Agnes Irwin School

Infobox Private School
background = #f0f6fa (standard color)
border = #ccd2d9 (standard color)
name = Agnes Irwin School


motto =
established = 1869
type = All-Girl
religion = nonsectarian
head_name = Head of School
head = Helen Rowland Marter, Interim Head of School
city = Rosemont
state = Pennsylvania
country = USA
campus = suburban
enrollment = 674
faculty =
class = 12-16
ratio = 7 to 1
year =
patron =
SAT = 1300
ACT =
athletics =
colors = blue and yellow
mascot =
conference = Inter-Academic League
homepage = [http://www.agnesirwin.org/Default.asp?bhcp=1 Agnes Irwin School] |

Agnes Irwin School is an all-girl, non-sectarian, day school for PreK-Grade 12. Founded in 1869 in Philadelphia by Miss Agnes Irwin, the great-great-granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin, who later became the first dean of Radcliffe College. The campus moved to Rosemont in 1961.

Location

Rosemont, PA, convert|10|mi|km West of Philadelphia and two miles (3 km) from Exit 13 on Rte. 476 (the Blue Route). The campus borders Villanova University and is just minutes from Bryn Mawr College.

Campus

Eighteen acres in a suburban setting including a self-contained Lower School with its own gym, dining room, library, and arts, science and music rooms. The Middle School, Upper School, Arts and Science Center, Libraries and Gym/Fitness Center are interconnected buildings. The campus also includes five tennis courts, three playing fields, three playgrounds and an outdoor dining area.

Enrollment

*PreK-12: 674
*Lower School (PreK-Grade 4): 217
*Middle School (Grades 5-8): 219
*Upper School (Grades 9-12): 238
*Average class size: 12-16

Diversity

Students of color represent 19% of the student body. More than fifty girls have parents for whom English is a second language. The School is not religiously associated, and all faiths are honored and respected.

Academics

Agnes Irwin offers a rigorous liberal arts program. Upper School requirements include English (4 years), History, Math, Science and Language (3 years), Arts (1 year), Community Service and Physical Education. Academic profile for the Class of 2006 includes: SATs: Verbal-655, Writing-671, Math-661; 28% honored by the National Merit Scholarship Program; 61% taking 5 or more AP’s and honored by the AP Scholars Program; 50% enrolled in AP math and/or science; 21% were recruited for college athletics.

Upper School Administration

Kathlyn L. Gray - Director of Upper School
Deanna W. Mayer - Dean of Students
Meredyth D. Patterson - Director of Student Activities
Kathy Shortelle - Director of Athletics
Lauren Shive - Registrar

Tuition

*Pre-K $15,000
*K-Grade 4 $17,250
*Grades 5-8 $20,000
*Grades 9-12 $22,350

Additional costs include uniforms, textbooks, after-school care (optional), and lunch (optional).

cholarships

Over $1.5 million in scholarships is distributed annually to 17% of the girls in K-12 who demonstrate financial need. Approximately 50% is dedicated to Upper School girls, 30% to Middle, and 20% to Lower. The average award is $12,000.

Transportation

Twenty school districts provide free bus transportation to Agnes Irwin. In addition, the school is located within a mile of the Villanova stations for the SEPTA Regional Rail R5 and the Norristown High Speed Line.

Extracurricular

Twelve varsity sports including basketball, crew, cross-country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, squash, swimming, tennis, volleyball. Performing arts include dance, drill team, choral and instrumental groups and dramatic and musical productions. Visual Arts include studio art, ceramics, photography and media arts. There is an active Community Service program and multiple clubs.

Accreditation and Associations

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools, National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, Cum Laude Society, Multicultural Resource Center, National Association of Independent Schools.

Notable Alumnae

*Caroline Furness Jayne, Ethnologist
* Adele Griffin, Author
* Stephanie Phillips, producer (i.e. The Today Show, Dateline NBC)
* Karen Hepp, News Anchor/Reporter
* Molly Swanton, American Author (see: Lynn Erickson)
* Kirah Miles, Women's Lacrosse (plays for the Maryland Terrapins)
* Laura Hugill, Actress (i.e. The Fashionista Diaries)
* Courtney (Allison) Allison-Horowitz, Educator (co-founder and Middle School Director of The Henry Street School for International Studies in New York City.)
* Connie Anne Phillips, Associate publisher of Vogue and publisher of Vogue Living
* Patricia (Peterson) McCurdy, Author (see: Patricia Tyson Stroud)
* Tory Burch, Fashion Designer and New York City Socialite

ummer Session at Agnes Irwin

Summer Session is a summer camp run by the Agnes Irwin School between June 11th and July 27, for boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 18. This camp offers both academic courses for credit and other various classes like art and sports. The art classes include ones on cartooning like "Comic Strip Workshop", taught by Dan Deslaurier, who is also an art teacher at [http://www.friends-select.org/ Friends Select] . There are also acting classes, such as: "Drama Making a Scene", for grades 6-12, taught by the local [http://www.renaissance-man.com/ "Renaissance Man”] Chris Davis. Kids can enroll for a full day, which is from 9 to 5:30, or they can enroll in each class individually. There is also an optional lunch program. Each class is taught by professional artists, instructors, or teachers.