Cheshire Academy
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Cheshire Academy is a Prep school located in Cheshire, Connecticut. Founded in 1794 as the Episcopal Academy of Connecticut, it was the tenth private academy founded in the United States.
The school has students from 25 countries around the world, and a total student body of 387 students enrolled, 140 girls and 247 boys. It is divided into the Middle School (grades 6 though 8) and the Upper School (grades 9 through 12, and post-graduate).
The school is directed by an 11 member Board of Directors and a 7 member Council of Overseers, all of whom are alumni.
[edit] Student Centered Philosophy
A student-centered school recognizes that students’ needs are the driving force in the learning environment. At Cheshire Academy, this model is called Cheshire Academy Student-Centered Learning Environment or CASCLE. In this kind of learning community, education is not done to students, it happens within students, between students, and among students and teachers. Student-centered learning places the learner at the center of an integrated process. It encourages asking questions and trusting intuition through connections and risk-taking.
[edit] Campus
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The campus of 104 acres is in the center of the town of Cheshire. Once a small town, it is now an outlying suburb of New Haven. The campus buildings range from Bowden Hall (1796), now used for Administration and Admissions, to Motter Hall (2006), a girls dormitory, and Markin Hall (2007), a boys dormitory.
There are five dormitories on campus that currently house 186 boarding students.
Most classes are held in modern facilities, in buildings less than 10 years old. Classrooms and labs are sized for the small classes held at the Academy. Several of the classrooms in the John J White '38 Science and Technology Center are furnished with Harkness tables. With the entire class seated around a large oval table, everyone can see everyone else, and the environment fosters discussion and inclusiveness.
Cheshire Academy’s new Community Forum is a place for dialogue and “teachable moments.” This centerpiece of the new Humanities Building is modeled on classical centers of learning. The amphitheater structure accommodates classes, community gatherings, guest speakers, and club meetings.
The academic buildings have public access computer labs, and the campus is blanketed by a wireless network. All dormitory rooms are wired for high speed network access.
[edit] The Eight Pillars of Bowden
Character development has long been a priority at Cheshire Academy. The school’s Core Values – Caring, Respect, Diversity, Community, and Intellectual and Personal Growth - describe the community's relationships, inform the community's decisions, and express the community's beliefs. The Eight Pillars of Bowden are how the community lives out those values in daily life
Named after the schools oldest building, Bowden Hall, the Eight Pillars of Bowden are a system or morals that the school community espouses: Respect, Responsibility, Caring, Civility, Citizenship, Morality, Fairness, and Trustworthiness, which is commonly shortened around campus to R2C3MFT.
[edit] Diversity
Diversity is not new at Cheshire Academy. From its beginning in 1794 as the Episcopal Academy of Connecticut, the school has welcomed students of all nationalities, races, creeds, and economic backgrounds.
- STATES REPRESENTED
Connecticut, California, D.C., Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island
- COUNTRIES REPRESENTED
Argentina, Aruba, Barbados, Bhutan, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, England, Fiji Islands, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Trinidad, UAE, Venezuela
[edit] Academics
In both the Middle School and Upper School, Cheshire Academy’s academic program reflects the student-centered values that lie at the heart of the institution. Traditional but innovative, challenging but adaptable, Cheshire's curriculum inspires student curiosity, critical thinking, and a passion for learning. With an excellent, supportive faculty and outstanding resources, Cheshire Academy stresses a constructivist method of education in which students become independent, proactive, self-directed learners who share in the responsibility for their own learning experience.
Throughout the academic, afternoon, and community curricula, Cheshire fosters intellectual, emotional, and ethical maturity for a global and changing world.
- English
- History
- Languages
- Mathematics
- Science
- English as a second language
[edit] Roxbury Academic Support Program
The Roxbury Academic Support Program at Cheshire Academy offers a range of fee-based services dedicated to enabling students to enhance performance. These include: identifying and communicating students’ needs through regularly scheduled meetings with their classroom teachers; providing individual and group student support; coaching for writing and math; supporting the college search process; and coordinating academic coaching in specific subjects. Roxbury clearly demonstrates Cheshire Academy’s understanding of the spectrum of students’ learning styles and the School’s commitment to discovering the potential in each student.
[edit] Freshman Leadership Seminar
The Freshman Leadership Seminar course is required for all Freshman year students. It parallels the foundation of Cheshire Academy with particular emphasis on character education, student centered learning, social responsibility and life skills. In addition to developing personal awareness, the goal of the Freshman Leadership program is to help create a community of students and adults who are comfortable and honest in talking about interpersonal, social, sexual, wellness, drug-related, diversity, and ethical issues. The skills of talking honestly and openly, listening, respect, personal responsibility, empathy, decision-making, and ethical thinking will be stressed throughout the curriculum. This class meets twice each week throughout the school year.
Goals and Objectives
It is hoped that after completing this course, students will have:
- Learned about themselves
- Taken some risks
- Learned to enjoy their own and others’ public presentations
- Discovered some important things about life skills
[edit] Arts and Music
The Art Department at Cheshire Academy is comprised of the Visual Arts as well as Music and Theater. Students are expected to have completed at least one full credit in any of these areas as a graduation requirement. As a result, all students can get to experience the creative process in an active way and perhaps unleash talents and abilities they didn’t realize they possessed. Offerings include Choir and Chorus, Music Composition, Music Theory, Guitar & Chamber Ensemble, Acting, Production and Performance classes, Public Speaking, Drawing, Painting, Ceramics, Photography, and Art History. Through these classes and related extracurricular activities, students can perform in school concerts and plays, show their artwork around campus and local galleries, visit professionals working in these fields, and attend dramatic productions and lectures. Graduates who have shown a keen interest in the arts and who have taken the department’s higher-level courses have gone on to some of the finest visual and performing art programs in the country.
[edit] Recent Academy Awards and Achievements
Cheshire Academy encourages students to participate in a variety of academic competitions. Recent awards won by Cheshire students include:
- American Mathematics Competition Awards - For the third consecutive year, Cheshire Academy has competed in the American Mathematics Competition and received a school certificate of merit for a team score of over 300 points.
- New England Math League Awards - In 2007-08, Cheshire Academy finished third out of the ten schools competing in the New Haven division of the New England Math league.
- High School Mathematical Modeling Contest - In 2007-08, Cheshire Academy entered a team in the Consortium for Mathematics and its Application annual math modeling contest. The CA team’s 60-page model was judged to be in the top 4% out of the 270 teams competing and they were awarded the designation of National Outstanding.
[edit] Athletics
At the heart of Cheshire Academy athletic programs is a deeply held commitment to giving full support to the success of student-athletes, both on and off the field. In every sport, Cheshire coaches practice a shared philosophy of providing the highest level of play experience to all students - from those athletes looking to compete on the collegiate level to the novice players seeking to learn new skills. Students learn the value of self-discipline, commitment, teamwork, and sportsmanship from experienced coaching staff that includes former professional athletes, college coaches, and high school and college standouts. Cheshire Academy offers 15 individual sports during fall, winter and spring seasons on 20 varsity and 19 sub varsity teams, along with 5 non-interscholastic physical options.
Almost all of the Cheshire Academy coaching staff fulfill multiple roles as teachers, counselors, dorm parents, and school staff, providing students with a clear view of athletics as just part of a broader educational experience.
The stated goals of the Athletics Program at Cheshire Academy are:
- Maintain physical health
- Develop teamwork
- Display sportsmanship
- Increase self-confidence
- Meet new challenges
- Improve skills
- Set and achieve goals
- Build relationships
The Athletic year is broken into thirds, allowing each student to participate in up to three sports a year. Many sports have multiple teams, by gender, age, and experience.
- FALL ACTIVE INTERSCHOLASTIC OPTIONS
Cross Country Field Hockey Football Soccer Volleyball Team Manager
- FALL ACTIVE NON-INTERSCHOLASTIC OPTIONS
Student Athletic Trainer Ropes Challenge Course
- WINTER ACTIVE INTERSCHOLASTIC OPTIONS
Basketball Swimming Fencing Wrestling Team Manager
- WINTER ACTIVE NON-INTERSCHOLASTIC OPTIONS
Student Athletic Trainer Musical Theater Weight Training Aerobics Ski Club Health Club Membership
- SPRING ACTIVE INTERSCHOLASTIC OPTIONS
Baseball Golf Lacrosse Softball Tennis Track & Field Team Manager Ultimate Frisbee
- SPRING ACTIVE NON-INTERSCHOLASTIC OPTIONS
Student Athletic Trainer Dance Ropes Challenge Course
[edit] Recent Athletic Achievements
In February 2008, four Cheshire Academy student-athletes signed National Letters of Intent to attend colleges on the NCAA Division One level: Univeristy of Connecticut, University of Rhode Island, University of Maine and Wagner College.
[edit] Afternoon Activities
In addition to the athletic activities, a number of alternative activities are available:
- FALL CREATIVE OPTIONS
Community Service Drama Yearbook Editor
- WINTER CREATIVE OPTIONS
Community Service Yearbook Editor
- SPRING CREATIVE OPTIONS
Community Service Drama Yearbook Editor
--Jazz Ensemble is offered all year as an afternoon activity, practicing Monday nights with two performances a year.--
[edit] Student Clubs
[edit] Discovery Week
The Discovery Week program, held each year in the Spring, gives students the opportunity to challenge themselves in activities they have never tried before. Self-discovery is one of the ways that students learn to excel at Cheshire Academy. Programs range from exploring museums, working in soup kitchens and helping others through Habitat for Humanity, to an Artic dog sled expedition or visiting a coral reef.
[edit] Student Life
[edit] Notable alumni
- Eric Bloom, Musician, Blue Oyster Cult
- Andrew Fezza, Fashion designer
- Fred Friendly (1915-1998), President of CBS News
- Francisco Garcia, 2005 NBA top 15 draft pick. He now plays for the Sacramento Kings.
- Roberto Goizueta (1932-1997), the former CEO of the Coca-Cola Company
- Joseph W. Hasel, “Voice of the New York Giants”
- Lambert Hitchcock (1795-1852), furniture maker
- John Frederick Kensett (1816-1872), artist
- Rockwell Kent (1882-1971), artist
- Talib Kweli (b. 1975), rapper
- Norm Larsen (1923-1970), inventor of WD-40
- Robert Ludlum (1927-2001), author, The Bourne Identity
- J. Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913), industrialist and financier
- Peter Perrault, NFL Hall of Fame
- Angela Robinson, State Superior Court Judge
- Frank Shields, Tennis Hall of Fame, Wimbledon
- James Van Der Beek (b. 1977), actor, Dawsons Creek
- Gideon Welles (1802-1878), United States Secretary of the Navy from 1861 to 1869, after whom the school's dining hall is named
- Confederate General 'Fighting Joe' Wheeler (1836-1906)
- Sidney Wood, Tennis Hall of Fame, Wimbledon
[edit] References
- Cheshire Academy brochure with partial alumni list (PDF)
