Animal Shelter), so this specific location had meaning behind it beyond just being a cause that Emma had resonated with. Seeing people come together for this cause was so special. It really just proves the amazing community that we have at Davidson Day and beyond, and that there are so many people who are there for us when we need them most or need support.” After visiting the Cornelius Animal Shelter website to create a list of necessary items and supplies, Maija created an Amazon wishlist filled with dog and cat toys, food, litter, cleaning supplies, and more. This easily accessible platform allowed people to order directly from Amazon, with the items arriving straight at the Kamp family’s doorstep. “We created a little flyer and shared it with my grade, DDS faculty and staff, my family, and friends,” Maija said. “Some of my friends shared it with their own families and neighbors in order to reach more people and gather donations.” Although Maija began the fundraiser with the simple goal of honoring Emma as meaningfully as possible, word of the animal shelter fundraiser quickly spread, and members of the DDS and Lake Norman community willingly joined the effort. The community response turned the fundraiser into an impactful success, raising $200 in monetary donations and filling an entire SUV with animal supplies. “Lots of the people I sent the information to immediately responded, and that honestly felt so supportive and made me feel like this fundraiser was going to have a huge impact and be something truly meaningful. It was amazing to see the pile of donations grow every day.” After members of the community had rallied together and stocked up on pet supplies to support the fundraiser, it was time to deliver the donations to the shelter. According to Maija, “that was the most memorable part. A few of my friends who were most involved with sharing and
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 Photos by Maija Kamp
LILLIAN.RUTTER@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG SMCGILL@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG
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OCT 2026
ISSUE N.24
PG 3
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL NEWS MAGAZINE
MISS VICKIE, A DAVIDSON DAY LEGEND BY STEVE MCGILL
I
MV: It has been a change because I had to downsize, and I'm continuing to downsize, and that's been an adjustment. I try to always have supplies available for people. If you say, for example, “Hey, Vicki, do you have envelopes?” I try to make sure I have envelopes for everybody. So, before, I had a bigger desk and could make sure I had everything people needed. Anytime anybody asks me and I don't have it, I make a note to myself to find it. So yeah, it's been a challenge to downsize, but I'm making it. It's okay.
n late September, I had a chance to sit down with Davidson Day legend Miss Vickie for a quick interview. A true “Davidsonian,” Miss Vickie has lived in Davidson her entire life and has worked at Davidson Day School since 2012. She has two children and five grandchildren, and she loves being a grandmother. At Davidson Day, she is an institution unto herself, bringing cheer and happiness with her never-wavering positivity and thoughtfulness. Below are the contents of our chat: Miss Vickie: Hello. Glad to be here. Steve McGill: Glad to have you here. So question number one would be, how long have you been at Davidson Day? MV: I just completed my 14th year. SM: And in those 14 years, what would you say you have appreciated most about working at this school?
Vickie Howard, Davidson Day Receptionist. Photo by Laura Woods
MV: When I first came here, it was just a very low-key school. We didn't have a lot of the things that we have now–the technology. It was just kind of a plain school. But now there’s an excitement when you come in the door that’s just refreshing and, I really like that. SM: Describe the growth that you've seen in the time that you've been at the front desk.
MV: I appreciate the relationship that I have with the teachers and the staff. Because we always come together, and we are truly one big family. We just help each other, and that's what I appreciate the most.
MV: Oh, the growth? Crazy. Just like the town of Davidson. But the growth has been a good thing. I think it's been great for the school. The diversity of the kids and the families, and the school overall. I think that's definitely been a really good thing.
SM: If you look at the school when you first came here, what did it look like physically compared to now?
SM: So, this year, you're on the other side of the doorway, in a somewhat smaller space. How has that change been for you?
LILLIAN.RUTTER@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG SMCGILL@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG
SM: Talk about your relationship with students. You’ve probably seen them come up from two years old to eighteen years old. MV: I love the students. I love it when they're here. When y'all were on your [class] trips, it was very lonely. Eerie, quiet. I love having the activity and the noise, and I enjoy that piece of working, talking to the kids, saying good morning to them when they come in. I've always felt like we don't know what students or faculty are going through in their lives, so it’s important to just say good morning, how are you today. Happy Monday, happy Thursday, whatever. I enjoy talking to them and just having that first impression at the start of a day.
Bring this magazine to read; I've got a story to tell.
OCT 2026
ISSUE N.24
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL NEWS MAGAZINE
PG 4
CONTINUED MISS VICKIE, A DAVIDSON DAY LEGEND SM: I do feel that your presence at the front desk does bring a sort of light to the building. MV: Well, thank you. SM: Yes, definitely. What are your thoughts on the new changes that are about to happen? Like, the new building that will be ready for business in two years? The Davidson Day research laboratories? MV: Yes, I am very excited about that, because ever since I’ve been here, we've always talked about expanding, and so to see things coming to life, that it’s really gonna happen – I'm very happy for the school. I’m happy for the students and I’m happy for the community. I think it's all positive. SM: So, when I first came here [in 2015], it was Miss Vicki and Miss Denise. You were, like, a tag team. You were like one person. MV: Oh, we were... Yes, she was the best. SM: So, talk about your relationship with her, like, how long you knew each other, worked together, and now that she has passed, how you have dealt with that, how have you coped? MV: From day one, Denise and I had a great relationship. Probably like sisters. Because the love was deep; our friendship was deep. We could argue nicely, and it was over, you know. And we didn't really argue. And she was such a Davidson Day person. She came in smiling, she left smiling. She never had a bad day. And I always wanted to be like her, so I really, truly miss her. When I heard of her death, it was devastating to me. It happened at the beginning of September that year. I wasn’t expecting it. But for me, she's alive in my heart, and I just try to honor everything she meant to me. She brings me … she brings me happiness. When I think of her, it makes me happy. She had the joy about her that I want to spread. That relationship was really special. SM: Do any names come to mind among faculty, staff, or students that you really developed a close relationship with? MV: I feel like each staff member that I come in contact with, I have a special relationship in some way. Students? Hmm, good question. I really developed a special relationship with Madison Newman [class of 2026]. I remember when she got the news about how her dad had passed. She just needed a person, and sometimes she would just come to the front desk. We would share chocolate, and that's all she would need. Just one little piece of chocolate. And then she was able to make it through the day, and she just always kind of had that special place in my heart just because we just developed that relationship.
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LILLIAN.RUTTER@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG SMCGILL@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG
Photo by Laura Woods
Bring this magazine to read; I've got a story to tell.
OCT 2026
ISSUE N.24
PG 5
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL NEWS MAGAZINE
CONTINUED MISS VICKIE
CONTINUED A FUNDRAISER
SM: That's a good story. One of the articles that will be in this issue is about how one of the students did a fundraiser for a charity in honor of Emma Biffle. So my question for you would be, in terms of that event, how did you hear the news, and how did you respond?
collecting items for the drive came to help, and it took us many trips to unload it all from the cars. Best of all, Emma’s mom, Nicole, met us there and was able to see all of the donations people had come together to make in honor of Emma. That was super special.” Long after the supplies were dropped off at the Cornelius Animal Shelter, the fundraiser left a lasting impact on Maija and members of the community, much like Emma’s impact continues to live on in the lives of those who knew her.
MV: I was helping chaperone – first time I've ever done it – on a lower school field trip. Second grade. We were down at the movie theater. And on the way back, one of the new teachers got the news, and, I mean, it was just a horrible, horrible time to get news. We were all just, I don't know, just really sad. And trying to keep our spirits up, because of the kids. We were on the bus, and, um ... that was really tough. SM: So you were with students? MV: Yes. SM: Wow. MV: And, you know, both those [second grade] teachers had taught Emma, and it was just a hard time for them. We were just kind of holding things together, and I’m still dealing with it. We got the anniversary [of Emma’s passing] coming up, but it's still really raw and still fresh. I hurt for the family. I hurt for her friends. And I'm glad they're doing a fundraiser.
“My mindset and perspective on life have completely changed,” Maija said. “I now really try to appreciate the small moments and not take this life and the people I share it with for granted. I try to be grateful every day for what I have and who I have, and since I am fortunate enough to have a wonderful life, I hope to share parts of that with others. Giving back to our community is so important, especially when you have the resources and ability to make great change. Emma’s kindness and willingness to help others were definitely qualities that I’d hope to reflect through this fundraiser. She was always there for everyone, and this felt like a way that I could honor her in that way.”
SM: One final question: you mentioned, we're like a family – the faculty staff. If you could say one quality that this school has, that you want to see us keep and continue to build, what would it be? MV: I think all we need to do is just be true to ourselves and keep moving forward. I think sometimes we get bogged down with little things that happen, and we just can't get past it. I just think we need to be true to ourselves and just be honest, and move forward. SM: Thank you Miss Vickie! Always love talking to you. MV: You’re so welcome. Thanks for having me.
LILLIAN.RUTTER@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG SMCGILL@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG
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