| The Marvelwood School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Kent, Connecticut, United States | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, Boarding |
| Established | 1956 |
| Head of school | Arthur F. Goodearl |
| Staff | 20 |
| Faculty | 52 |
| Enrollment | 169 |
| Campus | Rural |
| Color(s) | Blue and White |
| Mascot | Pterodactyl |
| Endowment | $1.4 million |
| Tuition | $43,000 |
| Alumni | 1,852 |
| Website | www.marvelwood.org |
The Marvelwood School is a college preparatory private boarding school located in Kent, Connecticut, USA. Marvelwood was founded in 1956 by Robert A. Bodkin and Ian Hanna in Cornwall, Connecticut. The co-founder, Robert A. Bodkin, remained Headmaster until 1981. He was succeeded by Peter B. Tacy until 1989, H. Mark Johnson until 1997, Anne Davidson Scott until 2005, and Scott E. Pottbecker until 2011. Arthur F. Goodearl is the current Headmaster.
The co-founder of the school, Ian Hanna, named the school after his relative Donald Grant Mitchell, an American novelist who was best known under the pseudonym Ik Marvel. The family owned a 600-acre (2.4 km2) estate also called Marvelwood in New Haven, Connecticut. [1] In 1924, the family donated a portion of their estate to Yale University, which is the current site of the Yale golf course.
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Marvelwood founded in 1956 in Cornwall, Connecticut, on a campus previously occupied by Rumsey Hall School. Marvelwood is a small private school for students who are willing to get involved in their own education and committed to the challenge of preparing for college. In 1995, Marvelwood moved from its cramped campus in Cornwall to the former Kent School girls' campus about 10 miles (16 km) away on Skiff Mountain in Kent, CT. Built in the early 1960s, the campus has gone through a number of renovations, and is being updated to meet the needs of its students and faculty. The school recently completed a capital campaign to build a new gymnasium and has begun a new campaign to renovate the campus. The Marvelwood campus itself is relatively isolated and is surrounded by conservancy lands, under the jurisdiction of the Kent Land Trust and Sharon Land Trust.
Though the school opened in 1956, Marvelwood had no athletic mascot for many years. In 1991, Marvelwood students voted on the school's first-ever mascot and chose the Pterodactyl in an effort to stand out from other schools.
Marvelwood is the only high school in North America to participate in bird banding. Its weather station enables the students to take exact readings when birds are captured. Locally, Marvelwood works with the Sharon Audubon Society and Institute for Bird Populations. Cornell University's Feeder Watch [2] survey also uses Marvelwood's weather data. Marvelwood also has an annual science department trip to Panama. The trip includes bird banding, insect and mammal research, and community service in villages in the rainforest. The majority of the trip takes place in the rainforests of Panama.
In an effort to go green and help increase the use of alternative energy throughout Connecticut, Marvelwood was recently selected as a test site for two wind turbines that will be installed on campus. The wind turbines will help determine which source of renewable energy is the most efficient for the state of Connecticut to use, as well as provide energy for the school. Former Headmaster Scott E. Pottbecker said, "the turbines are more of an educational opportunity than a source of power for the school." [3],[4]
One of the school's core values, Service to Others, is the cornerstone of the campus-wide Community Service program. All students participate in two hours of community service every Wednesday morning. Placements range from on campus jobs like recycling, to clearing land for the land trusts that surround the campus. However, the main goal of the program is, and has always been, helping those who are less fortunate. The placements off campus include working in nursing homes, daycares for low income families, farm work, assisting elderly in their own homes and working in the town's volunteer fire department. It is the school's hope that their students continue the habit of helping those less fortunate after they graduate.
Established in 2006, the Women of Marvelwood group brings together female students, faculty and staff members for the purpose of exploring a variety of gender-specific concerns and issues, including self-esteem, nutrition and healthy eating, relationships, etiquette, the portrayal of women in the media, and the roles and responsibilities of women in cultures around the globe. The goal is for Marvelwood's young women to become empowered, informed and confident about themselves and their place and potential in the world. The group meets regularly on campus and enjoys/sponsors a variety of activities, including the “Candid Conversations” series, handbag sale fundraisers, “Pretty in Pink” make-up parties, dinners, self-defense classes, jewelry-making, holiday parties, movie discussions and “lock-in” slumber parties.
Marvelwood is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and is a member of The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), The Connecticut Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) and The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS). Marvelwood is a member of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council.