Church Farm School

Church Farm School
Address
1001 East Lincoln Highway
Exton, PA, 19341
USA
Information
Type Independent Boarding and Day School, Boys
Established 1918
Headmaster Edmund K. Sherrill II
Grades 7-12
Number of students 190
Campus Suburban
Color(s) Maroon and Grey
Athletics conference PIAA District 1, Bicentennial Athletic League
Mascot Griffin
Newspaper Greystock News
Yearbook CFS Griffin
Endowment $120-150 Million
Website

Church Farm School Historic District
Location US 30, West Whiteland, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 40°1′54″N 75°35′41″W / 40.03167°N 75.59472°W / 40.03167; -75.59472Coordinates: 40°1′54″N 75°35′41″W / 40.03167°N 75.59472°W / 40.03167; -75.59472
Area 19.7 acres (8.0 ha)
Built 1918
Architect Medary, Milton
Architectural style Tudor Revival, Collegiate Gothic
MPS West Whiteland Township MRA
NRHP Reference # 84002733[1]
Added to NRHP October 26, 1984

The Church Farm School (CFS) is a private secondary school in Exton, Pennsylvania. In 1985, the campus was listed as a historic district by the National Register of Historic Places.

History

The school was founded in 1918 by Charles Shreiner. Shreiner, an Episcopal clergyman, established the school in Glen Loch (now Exton) Pennsylvania, on Route 30 (Lincoln Highway), as a boarding school for boys from single parent homes, primarily those without fathers. The sons of clergy, members of the armed services, and police officers were a second focus of the school in its early days. Shreiner, because of his strict belief in the importance of discipline and a strong work ethic, was known to the boys as the "Colonel."[2]

Shortly after its founding, the school acquired the Benjamin Pennypacker House property.[3] The school integrated in 1963. After Shreiner's death in 1964, the Board of Directors placed the School under the direction of his son, Charles Shreiner, Jr., a World War II veteran, who served until retirement in 1987. The school's third headmaster, Charles "Terry" Shreiner, III, the founder's grandson, led the school from 1987 and retired in 2009. The School was then led by an interim headmaster, Thomas Rodd, Jr., who was replaced by Edmund K. Sherrill II, an Episcopal clergyman, in July 2009.

Over the first half of its history, the School's campus grew to 1700 acres, on which a large farm was operated with the help of the students. Each boy was required to work half of each school day and full-time for half of each summer. This enterprise included a large dairy farm and hog raising operation and produced many crops. The agricultural activities were gradually phased out, beginning in the mid-1970s, with most of the remaining farm land being sold off to developers in the late 1990s. The dairy barns and silos remain as a memorial of the agricultural era of the school's history.

Present day

Presently, the School's academic program is designed for boys in grades 7-12. (A "junior school" of grades 5-6 was phased out in the 1960s.) The school offers a college preparatory education, including honors and Advanced Placement classes. The school's classes are small, 7-12 students on average. An enclosed bridge called the Link connects the main building, known as Greystock, to the Science, Math and Art building, known as Wilkins. An underground tunnel connects the school side to the cottage side of the campus, allowing students to bypass route 30.

Boarding students live in ten home-like "cottages." In 1995, the school opened its doors to day students, who now comprise 20% of the school community. The school is affiliated with the Episcopal Church, with an Episcopal clergyman ("Chaplain") leading weekly chapel services for the school community. Despite this affiliation, there is no religious restriction on admissions.

Arts

The school provides a curricular arts program. The CFS Choir regularly sends members to all-district, all-region, and all-state festivals, and has traveled to Germany and South Africa. The professionally led CFS Jazz Band features an eclectic mix of students and instruments and regularly performs on campus and in the community. Students may also pursue advanced music studies in music theory, technology, appreciation, history and sociology, and musicianship. Piano and instrument lessons can be made available to interested students.

School arts facilities include a full fine arts room and clay studio, with on-campus kiln. Students can participate in a host of general and advanced arts classes, including clay, pottery, 2-D design, 3-D design, digital photography and weaving. Students exhibit work in monthly showings in the Link Gallery on campus. Outstanding art students may take an independent study in art, culminating in a solo showing of their work.

Additionally fine arts classes include photography and woodworking. The school has a large building with woodworking machinery.[4]

Athletics

Lower Baseball Field

Students compete in ten interscholastic sports, including golf, cross-country, soccer, wrestling, basketball, winter track, baseball, tennis, and spring track and field. The School competes in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) in District 1 and is a member of the Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL).

CFS's athletic facilities include four soccer fields, an on-campus cross-country course, a fencing room, two baseball fields, a quarter-mile outdoor track, a field house for basketball, six tennis courts, an outdoor swimming pool for recreation, and a multipurpose athletic pavilion.

References

  1. ↑ Staff (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ Diane Snyder and Martha Wolf, 1984, NRHP Nomination Form for the School at Church Farm Enter "public" for ID and "public" for password to access the site.
  3. ↑ "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). ARCH: Pennsylvania's Historic Architecture & Archaeology. Retrieved 2012-11-02. Note: This includes M. L. Wolf and Brandywine Cons. (December 1981). "Pennsylvania Historic Resource Survey Form: Benjamin Pennypacker House" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-11-05.
  4. ↑ I go to the school

External links

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