Western Reserve Academy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Western Reserve Academy
Lux et Veritas
Light and Truth
Location
Hudson, Ohio, USA
Information
Type Private Boarding and Day
Religious affiliation(s) None
Established 1826
Head of School Christopher Burner
Faculty approx. 69[1]
Enrollment approx. 370[1]
Average class size 12[1]
Student to teacher ratio 6:1[1]
Color(s) Hunter Green and White
Athletics 23 interscholastic[2]
Mascot Pioneer
Endowment $110 million
Website wra.net
Western Reserve Academy
Location Roughly bounded by Aurora St. and both sides of Oviatt, High, Hudson, Ohio
Area 58 acres (23 ha)
Architectural style Greek Revival, Federal
Governing body Private
NRHP Reference # 75001539[3]
Added to NRHP June 30, 1975

Western Reserve Academy (WRA or simply Reserve) is a private, mid-sized, coeducational boarding and day college preparatory school located in Hudson, Ohio.

History

The gates at Chapel Street
The chapel

Western Reserve Academy was established on February 7, 1826 as the Western Reserve College and Preparatory School in Hudson, Ohio, on a 190-acre (768,930 m²) plot of land set aside via charter by the Ohio legislature.[4] The institution’s name comes from the area in which it was built, the Connecticut Western Reserve, as it was the first of its kind in Northern Ohio. The settlers from Connecticut wanted to build a school of the same caliber as Yale University and the same design, with brick buildings and the same motto, Lux Et Veritas. People called it “the Yale of the West.”[5] The first class of the school included eleven students at the college level and eight at the preparatory level.[6] In 1882, the college moved north to Cleveland, Ohio, and became Western Reserve University, later merging with the Case Institute of Technology. Reserve is the 27th oldest preparatory boarding school in the United States, and the oldest outside of the Northeast.[7]

Western Reserve Academy remained open for another twenty-one years, until 1903, when it was forced to close due to financial problems. In 1916, however, the school reopened due to the graces of benefactor James Ellsworth, a former student and Hudson resident who had returned after making millions of dollars in the coal industry.

The "Ellsworth Era" was marked by significant construction, namely Seymour Hall (the newly appointed academic building), the Bicknell Gymnasium, and Ellsworth Hall, a dormitory and dining hall.

In 1922, Western Reserve Academy became an all-boys' institution, staying this way for fifty years, until 1972, when girls were introduced into the junior class, once again becoming a co-ed institution.

The historic "Brick Row"

In the late 1990s and into the early 21st century, Western Reserve Academy again underwent a major construction period, eclipsing even the growth of the "Ellsworth Era." During this time the following projects were completed:

  • Renovation of computer lab in Seymour Hall (1995)
  • Expansion/construction of the Metcalf Center (1999)
  • Renovation of Wood House (2000–2002)
  • Construction and expansion of athletic facilities, including the Murdough Athletic Center (2001–2004)
  • Renovation of Bicknell Gymnasium into Bicknell House (2004)
  • Construction of the John D. Ong Library (2000)
  • Renovation of Wilson Science Hall (2001)
  • Construction of Long House Dormitory (2000)
  • Renovation of Nathan P. Seymour Guest House (1998)

In 2001, Western Reserve Academy was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top boarding schools in the country.[8]

A boarding school, Western Reserve Academy is largely a residential campus, with 249 of 391 students living on campus and the remainder attending the day program as "day-students."[1] In that population, students matriculated from 25 states and 17 countries.

82% of the faculty hold advanced degrees. Approximately 90% of the faculty members reside on campus in either faculty homes or dormitory apartments.

Reserve participates in an annual summer exchange program with the Caterham School in Surrey, England. The program was briefly on hold, but resumed again in 2013. [citation needed]

Chapel and Observatory

Western Reserve’s campus houses many old buildings, but two in particular stand out. The Loomis Observatory, and the school’s chapel. Both buildings are part of the National Register of Historic Places, meaning they are protected from being demolished or drastically changed in order to preserve their history. The chapel, originally built in 1836, is still used today. Marriages, concerts, and meetings take place inside the chapel, and the Commencement ceremony at the end of the year takes place outside of the chapel, or inside depending on the weather. Even though the school itself is non denominational, the chapel has a cross hanging front and center, which used to hang in the Spanish monastery Santa Maria de La Rabida, and it is said that before Christopher Columbus voyaged to the New World, he prayed before that very cross. The Loomis Observatory, which was originally named The Observatory, was built in 1838. It was the third observatory built in the country, and is currently the second oldest observatory in the United States, behind the Cincinnati Observatory Center. The building was named for Elias Loomis. Sitting close to the edge of the campus near the music building, Hayden Hall, this three-room observatory still stands. The building itself is closed from public view, as well as the telescope housed in the observatory, which no longer functions.[9]

Boarding

A typical Reserve male dorm room

There are nine dormitories, in which over 200 boarding students reside during the school year.

Boys' dormitories

  • North Hall
  • The Athenaeum (The A) (Pending Renovation)
  • Wood House
  • Bicknell House
  • Hobart House
  • Carroll Cutler House

Girls' dormitories

  • Cartwright Hall (Garden)
  • Ellsworth Hall
  • Long House
  • Seymour Guest House

The arts

Reserve offers over 20 different classes catering to students interested in the arts. Courses are available through the school's music, dance, theater, and visual arts programs.

Music program

Music students perform in instrumental and vocal groups, compete and perform locally and internationally and study music theory and history. Historic Hayden Hall houses the music department and features six practice rooms, two large rehearsal rooms, a recital room, music classrooms, five Steinway grand pianos, two harpsichords, drum sets and electronic studio equipment. Performances take place in the Knight Fine Arts Center (KFAC) or in the Chapel, which facilitates the use of a Holtkamp pipe organ. In recent years, ensembles from Reserve have traveled to Austria, Germany, The Czech Republic, China, Italy, and Spain, performing in various places around those countries.

The Academy Choir

The Academy Choir performs music from a variety of styles and periods. The Choir presents an array of concerts, including the Midwinter Madrigal Feaste, Vespers, traditional choral concerts and major works with the Chamber Strings. Notable works performed in the past include Mozart's Requiem, Hayden's Lord Nelson Mass, Rutter's Mass of the Children, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, and Fauré’s Requiem. The choir is under direction of Margaret "Midge" Karam, Chair of Fine Arts at Western Reserve Academy.

Symphonic Winds

The Symphonic Winds provide an opportunity for woodwind, brass and percussion players to perform traditional concert band literature and transcriptions. The Symphonic Winds are under the direction of Edward E. Wiles.

Reserve Jazz Project

The Reserve Jazz Project is a contemporary jazz group that performs at numerous school and community events. The Reserve Jazz Project is under the direction of Edward E. Wiles.

The Academy Orchestra

The Academy Orchestra provides performance opportunities for students interested in performing classical orchestral literature. The Orchestra also provides accompaniment for the Academy Choir's Masterwork series as well as the accompaniment for the annual Messiah sing along, which features the orchestra and student soloists from the Academy Choir. Recently, the Academy Orchestra and the Academy Choir did a performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana.

Clubs and activities

Reserve offers a wide variety of extracurricular organizations geared to meet interests, foster talent, and broaden horizons. Student interest and initiative can also spur the formation of new school groups.[citation needed] The school's Latin Club functions as a local chapter of both the Ohio Junior Classical League (OJCL)[10] and National Junior Classical League (NJCL).[11]

Athletics

The school offers a wide variety of sports, including soccer, football, golf, cross country, field hockey, volleyball, swimming and diving, basketball, wrestling, riflery, ice hockey, baseball, softball, track and field, tennis, and lacrosse.

In recent years, Western Reserve Academy has gained a reputation as one of the top high school lacrosse teams in the United States. In 2006 and 2009, WRA won the Midwest Scholastic Lacrosse Championship. Only three different teams have won the Midwest Championships since 1992; Brother Rice, Western Reserve Academy and Upper Arlington. Inside Lacrosse ranked the 2009 WRA lacrosse team number one in the Midwest.

WRA lacrosse national rankings according to Laxpower poll:

  • 2004: 49th
  • 2005: 49th
  • 2006: 27th
  • 2007: 23rd
  • 2008: 41st
  • 2009: 28th

The track and cross-country teams under Frank Longstreth, also the Latin department head, achieved extraordinary success from the 1940s through the 1980s, winning many Interstate League championships, with the cross country team at one time boasting a streak of 179-1.

In 2012, both the girls and boys soccer teams achieved a state ranking. The boys experienced an undefeated season, while the girls, both JV and Varsity, broke the record for most wins in a season.

Notable alumni

The following represents an incomplete list of renowned graduates of the school. Individuals with a † next to their name were enrolled in either or both institutions before Western Reserve College moved from the Hudson campus to Cleveland in 1882 and became Western Reserve University. As such, the degree to which they were affiliated with both institutions may vary. Individuals with a * next to their name did not complete their studies.


Politics, government and law

Literature and journalism

Arts and entertainment

Business

Miscellaneous

Notable faculty

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Western Reserve Academy - Visitors - WRA at a Glance Retrieved January 5, 2009.
  2. ↑ Western Reserve Academy - Athletics - Statement of Principles Retrieved January 5, 2009.
  3. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09. 
  4. ↑ Goodheart, Lawrence B. (1982). "Abolitionists as Academics: The Controversy at Western Reserve College, 1832-1833". History of Education Quarterly 22 (4): 422. 
  5. ↑ "Marker #21-77 Western Reserve College and Academy". The Ohio Historical Society. Retrieved 4 October 2013. 
  6. ↑ "Western Reserve Academy: History". Western Reserve Academy. Retrieved 4 October 2013. 
  7. ↑ "Boarding Schools with the Oldest Founding Date". Boarding School Review. Retrieved 2012-08-13. 
  8. ↑ Smith, Gary (5/6/2001). "Boarding Schools". Retrieved November 24, 2008. 
  9. ↑ Vince, Thomas. "Loomis Observatory". Observatories of Ohio. Retrieved 4 October 2013. 
  10. ↑ "Elected Officer Pre-file Application". Executive Board Pre-File Application. Ohio Junior Classical League. 2009. Retrieved October 24, 2009. 
  11. ↑ "OJCL Constitution". OhioJCL.org - July 2002. Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. 2010. Archived from the original on July 21, 2002. Retrieved August 16, 2010. "... by paying both OJCL annual chapter dues and any annual chapter membership dues required by NJCL." 
  12. ↑ "ALLISON, William Boyd, (1829 - 1908)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012. 
  13. ↑ "Nebraska Governor James William Dawes". National Governors Association. Retrieved September 15, 2012. 

External links

Listen to this article (info/dl)
This audio file was created from a revision of the "Western Reserve Academy" article dated 2005-09-25, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. (Audio help)
More spoken articles
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Western Reserve Academy.

Coordinates: 41°14′55″N 81°26′08″W / 41.248685°N 81.435494°W / 41.248685; -81.435494

Topics
Lists by states
Lists by insular areas
Lists by associated states
Other areas
  • Category
  • Portal
  • WikiProject
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.