The Pennington School
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| The Pennington School | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Pennington, NJ, USA | |
| Information | |
| Affiliation(s) | United Methodist Church |
| Head of School | Stephanie G. Townsend[1] |
| Enrollment |
99 (Middle School) |
| Faculty | 102[2] |
| Type | Independent school Day and Boarding |
| Campus | 54 acres |
| Motto | Only The Excellent |
| Mascot | Red Raider |
| Color(s) | Red and Black |
| Established | 1838 |
| Homepage | www.pennington.org |
The Pennington School (TPS) is a private coeducational independent boarding school enrolling approximately 474 day and boarding students in grades 6 through 12.[2] The Head of School is Stephanie Townsend. In recent years over 20 nations have been represented in Pennington’s student body, from Nigeria to Belarus and the People’s Republic of China. The school is located in Pennington, in Mercer County, New Jersey, a small community midway between New York City and Philadelphia in the eastern United States.
TPS was founded in 1838 as the Methodist Episcopal Male Seminary, in order to secure "the education of the physical, the training of the mental, and the grounding of the soul in character."[3] However, while the school is still connected with the United Methodist Church and students are required to attend Chapel weekly, the school is effectively nonsectarian in nature.[4]
The school is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools, the Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools, and the University Senate of the United Methodist Church.
Contents |
[edit] History
Pennington was founded in 1838 in the midst of the Second Great Awakening as the Methodist Episcopal Male Seminary, a college preparatory school for boys. Pennington officially became a coeducational institution, The Pennington Seminary and Female Collegiate Institute, in the fall of 1854. The School was empowered by the New Jersey Legislature to confer the degrees of Mistress of English Literature and Mistress of Liberal Arts upon young women who had finished their course of study. However, in March of 1910, it was announced that, with the coming fall, Pennington would again become a school for boys, reverting to the name Pennington Seminary. During the 1920s the school's name evolved to its present form, sometimes with the addition of "for Boys." It was not until 1972 that Pennington once again became a coeducational institution. In 1973, the Center for Learning, one of the nation's leading secondary school programs for children with language-based learning disabilities, was created within the school.[5]
[edit] Admission
Pennington is a selective boarding school, with an acceptance rate of 39% of applicants. As required by other college preparatory schools, prospective students must take the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT), fill out an application, and go through an on-campus interview in order to be considered for admission.
[edit] Curriculum
In addition to multilevel courses in standard disciplines, Pennington offers such classes as German, Mandarin Chinese, and organic chemistry. Advanced Placement Program (AP) courses are offered in AP English Language and Composition, AP French Language, AP Spanish Language, AP Latin Literature, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics, AP United States History, AP United States Government and Politics, AP European History, AP Macroeconomics, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Studio Art and AP Music Theory.
[edit] Athletics
Pennington athletics compete in the Patriot League as well as against other schools in the New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania area, including Blair Academy, George School, Lawrenceville School, Peddie School, and local rivals the Hun School, Princeton Day School, and Hopewell Valley Central High School. Pennington has one of the longest standing secondary school football programs in the nation, playing its first game in 1877.
Pennington fields the following teams:
Fall: Mens' Cross Country, Women's Cross Country, Field Hockey, Football, Mens' Soccer, Womens' Soccer, Womens' Tennis; Water Polo (club sport)
Winter: Mens' Basketball, Womens' Basketball, Mens' Ice Hockey, Mens' Swimming, Women's Swimming, Winter Track (coed), Ski Team (coed)
Spring: Baseball, Golf (coed), Mens' Lacrosse, Womens' Lacrosse, Softball, Mens' Tennis, Track and Field (coed)
[edit] Notable alumni
- Grant Billmeier center for the Würzburg Baskets in Germany and is a former player of the Seton Hall University Pirates in the Big East. Billmeier attended The Pennington School for his freshman year.[6]
- Rudy Boschwitz (1947): United States Senator, former chairman Republican National Committee.[7]
- Stephen Crane (1887): Writer (never graduated).[8]
- Samuel A. Dobbins (1814-1905), Republican who represented New Jersey's 2nd congressional district.[citation needed]
- John Franklin Fort (1852-1920), 33rd Governor of New Jersey, from 1908-1911.[9]
- Shane Henderson, lead singer of alternative rock band Valencia.[citation needed]
- William Mastrosimone (1966), Playwright.[10]
- George B. McClellan (1839 Attended) 24th Governor of New Jersey, 1864 Democratic Presidential Nominee, Civil War General.[citation needed]
[edit] Trivia
- Pennington has one of the longest standing secondary school football programs in the nation. Pennington football played its first game in 1877.[11]
- The 1896 American Olympic Team trained at the school while preparing in secret for the first modern Olympic Games.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ The Pennington School Begins 170th Academic Year, The pennington School press release dated September 12, 2007. Accessed October 24, 2007. "Students and their families had numerous opportunities to interact with Head of School Penny bo benny kenny Townsend and other members of the faculty and administration."
- ^ a b c Pennington at a Glance, The Pennington School. Accessed October 24, 2007.
- ^ History of the Pennington School, accessed October 13, 2006
- ^ Chapel, accessed October 13, 2006
- ^ The Center for Learning, Pennington School. Accessed October 13, 2006
- ^ Grant Billmeier, Seton Hall University. Accessed September 16, 2007. "Attended Pennington School as a freshman, averaging 15 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks... Chosen to the All-Prep First Team... Transferred to St. Patrick’s after his freshman year."
- ^ Congressional biography of Rudy Bochwitz, accessed May 14, 2007. "BOSCHWITZ, Rudolph Eli (Rudy), a Senator from Minnesota; born in Berlin, Germany, November 7, 1930; attended the public schools in New Rochelle, N.Y., and The Pennington School in Pennington, N.J."
- ^ Stephen Crane profile, About.com, accessed May 14, 2007. "Crane wrote his first short story, "Uncle Jake and the Bell Handle," in 1885, which was the year he enrolled in Pennington Seminary, where he stayed until 1887."
- ^ New Jersey John Franklin Fort, National Governors Association. Accessed September 30, 2007.
- ^ Saltzman, Simon. "Playwrighting for a Cause", U.S. 1 Newspaper, October 8, 2003. Accessed May 14, 2007. "A native of the Trenton area, Mastrosimone says he caught the writing bug when he was a student at Pennington Prep."
- ^ Football's 125th anniversary at Pennington School November 1, 2004, accessed November 13, 2006
[edit] External links
- The Pennington School website
- History of The Pennington School
- National Center for Education Statistics data for The Pennington School
