Nichols School

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Nichols School
Location
Buffalo, New York, USA
Information
Type Private, Day, Grades 5-12
Religious affiliation(s) none
Established 1892
Head of School William P. Clough
Enrollment 582
Average class size 14 students
Student to teacher ratio 8:1
Campus size 30 acres
Campus type Urban
Color(s) Green and white
Mascot Viking
Website http://www.nicholsschool.org/
This article is about the private school in Buffalo. For the former public high school in Tioga County, see Nichols High School.

Nichols School is a private, non-denominational, co-educational college-preparatory day school located in Buffalo, New York, USA. The average enrollment is 570 students with an average Upper School grade/class size of 98 students. The average classroom size is 14 students.

History

Nichols School was founded in 1892 by William Nichols.

Accreditation and honors

Nichols is accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools and the New York State Department of Education. It received national recognition in the Secondary School Recognition Program and Exemplary Private School Recognition Program. Nichols is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools.

Faculty

Faculty regularly publish in their academic field. 10% have doctoral degrees; 75% have master's degrees; 14% of the faculty are Nichols graduates. They have an average of 20 years of service. Teachers are involved in student life beyond their classrooms, serving as student advisors, coaches, club advisors and mentors.

Nichols School is located on 30 acres (120,000 m2) in North Buffalo, within walking distance of the Buffalo Zoo, Delaware Park, and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. The Nichols campus includes seven separate buildings linked by tree-lined sidewalks and an indoor passageway. The campus consolidation project, completed in August 2001, joined the Middle and Upper school divisions. Each division has its own separate academic buildings, and shares dining, athletic, and performing arts facilities.

In 2006, the Nichols School Board of Trustees voted to proceed with a $21.3 million "Nichols Future" Capital Campaign. This campaign consists of three major strategies which will alter the appearance of the campus. Strategy #1 calls for the construction of a new sustainable, 26,000-square-foot (2,400 m2), $10.3 million math/science/technology center. Construction began in September 2008 and officially opened for classes on January 4, 2010. Strategy #2 is a commitment to increase the school's endowment fund by an expected $5 million. Under Strategy #3, Nichols reconfigured and increased its current athletic fields, as well as created an outer-ring traffic/parking system. During the Summer of 2008 Strategy #3 will near completion as in October 2007, Nichols completed the construction of two new synthetic turf playing fields. In early April 2008, construction crews began altering the parking/traffic flow of the campus to create the new outer-ring system. This construction was finished in time for the 2008-2009 school year.

Athletics

The Upper School conducts an extensive interscholastic athletic program. Most teams have tryouts, mandatory practices and matches after school hours, and play in competitive leagues throughout Western New York and Canada. The Athletics Program endeavors not only to develop the students’ athletic skills, but also to encourage students to be good citizens, to challenge their intellectual skills, and to teach them the value of teamwork.

In the Middle School, an intramural philosophy dominates. Anyone can be on a team, the number of teams is dictated by the level of interest, practices take place during the daily sports period, and most teams play other local middle schools.

Arts

The School has devoted significant resources to the Arts facilities and program.[1] The 480-seat Flickinger Performing Arts Center is the centerpiece of the performing arts department, while new visual arts studios support course offerings in drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video and graphic art.

The Arts are promoted as a serious course of study and the School requires that all students engage in some form of participation. Artistic achievement is highlighted not only in plays and exhibitions, but also in morning meetings, where students often share their talents with the rest of the school.Students are encouraged to use the Arts as a vehicle through which to find their own voices. In addition to studying and performing the work of renowned artists, original student work is featured on the walls of every building on this campus, and on the floorboards of every stage. Students have the opportunity to compose music, write plays, choreograph dances, make their own films or curate their own art opening. Included in the arts for Nichols Middle School are visual arts, music, drama, and computer arts.

Multiculturalism and international initiatives

Nichols School has four different annual exchange programs for upper school students: Costa Rica, Spain, France, and China. Nichols students host an international student for three weeks, and then travel abroad and stay with that student and their family for an average of three weeks. While abroad, students attend classes at the hosting institution and travel to historical and cultural sites of importance. Living with a host family, rather than in a hotel, provides an in depth view of the culture and nature of every day life. Students may participate in more than one exchange, with many of the Spanish students traveling to Costa Rica sophomore year, and Spain in junior or senior year. The Nichols exchange programs serve to foster a broader world-view and encourage students to see themselves as members of a wider global community. The Nichols dedication to diversity extends beyond the local community, particularly in this day and age when globalization affects our every day lives.

Extracurricular activities

Nichols provides students with many extracurricular clubs, activities, trips and community service opportunities to enrich their School experience and make them more global individuals upon graduation. Nichols encourages Middle and Upper students to explore their community and a variety of interests, to get involved and discover their passions.

There are more than 22 upper school campus clubs, including: Helping Hands, Amnesty International, Anti-Gravity Club, Chess Club, Chorus, Dance Party Club, Gay-Straight Alliance, Global Horizons, Green Key, HEART, Investment Club, Jewish Cultural Awareness Club, Math League, Mock Trial, Model UN, Orchestra, Research Scholars Program, Science Olympiad, SeeArtRun, Ski Club, Spirit Club, SEAA, SUMA, Film Club, and various student publications.[2]

Mock Trial and Model UN participate in local and regional competitions. Anti-Gravity Club, the school's outdoors and climbing club sponsors multiple trips to the Niagara Climbing Center and Niagara Gorge in addition to an annual winter hiking, cross-country skiing and ice-climbing trip to Keene Valley in the Adirondack Mountains. The Research Scholars Program provides students with the opportunity to engage in independent research projects at local institutions. The Science Scholar program works with SUNY Buffalo, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute. The Humanities Scholar program gives seniors the opportunity to conduct humanities research at SUNY Buffalo. SeeArtRun is an entirely student-run art gallery. Students have the opportunity to display their art in a gallery on campus, and often host gallery openings as popular campus events. SEAA, Students for Environmental Awareness and Action works with organizations dedicated to providing drinking water and promoting environmental initiatives abroad. SEAA also actively promotes environmental programs on campus and in the local community.

Notable alumni

Medical professionals, researchers and more

  • Michael Michael Roizen, MD, 1963, Chief Wellness Officer at the Cleveland Clinic, Cofounder of RealAge, Inc., TV guest expert and best-selling author
  • Nick Hopkins, MD, 1961, Professor & Chairman of Neurosurgery and Professor of Radiology, University at Buffalo

Artists and personalities

Athletes

References

  1. ↑ http://www.nicholsschool.org/arts
  2. ↑ http://www.nicholsschool.org/extracurricularclubs

External links

League A Members
League AA Members

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