- Western Reserve Academy
Infobox Private School| background = #f0f6fa
border = #ccd2d9
name = Western Reserve Academy
caption = The Chapel
established = 1826
type = Private Boarding and Day
religion = None
head_name = Headmaster
head = Christopher D. Burner
city = Hudson
state = OH
country = USA
enrollment = approx. 406 [http://www.wra.net/visitors/glance.cfm Western Reserve Academy - Visitors - WRA at a Glance] Retrieved 29 November, 2006. ]
faculty = approx. 69
class = 12
ratio = 6:1
year =
SAT =
athletics = 23 interscholastic [ [http://www.wra.net/athletics/philosophy.cfm Western Reserve Academy - Athletics - Statement of Principles] Retrieved 29 November, 2006. ]
colors = Hunter Green and White
mascot = Pioneer
campus =
homepage = http://www.wra.net
motto = Lux Et Veritas (Light and Truth)|Western Reserve Academy (also known as 'WRA' or 'Reserve') is a private, mid-sized,
coeducational boarding and day college preparatory school located inHudson, Ohio .History
Western Reserve Academy was established in 1826 as the Western Reserve College and Preparatory School in
Hudson, Ohio on a 180-acre (728,000 m²) plot of land set aside via charter. In 1882 the college moved north toCleveland, Ohio and becameWestern Reserve University , later merging with the Case Institute of Technology.Loomis Observatory, on the Academy campus, was constructed in 1837 and still stands today. It is the second-oldest observatory in the United States and houses its original instruments inside.
Western Reserve Academy remained open for another twenty-one years, until 1903, when it was forced to close due to financial problems. In 1916, however, the school reopened due to the graces of benefactor
James Ellsworth , a former student andHudson, Ohio resident who had returned after making millions of dollars in the coal industry.The "Ellsworth Era" was marked by significant construction, namely Seymour Hall (the newly appointed academic building), the Bicknell Gymnasium, and Ellsworth Hall, a dormitory and dining hall.
In 1922, Western Reserve Academy became an all-boys institution, which it remained for fifty years, until 1972, when girls were once again admitted.
In the late 1990s and into the early 21st century, Western Reserve Academy again underwent a major construction period, eclipsing even the growth of the "Ellsworth Era." During this time the following projects were completed:
* Renovation of computer lab in Seymour Hall (1998)
* Expansion/ Construction of the Metcalf Center (1999)
* Renovation of Wood House (2000-2002)
* Construction and expansion of athletic facilities, including the Murdough Athletic Center (2001-2004)
* Renovation of Bicknell Gymnasium into Bicknell House (2004)
* Construction of the John D. Ong Library (2000)
* Renovation of Wilson Science Hall (2001)
* Construction of Long House Dormitory (2000)
* Renovation of Nathan P. Seymour Guest House (1998)In 2000, Western Reserve Academy was recognized by
US News and World Report as one of the top boarding schools in the country Fact|date=February 2007.A boarding school, Western Reserve Academy is largely a residential campus, with 266 of 406 students living on campus and the remainder attending as "day-students". [ [http://www.wra.net/visitors/glance.cfm Western Reserve Academy - Visitors - WRA at a Glance] , retrieved 29 November, 2006. ] In that population, students matriculated from 24 states and 19 countries. Its population consists of 57% male students and 43% female students.
More than half of the faculty have advanced degrees. Approximately 90% of the faculty members reside on campus in either faculty homes or dormitory apartments.
Reserve participates in an annual summer exchange program with the
Caterham School inSurrey , England.Boarding
There are nine
dormitories , in which about 290 boarding students reside during the school year.Boys Dormitories
*North Hall
*The Athenaeum (The A)
* Wood House
*Bicknell Dormitory
*Long HouseGirls Dormitories
*Cutler House
*Cartwright Hall (Garden)
*Ellsworth Hall
*Hobart HouseThe Arts
Reserve offers over 20 different classes catering to students interested in the arts. Courses are available through the school's Music, Dance, Theater, and Visual Arts Programs.
Music Program
Music students perform in instrumental and vocal groups, compete and perform locally and internationally and study music theory and history. Historic Hayden Hall houses the music department and features six practice rooms, two large rehearsal rooms, a recital room, music classrooms, five
Steinway grand pianos, two harpsichords, drum sets and electronic studio equipment. Performances take place in the Knight Fine Arts Center (KFAC) or in the Chapel, which facilitates the use of a Holtkamp pipe organ. In recent years, ensembles from Reserve have traveled to Austria, Germany, The Czech Republic, and China.*The Academy ChoirThe Academy Choir performs music from a variety of styles and periods. The Choir presents an array of concerts, including the Midwinter Madrigal Feaste, Vespers, traditional choral concerts and major works with the Chamber Strings. Notable works performed in the past include Mozart's Requiem, Hayden's Lord Nelson Mass, and Rutter's Mass of the Children. The choir is under direction of Margaret "Midge" Karam, Chair of Fine Arts at Western Reserve Academy.
*Symphonic Winds
The Symphonic Winds provides an opportunity for woodwind, brass and percussion players to perform traditional concert band literature and transcriptions. The Symphonic Winds are under the direction of Edward E. Wiles.
*Reserve Jazz Project
The Reserve Jazz Project is a contemporary jazz group that performs at numerous school and community events. The Reserve Jazz Project is under the direction of Edward E. Wiles.
*The Academy Orchestra
The Academy Orchestra provides performance opportunities for students interested in performing classical orchestral literature. The Orchestra also provides accompaniment for the Academy Choir's Masterwork series.
Athletics
The school offers a wide variety of sports, including soccer, football, golf, cross country, field hockey, volleyball, swimming and diving, basketball, wrestling, riflery, ice hockey, baseball, softball, track and field, tennis, and lacrosse.
In recent years, Reserve has gained a reputation as one of the top high school
lacrosse teams in theUnited States . In 2005, the school finished 16th in the US according to LaxPower.com's high school lacrosse team rankings. In 2006, Reserve's team won the Midwest Championship. In addition, the track and cross-country teams under Frank Longstreth, also the Latin department head, achieved success from the 1940s through the 1980s, winning many Interstate League championships, with the cross country team at one time boasting a streak of 179-1.Notable Alumni
The following represents an incomplete list of renowned graduates of the school. Individuals with a † next to their name were enrolled in either or both institutions before Western Reserve College moved from the Hudson campus to Cleveland in 1882 and became Western Reserve University. As such, the degree to which they were affiliated with both institutions may vary. Individuals with a * next to their name did not complete their studies.
Politics, Government and Law
*
William B. Allison † -U.S. Senator from Iowa
*David R. Paige † -U.S. Representative from Ohio
*Mark Hanna *† -U.S. Senator from Ohio, campaign manager for PresidentWilliam McKinley , chairman ofRepublican National Committee
*Louis P. Harvey † - 7thGovernor of Wisconsin
*William H. Upson † 1842 - U.S. Representative from Ohio, lawyer
*George Hoadly † - 36th Governor of Ohio
*James W. Dawes † - 6thGovernor of Nebraska
*George K. Nash † 1860 - 41stGovernor of Ohio
*John Hessin Clarke † - Associate Justice of theU.S. Supreme Court
*Walter Folger Brown 1888 -United States Postmaster General
*William R. Hopkins 1892 - Politician, firstcity manager ofCleveland , Ohio, namesake ofCleveland Hopkins International Airport
*Clyde E. Stone - Chief Justice ofIllinois Supreme Court , lawyer
*Alvah Corlett 1902 - Member ofOhio House of Representatives
*David S. Dennison '36 - U.S. Representative from Ohio, member ofFederal Trade Commission
*Ronald B. Cameron '45 - U.S. Representative fromCalifornia
*James Robertson '55 - Federal District Court judge; former Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge; presided overHamdan v. Rumsfeld
*Lieut. Gen. Daniel W. Christman (ret.) '61 - Former Assistant to theChairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , FormerUnited States Military Academy Superintendent
*Theodore H. Moran '61 - globalization expert andGeorgetown University dean and professor in the School of Foreign Service.
*Thomas C. Sawyer * '63 - U.S. Representative from Ohio, current member of theOhio State Senate
*Oliver Everett '62 -Royal Librarian toQueen of England
*Martin R. Hoke '69 - U.S. Representative from Ohio
*R. Steven Walker '70 - Former Senior Global Management & Operations Consultant, US Department of Transportation; Former Senior Financial Management & Communications Fellow & Deputy to Commissioner, Department of Insurance, Securities & Banking, DC
*Meredith M. Broadbent '77- AssistantUnited States Trade Representative
*Stephen Dyer '90 - Member ofOhio House of Representatives
*Neel Kashkari '91 - [http://www.treas.gov/organization/bios/kashkari-e.html] Head of the U.S.Office of Financial Stability , Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, former Senior Advisor to U.S. Treasury SecretaryHenry M. Paulson, Jr. , former Vice President ofGoldman Sachs Literature and Journalism
*
Rupert Hughes 1888 - Novelist, film director, historian, composer
*Lucien Price 1901 - Journalist forBoston Globe , author
*R. W. Apple, Jr. '52 - "New York Times " Associate Editor and Chief Correspondent
*Ted Gup '68 - Author, investigative reporter, finalist forPulitzer Prize for National Reporting
*Ian Frazier '69 - Nonfiction author
*John Yang '75 -NBC News White House correspondent, formerABC News correspondent,Peabody Award winner, former writer for "The Washington Post " and "The Wall Street Journal "
*Kevin Prufer '88 - Essayist and poetThe Arts
*
D.M. Marshman, Jr. '41 -Academy Award -winning screenplay writer for "Sunset Boulevard".
*Frederick Coffin - Film and television actor
*David Nicksay '70 - Emmy-nominated Hollywood film producer and executive producer ("Legally Blonde " and "Legally Blonde 2 ", "Be Cool ", "What's the Worst That Could Happen? ")
*Matt Rego - Broadway show producer ("Urinetown ", "The Vagina Monologues ")
*Jeff Schaffer - Emmy-nominated TV show writer and Hollywood film writer, executive producer and director ("Seinfeld ", "Curb Your Enthusiasm ", "Eurotrip ")
*Geoffrey Nauffts '79 - Film and television actor
*Richard Brake '83 - Film actor ("Batman Begins ")
*Macy Gray * '84 -Grammy Award -winning musician/singer
*Ted Humphrey '87 - Co-producer and writer of short-lived television series "The Nine"Business
*
James Ellsworth † 1868 - Coal mine owner, banker
*James L. Knight '29 - Newspaperman and philanthropist, founder ofKnight Ridder newspaper group
*William D. Perez ’65 - CEO ofWm. Wrigley Jr. Company , former CEO ofNike, Inc.
*Martin D. Franks '68 -CBS andViacom executiveMiscellaneous
*
John Strong Newberry - Geologist, physician, explorer
*Frederic de Forest Allen -Philologist ,classics scholar
*Lincoln Ellsworth - U.S. explorer; first undisputed sighting ofNorth Pole .
*Scott E. Forbush '20 - Physicist, discoverer of theForbush decrease , member of theNational Academies of Science
*George Kubler '29 - Art historian
*K. Frank Austen, M.D. '45 - Research physician, President of American Academy of Allergy
*Lee M.E. Morin '70 -NASA astronaut
*Kathryn Clark '76 -NASA Chief Scientist for the Human Exploration & Development of Space Enterpriseee also
*
Edward Morley , taught at Western Reserve College
*Thomas Day Seymour References
External links
* [http://www.wra.net/ Western Reserve Academy Website]
* [http://www.wra.net/visitors/glance.cfm WRA At A Glance]
* [http://www.wra.net/admission/process.cfm WRA Admissions Information]
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