- Hockaday School
Infobox_School2 | name = The Hockaday School
established =1913
founder = Ela Hockaday
motto = Excellence
type = Private
gender = Female
head_name = Headmistress
head = Jeanne Preston Whitman
city = Dallas
state =Texas
country = USA
endowment = $100 million [http://www.boardingschoolreview.com/school_ov/school_id/54]
campus = convert|100|acre|km2
faculty = 105
students = 1,020
mascot= Killer Daisies
free_label = Athletics
free = 13 sports
website = [http://www.hockaday.org www.hockaday.org]The Hockaday School is an independent, non-sectarian, college preparatory day and
boarding school for girls located in Dallas,Texas ,USA . The boarding school is for girls in grades 8–12 and the day school is from pre-kindergarten to grade 12.History
The school was founded in 1913 by Ela Hockaday in response to parental demand for a preparatory day school for only girls. While the school is noted for its students' continuing on to universities, earlier in its history it sent many girls to
Smith College . The first class consisted of only ten students. Sarah Trent was one of the first teachers at the school and was influential in its development.Hockaday founded her school on four cornerstones that were to form the basis of the students' educations: character, courtesy, scholarship, and athletics. Today, the Founder's Day award is the most noteworthy award a graduating senior can receive; the honor is given to the girls who best exemplify these four cornerstones.
Hockaday today
Hockaday has occupied its campus in a residential area of northwest Dallas since 1961. The enrollment is approximately 1000 students from pre-K to 12, about 450 in the Upper School. The student to faculty ratio is approximately 10:1. Hockaday students enjoy also a 100% acceptance rate to college.Fact|date=June 2008
The school colors are green and white, and the current
school uniform for Upper and Middle School consists ofsaddle-oxfords , white dress shirts or polo shirts, and a uniform green and white plaid skirt. Green blazers are added on "dress uniform days" for grades 5 – 11, while seniors gain the privilege of wearing white blazers. It is viewed as a rite of passage to earn one's white blazer, along with the senior ring, at the end of junior year.The school crest bears a
unicorn , but the official mascot is the daisy. Students are frequently referred to as Hockadaisies.Academics
The minimum graduation requirement for upper school students is 16 course credits, although virtually all students exceed this criteriaFact|date=May 2008 and pursue additional study in particular areas of interest. Girls must complete four years of English, 3 years of math, 2 years of the same foreign language, 2½ years of history, 3 years of science, and 1½ years of fine arts, as well as a physical education requirement each year.
The faculty consists of 105 full-time teachers and nine part-time teachers, of whom 62 have a Master's degree and six hold Doctoral degrees. The average tenure of the faculty is 10 years.Fact|date=August 2008 The school has introduced a
laptop program (all 6th through 12th grade students are issued laptop computers to use in and out of school for their assignments) as well as the addition ofSmartboard technology to each classroom.The school follows a semester system with 80-minute classes that each meet three times in a six-day rotation. Exams for upper school students take place only once per school year, in mid-March immediately prior to Spring Break.
The ranges of
SAT scores for the middle 50% of the Class of 2005 were 600–740 (Verbal) and 620–730 (Math).Fact|date=August 2008Boarding
Hockaday's Residence Department comprises approximately 60 boarding students from numerous states and as many as 14 different countries. Girls who board live in one of the School's two dormitories -- Morgan and Trent. Hockaday Boarders take advantage of the educational offerings of Hockaday as well as extracurricular activities, including sports, clubs and organizations, and community service. The Host Family Program involves the School's faculty and parents as surrogate families to a resident, providing support in athletic activities and inviting them to join in family activities.
Campus facilities
The academic classrooms for the Middle and Upper Schools are held in two adjoining and parallel two-story buildings near the center of campus recently renovated in 2005. They house Hockaday’s Middle and Upper School Foreign Language, History, English, and Math classes in addition to two student commons and break-out study rooms.
The Crow Science Building has chemistry, physics, and biology labs as well as a greenhouse and Clements Lecture Hall.
The Horchow Fine Arts wing features a classroom for Hockaday’s art and music history courses; music and practice rooms; a black box theater and rehearsal space; a ceramics studio with kilns; photography labs; and an art studio. It is also home to Hoblitzelle Auditorium.
Completed in 2002, the Liza Lee Academic Research Center, known as the LLARC, is a facility that houses Hockaday’s libraries, technology hub, science exploration lab, audiovisual editing bays, and publications rooms.
The Lower School Gym, known as the Small Gym, contains two basketball courts, Hockaday’s indoor pool, and a variety of equipment. Middle and Upper School physical education and wellness classes take place in the Penson Athletic Center.
Adjoining the Penson Athletic Center, Hockaday's Wellness Center, completed in 2003, includes the 5,000-square-foot Hill Family Fitness Center, a 1,800-square-foot aerobics room with aerobic and resistance equipment, and athletic training facilities that are equipped for the treatment of sports-related injuries.
Hockaday’s athletic fields are located east of Penson Athletic Center. They include five playing fields, a softball diamond and an all-weather six-lane track. The tennis center includes a covered gallery and 10 tennis courts, some of which are lit.
The Ashley H. Priddy Lower School building adjoins the Liza Lee Academic Research Center. The artwork of Lower School students lines the hallways; and a large common room is the stage for special events, such as Pioneer Day and the Medieval Festival. The Lower School building also houses an art room and several music rooms as well as a French café.
The Lower School Addition, which houses pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and primer classrooms, opened in the fall of 2001. Each room features hand-painted tiles created by the Lower School girls themselves and child-height cooking and food preparation areas. The space is finished with a wall of windows that look out on Hockaday’s playground, the duck pond, and the new Wellness Center.
Tuition
The tuition averages $20,745 for each Upper School day student (not including books). For resident students, costs are approximately $33,780. Financial aid is granted on the basis of demonstrated family need and the school's availability of funds. In 2005-2006, 143 students received financial aid.
Athletics
Athletics are another aspect of student life at Hockaday. The school participates in 14 interscholastic sports as a member of SPC (Southern Preperatory Confrence). In the 2006-2007 school year, Hockaday varsity athletic teams captured championships in swimming/diving(repeat), golf(repeat), and lacrosse. In the 2007-2008 school year, Hockaday varsity teams took the championship in all three winter sports departments; swimming/diving, basketball, and soccer as well as field hockey and golf. The school has never achieved this before.
From age four, girls participate in daily PE classes, and even in high school, students must participate in either physical education class or athletics (varsity, junior varsity, or out-of-school with demonstrated level of intensity) during every quarter.
Clubs and organizations
Some of the more popular clubs are
Quizbowl , JETS (Junior Engineering Technical Society), Fashion/Advertising/Design, Mosaico (the Spanish literary magazine), Crossword Puzzle Club, Environmental Awareness, Video Yearbook, and ROAR (a school spirit booster organization). If a particular club does not exist, students may enlist a faculty sponsor, recruit members, and create a chapter on campus.Middle School and Upper School schoolers are given the opportunity to contribute to various student-run publications. In Middle School students learn leadership and responsibility in addition to journalism skills as they write, edit and conduct interviews for "Newsway", a student-run newspaper that is published several times a year. Currently, " Newsway" is an option on elective choices. It is not required for Middle Schoolers to attend this elective, but those who choose it may. The Middle Schoolers also put out "Banner", a literary magazine which teaches them skills in editing and drawing, layout and design, cooperation, and public speaking. In Upper School, students have the opportunity to experience the atmosphere and process of a professional newspaper while working on "The Fourcast." The "Vibrato" literary magazine showcases the works of upper school students and for the second year in a row has been awarded the Pacemaker Award.The school yearbook, "Cornerstones," is produced entirely by students and as such, students are responsible for the design, layout, copy, and photographic content.
Beginning in the fifth grade there are areas for extracurricular leadership by serving as a club officer or participating in an elected council. Middle schoolers may participate in
student government , community service board, or thehonor council ; the opportunities expand in Upper School to include athletic board, fine arts board, technology board, form council (grades 9-12 are referred to as forms I-IV), academic council and house council (boarding department governing system) as well.The school has a community service program, which operates in conjunction with St. Mark's, and which requires every upper school student to perform at least 15 hours of service every year, although many students far exceed this quota. H-Club, the school's hosts and tour guide society, is a popular program. Another notable organization is Hockaday's debate team, which ranks in the top five nationally for secondary schools.
Notable alumnae
* Barbara and
Jenna Bush (attended until their father's election asGovernor of Texas ) [cite news|url=http://quest.cjonline.com/stories/040400/gen_private.shtml|title=Bush used private school option|author=Associated Press|date=2000-04-04|accessdate=2006-08-22]
* Dixie Carter '82. Businesswoman; president ofTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling . [cite news|work=Dallas Morning News |title=Cheryl Hall: Ex-Hockaday girl wrangles wrestlers|url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/columnists/all/stories/092805dnbusHall.113f6aee.html|date=2005-09-27|accessdate=2006-08-22]
*Victoria Clark '78. Tony award-winning singer. [cite news|work=Alumnae News|author=The Hockaday School|title=Hockaday Alumna Wins Tony Award|url=http://www.hockaday.org/alumna/home/detail.asp?newsid=178802|date=2005-06-20|accessdate=2006-08-22]
*Farrah Forke '86. Actress.
* Suki Hawley '87. Documentary filmmaker. [cite news|url=http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-ndfocus_16met.ART.North.Edition1.2115205.html|title=Hockaday grad's focus documented|work=Denton Record Chronicle|date=16 Feb 2007|author=Mikki Kirby|accessdate=2007-04-26]
*Nasreen Pervin Huq . Prominent women's activist and campaigner for women's rights and social justice.
*Lisa Loeb '86. Singer-songwriter.
* Laurel Ornish '68. First female radio newscaster in Dallas-Fort Worth. [cite web|url=http://www.classicaltexas.com/laurel-bio.html|title=About Laurel Ornish|publisher=ClassicalTexas.com|accessdate=2007-04-26]
*Patricia Richardson '68. Actress. [cite web|author=NNDB |title=Patricia Richardson|url=http://www.nndb.com/people/577/000044445/|accessdate=2006-08-22]
* Harriet Schock '58. Singer and platinum songwriter. [cite news|url=http://www.hockaday.org/about/welcome/detail.asp?newsid=171320&archive=true|title=Alumnae Association Presents HAARTS Program|date=9 May 2005|accessdate=2007-04-26|work=About Hockaday News]
* Amy Talkington '88. Filmmaker, "The Night of the White Pants ". [cite news|url=http://www.guidelive.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/columnists/cvognar/stories/DN-afipreview_0318glGLWKND.2ca5f97.html|title=AFI festival brings in big names, local flavor|author=Chris Vognar|work=Dallas Morning News |date=18 Mar 2007|accessdate=2007-04-26]References
External links
* [http://www.hockaday.org/ The Hockaday School website]
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