Manlius Pebble Hill School

The Manlius Pebble Hill School (also known as MPH) is a non-sectarian, coeducational, independent pre-K through 12 school in DeWitt, New York. The school is a result of a merger in 1970 between The Manlius School (founded 1869) and Pebble Hill School (founded 1926). The school's mission statement is "To inspire our students to think critically, act responsibly, and develop a passion for life long learning."

History

The Manlius School

The Manlius School was founded in 1869 in Manlius, New York as the St. John's School by Bishop Frederic D. Huntington, of the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York. However, by 1880 attendance had fallen to the point where the school became insolvent. As a result, in 1881 it was reorganized as the St. John's Military School.

WWI memorial plaque, St. John's Military School, 1922.

By 1887 the reorganized St. John's again found itself with enrollment and financial problems, and the trustees looked for someone who could not only turn the school around, but also assume all financial risks. This person was New York State Adjutant General William Verbeck, who at the time was the co-principal of a military academy in Aurora, NY. Starting with 18 returning students, he raised enrollment to 120 within five years. By the time of Verbeck's death in 1930, what became known as The Manlius School had become one of the top military schools in the United States.

Pebble Hill School

The Pebble Hill School was founded in 1927 as a non-sectarian country day school for boys. A piece of property in the Pebble Hill area of Orville (now part of the Town of DeWitt) was purchased , and the school opened on September 20, 1927, with an enrollment of 49 students.

Prior to 1929, all classes at Pebble Hill were held in what still is known as "the Farmhouse." This building is the basis for MPH's logo and now houses the school's administrative offices. Built in 1832, the MPH Farmhouse is one of the oldest buildings in the Town of DeWitt.

Merger

"The Barn," MPH's performing arts building; St. John's memorial (foreground).

By the late 1960s, enrollment at military schools was falling off as more and more people became disenchanted with the Vietnam War. The Manlius School did not escape this trend, and once again financial difficulties were on the horizon. At the same time, Pebble Hill was running out of room for the many students who were enrolled there. In 1970 the two schools merged to become Manlius Pebble Hill School.

At first the newly merged school used both campuses, with the DeWitt campus being used for the Lower School and Middle School and the Manlius campus used for the Upper School. However, by 1973 it became impractical to run two campuses. The Manlius campus was shut down beginning with the 1973-74 school year and all classes were moved to the DeWitt campus; the MPH Class of 1974 was the last class whose commencement was in Knox Hall on the Manlius campus. The Manlius campus was sold in 1979 to a private developer.

Today

The Phoenix Student Center

Today Manlius Pebble Hill School has an enrollment of about 325 students^[1] and counts among its more than 4,600 alumni members of both predecessor schools as well as those who attended MPH. It is accredited by the Middle States Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools.^[2] MPH is affiliated with (and was one of the founding members of) the New York State Association of Independent Schools.

Notable people

Heads of school

• Bishop Frederic D. Huntington, founder and president, St. John's School (1869–1904)
• William Verbeck, Adjutant General of New York State, head of school, The Manlius School (1877–1930)
• Maj. Gen. Ray Barker, head of school, The Manlius School (1946–1960)
• Baxter F. Ball, Jr., head of school, Manlius Pebble Hill School (1990–2011)
• D. Scott Wiggins, head of school, Manlius Pebble Hill School (2012-2015)^[3]
• James Dunaway, head of school, Manlius Pebble Hill School (February 2015 – present)^[4][5]

Alumni

• Peter Anderson, ceramist and founder of Shearwater Pottery
• Walter Inglis Anderson, painter, writer and naturalist
• Chief Buffalo Child Long Lance, journalist, writer, actor; spokesman for Native American causes
• Clarence A. Dennis (Second Lieutenant, USMC), Distinguished Service Cross recipient, 1918^[6][7]
• Howell M. Estes III (General, USAF, Ret.), former Commander in Chief, NORAD and US Space Command, and commander, Air Force Space Command
• Carl Gersbach, professional football player
• Elliot Griffis, composer
• Victor A. ("Vic") Hanson (1923), only member of the National Basketball HOF and College Football HOF. "One of the greatest athletes" in Syracuse University history.^[8]
• Charles Dashiell Harris (Captain, US Army), Distinguished Service Cross recipient, 1918^[9][10]
• Thomas J. McIntyre (1929), Democratic U.S senator from New Hampshire
• Homer J. Wheaton, (Corporal, US Army), Distinguished Service Cross recipient, 1918; "the first man from Syracuse to die in battle in World War I"; Homer Wheaton Park in Syracuse, New York, is named after him^[11]
• Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, writer and publisher
• Hon. Kenneth R. Willard, New York State legislator
• Steve Wynn (1959), casino resort developer

See also

• Guido Verbeck
• Scouting in the United States

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Manlius Pebble Hill School.

• Official website
• "Local author Bruce Coville to speak at MPH graduation," The Post-Standard, April 1, 2010