Tome School

The Tome School is a private school located in North East in Cecil County in Maryland, USA and is one of the oldest schools in the state of Maryland.

History

Port Deposit

The Tome School for Boys, originally located on Main Street in Port Deposit, Maryland was founded by Jacob Tome as a nonsectarian college preparatory school for boys. It opened for boarders and received its first students in 1894. It was part of a system of schools that began with kindergarten and extending through high school that was collectively known as the Jacob Tome Institute. cite book|author=Richard Walsh and William Lloyd Fox (editors) |title=Maryland: A History 1632-1974 |publisher= Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore |year=1983|id=ISBN ]

At Jacob Tome's death in 1898, he endowed the school such that in 1902 it is recorded to own both extensive buildings and to have a residual endowment of over $2 million. One of the results of the endowment was that between 1898 and 1902 the Jacob Tome School for Boys built a series of beaux arts granite buildings on the bluffs above Port Deposit, overlooking the Susquehanna River. The 13 surviving buildings include Memorial Hall, three dormitories (Jackson, Madison, and Harrison), the Chesapeake Inn dormitory and dining hall, the Director's residence, the Monroe Gymnasium, and six Master's cottages. The tree-lined streets of the campus were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and converged at the steps of Memorial Hall.* [http://www.mdhc.org/resources/lshgreport.pdf A History of Maryland’s Lower Susquehanna Region] ] In the early 1900s Tome annually played football against Baltimore City College high school with neither school enjoying a competitive advatange over the other. [cite book | last = Leonhart | first = James Chancellor | title = One Hundred Years Of Baltimore City College | publisher = H.G. Roebuck & Son | date = 1939 | location = Baltimore | pages = Pp.203-210] For example: in 1903 the City Collegians beat Tome 5-0, 1904 an 11-8 win for City, but in 1912 Tome shut out City 32-0 and Tome blanked City again in 1915, 37-0.

The school enjoyed a prestiguous reputation for a number of years. Its students included R. J. Reynolds, Jr. (son of R. J. Reynolds) as well as children of the Mellon and Carnegie families. * [http://www.mdhc.org/resources/lshgreport.pdf A History of Maryland’s Lower Susquehanna Region] ]

USNTC Bainbridge

In 1942, the Tome campus was appropriated by Congress along with the land from 70 surrounding farms for use as a US Naval Training Center, and for the location of the Naval Academy Preparatory School (which was located on the former Tome campus). USNTC Bainbridge was activated on October 1, 1942 operated throughout World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars, and the Cold War era. It closed as a military facility on March 31, 1976. During 34 years of operation, USNTC Bainbridge graduated over 500,000 recruits. [http://www.mdhc.org/resources/lshgreport.pdf A History of Maryland’s Lower Susquehanna Region] ]

North East

In 1942, the Tome School moved back to its original location on Main Street, Port Deposit. In the 1970s the school’s board of directors voted to change the school's charter and move the school to a new campus at North East, Maryland. The campus at North East is home to the Lower, Middle, and Upper schools (K-12).

Academics

The school is co-educational for students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The school's curriculum provides a broad liberal arts education for students in an environment emphasizing academic success, high standards of personal behavior, and full participation in school life.

* Lower School (K-4) students begin French and Spanish language study in first grade.

* Middle School (5-8) students begin Latin study in the seventh, sixth and fifth grade.

* Upper School (9-12) students concentrate on a traditional college prep academic program.

The current Director and Head of School is F. Darcy Williams, PhD.

Extracurricular activities

The school encourages student participation in sports, clubs, and organizations.

* Varsity Sports: Basketball, Soccer, Cross Country, Tennis, Baseball, Softball, Cheerleading and Volleyball.

* Junior Varsity Sports: Basketball, Soccer, Cross Country, Field Hockey, Volleyball, and Tennis.

* Organizations and Clubs: National Honor Society, Junior National Honor Society, Key Club, Builders Club, Middle School Chorus, Middle and Upper School Band, Student Government, Chess Club, Environmental Club, Envirothon Team, and Student Newspaper.

External links

* [http://www.tomeschool.org The Tome School]
* [http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/parents/md/1504 The Tome School parent reviews]
* [http://static.reunion.com/us/maryland/northeast/tomeschool Tome School High School Alumni @ Reunion]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=581+S+Maryland+Avenue,+North+East,+MD+21901 Tome School directions] - mapquest.com
* [http://eastghost.com/post/45558/ Photos and History on eastghost.com]

References and notes