Walnut Hill School

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Walnut Hill School is a private boarding school for the arts located in Natick, Massachusetts.

Contents 1 History and Programs 1.1 Boarding School 1.2 Summer and Academy Programs 2 Notable alumni 3 Campus 4 External links

[edit] History and Programs

[edit] Boarding School

Originally a college preparatory school for women and a feeder school to Wellesley College, Walnut Hill was founded in 1893. Students at Walnut Hill major in one of five arts disciplines: ballet, music, theatre, visual art, and creative writing.With the exception of voice students, music students at Walnut Hill take their weekly private lessons at New England Conservatory in Boston.

[edit] Summer and Academy Programs

Walnut Hill has an extensive summer program. Students from across the US, as well as many international students, come for between two and five weeks for intensive study in their arts discipline. Similar but not identical to the high school, programs are offered in dance, theatre, opera, chamber music, creative writing, visual arts and a youth dance program for pre-high school dancers. Two additional programs are offered: The Sphinx Performance Academy, a two-week chamber music program for Black and Latino string players, and the Chinese Performing Arts Academy.

While the dance and theatre programs consist of a full five weeks in residence, the other programs spend a shorter amount of time at the Natick campus before traveling with their faculty to Europe, where they continue taking classes and tour areas historically associated with their arts area. As of summer 2007, the chamber music students travel to France, creative writers to Scotland, and opera singers and visual artists to Italy.

Walnut Hill also features the Academy program - a non-boarding after school program for students residing in the vicinity.

[edit] Notable alumni

• Elizabeth Bishop, Poet Laureate of the United States, 1949-1950.
• Christian Finnegan
• Van Hansis [1]

[edit] Campus

The Walnut Hill campus has fourteen buildings: Stowe, Eliot, Highland, Clark, New Cottage, Westerly, North House, Elizabeth Bishop Hall, the Academic and Technology Center, the Dance Barn, The Keiter Performing Arts Center, The Office of Admission and Placement, and the Head's House.

Stowe includes the switchboard, Stowe Dormitory, and many administrative offices, including the Head of School's office, external relations and facilities.

Eliot is the largest building on campus. It contains Boswell Hall, a recital room; Eliot Dormitory; the library; the Campus Center, a place for students to relax, the student mail room, many couches, a foosball table, a ping-pong table, a pool table, and a new large-screen TV; the bookstore; the offices of the Dean of Students, the Director of Residential Life, and the Assistant Dean of Students; and the dining hall.

Highland contains the offices of the Music Department and multiple regular and sound-proof practice rooms; the Visual Art department studios; Pooke Gallery; Amelia Hall, another recital space; and Highland Dormitory.

The new dorm, Elizabeth Bishop Hall, began being constructed in the 2006-2007 school year and was completed in November of the 2007-2008 school year. This structure includes a dormitory as well as faculty apartments.

[edit] External links

• Official Walnut Hill School website
• Walnut Hill School is at coordinates 42°17′28″N 71°20′47″W / 42.29101, -71.34627 (Walnut Hill School)Coordinates: 42°17′28″N 71°20′47″W / 42.29101, -71.34627 (Walnut Hill School)