The Kew-Forest School

The Kew Forest School
Motto "Ad Summum"
Established 1918
Type Private
Founder Louis D. Marriott
Headmaster Eric Ruoss
Students approx. 247
Grades Nursery-12
Location 119-17 Union Turnpike, Forest Hills, NY 11375,
Forest Hills, New York,
Accreditation National Association of Independent Schools
Campus Urban
Colors Blue, Red
Mascot Jaguar
Yearbook The Blotter
Newspaper The Forester
Website http://www.kewforest.org

The Kew-Forest School is an independent, co-ed, college preparatory school for students in grades Nursery-12. The school was established in 1918 strictly for residents of Forest Hills and Kew Gardens, hence the name. Now, however, Kew-Forest has students from over 30 different towns and areas including Richmond Hill, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Little Neck, Bayside, Douglaston, Jamaica Estates, Long Island, Manhattan, and more. Not only does the school attract people from different geographical areas, but it attracts a diverse student body with students of many different races and ethnicities enrolling in Kew-Forest. Kew-Forest also attracts students from many overseas countries as well.

Notable graduates and attendees include Hank Azaria, Katharine Weber, Gideon Yago, and Donald Trump.

Clubs

Student Council

The Student Council candidates campaign, make speeches, debate, and then ultimately must be elected by popular vote. The Student Council meets on a weekly basis to bring ideas on how to enhance their school experience, as well as how to improve their community. The Student Council has a variety of responsibilities, ranging from Spirit Week, school dances and events, to projects such as food drives and fund-raising efforts. They also participate in the Youth Services Opportunities Project, YSOP, an overnight community service event that allows students to help those in need.

Mock Trial

Coached by Dr. Spelman, the school's Latin teacher, The Mock Trial Team has gone to the State and City Finals in the years 1999 through 2001.

Model United Nations

Since the Model UN Club was founded 8 years ago, the school has been to over 15 conferences such as ILMUNC, RUMUN, JHUMUNC, and several more. There have been several 'Best Delegate' Awards given to Kew-Forest Students as well as Honorable Mentions and Verbal Commendations. The club is run by two club officers and one teacher.

Community Service Kew-Forest requires all students in the Upper School, grades 7-12, to complete a designated amount of community service hours each year. Students are able to earn hours volunteering outside of school as well as through school-sponsored events. Seniors are required to complete community service hours for graduation.

The Forester

The school's publication which provides students with information about what is going on in the school and the community around, new events coming up, and stories about past events. The Forester is led by the Editor in Chief, who is helped by two co-editors. Currently, the Forester has approximately 30 students writing for it from grades 7 through 12.

Sports

The school from another angle

Kew-Forest competes in the IPPSAL league and has won several championships over the past decade. Most notably, the Girls Varsity Volleyball team has won championships in 2011, 2012, and 2013. The Boys and Girls tennis teams both won championships in 2011 and 2012. The Varsity Soccer team also placed second in 2012 and won the championship in 2013. The Cross Country team has also won several events in 2011, 2012, and 2013.

Other Clubs

Kew-Forest offers a variety of after school clubs for the Upper School, including Poetry Writing, Book Club, and Foreign Language club.


The Lower School has a structured AfterCare Program where students can stay at school til 6pm. Students are supervised by school administration and teachers who administer a daily snack, help with homework, and entertain the students until they are picked up. The Lower School students can also register for after-school Mini-Courses at an additional fee, which are offered on a rotating basis throughout the year. Mini-Courses include activities such as chess, band, Lego building, soccer, tennis, and chorus.

Academic Divisions

A school tradition is to paint a mural on a wall facing the playground that lasts the whole year. This 2008 mural is themed on the board game Monopoly. The 1980 mural was themed on the Pink Floyd hit Another Brick in the Wall.

Kew-Forest has two distinct divisions for grades Early Childhood-6 (Lower) and grades 7-12 (Upper) with a division head for each.

Lower School

The Kew-Forest School's Lower School believes that the school's primary function is to educate children so they can become a responsible member of society, able to recognize the obligations of an individual in a community. The Lower School strives to work closely with parents and children towards discovering and developing each child's potential.

The Lower School embraces the belief that all children can learn and want to succeed. Its comprehensive and academically rigorous curriculum promotes mastery of basic skills—reading, writing, and mathematics—while offering additional enrichment and integration of core programs with foreign language instruction, library skills, technology, science, drama, art, music, and physical education.

All the grades are highlighted by field trips that are integrated into the core program. Sixth grade students engage in overnight, experiential outdoor education trips that stress cooperation and social development through off-campus study in a natural environment.

Kew-Forest introduced the Early Childhood program as part of their curriculum in the 2012-2013 school year. Students must turn three years of age by the end of October to enroll in this program.

Upper School

The Kew-Forest Upper School marks a period of personal and academic growth. The Upper Division offers a traditional college preparatory program with a carefully designed core curriculum. Students are able to do more, understand more, and achieve more each year. The Kew-Forest curriculum also fosters independence and self-responsibility. Students are expected to stretch their intellect, hold themselves to high personal and academic standards, ask questions, take risks and learn to express themselves clearly in both writing and speaking.

The Upper School offers several AP courses, including Latin, English, Physics, History, French, Spanish, Biology, and Calculus. Creative arts classes such as Journalism, Film, Studio Art, Philosophy, and International Relations are also offered.

The Upper School has a full complement of extracurricular activities including the school newspaper, yearbook, literary magazine, French and Spanish clubs, Model UN, Mock trial, music and drama ensembles, theater productions and a full-scale community service program.

Notes and references

    External links

    Coordinates: 40°42′49.04″N 73°50′0.52″W / 40.7136222°N 73.8334778°W