Stevenson School
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| Stevenson School |
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| Pirate | |
| Established | 1952 |
| Type | Independent school |
| Headmaster | Joe Wandke |
| Students | 550 |
| Grades | K–12 |
| Location | Pebble Beach, California USA |
| Mascot | Pirate |
| Newspaper | Tusitala |
| Website | www.rlstevenson.org |
Stevenson School (formerly known as "Robert Louis Stevenson School" and hence "RLS" for short) is a private, coeducational K-12 school for boarding and day students. Its upper and lower school campuses are located in the exclusive gated community of Pebble Beach and neighboring Carmel, California, respectively. In addition to a traditional elementary and college preparatory curriculum, Stevenson School offers extracurricular activities including both athletics and the arts.
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[edit] History
In 1952 Robert and Marian Ricklefs saw the realization of a long-held dream: the establishment of a boarding school on the Monterey Peninsula. They named the institution in honor of Robert Louis Stevenson, the well-known Scottish author who reportedly found inspiration for his tales of high adventure during his 1870s sojourn in the Monterey area. (Many of the school buildings, the school newspaper, sports teams, and other features of the school are named for places or themes from Robert Louis Stevenson's life or writings.)
In the early years, RLS was a boys' school offering education in grades 7-12, though grades 7-8 were discontinued when the high school expanded.
The Upper School has also had Episcopalian chaplain from the early days, though the school has always been been open to students of all faiths. The school considers itself to be non-sectarian and explicit religious instruction is not included in the curriculum. In 1987, the Church in the Forest was established in Erdman Memorial Chapel on the edge of campus, initially with both Episcopalian and Methodist chaplains.[1] The chapel is used by some local residents and is where boarding students attend vespers and many alumni have been married.
Robert Ricklefs served as headmaster until he retired in 1970; he was succeeded by Gordon Davis, during whose term (1970-1982) the school opened its doors to girls as day students (1976).[2]
Joe Wandke became headmaster in 1983; during his administration the school has expanded significantly and undergone a thorough renovation of the physical plant. In 1988 girls were first admitted as boarding students with the opening of the Silverado dormitory.
Also in 1988, RLS was approached by the board of Briarcliff Academy, a private elementary school in neighboring Carmel, California, regarding a merger of the two schools. Stevenson then became a two-campus school comprising grades kindergarten through 12. The Lower and Middle School is located in Carmel, while the Upper School (grades 9-12) are located on an expanded campus in Pebble Beach.
In 2003 the Stevenson campus was enhanced with the Rosen Family Student Center. In the middle of campus, the beautiful building features a top-notch college center, photography lab, tech center, activities center, wilderness center, multiple classroom with most recent technology, and the new location of KSPB 91.9. The building also features an amphitheater stage, which hosts school assemblies and concerts.
[edit] Academics
Stevenson offers a wide range of courses geared to prepare students for further study at colleges and universities around the world. Students take courses in English, fine arts, foreign languages (currently Latin, French, Spanish, and Japanese), history, mathematics, science, technology and outdoor education. The school also has a long history of hosting AFS exchange students. Several students each year participate in study abroad programs.
[edit] Extracurricular Activities
Athletics
Stevenson promotes sports as healthy complement to academic pursuits and sports offerings are very broad. Stevenson fields varsity teams in golf, baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse and sailing among others. Stevenson routinely competes in state lacrosse tournaments and has won several championships. Stevenson also hosts an annual host of the Nike Lacrosse Camp each year in July. Stevenson is a member of the Pacific Coast Inter-Scholastic Sailing Association division of the Inter-Scholastic Sailing Association and fields a strong coed sailing team year round that competes in numerous regattas. The Stevenson Girls' Golf team, consisting of strong players such as Mina Harigae (currently ranked 3rd in the USA), and Jam Vilairatana (former #1 in Thailand) qualify for Central Coast Section every year and occasionally NorCals.
Clubs and Activities
The school is home to KSPB, 91.9 FM, one of the largest and best funded high-school radio stations west of the Mississippi. Other clubs include international debate societies such as Model UN, music and athletic fan clubs, Amnesty International, and community service groups such as the Red Cross Club. One of Stevenson's most famous groups was the Really Really Really Ridiculously Rich Club, founded in fall 2003.
Stevenson School also has a terrific resident prefect program in the resident community, a senior-forum organization designed for seniors to help freshmen with the transition to high school, Green Key the tour guide program with all-around Stevenson students representing their school during tours and the annual Open House, and the Student Council which meets in the Rosen Family Student Center. Student Council is responsible for organizing student activities, community service projects, dances, and working together to help progress the school community.
The Stevenson Players have performed plays and musicals, such as "The Crucible", "Into the Woods", and "Noises Off". Many of the players have gone on to prestigious schools for the performing arts, such as the University of Southern California, University of the Pacific, the University of Texas, and Miami University.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.churchintheforest.org/pages/history.html
- ^ http://www.rlstevenson.org/home/about/history
[edit] Notable Graduates of Stevenson School
- Anthea Anka, actor
- Colby Beserra, musician
- Alison Eastwood, model
- MC Lars, musician
- Eddie Mendenhall, musician
