- Cushing Academy
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Cushing Academy Location Ashburnham, MA, USA Coordinates 42°38′0″N 71°54′48″W / 42.633333°N 71.91333°WCoordinates: 42°38′0″N 71°54′48″W / 42.633333°N 71.91333°W Information Type Private, boarding Religious affiliation(s) None Established 1865 Headmaster Dr. James Tracy Gender Co-educational Enrollment 445 Student to teacher ratio 8:1 Campus 162 acres (0.66 km2) Color(s) Purple and White Athletics conference Independent School League Mascot Penguin Website www.cushing.org 
Cushing Academy and Science Building, ca. 1908
Cushing Academy is a coeducational college preparatory boarding school for grades 9 through 12 plus an optional postgraduate year located in Ashburnham, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1865 in fulfilment of a bequest by Thomas Parkman Cushing and opened in 1875,[1] and is sometimes cited as the oldest coeducational boarding school in the United States. Dr. James Tracy has been headmaster since fall 2006.
Cushing Academy has approximately 445 students, from 26 states and 28 countries; 25% are from overseas. 85% board on campus. The faculty-student ratio is 1:8 and 68% of faculty hold advanced degrees.[2]
Cushing Academy's campus overlooks the town center of Ashburnham. Cushing's academic structures include the historic Main Building, dedicated in January 1894 a year after its predecessor was destroyed by fire,[3] the Joseph R. Curry Academic Center, the English Building, and the Emily Fisher Landau Center for Visual Arts. Ashburnham House and Alumni Hall are the largest student dormitories. Sports facilities include the Heslin Gym, Theodore Iorio Arena, and several athletic fields.
In 2007, Cushing Academy founded the Cushing Institute for 21st Century Leadership; it is a partner institution with the James Martin 21st Century School at Oxford University.[4]
In 2009, Cushing Academy announced plans to spend $500,000 transforming its library into a "learning center" featuring a number of Amazon.com and Sony electronic readers, three large flat-screen TVs to project Internet pages, special laptop-friendly study carrels, and a coffee shop where the reference desk was.[5] In an Update to Parents dated September 10, 2009, the headmaster states that the library's printed books will be replaced over a two-year period, that faculty had first claim on those removed from the library, and that "books, in all formats, will continue to abound at Cushing."[6][7]
Notable alumni
- His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, the King of Bhutan
- Bette Davis
- Pete Snyder
- Arthur Carewe
- Paul Thomas Anderson, film director, screenwriter, and producer
- WWE wrestler John Cena
- 2010 United States Winter Olympians Erika Lawler and Meghan Duggan
- NHL players Bobby Allen, Zach Bogosian, Chris Bourque (son of Hockey Hall of Fame member Ray Bourque), Bryan Ewing, Ryan Lannon, John Lilley, Eric Nickulas, Brad Norton, Jeff Norton, Tom Poti, Billy Ryan, and Keith Yandle
- NFL players Michael Evans and Kenny Gamble
- Nate Berkus[8]
References
- ^ History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Embracing a Comprehensive History of the County, from its First Settlement to the Present Time, with a History and Description of its Cities and Towns, 2 vols., vol. 1 Boston: Jewett, 1879, Abijah P. Marvin, "History of Worcester County," pp. 130-31.
- ^ Boarding School Review accessed September 20, 2009.
- ^ Grace Powers Thomas, Where to Educate, 1898-1899: A Guide to the Best Private Schools, Higher Institutions of Learning, etc., in the United States, Boston: Brown, 1898, p. 122.
- ^ http://www.21school.ox.ac.uk/about/affiliates.cfm
- ^ Abel, David (2009), "Welcome to the library. Say goodbye to the books. Cushing Academy embraces a digital future." The Boston Globe, September 4, 2009. [1] The Boston Globe published a disapproving editorial on September 7, 2009: "Overeager futurism at Cushing"
- ^ http://www.cushing.org/misc/library-update.shtml
- ^ Cushing's experiment, the headmaster's explanation, and the disapproving publicity are also mentioned in Lawrence Hardy, "The Future of Libraries," American School Board Journal, January 2010.
- ^ Who is Nate Berkus? Your Life, The Boston Globe March 23, 2006.
External links
Categories:- Boarding schools in Massachusetts
- Private schools in Massachusetts
- High schools in Massachusetts
- Educational institutions established in 1865
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