Academy at Charlemont
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[edit] Founding
The Academy at Charlemont is a small private school in Charlemont, Massachusetts of approximately 110 students. The school was founded by Eric Grinnell, Dianne Grinnell, David W. McKay, Patricia D. W. McKay, Margaret J. Carlson, and Lucille Joy in 1981 as an experiment in classical and community-oriented education.
The school's mission is heavily influenced by the educational philosophy of American philosopher and psychologist John Dewey.
[edit] Honor Code
The Academy at Charlemont's social and academic environment is based upon a student-written Honor Code. The high standards of conduct set by the Honor Code are taken very seriously by the school's faculty, students, and community.
At the beginning of each academic year, the community engages in a ceremonial signing of the Honor Code. All members are expected to sign, because the Code is featured prominently in admissions applications. Yet, in keeping with a value placed upon personal freedom, this is considered a matter of moral agency and is not mandatory. In practice, however, most often very few students will abstain. Originally, the ceremonial signing only was required of students, but a 1997 initiative led by members of Honor Council succeeded in expanding this duty to include faculty, as well. This change was largely symbolic, as teachers had always been considered members of the school community, and thus participants in the Code who accepted its demands of personal responsibility simply by taking a position on the faculty. Principally, the change served to make that status visible, giving students a more tangible sense that they and faculty, together, enter into a contract guided by the Code.
Recently, members of Honor Council have initiated a dialogue about the status of the Code, suggesting that additional articles might enhance the dynamic character of the document. Some have proposed that students draft a new article, one which would outline explicitly in the Code itself how it is ammendable by the students, should they see fit. On the one hand, this initiative can be seen as a way to combat apathy among current students. Others, meanwhile, see it chiefly as a political necessity in the long-term development of the school. Increases of the student body population may impact the relevance of this matter, as well as how the dialogue moves forward.
Associated with the Code is Honor Council, a body comprised of two representatives from each class, elected by their peers. The Council has no punitive authority, and is primarily charged with the task of introducing new students to the Code and leading all-school dialogue. As matters arise, they may be involved in hearing cases of Honor Code violation. Yet, they do not engage in punishment, but rather help individuals or groups to repare their relationship with the larger community. That said, reparation may take various forms, some debatably punitive in an indirect manner. Still, ultimate punitive responsibility and authority rests with the faculty and administration.
[edit] Facilities
The school opened its doors on September 14, 1981, in the former Charlemont High School building, with 24 students in grades 7 through 12. The building offered ten classrooms on three stories, including a large common room/library on the top floor.
In 1983, Friends of The Academy at Charlemont, a legal parternship between cofounders David and Patricia McKay, purchased a large Colonial house, which the school renovated and used for a boarding program that lasted until 1989.
In 1986, the school purchased the adjacent Odd Fellows Hall, which it used for space for admissions and development. The building was named Babcock Hall, posthumously honoring Phillip Babcock, a longtime custodian and friend of the school who financed the purchase.
In 1987, the town of Charlemont, facing a population boom and corresponding space crunch in its elementary school, broke the Academy's ten-year lease, forcing the school to mount a search for new quarters. In 1988, the school purchased the facilities of the by-then-defunct Charlemont Christian School on Route 2, and renovations were completed for the opening of school in 1989. The school's operations were consolidated, and Babcock Hall was sold to a church.
In 2000, a house adjacent to the school property was renovated into additional space and was named Grinnell Hall in 2001, to honor the two founders who remained at that point and who had announced their retirement, Eric and Dianne Grinnell.
[edit] Headmaster
The school's first Headmaster was Eric A. Grinnell, who served from 1981-2002. He was instrumental in establishing the school's rigorous academic standards and instilling an appreciation for classical education. Grinnell was previously a teacher at the Mohawk Trail Regional High School. At the Academy, he also periodically taught courses in Latin and Art & Civilization, among others.
Todd Sumner is the 2nd Headmaster of the private school. He has taken steps to bring the school toward long-term financial stability, in part by increasing the size of the student body. Before accepting the position of Headmaster, Sumner had taught at the school since 1987. His courses included United States History & Literature, and the senior Humanities Seminar. Sumner also served briefly as the school's drama director, and more recently as Academic Dean and Assistant to the Headmaster.
[edit] Alma Mater
The School's alma mater (school song) is known as "Vivat Academia". It is an modified version of De Brevitate Vitae (on the Shortness of Life), a song in Latin that is a popular academic commercium song in many European countries and elite American Universities.
Vivat, Academia
Vivant, Profesores
Alma Mater floreat
quae nos educavit
caros et comilitones
dissitas en regiones
sparsos congregavit (sic)
