Academy at Charlemont

Infobox_University
name=Academy at Charlemont
established=1981
type=Independent College Preparatory Middle and High School
headmaster=Robert Weisbuch
city=Charlemont
state=Massachusetts
country=USA
students=112
colors=Maroon and White
affiliations=National Association of Independent Schools(NAIS), Association of Independent Schools in New England(AISNE), The College Board, accredited by New England Association of Schools and Colleges
website= [http://www.charlemont.org/ www.charlemont.org]

Quick Stats

• Classical education with core requirements in English, Latin, history, mathematics, foreign language (four years), and science
• Emphasis on community service and citizenship
• Internships and foreign exchange programs
• Broad art, music, and drama programs
• Mandatory sports program, competitive, noncompetitive and uncompetitive options available
• Grades 7-12 and post-graduate
• Co-educational
• 112 students
• Financial aid available
• More than 95% of graduates go on to a four-year college or university
• Over 100 graduates to date
• It's Honor Code is at the heart of daily school life
• Modified long-block schedule
• Average class size between 15 and 20
• Faculty /student ratio 8:1
• Student-run lunch program available
• Five bus routes to campus daily

Founding

The Academy at Charlemont is a small private school in Charlemont, Massachusetts that serves approximately 110 students. The school was founded by Eric Grinnell, Dianne Grinnell, David W. McKay, Patricia D. W. McKay, Margaret J. Carlson, and Lucille Joy in 1981 as an experiment in classical and community-oriented education.

The school's mission is heavily influenced by the educational philosophy of American philosopher and psychologist John Dewey.

Honor Code

The Academy at Charlemont's social and academic environment is based upon a student-written Honor Code. At the beginning of each academic year, the community engages in a ceremonial signing of the Honor Code. All members are expected to sign, because the Code is featured prominently in admissions applications. This is considered a matter of moral agency and is not mandatory. Originally, the ceremonial signing only was required of students, but a 1997 initiative led by members of the Honor Council succeeded in expanding this duty to include faculty, as well. Recently, members of Honor Council have initiated a dialogue about the status of the Code, suggesting that additional articles might enhance the dynamic character of the document. Some have proposed that students draft a new article, one which would outline explicitly in the Code itself how it is ammendable by the students, should they see fit. On the one hand, this initiative can be seen as a way to combat apathy among current students. Others, meanwhile, see it chiefly as a political necessity in the long-term development of the school. Increases of the student body population may impact the relevance of this matter, as well as how the dialogue moves forward.

Associated with the Code is Honor Council, a body comprised of two representatives from each class, elected by their peers. The Council has no punitive authority, and is primarily charged with the task of introducing new students to the Code and leading all-school dialogue. As matters arise, they may be involved in hearing cases of Honor Code violation. They do not engage in punishment, but rather help individuals or groups to repair their relationship with the larger community. Reparation may take various forms, some debatably punitive in an indirect manner. Ultimate punitive responsibility and authority rests with the faculty and administration.

Facilities

The school opened on September 14, 1981, in the former Charlemont High School building, with 24 students in grades 7 through 12. The building offered ten classrooms on three stories, including a large common room/library on the top floor.

In 1983, Friends of The Academy at Charlemont, a legal partnership between cofounders David and Patricia McKay, purchased a large Colonial house, which the school renovated and used for a boarding program that lasted until 1989.

In 1986, the school purchased the adjacent Odd Fellows Hall, which it used for space for admissions and development. The building was named Babcock Hall, posthumously honoring Phillip Babcock, a longtime custodian and friend of the school who financed the purchase.

In 1987, the town of Charlemont broke the Academy's ten-year lease, causing the school to mount a search for new quarters. In 1988, the school purchased the facilities of the by-then-defunct Charlemont Christian School on Route 2, and renovations were completed for the opening of school in 1989. The school's operations were consolidated, and Babcock Hall was sold. In 2006, this building was named after John and Elisabeth Hobbs, a husband and wife who were influential in funding the school during its existence.

In 2000, a house adjacent to the school property was renovated into additional space and was named Grinnell Hall in 2001, to honor the two founders who remained at that point, Eric and Dianne Grinnell.

Academic Overview

A student's academic program at The Academy is structured in a way that requires each individual to be a generalist, to acquire knowledge of mathematics, science, history, English, art, music, Latin, and a modern foreign language. By offering those learning experiences in small classes led by skillful teachers, the Academy fosters active engagement with the ideas at hand: students debate ideas with each other in seminars, collaborate with each other in the laboratory, critique each others' work on the stage and in the studio, and present to each other the fruits of their research. Students are expected to build upon earlier experiences and learning, applying themselves to incrementally more difficult tasks as they grow and mature. The core curriculum provides a broad common ground on which students with different views, different interests, different goals, and different backgrounds can come together and form an intellectual community based on shared knowledge and common purpose, a community that honors and appreciates diverse individual voices, needs, and perspectives.

Students are given ample opportunities, both within specific classes and as part of the broader academic program, to pursue their individual intellectual interests. Research projects, exhibitions, essays, field work, senior projects, art projects and other learning activities are driven by student interest and initiative. These program elements give students a chance to investigate in an open-ended way, challenge themselves, and assume responsibility for their work. The lessons drawn from independent scholarship - self-discipline, intellectual curiosity, and independence - are reinforced by the conduct of each class.

The Academy believes that the academic, liberal arts tradition is a challenging, intellectually stimulating ground on which young people can both learn to use their minds well, and furnish those minds with the kind of broad, basic knowledge needed to succeed in college and as citizens of the world. We believe in emphasizing connections among the academic disciplines because "real world" challenges require citizens to think beyond the discrete boundaries of academic disciplines, to look at things from many different angles. We believe that a school community based on values- self-reliance, industry, integrity, and compassion - encourages development of intellectual and social standards that reflect those values. We believe that affirming the uniqueness of each individual and at the same time insisting that individuals subscribe to a set of commonly held standards - civility, respect, concern for others - produces a healthy tension that helps students learn, grow, and become productive citizens.

Academic Sequence

The sequence of courses listed below constitutes the basic academic program at The Academy. Successful completion of this program, or an approved alteration of it, will fulfill the requirements for an Academy diploma.

Most courses in the Junior School are taught three to five times a week throughout the year. In the Senior School some courses meet for one semester only, in daily, long-block classes. Spanish, French, and some other courses meet throughout the year. A student in grades nine through twelve will ordinarily have three academic classes each semester.

"Junior School"
7th Grade
English, Mathematics, Introduction to Physical Science, Geography, Foreign Language Survey, Art, Music
8th Grade
English, Algebra I, Health & the Human Body, American Government, French or Spanish, Art, Music

"Senior School"
9th Grade
Humanities, Geometry, Biology, Latin I, French or Spanish, Foundations in Art
10th Grade
Humanities, Algebra II, Foundations of Physics and Chemistry, French or Spanish, Elective courses
11th Grade
U.S. History and Literature I & II, Pre-calculus or Statistics, Laboratory science, French or Spanish, Elective courses
12th Grade
Humanities Seminar I & II, Lab science or mathematics, Senior Independent Project, Elective courses

"Electives for Senior School"
Calculus
Statistics
Chemistry
Physics
Environmental Science I&II
A second foreign language
Foreign language V
Latin II, III, IV
Model United Nations
O Tempora, O Mores
Art and Civilization
Photography 1-3
Exploratory Art 1-3
Chorus
Instrumental music
Music Theory/Song Writing
Creative Writing
Journalism
The Grove (yearbook)

College Counseling and Matriculation

Over 95% of the Academy's graduates go on to college. When students are ready to start thinking about college, the Academy's college counselor will help them through the school selection and application process. Academy graduates regularly gain admission to a variety of selective colleges, which include:

Alfred University,
Amherst College,
Bates College,
Beloit College,
Bennington College,
Boston College,
Carleton College,
Colby College,
Colorado College,
College of Wooster,
Columbia University,
Drew University,
Earlham College,
Franklin & Marshall College,
Hamilton College,
Hampshire College,
Haverford College,
Hobart and William Smith Colleges,
Johns Hopkins University,
Kenyon College,
Lewis and Clark,
Macalester College,
Marlboro College,
Middlebury College,
Mount Holyoke College,
New York University,
Northeastern University,
Oberlin College,
Reed College,
Rochester Institute of Technology,
Princeton University,
Sarah Lawrence College,
Skidmore College,
Smith College,
Swarthmore College,
Tufts University
University of Chicago,
University of Massachusetts,
University of New England, Maine,
University of New Hampshire,
University of Vermont,
Vassar College,
Wesleyan University,
Whitman College,
Williams College.

Headmaster

The school's first Headmaster was Eric A. Grinnell, who served from 1981-2002. He was instrumental in establishing the school's rigorous academic standards and instilling an appreciation for classical education. Grinnell was previously a teacher at the Mohawk Trail Regional High School. At the Academy, he also periodically taught courses in Latin and Art & Civilization, among others.

Todd Sumner is the 2nd Headmaster of the private school. He has taken steps to bring the school toward long-term financial stability, in part by increasing the size of the student body. Before accepting the position of Headmaster, Sumner had taught at the school since 1987. His courses included United States History & Literature, and the senior Humanities Seminar. Sumner also served briefly as the school's drama director, and more recently as Academic Dean and Assistant Headmaster.

Alma Mater

The School's alma mater (school song) is known as "Vivat Academia". It is a modified version of De Brevitate Vitae (on the Shortness of Life), a song in Latin that is a popular academic commercium song in many European countries and elite American Universities.

Vivat, Academia
Vivant, Profesores
Alma Mater floreat
quae nos educavit
caros et comilitones
dissitas en regiones
sparsos congregavit (sic)

Alumni of Note

Bo Peabody '90
Sarah Hartshorne '05 of America's Next Top Model, Cycle 9 fame

External links

* [http://www.charlemont.org/ Official Web Site]