Woodstock Academy

Infobox_School
name =Woodstock Academy


motto =
established =1801
type =Public (often described as Independent)
affiliation =
district =
grades =9-12
president =
principal =
free_label2 =Headmaster
free_text2 =Mr. Richard Foye|dean =
faculty =85
staff =54
students =
enrollment =1141
athletics =
conference =
colors =Yale Blue and Gold
mascot =Centaur
free_label =Sending Towns
free_text =Brooklyn, Canterbury, Eastford, Pomfret and Woodstock
location =57 Academy Road
Woodstock Academy
information =
website = [http://www.woodstockacademy.org]

Woodstock Academy, founded in 1801, is a non-selective high school located in Woodstock, Connecticut, United States.

The school is not within any school district and is not controlled by any municipality; therefore it describes itself as an "independent school." [" [http://www.woodstockacademy.org/2006stratplan.htm 2006 Strategic Plan] ," "Woodstock Academy"] The Connecticut State Department of Education does not list Woodstock in its list of non-public schools [ [http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/csde/reports/Report.asp?intSectionID=16 Non-public schools] , "Connecticut State Department of Education"] and therefore considers Woodstock to be a "public school" because the state of Connecticut oversees and finances the school [" [http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/der/ssp/dist0405/dist149.pdf Woodstock Academy] ," "Connecticut State Department of Education"] [ [http://www.woodstockacademy.org/WAaudit2006.pdf Letter to the board of trustees of Woodstock Academy from Shane, Navratil, and Co.] ] . Woodstock is a member of the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools [" [http://www.caisct.org/cais/schoolfinder/allSchoolList.aspx All School List] ," "Connecticut Association of Independent Schools"] . The New England Association of Schools & Colleges, Incorporated accredits Woodstock Academy as an "independent school" [" [http://www.neasc.org/roster/cta.htm Connecticut Independent Schools] ," "The New England Association of Schools & Colleges, Incorporated"] [" [http://www.neasc.org/roster/psct.htm Public Secondary Schools Connecticut] ," "The New England Association of Schools & Colleges, Incorporated"] .

The Academy is governed by a thirty member independent Board of Trustees. A traditional, though informal connection was maintained between the Academy and Yale University until 1956, though the colors of the school mirror the blue and yellow also found in New Haven.

Woodstock Academy serves residents from the Connecticut towns of Brooklyn, Canterbury, Eastford, Pomfret, Union, and Woodstock. The respective towns' taxpayers pay student tuition through municipal taxes. The school also accepts tuition-paying students from surrounding towns and states.

Enrollment in the 2005-2006 school year was 1,141, with approximately 250 in the graduating class. More than 80% of graduates choose to continue their education after leaving the Academy.

Facilities

The Academy crouches on the south side of the Woodstock Town Common on Woodstock Hill. The school has the use of the Common (the area in front of the Academy building) along with the Quad, (the area between the Academy, Bowen and Hyde buildings) and the Courtyard (the small area between the Bowen and Hyde Buildings).
*The Academy Hall holds the school's trademark tower. It is an interdisciplinary building holding mainly English and history courses.
*The Bowen Building is named for congregationalist, prohibitionist, and abolitionist, Henry C. Bowen who was influential in the school's mid-19th century revival. The building includes the Holt Science Wing, English, history and math classes, the Student Dining Commons and administrative offices.
*The Hyde Building is named for Elizabeth Sanford Hyde and comprises the 1928 Ely Ransom Hall Memorial Gymnasium (now renovated as the school's library), the 1971 Alumni Fieldhouse, and an auditorium. The building holds visual arts, performing arts, consumer sciences, vocational technology and physical education classes.
*The Bicentennial Building first opened in 2001, Woodstock Academy's bicentennial year, and houses Spanish, Latin, Italian and Electronic Design classes.
*The Old Bracken Building is the original school library which now holds the Career Center which assists in the Academy students' post-graduation planning processes.
*The ACE Building is a renovated single-family residence holding the Alternative Center for Education.
*The Charles "Bill" Bentley Athletic Complex is the school's main outdoor athletic facility. It has a track, two soccer fields, two tennis courts, two baseball diamonds and will be expanding to include a football/lacrosse field. The Woodstock Agricultural Society also lends its grounds to the soccer and cross-county teams for practices and meets.

Traditions

Woodstock Academy maintains an emphasis on old traditions into modern day, including:
* Senior Class Tea at the Roseland Cottage, also known as the Pink House or the Bowen House, in the week prior to graduation.
* Commencement exercises for the graduating class are held in late June on a Sunday. (Traditionally graduation is held on Father's Day, although this has changed recently.) The procession of graduates begins at noon, and the day is called "Academy Sunday."
* The school is divided into two teams, the gold team and the blue team (reflective of the school colors). Each team competes in school-wide competitions comprising field days, pep rallies and other activities. This tradition dates back to at least the mid 1950s, but has not been consistently or continually in place.

Organizations

Activities & Clubs
*Adventure Club
*Bible & Prayer Club
*Educational Access - Channel TV 12/Radio
*Newspaper and Yearbook combined club/class
*Ocean Bowl Club
*"The Deep End," literary magazine
*Voice of Woodstock Academy – Radio
*Model United Nations [http://woodstockmun.tripod.com/]
*Yoga Club

Community Service & Advocacy
*Amnesty International
*Earth Save
*Gay-Straight Alliance ( G.S.A. )
*Operation Day’s Work
*Peer Helpers Network ( P.H.N. )
*Students Against Destructive Decisions ( S.A.D.D. )
*Student Outreach Services ( S.O.S. )
*Diversity Club

Honor Societies
*French Honor Society
*Holt Chapter of the National Honor Society
*Latin Honor Society
*Modern Music Masters ( Tri-M )
*Spanish Honor Society

Politics & Government
*Debate Club
*Student Council
*United Nations (UN) Club

Sports
*Baseball [" [http://www.woodstockacademy.org/sports/baseball.htm Varsity Baseball] ," "Woodstock Academy"]
*Basketball
*Cheerleading
*Cross-Country
*American football [ [http://www.wafootball.org/ Home Page] , "Wodstock Academy Centaur Football"]
*Golf
*Gymnastics
*Intramurals
*Lacrosse
*Soccer (football)
*Softball
*Tennis
*Track (indoor and outdoor)
*Volleyball
*Wrestling

References

External links

* [http://www.woodstockacademy.org Woodstock Academy]
* [http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/ct/1104 School Overview]
* [http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/der/ssp/dist0405/dist149.pdf School Profile]
* [http://www.woodstockacademy.org/alumni/brochure.pdf Alumni]
* [http://woodstockmun.tripod.com/ Woodstock Model UN]
* [http://wavisualarts.ourprofile.org Woodstock Visual Arts]