| The MacDuffie School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 66 School St Hampshire County Granby, Massachusetts, 01033 United States |
|
| Information | |
| School type | Private |
| Motto | Veritas (Truth) |
| Established | 1890 |
| Head of school | Thomas Addicks |
| Staff | 12 |
| Faculty | 30 |
| Grades | 6–12 |
| Enrollment | approx. 200 |
| Average class size | 12 |
| Student to teacher ratio | 6:1 |
| Campus | Granby |
| Campus size | 26 acres |
| Campus type | Large, open, and forested |
| Houses | 5 |
| School Color(s) | Maroon and White |
| Song | The Magnolia Song & Summer Suns |
| Sports | Basketball, Cross Country, Soccer, Crew, Ultimate Frisbee, Lacrosse, Tennis, Volleyball |
| Mascot | The Mustang (formerly the Unicorn) |
| Team name | Mustangs (formerly the Unicorns) |
| Newspaper | The Magnet |
| Yearbook | The Magnolia |
| Tuition | day about 23,500, boarding about 40,000 |
| (since 1890) Graduates | about 45 |
| Website | http://www.macduffie.org |
The MacDuffie School is a private school for grades 6-12 located in Granby, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded in 1890 by John and Abigail MacDuffie as an all-girls college preparatory school and remained so until the fall of 1991. Enrollment is around 200 students, equally divided between day and boarding students. Tom Addicks sits as the interim head of school.[1]
Much of MacDuffie's former campus was developed between 1956 and 1968, under the stewardship of headmaster Ralph D. Rutenber, when several large homes and an athletics field were acquired. In the fall of 2010 the NY-based company International EC LLC moved to acquire the school's name, mission and intellectual property after purchasing the former St. Hyacinth Seminary campus in Granby, MA.
The school prides itself on small class sizes, with an average class size of 12 and a teacher/student ratio of 6:1. The 2011-2012 enrollment count for the school reached 198 students that hail from 24 different cities and towns within Massachusetts, five Connecticut cities and towns, and four other states. International students from 16 countries live in the two dorms located on campus.
The school is not religiously affiliated. According to a former headmaster, Mrs. Kathryn Gibson, the MacDuffie School is "a rigorous college preparatory school whose mission is to foster in all students the intellectual habits of mind, high ethical standards and respect for diversity required for becoming effective individuals in their personal and work lives and moral and responsible participants in the world beyond."
On June 1, 2011, 5 days before graduation in the school's final year in Springfield, the school's original campus on Ames Hill drive in Springfield was devastated by a rare category 3 tornado that tore through several neighborhoods in the city and surrounding towns. There were 80 boarding students present on the campus at the time of the tornado, as well as several faculty and staff. Following the tornado warning, the students were evacuated to the basement of the school's main classroom building, Rutenber Hall. While there were no injuries among the students and staff, the campus itself was severely damaged. Most of the trees, including the magnolia trees (celebrated in the school's alma mater) that defined the campus and gave it its secluded character, were uprooted or otherwise destroyed. This included 5 magnolia trees that were purchased for the school's new Granby campus. Several of the campus's buildings were damaged, especially the Young house, which sustained severe structural and roof damage. The Young house served as a boarding house and also housed the school's administrative offices. The school hoped to sell the buildings and land, especially the large Victorian homes that housed boarding students, after the move to Granby. However, in light of the extensive tornado damage the future of the site is currently unknown. In the fall of 2011, the school reopened on its new Granby campus.