Dexter School

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Coordinates: 42°18′34″N 71°08′07″W / 42.309346, -71.135167

Dexter School

Image:Dexter Logo.jpg
Address 20 Newton Street
Town Brookline, Massachusetts
Country U.S.
Noble and Greenough Lower School established 1866, by George Washington Copp Noble
Dexter School established 1926, by Myra Fiske
Type Private, Single Sex (Boys)
Grades Pre-K to 12
Enrollment 435 [1]
Student-to-Faculty Ratio 7:1 [2]
Nickname Dexter
Colors Grey and Maroon
Motto Our Best Today, Better Tomorrow.
Website www.dexter.org

Founded in 1926, the Dexter School is a private school for boys located in Brookline, Massachusetts. Its expansive campus is also home to its "sister school", Southfield School, a private school for girls founded in 1992.

Dexter School opened in 1926 as a successor to Noble and Greenough's Lower School, which was discontinued after Noble and Greenough moved its upper school from Boston to Dedham in 1922. Dexter continued to occupy the same four-acre site on Freeman Street in Brookline, and many of the same faculty members were retained under the leadership of Miss Myra Fiske who had been with Lower Nobles since 1903. In July 1966, the trustees purchased the 32-acre Anna Sears estate at 20 Newton road on the Boston-Brookline town line atop the tallest hill in Brookline for Dexter School's current campus. The main older buildings are in turn-of-the-century Italianate style with buff stucco and slate roofs. Major buildings added to the campus through the years include the Sohier Building, which houses offices and the main reception area, as well as the state-of-the-art Clay Center for Science and Technology, which boasts a quarter Hubble telescope. The old four-acre Freeman Street campus site is now occupied by the Dexter Park apartment complex. In 2002, the trustees extended Dexter School and Southfield School from Grade 8 through Grade 12.

Dexter's motto is "Our Best Today, Better Tomorrow". Dexter strives to develop in each student academic skills, moral and spiritual attitudes and habits, and self-discipline so that each boy may make positive contributions to today's society. Strong moral fiber and thoughtfulness is reinforced since boys are reminded to choose "the hard right against the easy wrong", which is the school moto. The core curriculum is classically based. A range of offerings is available to students from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12. The curriculum is challenging, yet the faculty provides a wide range of academic offerings and individualized programs. From the 6th grade students take Latin and in the 8th grade extending their language ability by offering either French or Spanish. Students are drawn from over forty cities and towns in the greater Boston area.

The 36-acre campus located on the Boston-Brookline border provides a setting and facilities which serve the school community. The Schools are the second largest land owner in Brookline, the first being Pine Manor College. Of particular note is the Clay Center which is available to astronomers and provides students with extraordinary classroom opportunities as well as a world-class astronomical observatory. The Briarwood Marine Science Center on Cape Cod offers an exciting extended campus resource where students are able to investigate the ocean environment.

Dexter's athletic programs feature a combination of intramural and interscholastic offerings. In Pre-Kindergarten through Class 2 physical education is a daily activity. Intramural competition is introduced in Class 3 through Class 6 during which students compete in many different sports with the goal of instilling a spirit of sportsmanship and teamwork. Beginning in Class 7, athletes choose from a variety of interscholastic sports. Dexter teams compete against many schools throughout the New England area. The campus includes four athletic fields, two hockey rinks, the Lincoln Pool, and the Dalrymple Gymnasium.

Many faculty teach at the School for many years, often spanning decades. The same is true for administration. Miss Fiske remained Principal until 1938, when Francis Caswell succeeded her. Rev. Caswell lead the school until 1964, when Mr. William Phinney became Headmaster.

Historically, students have been drawn from some of Boston's oldest families, causing the school to have a reputation for being one of the breeding grounds for young Brahmins. Traditionally, most Dexter graduates have gone on to ISL boarding and day schools, the most loathed of which are Belmont Hill, Noble & Greenough, Roxbury Latin, St. George's School, Brooks, and Groton.

[edit] Notable alumni