Greenwich Academy

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Greenwich Academy
Greenwich Academy logo
Ad ingenium faciendum: Toward the Building of Character
Location
Greenwich, Connecticut, USA
Information
Head Molly H. King
Students 790 girls
Faculty 134
Type Independent, Non-sectarian
Campus 39 acres (0.16 km²)
Mascot Gator
Established 1827
Athletics 15 sports
Homepage www.greenwichacademy.org

Greenwich Academy is an independent, all-girls college preparatory day school located in Greenwich, Connecticut. Founded in 1827, it is the oldest girls' school in Connecticut.

The school begins with PC and CC (Pre-Connecting and Connecting Classes) and continues through the Lower (Groups I-IV), Middle (Groups V-VIII) and Upper (Groups IX-XII) Schools. Greenwich Academy's motto is Ad ingenium faciendum, "Toward the Building of Character."

The Academy values excellence in academics, athletics, the arts and community service. GA has a strong record of placing graduates in highly selective colleges and universities. Academy students are encouraged to follow their curiosity beyond textbooks and are nurtured and supported by their teachers, advisors and administrators.

The current Head of School is Molly H. King. The current Head of Lower School is Jeanette Tyndall. The current Head of Middle School is Becky Walker. The current Head of Upper School is Diana Beste.

Contents

[edit] Mission & History

Greenwich Academy was founded in 1827 by Darius Mead and is the oldest girls' school in Connecticut. The school was originally built adjacent to the Second Congressional Church in a small, two-story wooden house. The lot was purchased for $75 and supplies cost $1,400. In 1839, Philander P. Button became principal, and when he first arrived at the school, only six students were enrolled. Button served for 22 years.

When the school was first created, it accepted both boys and girls, but in 1900, an English teacher at the Academy founded the Brunswick School for boys. In 1913, the GA Board of Trustees formally decided to only admit girls in the Middle and Upper Schools. From 1913 to 1971, Greenwich Academy was all girls. In 1971, however, the Academy joined with Brunswick, to form coed classes in the Upper school.

In 1925, Ruth West Campbell became the principal of GA and the third female headmistress. She added many programs and activities to the school and Greenwich Academy thrived. While she was principal, the property at 116 Maple Avenue was purchased. She resigned as principal in 1955. After her death, Ruth West Campbell Hall was named after her.

Mission Statement for Greenwich Academy: Greenwich Academy is an independent college-preparatory day school for girls and young women that seeks to foster excellence. Its mission is to provide a challenging, comprehensive educational experience grounded in a rigorous liberal arts curriculum within an inclusive, diverse community. The school’s objective is to develop girls and young women of exceptional character and achievement who demonstrate independence, resilience, courage, integrity and compassion. We strive, above all, to honor our motto, “Toward the Building of Character.”

[edit] Traditions

Ingathering, Mumming, the Martin Luther King Jr. Assembly, Charter Day and Commencement are five important schoolwide traditions held every year. The Greenwich Academy students, faculty and alumnae gather to celebrate these traditions.

Ingathering is a time for the Greenwich Academy community to give thanks and to participate in a town wide community service delivering Thanksgiving dinners to families in need.

Mumming is one of the most important traditions at Greenwich Academy. The Middle School students gather in Upper School classrooms. The seniors walk around the Upper School carrying candles and singing songs. Every group assembles around a candlelit table one by one and sings a song for the entire school. Once the seniors are done singing, a tableau of a famous Renaissance painting is revealed. Thus ends the ceremony.

Charter Day is the birthday of Greenwich Academy. The entire GA community celebrates and elects officers for student government. The festivities consist of carnival games, moon bounces, treats and more, but this day is not only a carnival. It also takes time to reflect on the school and the gift of education that it has given to its students.

Commencement is a day dedicated to the seniors of Greenwich Academy. Every year a commencement speaker is invited to say inspirational words to the girls and their loved ones. Another tradition at commencement is that the girls who are graduating are paired with flower girls.

[edit] Greening Efforts of the School

Greening the Middle School: The Middle School was renovated over the summer of 2007 in order to accomplish the goal of becoming more eco-friendly. There were many additions to create an environmentally conscious, “Green” Middle School including new bathrooms, classrooms and energy use.

The Bathrooms: Several new bathroom features contribute to accomplishing the “Green” goal. The dual-flush toilets use 1.4 or 1.9 gallons less than the water use of an average toilet per flush. They also have coated handles that protect against the transmission of germs. In addition, the bathroom uses recycled materials in two of its new components, one of which is the stall dividers, made up of recycled plastics and papers. The other is the counter top, which consists of cement and recycled glass. The sinks in the bathrooms are also healthy for the environment because they are motion sensitive. One more addition in the bathroom is the light fixtures. They save energy not just because of the type of light bulb being used but also because they are, like the faucets, motion sensitive.

The Classrooms: The classrooms were also re-outfitted. Besides the high-tech SMART Boards, the rooms are equipped with new lights that are brighter, use less energy and enhance the learning environment by filling the room with more natural light opposed to fluorescent. Another new feature in the rooms, offices and hallways is the carpeting, which is made up of recycled materials.

The Roof: All of these new features sound wonderful but that is only the interior. There is an important addition to the roof of the Middle School. On the roof, there are solar panels that take in energy from the sun and preserve it for the school. This energy is used throughout the electrical, heating and cooling systems.

The Dining Hall: The Dining Hall has noticed the large amount of students that eat frozen yogurt at lunch and all the plastic cups that are thrown away. The school has resulted to giving the option of cones instead of cups to minimize the amount of plastic waste from eating lunch each day. These cones are not only helping the environment but they are also a delicious treat.

The Greening Committee: Students have created a committee to help give advice to their peers about what they can do to help the environment. In the beginning of the year they walked around the campus finding things they could improve to accomplish the goal of becoming more eco-friendly. They meet about once a week and discuss what they can do to help the environment. They work with a senior in Upper School who thought up the idea of the Klean Kanteen water bottles, which are now being used by the students. The Greening Committee helps spread ideas to the friends and families of students at GA.

Hopefully these greening efforts of Greenwich Academy encourage the community not only to become pro-environment, but to also take action in doing so and helping. After all, Greenwich Academy’s motto of 2007-2008 is "Take Charge", and that’s exactly what they’re doing.

[edit] Academics

[edit] Lower School

The Lower School at Greenwich Academy is PC (pre-connecting class) to Group IV (4th grade). The teacher’s goal is to build a strong bond with their students. The curriculum is made to be challenging and supportive towards the students. It is designed to help the girls master their basic skills to help them in later grades. Students have athletic clubs, performing art classes, and community service aside from their normal academic classes. The educational program at GA encourages creativity, intellectual curiosity and respect for different points of view and backgrounds.

[edit] Middle School

The Middle School consists of Groups V-VIII (grades 5 through 8). Students take classes including history, English, science and math. They have the option of taking either French or Spanish classes. Starting in the sixth grade, students also take Latin and Chinese classes. Apart from academic classes, students participate in drama, current events, art, dance and music classes. Beginning in the seventh grade, students become a part of the Middle School laptop program and lease their own laptop for academic purposes.

[edit] Upper School

The Greenwich Academy Upper School consists of Groups IX-XII (grades 9-12). In the Upper School, GA and Brunswick School combine together in coed classes. GA’s goal is to prepare young women for college and enrich them with wisdom, integrity and courage. The classes that freshmen are assigned are: English 9, world cultures, geometry, biology, languages, arts and health for half the year. The tenth grade courses are: English 10, European history, algebra II, chemistry, language, art, and health half of the year. The eleventh grade courses are: English 11, U.S. history, pre-calculus, physics, languages, art, and ethics for the 3rd quarter. Courses for seniors are: English 12 electives, history elective, advanced mathematics, languages, art, and public speaking for half of the year. There are also 26 Advanced Placement courses offered.

[edit] Athletics

Greenwich Academy has a variety of athletic teams and facilities. Greenwich Academy has 15 varsity teams including squash, tennis, basketball, crew, cross-country, field hockey, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, sailing, soccer, softball, swimming, track and volleyball. In addition to the variety of teams, GA has expansive, state-of-the-art facilities. The school has 202,000 square feet of the latest generation of artificial grass. The field is called “Tammaro Field” in honor of Director of Athletics Program, Angela Tammaro, the long-time varsity field hockey and lacrosse coach. She has over 600 wins in both field hockey and lacrosse during her 43-year career at Greenwich Academy. The fields are made of the premium artificial grass product known as Field Turf. The fields also include a full-size regulation baseball diamond. Along with high-quality fields, Greenwich Academy also has courts for squash and tennis. There are five 32’ x 21’ international squash courts, located in the Raether Athletic Center and and six hard-court tennis courts on the campus. Also in the Raether Athletic Center is a fitness center, double-court gymnasium, single-court gymnasium, locker rooms, athletic offices and a conference room.

[edit] Arts

Greenwich Academy strongly encourages its students to pursue their interests in the visual arts and performing arts. While the visual and performing arts programs have always been popular at the Academy, the new state-of-the-art Wallace Performing Arts Center, opened in the spring of 1998, has created incredible new opportunities for students to explore and develop their interests and abilities.

Participation in the arts encourages students to react to, record and share our impressions of the world. The goal of the arts department of Greenwich Academy is to enable students to experience, understand, and enjoy the visual and performing arts, including studio art, dance, music, speech and theater. The program encourages individual creative expression, the development of specific skills in each area, communication with the public through exhibitions and performances, and appreciation of all art forms. Effort is made where possible by people from each discipline to work collaboratively. Courses provide a recognition of the role of the Arts in history and in our contemporary world.

Drama Each fall and spring, a large cast play is produced with many students from Greenwich Academy and Brunswick School. Students must participate in set or costume construction as well. 
The Drama Club at Greenwich Academy allows students who are interested in theater to explore performing by acting in scenes in the fall cabaret. In Drama Club, students are exposed to improvisational exercises, scene study, Shakespearean style and dramatic writing. The cabarets are student produced as well, so that students who are interested in the backstage element of theater can learn directing, stage management, lighting and set design.

"Middle School Drama"

"Group V Drama" Group V students attend drama classes twice a week that include units in improvisation, mime, speech and diction, scene study and play writing. In addition. Each section rehearses and performs a short play in which each student has at least one role. Plays include folk tales from a variety of cultures, Greek myths, modern comedies and dramas and comic fantasy. Each play is carefully rehearsed and performed for the school community with full costumes, props and lights.

Group VI Drama Group VI performs an extra-curricular play every spring. It is a large cast play designed to include as many girls as wish to participate. In addition, Group VI produces a Medieval Festival as part of their English/History curriculum. For this project, they research various aspects of Medieval life. Working in small groups with English, history and drama faculty, they apply this research by writing, costuming and performing short drama scenes for the entire Middle School community.

"Group VII Drama" Group VII produces a fully staged and costumed Gilbert and Sullivan operetta every year in April. The entire class participates either on or off stage. The girls learn the music in their music classes and rehearse the staging after school.

"Group VIII Musical" A highlight of the year for the Group VIII, is the Musical Revue just before Spring Break. This production allows the girls to perform new and original work, as well as old favorites from the Broadway repertoire. Singing, dancing, acting, or playing a musical instrument are some of the performing options. The girls may also choose to work in various backstage venues such as make-up, set construction and props.

"MS Drama Club" New to the Middle School Drama Program is the creation of the Middle School Drama Club. Open to Groups VII and VIII, the drama club explores the foundations of the theatre. Vocal work, sensory exercises, and movement are just some of the activities that are touched upon during weekly meetings within the first quarter of the school year. The work culminates in a joint performance with the Upper School for a Cabaret night.

Music The music department of Greenwich Academy offers students the opportunity to perform in a variety of ensembles, both choral and instrumental. Traditional and contemporary literature is studied and performed in school concerts as well as performances off campus. In the choral and instrumental groups the goal is to educate students in the rudiments of music in order to be literate and proficient in reading and performing from various historical periods and musical styles. The vast choral repertoire for both male, female and mixed voices is explored. The students sing music ranging from unison to eight parts in as many as five languages. 
There are a number of opportunities for instrumental musicians at the Greenwich Academy and Brunswick School. Brass, woodwind and percussion students may play in large and small ensembles, from chamber music to auditioned jazz groups such as Blue Notes. String students are encouraged to play in the Chamber Orchestra and in recitals. Private lessons are offered on all instruments as well as in piano and voice. Students perform classical music, jazz, and multicultural repertoire as they become proficient in the fundamentals of their instrument and experience the joy of playing in an ensemble.

Dance The goal of the program is to enable students to express their ideas, feelings and opinions in movement. Dance classes and performing companies at GA emphasize the development of choreographic skills paired with the study of a variety of technical styles, which serve the creative effort of the choreographer and the dancer. Whether a student is simply interested in studying dance in class or further exploring performance outlets that carry a bigger time commitment, there are a number of dance opportunities for Lower School, Middle School and Upper School students at Greenwich Academy.

[edit] Campus Facilities

[edit] New Middle School

The Greenwich Academy Middle School was originally built in 1962. In 2007, it underwent construction to become a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified school, or a GREEN Middle School. Now, the Middle School classes are all under one roof, there is a distinct Middle School entrance, a generously-sized meeting space, six more classrooms, air-conditioning, widened corridors, increased locker space, enlarged and reconfigured classrooms, upgraded lighting and technology, improved acoustics and a new sprinkler system. Additionally, the Middle School has supported the greening initiative by adding such environmentally friendly elements, like solar panels for energy conservation, toilet partitions that are 100% recycled plastic, ice stone counter tops that are 75% glass and cement mixture, carpeting that is 50% recycled material and ceiling tiles that are 70% recycled material.

[edit] Upper School Turrell Lighting

On October 15, 2003, an exciting feature of the Upper School building was unveiled, a light installation designed by artist James Turrell. This show is called the Upper School Turrell Lighting. It's a 16-minute show of colors and lights. The light chambers are embedded in the beams of the Upper School.

[edit] Ruth West Campbell Hall

Ruth West Campbell was born in southern Pennsylvania. Her parents died when she was young, and she was raised by her grandfather. Ms. Campbell attended Wilson College in Pennsylvania, and received her master's degree at Columbia University. Shortly after graduating college, Ms. Campbell married an engineer and became a teacher. She first taught at Germantown Preparatory Academy, then Deerfield Academy, and finally attaining an executive position at Dana Hall. Trustees of GA recruited her to come here. Ms. Campbell was the headmistress at Greenwich Academy from 1925 to 1955. Under her astute stewardship, the school grew almost five-fold, becoming one of the leading day schools for girls in the Northeast. After she passed away, Ruth West Campbell Hall was named after her.

Ruth West Campbell Hall is located on the Greenwich Academy Campus. It is also known as RWC. In 1950, Greenwich Academy purchased the old Rockefeller estate at 200 North Maple Avenue, its current location, and renamed the newly acquired building Ruth West Campbell Hall. Ruth West Campbell Hall served as the admission office and the field house. Now, Ruth West Campbell houses administrative offices, a reception area called the Noble Room, as well as a book store.

[edit] Wallace Performing Arts Center

The Performing Arts Center, also known as PAC, is an integral part of the GA community. The building contains Massey Theater, a choral room and practice rooms. It is a four hundred-seat theater with a shallow raked floor and a low balcony. The theater has a technologically advanced sound systems and lighting system. The theatrical complex contains a large scenery shop and a costume shop with naturally lighted sewing rooms and computerized storage facilities. Also in the theatrical complex is a small studio theater, nicknamed the Black Box Theater. The Black Box has computerized sound and lighting systems; a sprung floor and a flexible one hundred seat space. It is usually used for dance productions. Also in PAC is an already existing dance studio that has been recently redesigned.

Greenwich Academy's highly acclaimed musical program is also housed in PAC. The musical complex has MIDI synthesized audio labs. These labs allow students to experiment with computerized sound. New choral rooms have been added to enhance the acoustical quality of choral performances.

The Jacobs Lobby is an exhibit space that promotes the creative energy of the students. Just off the Jacobs Lobby is the Luchsinger Art Gallery, which is the setting for exhibiting student, faculty and visiting artist artwork.

[edit] Raether Athletic Center

In the spring of 1998, Raether Athletic Center was built. This large facility is over 26,852 square feet. The gymnasium consists of two full courts used for a variety of sports including basketball and volleyball. The center includes a fitness room, five international squash courts, offices and meeting spaces. In addition, there is a training room that deals with sport-related injuries. The Raether Athletic Center has been an important addition to the Greenwich Academy campus for not only sports, but also all-school gatherings.

[edit] E. Kay Cowan Early Learning Center

The Cowan E. Kay Early Learning Center, also known as the Cowan Center, was founded in 1991. This center is a preschool and childcare program. The program enhances motor skills language, creative and social skills for children from birth to age five. The Cowan Center is for the faculty's and staff's children, as well as the kids in the community. The Cowan Center is located on Greenwich Academy's campus. The ratio of staff to children is 1:3. The children participate in music and movement in Young Auditorium. Spanish is also part of the curriculum. Lunch bunch opportunities are also available for the children in the morning program.

[edit] Community Service

Greenwich Academy's community service program, a long-standing part of the school's mission, instills a sense of civic-mindedness in our students while acquainting them with the needs of the community and with the larger issues facing society. It also develops caring human beings who understand that one's talents and energy can make a difference in the world. Greenwich Academy students provide thousands of hours of service every year. Students graduate understanding that a fulfilling life requires active community service.

Greenwich Academy students give food at Ingathering to people in need, donate money from activities such as the Middle School Crafts Fair to a charity, and some Middle School students nicely give up their Saturdays to serve at soup kitchens.

Other activities students participate in:
Adopt-A-Family
AIDS WALK New York
Akanksha Foundation
Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich
Blood Drive
Breakfast in the City
Charter Day Fair
Darien Book Aid
Den for Grieving Kids
Gator Aid
Halloween Dinner
Ingathering
Midnight Run
Neighbor-to-Neighbor
Pacific House
POTS
SafeRide
St Luke's Women's Housing Program in Stamford
Valentine's Day Dinner
Waterside After School Program
YSOP - Youth Service Opportunities Project

http://www.greenwichacademy.org/students/comm_serv.asp

[edit] Clubs & Organizations

Throughout the school, there is a wide variety of clubs and organizations to choose from.

In Lower School, the girls have an option to participate in Serendipity. This is an after school program with many different activities that takes place everyday. Students enjoy card and stationery making, knitting, jewelry making, chess, computer and magic.

In Middle School, there are more activities. Some clubs include chorus, drama, community service, newspaper, student government and digital video.

In Upper School, there are organizations in addition to clubs. The Upper Schools choices are more diverse and give the girls a chance to experience new ideas and actions. Activities that the Upper School students can participate in are Habitat for Humanity, Political Society, Diversity Task Force, Tech Club and Video Production, Graphic and Design Services and Dance Corp. Greenwich Academy provides these privileges for the student’s education to be stronger and better.

[edit] Notable Alumnae

[edit] External links