Kingswood-Oxford School
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| Kingswood-Oxford School | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| West Hartford, CT, USA | |
| Information | |
| Religion | None |
| Headmaster | Dennis Bisgaard (2006-) |
| Enrollment |
595 students |
| Faculty | 90 |
| Student:teacher ratio | 8:1 |
| Type | Day school |
| Athletics | 17 Interscholastic Sports 41 High School Interscholastic Teams |
| Athletics conference | Founders League |
| Motto | Vincit Qui Se Vincit (He who conquers himself conquers all) |
| Mascot | The Wyvern |
| Color(s) | Black, Red, White |
| Established | 1909 |
| Homepage | www.kingswood-oxford.org |
Kingswood-Oxford School is a private day school located 170 Kingswood Road in West Hartford, Connecticut. Originally two separate schools--Kingswood for the boys and Oxford for the girls--it is now a co-ed school for grades 6 through 12. K-O refers to its grades as Upper Prep for grade 6 and then Forms 1 through 6 for grades 7 through 12, respectively. K-O employs over 120 teachers as well as administrative, library, maintenance and cafeteria staff.
Contents |
[edit] Academics
The school is well-regarded for its academic program in the Greater Hartford area, and regularly places graduates in Ivy League universities such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, as well as liberal arts institutions such as Amherst, Wheaton College, Bowdoin, and Williams.[1]
K-O students continually score exceedingly well on Advanced Placement exams, placing as one of the top achievers on AP tests among Connecticut High Schools.[2]
[edit] Extracurricular Activities
Student groups at K-O range from a newspaper (the K-O News), a literary magazine, and a student run yearbook to multicultural and community service organizations.[3]
K-O's debate and public speaking club (the Forensic Union) has won numerous tournaments in the Debating Association of New England Independent Schools (DANEIS, www.daneis.org) and placed highly in international competitions such as the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championship. [4]
The school's "Team Tobati" (www.teamtobati.org) service organization sends a large group of students each year over spring break to Tobati, Paraguay on a public service trip to work with rural villages in providing access to healthcare and education.
[edit] History
Kingswood-Oxford was founded in 1909. K-O's school colors are crimson and black, and the school mascot is a Wyvern, a mythical winged dragon with an eagle's claws and a serpent's tail.
Kingswood-Oxford was one of the nation's first independent day schools. Founders Mary Martin (Oxford School - 1909) and George R. H. Nicholson (Kingswood School - 1916) supported the statement made in an early 1900s issue of The American Country Day School Journal that "wise parents know they must share with teachers the shaping of the minds and character of young people." Throughout its combined history, K-O has provided parents with numerous opportunities to participate actively in their children's education. [5]
Miss Martin opened Oxford School at her home on Oxford Street in Hartford's West End. In 1924, the School moved to 695 Prospect in West Hartford. The Prospect Street site became the permanent home of Oxford and served as the home of Kingswood-Oxford's Middle School until the Estes Middle School was built on campus of the Upper School. In 2008 two houses on the K-O campus affectionately called the Third and Forth houses will be knocked down and make room for a new Math and Science building.
Mr. Nicholson established the Kingswood School seven years later. He named the School for his alma mater in Bath, England. Kingswood School inherited some of the traditions of the English school, including the School's crest, motto. colors and distinctive symbol, the Wyvern.
Strong enrollments and leaders as well as steady growth in program and facilities marked the legacy of both schools until their merger in 1969. At the time of the merger, Kingswood-Oxford adopted the Oxford School motto: Vincit Qui Se Vincit - One Conquers by Conquering Oneself. Kingswood's motto had been, "In via Recta Celeriter" (In the right direction swiftly).
K-O's current Head of School is Mr. Dennis Bisgaard, who between 1994 and 2000 was an administrator at Collegiate School, where Dr. Lee M. Levison, K-O's former Head, now serves as Headmaster. While at Collegiate School, Dennis Bisgaard founded and directed the Collegiate School Teaching Institute. In 2000, Dennis Bisgaard was appointed Associate Director at Shady Hill School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Kingswood line of Headmasters Include Mr. Nicholson, Merritt A. (Gramp) Hewitt, and Nelson P. Farquhar.
[edit] Athletics
The K-O Wyvern's primary rivals are Loomis-Chaffee School, Westminster School, Watkinson School, Renbrook School (middle school) and Suffield Academy. In football, rivals include Hopkins School and the Brunswick School. In Spring 2005, the undefeated K-O Varsity Softball team won the Western New England Prep School Softball Association Championship for the second consecutive year. Kingswood-Oxford hosts the annual Paul W. “Frosty” Francis Kingswood-Oxford Invitational Basketball Tournament every December, the weekend before Christmas. The tournament includes both girls and boys varsity teams. The boys varsity basketball team most recently won the tournament in 2005 and 2007.
[edit] Notable alumni
- John O'Hurley
- Katharine Hepburn
- Karl Baumert
- Dominick Dunne
- Tim Brennan of the Dropkick Murphys
