| Eagle Hill School | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Discere diverse, diverse docere |
| Established | 1967 |
| Type | Private Coeducational Boarding School for students with learning disabilities |
| Headmaster | Peter J. McDonald |
| Students | 180 |
| Grades | 8-12 |
| Location | Hardwick, Massachusetts, USA |
| Campus | Rural |
| Mascot | Pioneer |
| Website | Official Website |
Eagle Hill School is a private co-educational college preparatory boarding school for students with learning disabilities and Attention Deficit Disorder in Hardwick, Massachusetts, established in 1967. Related, but independent schools of the same name were established in Greenwich and Southport, Connecticut, in 1974 and 1985, respectively.
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In the early 1960s, Doctor James J.A. Cavanaugh, Director of the Department of Pediatrics at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Brighton, MA, began to devote his work to children with dyslexia or specific language disability. Eagle Hill School was conceived from his recognition of the impact of this disability on the growing child and the limited facilities available for remediation.
Joining Dr. Cavanaugh to launch the school were Educational Director Mr. Charles Drake of Brandeis University and Headmaster Mr. Howard Delano, formerly of Fryeburg Academy. Nineteen children were in residence when the school opened its doors on family owned property in Hardwick, MA in September 1967. All of them were housed in the Main House, which now contains the school's administrative offices. By the third year, a dedicated dormitory was constructed and one-hundred children were in residence. In 2009, the boarding enrollment for the school is expected to reach approximately 160 students.
Held every summer on the Eagle Hill campus the EHS Institute for Teacher Induction is an induction training program primarily designed for first, second or third year public school teachers or seasoned teachers who are new to an urban district. Funded mainly by private organizations [1] the institute was a line budget item in the 2008 Massachusetts state budget.[2]
In 1974, the decision was made by Doctor Cavanaugh to develop a second school in the metropolitan New York area. In 1975, the old Merriweather Post estate in Greenwich, Connecticut was purchased by the newly formed Eagle Hill Foundation. A faculty of twelve from the Massachusetts school moved into the new facility. Seventeen students were enrolled two weeks after the purchase of the estate, and Eagle Hill School Greenwich continues today, though it is no longer formally connected to the original Eagle Hill School.
History and Description of Eagle Hill School
History
Eagle Hill School was established in 1975 on property acquired in 1903 by C. W. Post, the cereal magnate, who then built an estate known as the Boulders. The main house was said to have the longest front porch in the history of domestic architecture. In 1905, C. W. Post’s daughter, Marjorie Merriweather, married Edward Close and the young couple settled on the estate. Mr. and Mrs. Close, their two daughters, and a staff of thirteen occupied the Boulders until 1917 when the main house was severely damaged by fire. In 1921, the property was deeded to the Lanier family for use as Edgewood School. The National Reading Foundation of New York established Haithcox School on the property in 1956, and from 1962 to 1971, Daycroft School occupied the premises.
In 1975, Eagle Hill School was founded on this same site by Dr. James J. A. Cavanaugh as a residential and day school for children with learning disabilities. The school opened with 17 children, and grew to 38 by the end of just the first year of operation. The original faculty of 12 teachers and administrators came from Eagle Hill School in Hardwick, Massachusetts, where the first of now three schools was started.
Much of the growth and reputation of Eagle Hill-Greenwich can be attributed to the leadership of Dr. Mark Griffin, the founding headmaster, and Rayma Griffin, who held the position of director of admissions and placement, for more than 30 years. Their passion for children with learning disabilities, and their insistence on faculty and administrators who shared their commitment and dedication to excellence, resulted in a school that is now internationally renowned in the field of education.
During their 34-year tenure, until their retirement in June 2009, enrolment increased to 250 students, and the number of faculty and staff to more than 100. Under their guidance, the physical environment of the campus changed dramatically. In addition to the original main house and carriage house, which now comprise the Griffin Academic Center, on-campus faculty housing was added, as well as a new gymnasium and science center, library and media facility, and new classroom facilities. What is more, the school has become a beacon for parents who seek specialized education for young, bright children with learning disabilities.
Description
Eagle Hill School is unique in helping the child with learning disabilities to develop academic skills and self-confidence. Our mission is to provide the learning disabled child with intensive, short-term, remedial instruction and then return the child to the educational mainstream as soon as possible.
Eagle Hill School services children from Fairfield and Westchester counties as well as Manhattan in its day program, and children from the tri-state areas of Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey in its five-day boarding program. The school is approved as a special education facility by the Connecticut State Department of Education, and is accredited through the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools.
Children are referred to Eagle Hill by their school, clinicians, physicians, and other parents. Our students enter Eagle Hill with average or above average intelligence, many with specific talents, but because of their difficulties comprehending or expressing language, they share the experience of academic failure.
By carefully evaluating each child's potential and determining the specific nature of his or her learning difficulty, an individual educational program is developed. No single remedial technique is followed exclusively at Eagle Hill School. Rather, each child's program draws from as many approaches as needs demand. Classes are ungraded; children learn and advance at their own pace. Each child has a daily language arts tutorial as the core of his/her instructional program. Eagle Hill's low student-teacher ratio allows for flexible programming to address individual needs in each area.
Students also participate in a broad range of activities in addition to their academic courses. The athletic program, designed to enhance fitness, promote skill development, and encourage a life-long interest in sports, is an integral part of life at Eagle Hill. Student council and community service programs provide opportunities for leadership and service, enriching our strong sense of community. Electives, including art, drama, photography, computers, and others round out the offering.
Every fall, teachers and advisors meet with administrators to assess each returning child's progress and to recommend candidates for post-Eagle Hill placement. Parents are consulted and a list of suggested schools is provided. During the child's last year, the supports, which have been created to counter the child's learning disability, are gradually removed in preparation for the return to the educational mainstream.
Eagle Hill Curriculum
Eagle Hill School provides remedial and compensatory programming for children with specific learning disabilities. Using a total language development approach in an ungraded, non-competitive setting, students are provided with individualized instruction. Because learning disabled children do not all learn through the same teaching method, one of several programs may be used to instruct academic skills; however, emphasis on explicit, direct instruction is a cornerstone of all of Eagle Hill’s instruction. Diagnostic teaching is a crucial component of the Eagle Hill program. Student skills and needs are assessed daily, and instruction is tailored to accommodate each child’s learning profile. Use of a structured scope and sequence of skills, task analysis, frequent review, and careful integration of mastered with new skills are all hallmarks of the Eagle Hill philosophy. Often learning disabled youngsters also experience difficulty in social skills development. Remediation of these skills is also provided. Close communication between teachers, specialists (e.g., speech and language therapist) and administrators allows each child’s total program to be consistent, well structured, and highly individualized.
Eagle Hill’s language immersion program provides each child with a daily tutorial in language arts accompanied by additional language classes. Our youngest students who have a tutorial that meets once a day will also be enrolled in writing, literature, and oral language classes. Students who have a tutorial that meets twice a day will be enrolled in writing and literature classes, and our older students who have a tutorial that meets once a day are enrolled in writing, literature, and study skills classes. Instruction within the daily language classes includes emphasis on decoding, phonemic awareness, structural analysis, reading and listening comprehension, handwriting, written expressive language, mechanics and grammar, spelling, oral language development, and vocabulary. Additional courses of study include math, science, and social studies.
Fine arts instruction is also offered during the school year. Art classes meet weekly and music classes meet weekly for half of the year. A variety of activities including drama, chorus, pottery, arts and crafts, physical education, dance, and team sports are also offered during afternoon activities. An hour long proctored study hall is provided for students during the afternoon schedule as well.
During a child’s final year at Eagle Hill, he may be placed in a language arts program, which prepares a student for return to a more traditional program. In these classes demands more closely approximate a traditional program. Textbook use and grades are reintroduced, and the requirement for independent application of skill increases.
Total enrollment: 250 students
Co-Educational
Lower School (ages 6–12) : 119 students
Upper School (ages 12–16) : 131 students
Boarding students (five-day boarding) : up to 35 students
Number of teaching faculty: 75
Student/Teacher ratio: ranges from 1:1 - 12:1
Students come from the Tri-state area
Varsity and JV Sports programs
School Hours: 8:18 a.m. to 4 p. m. Monday thru Thursday - 8:18 a.m. to 12:33 p.m. Friday
Eagle Hill-Southport is a day school in historic Southport village, Connecticut, enrolling children ages 6 to 14. It was founded in 1985 by a group of educators from the Eagle Hill-Greenwich School. The school is located in the former Pequot School building, an historic structure built in 1918 that has had extensive interior renovations to create a modern school environment.[3]
In the fall of 2008, EHS opened a $15,000,000 Cultural Center complete with a new dining hall, classrooms, a black box theatre, and a beautiful 500 seat theatre. Professionals perform at the cultural center during the year. Eagle Hill School students use it as well.