Riverdale Country School

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Riverdale Country School
Motto It is the spirit that quickeneth.
Established 1907
Type Private
Headmaster Dominic A. A. Randolph
Founder Frank S. Hackett
Students approx. 1,060
Grades Pre-K through 12
Location 5250 Fieldston Road,
Bronx, New York, United States
Campus Suburban
Colors Maroon and White
Mascot Falcon
Yearbook The Riverdalian
Newspaper The Riverdale Review
Website www.riverdale.edu
The Lower Campus of Riverdale Country School
The Lower Campus of Riverdale Country School

Riverdale Country School is a co-educational, independent, college-preparatory day school in New York City. One of the most competitive private schools in the nation [1] and most expensive private school in both New York City and the nation [2], it is located on two campuses covering more than 27 acres in the Riverdale section of The Bronx, New York.

Contents

[edit] History

Founded in 1907 by Frank S. Hackett (Riverdale's Hackett Hall is named after him), Riverdale is one of the oldest country day schools in the United States.

The present-day institution traces its origins to The Riverdale School for Boys, which was established in 1907 by Frank Sutliff Hackett. In 1920, the Neighborhood Elementary School was founded, followed in 1933 by the Riverdale Girls School. In 1972, the three schools combined to form a single educational community shaped by their common goals and ideals. Riverdale Country School aims to cultivate the unique talents of its students and to nurture their intellectual, creative, physical, moral, emotional, and social development.[3]

[edit] School dynamics

Riverdale has the largest overall school campus in the New York City area (27.5 acres: 19.5 for the Hill Campus; 8 for the River Campus).[4]

Riverdale houses two campus areas, the River Campus (grades Pre-K - 5 known as the Lower School) and the Hill Campus (grades 6–8 known as the Middle School and 9–12 known as the Upper School). The River Campus received its name because of its location beside the Hudson River, and the Hill Campus, overlooking Van Cortlandt Park, received its name from its location as well.

Riverdale currently has an enrollment of approximately 1060 students (Lower Campus - 375, Hill Campus - 685), who come from all parts of the surrounding region.[5] Dominic A.A. Randolph, formerly Assistant Headmaster of the Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, N.J., was appointed the sixth Headmaster in 2007.

Riverdale is chartered by the New York State Board of Regents and is accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools.[6]

[edit] Athletics

Riverdale Country School puts a large emphasis on balancing a student's academic, arts, and athletic careers. The Middle School supports 14 girls' and boys' athletic teams in 10 sports, fall, winter, and spring, while the Upper School is enlivened by 23 girls' teams in 13 sports, and 22 boys' teams in 12 sports. The Riverdale Boys' Cross-Country team won the NYSAIS State Championship in 1999, and the Baseball team won the State Championship in 2000. The Riverdale Boys' Soccer team won back-to-back Ivy Prep School League titles in 1998 and 1999, and in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Their undefeated season in 1999 led to a NYSAIS State Championship, which they won again in 2006. The Boys' Soccer team also went on to win the Regional Championships in 2007. The Riverdale Girls' Softball team won the NYSAIS State Championship in 2000, and the Girls' Soccer team has equalled the boys' varsity in excellence, winning the NYSAIS State Championship in both 2003 and 2007. Riverdale's Swim team, the Guambo, also sports an impressive record, having won either a boys' or girls' championship every year since 2002.

[edit] Arts and Activities [7]

Riverdale has an extensive arts program, offering courses in music theory, acting technique, studio art, and film analysis. At least 3 arts credits are required for graduation. Upper School students mount one musical and one play each year in the Jeslo Harris theatre. Studio art classes take place in the Lindenbaum Arts Center, and are often taught by visiting artists. Riverdale students participate in the jazz and concert bands, orchestra, chamber music ensembles, chorus, and the a cappella singing group. Riverdale also supports an extensive offering of clubs and activities, which enable the students to: form student- government organizations; produce school newspapers, arts magazines, and political publications; perform service to the community; and provide a meeting place for like-minded students, interested in a host of current topics, to meet, compete with other schools, air their views, and organize events important to school life.

[edit] Academics[8]

Riverdale founder, Dr. Frank S. Hackett, shared a deep commitment to "scholarly, intimate teaching; rigorous, uncompromising academic standards; abundant play in the open; and a care for the best influences".

The curriculum in the early childhood program is designed to develop basic academic concepts and social skills. In Grades 1–5, a strong, sequential approach to skill development in reading and math is balanced with literature, writing, and math problem-solving.

The Middle School is housed in the fully renovated Frank S. Hackett Hall, but students use arts, science, athletic, and dining facilities in common with upper schoolers, and the schedules of the two divisions permit teachers to teach classes in both.

The Upper School curriculum is a coherent sequence, co-ordinated with the Middle School program. It features numerous elective courses for juniors and seniors, including honors courses in language and mathematics and 19 Advanced Placement courses in all disciplines. Innovative courses are required of all juniors and seniors: juniors are required to take a co-taught, combined American history/literature course called "Constructing America"; seniors take a multi-taught course, "Integrated Liberal Studies", with readings and assignments covering Western culture, surveying classical philosophy as well as the history of science, and featuring literature, religion and arts components.

To earn a high-school diploma, students in Grades 9–12 must complete 4 credits in English; 3 credits in a single foreign language or 2 credits in each of two languages; 3 in history; 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 in mathematics; 2 in science; and 3 in the arts. Seniors must also earn 1 credit in Integrated Liberal Studies, and meet various requirements in health, technology, and physical education. Each Grade 6-12 has a Dean of Students who coordinates academic programs and serves as a liaison among students, parents and the school. Students in Grades 6–12 must complete from 10 to 18 hours of community service yearly, depending on age, with two-thirds of the requirement to be fulfilled off-campus. Most students exceed these academic requirements, and go on to a diverse selection of nationally-ranked universities and colleges. Among the most popular destinations in recent years have been: Yale, Brown, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, Cornell, Bowdoin, Washington University, and Oberlin.

[edit] Notable Riverdale alumni

Chevy Chase attended the upper school. John F. Kennedy and Eliot Spitzer attended Riverdale's Lower School. Francis Fukuyama attended the Middle School. ]], Vincent Price, and Nathan M. Pusey taught at Riverdale Country School, as did Peter Schickele, as a substitute teacher in the early 1960s.

[edit] School leadership

Current Headmaster: Dominic A.A. Randolph

Current Head of Upper School: Kent J. Kildahl

Current Head of Middle School: Milton J. Sipp

Current Head of Lower School: Sandy S. Shaller

[edit] Associations

Riverdale is a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League and the New York State Association of Independent Schools.[9]

The "Hill" Schools: Riverdale, The Fieldston School, and Horace Mann School together are known as the "hill schools", as all three are located within two miles of each other in Riverdale on a hilly area above Van Cortlandt Park.

[edit] See also

v • d • e
Ivy Preparatory School League

[edit] References

  1. <cite id="endnote_<history>" style="font-style: normal;">^ Bunting & Lyon Bunting & Lyon profile: Riverdale Country School
  2. <cite id="endnote_<stats>" style="font-style: normal;">^ Riverdale Statistics
  3. <cite id="endnote_<stats>" style="font-style: normal;">^ Riverdale Statistics
  4. <cite id="endnote_<stats>" style="font-style: normal;">^ Riverdale Statistics
  5. <cite id="endnote_<academics>" style="font-style: normal;">^ Bunting & Lyon Bunting & Lyon profile: Riverdale Country School
  6. <cite id="endnote_<nysais>" style="font-style: normal;">^ New York State Association of Independent Schools