Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Name |
Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School |
| Address |
5 West 93rd Street |
| Town |
New York, New York, 10025 |
| Established | |
| Community |
Urban |
| Type |
Private (Independent) |
| Religion |
Non-Sectarian |
| Students |
Coeducation|Coeducational |
| Grades |
Pre-Kindergarten to 12 |
| Total Enrollment |
1101 |
| Student/Faculty Ratio |
7:1 |
| Nickname |
Lions |
| Colors |
Blue and White |
| Website |
Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School ("Columbia Prep", "CGPS", "Columbia") is the oldest non-sectarian private school in the United States, located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, in New York City, New York. It was founded in 1764 by Columbia University in order to properly prepare incoming freshmen in the fields of English, Greek, and Latin grammar. By 1865, the school had grown substantially and was no longer necessary to the university, thus disassociating itself from the university.
The school was originally known as The Grammar School of King's College (relating to the former name of Columbia University), changing its name concurrently with the university during the American Revolution to Columbia Grammar School, adding the word preparatory in 1978. While grammar and preparatory have differing connotations, the entire school is known by its full name.
The school has existed in several locations over the centuries. In 1906, the school moved to its current location on 93rd Street, off Central Park West. It originally consisted of one building, adding five brownstones through the merger of the adjacent Leonard School for Girls in 1950. A building across the street was built in 1984, followed by two more in 1997 and 2001. In the past 10 years, the average size of the graduating class has more than doubled from approximately 45 to approximately 100.
The current headmaster is Richard Soghoian, holding that position since 1981. Dr. Stanley Seidman is the grammar school director. Sue Kilmer was the prep school director.
Contents |
[edit] History
Columbia Grammar School was founded in 1764, just ten years after the founding of Kings College (later Columbia University). Originally established as a boys preparatory school for the college, it functioned for one hundred years under the direct auspices of the college.
One of the most illustrious headmasters during that period was Dr. Charles Anthon, one of America's earliest and most distinguished classical scholars. During his tenure the Grammar School provided over half the students to Columbia College's freshman class.
In 1864, when Dr. Anthon retired as headmaster, the Trustees of Columbia College terminated their relationship with the Grammar School and the school became a proprietary institution, only achieving its non-profit status in 1941.
In 1937, the Leonard School for Girls was founded, using several interconnected brownstones on West 94th Street (now part of the lower school). The school joined with the Grammar School in 1956 to become a coed institution.
As only the 13th headmaster in the school's long history, Dr. Richard Soghoian has guided the physical expansion of the school from its 1905 home at 5 West 93rd Street to the present complex, which includes two high school buildings and an additional brownstone joined to the grammar school buildings.
This is from the Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School website: http://cgps.org/view_page.php?Current_Section=1&Current_SubSection=5
[edit] Accreditation
Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School is a fully independent, non-sectarian school governed by a Board of Trustees composed of alumni and parents. The school is accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools, the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, and the New York State Board of Regents.
[edit] Map of the School
This image is from the Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School website: http://cgps.org/view_page.php?Current_Section=1&Current_SubSection=3
[edit] Selected Graduates
- Jeffrey Toobin - Legal analyst for CNN
- Murray Gell-Mann (valedictorian) - Nobel Prize winner for the discovery of quarks and other subatomic particles.
- Richard Diamond (valedictorian) - Georgetown University professor and former Supreme Court clerk.
- Sarah Michelle Gellar - Actress (attended through 8th grade)
- Herman Melville - Author of Moby Dick (attended through 6th grade)
- John Podhoretz - Political columnist and film critic
- Gary Winick - Director of Tadpole (film), 13 Going on 30, Charlotte's Web (2006 film)
- Marvin Terban - Writer of several grammar books. Some have even sold over 1 million copies.
