The Pennington School
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| The Pennington School | |
| Only The Excellent | |
| Established | 1838 |
| School type | Private, Boarding and Day |
| Religious affiliation | United Methodist |
| Head of School | Stephanie G. Townsend |
| Location | Pennington, NJ, USA |
| Campus | 54 acres |
| Enrollment | 471 |
| Faculty | 99 |
| Average class size | 13 students |
| Student:teacher ratio |
9:1 |
| Average SAT scores (2006) |
537 critical reading 563 math |
| Athletics | 15 Interscholastic Teams |
| Color(s) | Black and Red |
| Mascot | Red Raider |
| Homepage | www.pennington.org |
The Pennington School (also called Pennington or TPS) is a private co-educational independent boarding school enrolling approximately 445 day and boarding students in grades 6 through 12. Over 20 nations are represented in Pennington’s student body from Saudi Arabia to the People’s Republic of China. The school is located in Pennington, in Mercer County, New Jersey, a small community midway between New York City and Philadelphia in the eastern United States. TPS was founded in 1838 as the Methodist Episcopal Male Seminary, in order to secure "the education of the physical, the training of the mental, and the grounding of the soul in character."[1] However, while the school is still affiliated with the United Methodist Church and students are required to attend Chapel weekly, the school is effectively secular in nature.[2]
The school is a member of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools and the Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools.
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[edit] History
Pennington was founded in 1838 as a college preparatory school for boys. Pennington officially became a coeducational institution in the fall of 1854. The School was empowered by the New Jersey Legislature to confer the degrees of Mistress of English Literature and Mistress of Liberal Arts upon young ladies who had finished their course of study. However in March of 1910, it was announced that, with the coming fall, Pennington would again become a school for boys. It was not until 1972 that Pennington once again became a coeducational institution. In 1973, the Center for Learning, one of the nation's leading secondary school programs for children afflicted with dyslexia, integrated within the school.[3]
Noted lecturers at the school include Robert Frost and Edwin Markham.
[edit] Admissions
According to BoardingSchoolReview.com, with an acceptance rate of 19% of applicants, Pennington is ranked among the more selective boarding schools in the United States.[4]Like other prep schools, prospective students must take the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT), fill out an application, and go through an on-campus interview in order to be considered for admission.
[edit] Curriculum
Advanced Placement Program (AP) courses are offered in AP English Language and Composition, AP French Language, AP Spanish Language, AP Latin Literature, the school also offers German and Standard Mandarin, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics, AP United States History, AP United States Government and Politics, AP European History, AP Macroeconomics,AP Microeconomics, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Studio Art, AP Music Theory. Pennington also offers linear algebra and organic chemistry.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Rudy Boschwitz (1947): United States Senator, first Jewish Chairman Republican National Committee
- Stephen Crane (1887): Writer
- William Mastrosimone, Playwright
- George Brinton McClellan, Attended, American Civil War General, Democratic Presidential Nominee 1864. 24th Governor of New Jersey.
[edit] Trivia
- Pennington has one of the longest standing secondary school football program in the nation. Pennington football played its first game in 1877.[5]
- The 1896 American Olympic Team trained at the school while preparing in secret for the first modern Olympic Games.[citation needed]
- Jerry Spinelli's novel Stargirl was adapted by Amy Mayes and Lisa Houston for the school's Fall Play, which ran November 8th to 11th, 2006, based on an original adaptation authorized by the novel's author.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ History of the Pennington School, accessed October 13, 2006
- ^ Chapel, accessed October 13, 2006
- ^ The Center for Learning, accessed October 13, 2006
- ^ Boarding School Review: Lowest Acceptance Rates. Retrieved on May 3, 2006.
- ^ Football's 125th anniversary at Pennington School Nov. 1, 2004, accessed November 13, 2006
- ^ Pennington Drama Invited to Scotland , press release dated October 19, 2006
[edit] External links
- The Pennington School website
- History of The Pennington School
- National Center for Education Statistics data for The Pennington School
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Mercer County, New Jersey | High schools in New Jersey | New Jersey Association of Independent Schools | Private schools in New Jersey | Boarding schools in New Jersey | Educational institutions established in 1838
