Northfield Mount Hermon

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Northfield Mount Hermon School

Seal of Northfield Mount Hermon School

Head of School Thomas Sturtevant
Established 1879
School type Independent
Location Northfield, MA, USA
Enrollment Apx. 626
Faculty Apx. 115
Campus Rural
Mascot Hoggers

Northfield Mount Hermon School (NMH) is a ninth-twelfth grade private college-preparatory high school (secondary school) located in Gill, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Contents

[edit] History

The school was originally founded by famed Protestant evangelist Dwight Lyman Moody (DLM) as two separate institutions: The Northfield Seminary for Young Ladies in 1879, and Mount Hermon School for Boys in 1881. DLM envisioned both these schools as parts of his dream to provide the best possible education for less privileged people. Indeed, even, in their infancy, DLM’s schools matriculated students whose parents were slaves, Native Americans, and from outside the US -- something that was unimaginable in many elite private schools at that time. Dwight Lyman Moody's birthplace and burial place are both located on the Northfield campus.

In DLM's view, Christian religious education was an essential part of the objective of his schools. However, under subsequent administrations, the schools became more theologically liberal and ultimately became nonsectarian and ceased evangelization of students. (This change put them at odds with other Moody institutions such as the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.) Spiritual life continued to be an important part of the schools, but religious services ceased to be compulsory and students were no longer instructed in Christian doctrine.

In the 1970s and 1980s, many U.S. private secondary schools that had previously offered single-sex education either became coeducational unilaterally or merged with other schools to become coeducational. In what was then a controversial decision, the Northfield Seminary and the Mount Hermon School merged to become a single coeducational institution in 1971. The settlement of mutually accepted terms was a contrast to the takeover of Abbot Academy by its neighbor, Phillips Academy. The new school was dubbed Northfield Mount Hermon School. Both original campuses were retained and made co-educational, but students were (and still are) segregated by sex at the dormitory level.

The school operated on two campuses up until the end of the 2004-2005 school year, but consolidated all students and classes onto its Mount Hermon Campus when the school's trustees decided that students would best benefit educationally and socially in a smaller, more close-knit community. Declining demographics and increasing costs of maintaining two campuses also influenced the decision. The Northfield campus has been placed on the market. In addition to the campus itself, the school owns several dozen housing units in the adjacent village which are now no longer needed to house faculty and staff members, as well as the local golf course and water company. Ideally, the school would like to sell the campus to another educational institution. The trustees are committed to the appropriate stewardship of the Moody legacy sites: Round Top (Dwight L. and Emma Moody's burial site), the Birthplace, the Homestead, and the Auditorium.

In 1976, a history of NMH entitled So Much to Learn [1] was written by Burnham Carter to comemorate the school's 100th anniversary.

[edit] Northfield Mount Hermon today

All students are required to participate in the school's work program. The school's handbook states, "The work program is a tradition that dates back to the school's beginning and allows students to know the dignity of labor. The program creates a sense of investment in the welfare of the school and a unique community spirit." Student jobs include washing dishes, shelving books in the library, and making maple syrup on the farm. Utilization of the school's farm has been greatly reduced since days of Mount Hermon School, and presently, students participate in such tasks as editing the school newspaper, performing residential leadership duties, presiding over computer labs, or printing photographs.

The percentage of international students at NMH is above the average of many elite private schools, at 20 percent compared to perhaps 10 percent at other institutions. (The 2006-7 handbook lists about 120 students with non-US addresses, over three-fourths of them from East Asia.) In many cases, international students make a connection with the school through family members who attended NMH. Earlier in the school's history, some international students were evangelized by Moody or his affiliated denominations and religious missions in the 19th century.

NMH has, during the late 20th century, been viewed as informal, tolerant, and progressive. The students at NMH have in the past been described as more culturally or politically liberal than students at other New England private college preparatory schools, though one of its strengths is its richness of diversity and its students' acceptance of differing points of view.

In 2004, the trustees of Northfield Mount Hermon School decided to close the Northfield campus and to consolidate the school as of September 2005 with a smaller coeducational student body on the Mount Hermon campus. This decision has been controversial. Before consolidation, the school had about 1,100 students enrolled per year; it is expected that enrollment will settle between 600 and 750.

Northfield Mount Hermon's endowment is $140 million. In May 2006 it was announced that David Bolger '50 will donate $10 million in securities to the school. It is the largest gift in the school's history. In addition to his $10 million gift, in October 2006 it was announced that David Bolger will donate another $2.5 million to fund a new admissions building. In June 2006 it was announced that William R. Rhodes '53 had donated $5 million as the lead gift for the upcoming $29 million arts center. The arts center will be named The Rhodes Center for the Arts in honor of Rhodes and his father Edward, class of 1916.

[edit] Mount Hermon buildings

Assorted NMH maps

[edit] Dormitories

  • London ("Cottage 1" or "C-1") - Freshman boys' dorm
  • Monadnock ("Cottage 2" or "C-2") - Boys' dorm
  • Hubbard ("Cottage 4" or "C-4") - Girls' dorm
  • Hayden ("Motel H") - Boys' dorm
  • Manchester ("Cottage 5" or "C-5") - Freshman girls' dorm
  • Shea Family Cottage (completed in 2005)(Named Subzero by the residing students) - Boys' dorm
  • Mary E. Mackinnon Cottage (completed in 2005) - Girls' dorm
  • Wallace Hall - Girls' dorm
  • Overtoun - ("TRON") - Boys' dorm
  • Rikert - Girls' dorm
  • North Crossley: Upper and Lower (divided into Upper and Lower as of 2005 - 2006) - Boys' dorms
  • South Crossley: Upper and Lower (divided into Upper and Lower as of 2005 - 2006) - Girls' dorms
  • North Farm House ("People live here?") - Girls' Dorm

[edit] Classroom buildings

  • Cutler Science Center - basement: computer labs, misc.; 1st floor: physics; 2nd floor: chemistry; 3rd floor: biology
  • Blake Hall (primarily the student center) - top floor: English, history, and social science classrooms
  • Beveridge - basement: foreign language; 1st floor: humanities, misc.; 2nd floor: math & misc.
  • Lower Modular - English, misc.
  • Upper Modular - Humanities, Theatre classroom, Dance classroom, Arts Program office, soundproofed practice rooms
  • Art Studios (Pottery Shed, Milk Shed, etc.: on the farm) - all arts courses
  • Recitation Hall - the site has been empty since the original building burned down in 1974: a new arts building is now under construction with projected completion in 2008.

[edit] Offices, etc.

This listing does not include the offices that may be included in classroom buildings (ex: International Students Assoc. in Beveridge basement) or on campus faculty housing.

  • Blake - Student Center, Student Activities office, snack bar, book store, mail room (upstairs: classrooms & Grandin Auditorium)
  • Grandin (attached to Blake) - old theatre that is now used for dance, occasional performances, and movies
  • O'Connor Health Center - 24/7 medical staff, beds, x-ray machine, counselors, etc.
  • Alumni Hall (formerly "West Hall") - cafeteria, conference rooms, etc.
  • Cottage III ("C-3") - chaplain's office, satellite advancement office
  • Oaknoll Cottage - workjob office, deans' offices
  • Holbrook Hall - head of school's office, deans' offices, college counseling, etc.
  • Memorial Chapel - multifaith chapel, related offices, etc.
  • Schauffler Library - library, info commons, IT, etc.
  • Farm - a functional New England farm, with cattle, horses, chickens, as well as a flower garden with many lavender plants, a ciderhouse, and a sugarhouse.
  • Forslund Gym/James Gym (Forslund Gym was an addon to James Gym in the 1960s) - basketball courts, wrestling gym, weight room, locker rooms, swimming/water polo pool, athletic department offices, etc.
  • McCollum Ice Rink - fully functioning hockey arena, boasting heated bleachers
  • Power Plant
  • Plant Facilities

[edit] Clubs & organizations

Complete listing of clubs & organizations

NMH's Student Activities (located in the Blake Student Center) office handles the student clubs, offering support and services for whatever those organizations might need (places to meet, materials, money, etc.). These clubs include the yearbook, the School's radio station, computers and technology, multicultural groups, arts, spiritual life, social concerns, etc.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] External links

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