09/08/2026
❤️ Yesterday was Herb Schacht Day. ❤️
In 1946, Herb Schacht returned from three years in the Army as a medical-surgical technician and agreed to temporarily help his parents, Ettie and Henry Schacht, at their new school, then called Cuheca Country School. He did not plan to be there for long - only until the new director was hired.
Herb didn’t dream of running a school. He wanted the freedom to travel, see the world, and live life on his own terms. He had watched his parents struggle to build the school and camp and wasn’t sure he was up for the challenge—especially the farm!
But the new director never arrived. So Herb stayed.
Before long, however, things started to shift. Herb famously said he was “learning something new every day,” and along the way, something unexpected happened. He fell in love with the work, the children, the staff—and with Emily, the camp nurse, whom he married. Together, Herb and Emily raised seven children on campus while helping build Waterford Country School into what it is today.
Herb believed deeply that “Everybody is Somebody.” Those three words became more than a motto. They became a way of life—a belief that every child matters, every person has value, and everyone deserves to be seen for who they are and who they can become.
Herb’s commitment to children and to Waterford Country School changed more lives than we could ever count. And his legacy continues in every child we serve, every relationship we build, and every time we remind someone that Everybody is Somebody.
Every September 7th, we celebrate Herb and the incredible difference he made for so many. Today our students celebrated Herb's birthday with a party after lunch and held Herb Schacht trivia in their classes.
Thank you, Herb, for staying. For believing. For building. And for making all the difference. ❤️
