Worcester Academy: Difference between revisions
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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Revision as of 12:49, 18 May 2007
| Worcester Academy | |
|---|---|
| File:WAlogo.jpg | |
| Location | |
 | |
| , | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, boarding |
| Motto | Έφικνού τών Καλών (Achieve the Honorable) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | None |
| Established | 1834 |
| Headmaster | Dexter P. Morse |
| Faculty | 80 |
| Enrollment | 501 upper school 154 middle school |
| Average class size | 13 |
| Student to teacher ratio | 8:1 |
| Campus | Urban, 67 acres |
| Color(s) | Maroon, Black |
| Athletics | 24 Interscholastic sports 54 Interscholastic teams |
| Athletics conference | NEPSAC |
| Mascot | Hilltoppers, Rams |
| Website | www.worcesteracademy.org |
Worcester Academy is an independent coeducational preparatory school spread over 67 acres in Worcester, Massachusetts in the United States. The school is divided into a middle school, serving approximately 150 students in grades six to eight, and an upper school, serving approximately 500 students in grades nine and above, including some postgraduates. Approximately one-third of students in the upper school participate in the school's five- and seven-day boarding programs. Currently there are approximately 80 international students enrolled from 10 different nations.
Worcester Academy is a member of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council.
Its motto is the Greek phrase "Έφικνού τών Καλών," which translates to "Achieve the Honorable."
History
Founded in 1834 as the Worcester County Manual Labor High School, it did not change its name until 1847. The school moved to its current location on Union Hill in Worcester in 1869. Worcester Academy was all-male from its founding until 1856, and again from 1890 to 1974. It has been coeducational since.
Campus
Worcester Academy's campus is currently spread over four main parcels: the main campus, which contains approximately twelve acres; Francis A. Gaskill Field, a twelve-acre parcel two blocks from the main campus; and the New Balance Fields on Stafford Street, comprising about thirty acres. Worcester Academy also recently relocated some of its offices and alumni facilities to a renovated Victorian home two blocks from the main campus. In 2006, Worcester Academy signed a purchase and sale agreement to purchase an additional thirteen acres between Gaskill Field and the main campus, with the intent of creating a new indoor athletic complex.
On the main campus, several beautiful brick buildings are listed on the national historic register, including Chester W. Kingsley Laboratories, Joseph H. Walker Hall, Reverend Robert J. Adams Hall, and William H. Dexter Hall. The headmaster lives in the Daniel W. Abercrombie House, named for the principal of Worcester Academy from 1882 to 1918. A new addition to the Worcester Academy campus is Harold G. "Dutch" Rader Hall, which houses the school's library and is used for middle school classes and activities.
One of the most famous and remarkable architectural buildings on the campus is the Lewis J. Warner Memorial Theater, a gift from Warner Brothers Studio President Harry Warner. He donated the building in memory of his son Lewis Warner '28, who died shortly after graduating from the academy. The Academy's formal student assemblies are held in Hervey S. Ross Auditorium, Warner Theater to this day, though the theater is no longer able to seat the entire middle and upper school student bodies at once.
Athletics
Worcester is a member of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council. Its main athletic rivals include Phillips Exeter Academy, Phillips Academy Andover, Deerfield Academy, Cushing Academy, Lawrence Academy, Governor Dummer Academy, Loomis Chaffee and Milton Academy.
In 2005-2006 the girls' varsity basketball team had an undefeated season, winning the NEPSAC championship.
Other
In September 2006, Boston Magazine rated Worcester Academy the sixteenth best private school in the Boston Area, and the best in Worcester County. In an article entitled "The Right Private School for Your Kid," Boston Magazine rated Worcester Academy the best private school in the Boston area for students to exercise their mathematical talents.
Trivia
- Parts of the 1992 movie School Ties were filmed in Worcester Academy's gymnasium.
- Arctic explorer Donald B. MacMillan was a member of the faculty from 1903 to 1908, when he joined Robert Peary in his effort to reach the North Pole. He donated a canoe from the expedition to the Academy, which now rests in the Megaron.
- A rafter in the Megaron has Greek writing on it, which translates to "Let no evil enter here."
Notable alumni
Notable faculty and alumni of Worcester Academy include:
- Eli Thayer 1840, founder of the Oread Institute and the New England Emigrant Aid Society
- Royal C. Taft 1872, Governor of Rhode Island
- Edward Davis Jones 1873, co-founder of Dow Jones
- John Hope 1890, educator and founder of Atlanta University
- Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor 1893, founder and first editor of National Geographic magazine
- Ernest Manley Hopkins 1896, President of Dartmouth College
- Clarence Dillon 1904, co-founder of investment bank Dillon, Read and Company, father of C. Douglas Dillon
- Charles E. Merrill 1904, co-founder of Merrill Lynch
- Cole Porter 1909, Broadway composer
- Willis Goldbeck, 1910, movie producer and writer
- Lou Little 1912, college football coach
- General Norman D. Cota 1915
- Tony Hulman 1920, Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner
- Charles Starrett 1922, the "Durango Kid"
- Arthur Kennedy 1930, stage and screen actor
- Ned Harkness 1939, college and professional hockey coach
- Lewis Wilson 1939, first Batman in the movies
- Hervey S. Ross 1946, insurance executive, Academy benefactor
- Abbie Hoffman 1955, social and political activist in the 1960s
- William Toomey 1957, gold-medal winning decathlete in the 1968 Summer Olympics
- Tom Holland 1962, film director
- Rep. Jim McGovern 1977, U.S. Congressman
In addition, many student-athletes attend Worcester Academy solely for their senior year, or for a single postgraduate year, to increase their exposure to college coaches or to improve their academic standing. Notable student-athletes include:
- Mark Fidrych 1974
- Rick Carlisle 1979
- Jarrett Jack 2002
- Craig Smith 2002
- Colt Brennan 2002
- David Ball 2002
- Mike Rubino 2007