Foxcroft Academy

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Foxcroft Academy
Motto "Knowledge is Power"
Established January 30, 1823
Type Private High School
Head of School Dr. Raymond Webb
Students 410 day and boarding students
Location Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, USA
Campus Rural, 110 acres (0.45 km²)
Colors Maroon      and White     
Athletics Maine Class C Football, Wrestling Class B Basketball, Class A Ice Hockey, Tennis, Track, Cross Country, Softball, Golf, Field Hockey, Soccer, Swimming, Baseball, Softball
Mascot Ponies
Website www.foxcroftacademy.org

Foxcroft Academy located in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, was established as a private college preparatory school on January 30, 1823. As part of its historic mission Foxcroft Academy educates secondary students from Maine communities without a public high school. In addition to the sixteen Maine towns which tuition their students to Foxcroft Academy the Academy also serves as a boarding school to students from 12 different countries. [1]

Contents

[edit] Location

The rural town of Dover-Foxcroft (population 4,200) is situated in an area that provides opportunities for skiing, snowboarding, white water rafting, swimming, hiking, biking, ice skating, and snowmobiling. It is 80 miles (130 km) from the Atlantic Ocean, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, 10 miles (16 km) from the mountains and lakes of northern Maine and 3-4 hours from Portland and Boston. Foxcroft Academy is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and a member of the Independent School Association of Northern New England, College Board and the National Association of Independent Schools.

[edit] History

Foxcroft Academy was established as a private secondary school on January 30, 1823, and became the first school to be chartered after Maine became a state. The school was named for Colonel Joseph Ellery Foxcroft who had purchased one of the five townships granted to Bowdoin College by the Massachusetts General Court in 1794. The name of the township was later changed to Foxcroft.

In the spring of 1823, while it was still located in the Dover schoolhouse, James S. Holmes taught the first term for the newly established Foxcroft Academy. During these early days, Foxcroft Academy was known as a "poor man's college" because it brought to the pioneer families an opportunity for higher education. John Glover, in his History of Foxcroft (1964), records that the Academy in Foxcroft "figured much during the nineteenth century in the development of secondary education in the eastern region of the United States."

The first Academy building, located on the lot adjacent to the Congregational Chapel, was finished enough in 1825 to enable the holding of classes, Charles P. Chandler being its first preceptor. By 1843, the Academy had 130 pupils, making for crowded conditions, and thought was given to erecting a new building.

In 1859, the first Academy building, being no longer adequate, was removed to the north end of Foxcroft Bridge, and in 1860, a much larger building was erected. For the next three decades an increasing number of students from Foxcroft and the outlying regions attended the Academy.

In 1903, the town of Dover discontinued its public high school and began paying tuition to Foxcroft Academy in order for their students to attend the Academy. This move increased student enrollment by one-third and made the enlargement of the building absolutely necessary. In 1904 a new three story structure was added to the front of the old school building. Upon its completion in June of 1905, it was noted as one of the best equipped schools in the State of Maine.

By the beginning of the twentieth century, Foxcroft Academy was on the approved list of several colleges including: Brown, Boston University, Bowdoin, Dartmouth, Smith, University of Maine, Mount Holyoke, Amherst, Wesleyan University, Wellesley College, Colby and Bates. In 1924, it was noted that Foxcroft Academy was "one of the few fitting schools in the State of Maine whose graduates are admitted to the New England Colleges on certificates without examination."

In 1941, with enrollment now reaching 250 students, Louis Oakes of the class of 1892, deeded to the Trustees of Foxcroft Academy the Oakes Farm on the Guilford Road in Foxcroft. The work on a new school was financed largely by Mr. Oakes and other members of his family, with contributions also coming from Trustees, local citizens, and alumni of the school. The building was opened for classes in February of 1952 and dedicated in August of that year.

A new gymnasium in 1960 was made possible by gifts from alumni, friends and local business enterprises with a large gift being contributed by Lady Eunice Oakes. An industrial arts building was begun in 1973, as well as remodeling of the main classroom building with additional library and classroom space and the creation of the business education wing. Theses projects were completed and used for instruction at the beginning of the 1974 school year. After two years' use of temporary space for classes, construction was begun in 1986 on a new six classroom wing and music room and in August, 1988, this new wing was dedicated.

In 1989 Trustees realizing that philanthropic support for the school needed to be an increasingly important component hired its first Director of Development and Alumni Affairs, Jay Brennan. In following years, philanthropic support from Trustees, faculty, parents, alumni, and community members provided significant annual revenue to the operation budget as well as providing five networked computer labs, and in 1996, the Burton N. Packard Center for Forestry Management. Most importantly the development efforts of the Trustees prepared the school for its first capital campaign. In 2002, the Trustees of Foxcroft Academy successfully completed its first multi- million capital campaign, Securing the Tradition, chaired by Dr. Frederick Hutchinson, President Emeritus of the University of Maine and a 1948 alumnus of Foxcroft Academy. The campaign which supported over $4 million worth of improvements resulted in the expansion of the dinning hall, the construction of the Pride Manufacturing Student Center, Ebersteen Art Center, Philpot Multimedia Computer Center, Ames Consumer and Family Science Center, modernized the main academic building, expanded and upgrade the locker room facilities, and built a new 400 Meter 8 lane competition track as well as a new baseball and the Harold Alfond Soccer Field. As in the past, no local, state or federal tax dollars were used to support these capital projects.

Construction on the Academy's new $7 million dorm project is due to get underway in the spring of 2008 with a completion date of January 2009. These new dorms will house 48 of the Academy's boarding students as well as provide townhouse residences for 6 faculty/staff members.

A long list of illustrious names testifies to the success Foxcroft Academy graduates have achieved in various fields. There have been numerous graduates of the Academy who have achieved distinction in the fields of law and medicine. One such graduate was Dr. Mary Chandler Lowell of the class of 1881, who to this date is the only known woman anywhere in the world to have earned the degree of Doctor of Medicine, Bachelor of Law, and Doctor of Jurisprudence. Others from Foxcroft Academy have distinguished themselves as missionaries, members of Congress, poets, a college president, teachers, college professors, a newspaper editor, an ambassador and various executives of major corporations.

Foxcroft Academy exists as one of only nine remaining (from an original 122) independent town academies which serve communities who have historically chosen independent education or public education. Today, Foxcroft Academy boasts an enrollment of 410 day and boarding students.

[edit] Academic Program

The Academy offers a challenging college-preparatory curriculum, including 135 course offerings including 32 Honors Courses and 8 Advanced Placement courses. Foxcroft Academy’s math and science programs exceed national standards and utilize state-of-the-art technology. Students in Foxcroft Academy’s well-known humanities program understand the culture of an era through a study of its history, literature, art, and music. The foreign language program includes four levels of French, Latin and Spanish. Chinese will also be offered beginning in the 2008-09 year. In addition to the traditional offerings, students may take courses in music composition, web-design, art history, economics, computer-assisted drawing, personal finance, vocational subjects, and ethics. Foxcroft Academy offers a comprehensive ESL program for the international student who is planning for a university education. Students receive individual testing before placement at one of three levels of ESL, including ESL Writing.

Musical education at Foxcroft Academy is more than learning to sing or play an instrument. Music is a science, a mental discipline, and an art. Students are able to participate in a variety of programs and courses of study, including orchestra and chamber ensemble, band, jazz ensemble, select choir, and percussion ensemble. Art education takes place in the modern Ebersteen Art Center, where students are engaged in everything from the study of art history to pottery and jewelry making. Foxcroft Academy has 62 staff members, including 43 faculty, and a student-faculty ratio of 16:1. The faculty is committed to fully preparing students for college and university studies.[2]

[edit] Athletics

Foxcroft Academy’s commitment to excellence extends beyond the classroom to the playing fields, where the school has a long and proud tradition in athletics. In recent years, the Academy’s wrestling, football, baseball, and cross-country teams have won multiple state and regional championships. There are nearly thirty interscholastic sports teams, both girls’ and boys'. All students have an opportunity to try out for any sport they wish. In sports like football, soccer, swimming, track, cross-country, tennis,everyone makes the team at either a varsity or junior varsity level. Programs like basketball, and field hockey carry a limited squad. 2007 Field Hockey and Football Class C State Champions

[edit] University and College Counseling

A long list of illustrious names testifies to the success Foxcroft Academy graduates have achieved in various fields, including law and medicine. One such graduate was Dr. Mary Chandler Lowell of the class of 1881, who to this date is the only known woman anywhere in the world to have earned the degrees of Doctor of Medicine, Bachelor of Law, and Doctor of Jurisprudence. Foxcroft graduates have gone on to such prestigious institutions as Husson College, Eastern Maine Community College, Northern Maine Community College, Kennebec Valley Community College, Southern Maine Community College, and Harvard.

[edit] Boarding Facilities

Boarding students are housed in one of four residential-style dormitories, which have all modern conveniences, including wireless Internet hookups. A new $7 million on campus dorm complex is due to be completed in the winter of 2009. On school nights, structured study sessions take place between 7 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., with lights out by 11:30. Breakfast and dinner are provided seven days a week. Lunch is eaten in the student dining hall, which features a grill with a wide selection of snacks and meals at inexpensive prices. The Student Center also provides a refrigerator, stove, microwave, dishwasher, espresso machine, coffee maker and snack foods for student use. A few students are placed with host families who live in proximity to the Academy. These families typically have children of their own attending the Academy.

[edit] Clubs & Activities

Foxcroft provides a rich environment—one that is intellectually challenging in and out of the classroom. The Academy offers more than twenty clubs and student organizations, including the Latin Club, the Key Club, the Xbox Club, the French Club, the Drama Club, and it used to have a student-run newspaper until all of its articles were deemed unusable by the head of school, making writing meaningful or thought provoking articles difficult. Other opportunities include musical theater productions, dance ensembles, art showings, theater productions and marching band. [3] including:

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Notable current/former faculty

  • James S. Wiley (1808-1891) was a U.S. Representative from Maine.[5]
  • [Thomas Lyford][4] (1946- ) Class of 1964 American writer, poet, and humorist

[edit] References

  1. ^ Frank Edward Guernsey, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed December 8, 2007.
  2. ^ Charles E. Littlefield, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed December 8, 2007.
  3. ^ Henry Otis Pratt, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed December 8, 2007.
  4. ^ Westbrook College Alumni Authors: Lillian M. N. Ames Stevens, University of New England. Accessed December 8, 2007. "Lillian Marion Norton Ames Stevens (1844-1914), temperance reformer, was born at Dover, Maine, where her father was a teacher. After attending the local Foxcroft Academy and Westbrook Seminary near Portland, she taught school for several years."
  5. ^ James Sullivan Wiley, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed December 8, 2007.