The Shipley School

Infobox_School | name = The Shipley School


imagesize= 180px
motto="Fortiter in Re; Leniter in Modo"
"Courage for the deed; Grace for the doing"
established=1894
type= Coeducational Independent College Preparatory School
head of school= Steve Piltch
enrollment = 875
ratio = 8:1
colors = Blue and Green
mascot = Gator
location = 814 Yarrow Street,
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania 19010
information = [phone]
website = http://www.shipleyschool.org

The Shipley School is a coeducational, independent, college-preparatory day school with approximately 875 students in pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. Shipley is located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, 15 miles west of Philadelphia, and has a strong commitment to academics, athletics, the arts, and community service.

In September 2006, Shipley was named the number one coeducational school in the Philadelphia area and the number two school overall by "Philadelphia Magazine". cite web | title = Philadelphia Magazine: Top Schools 2006 | url = http://philly4.phillymag.com/images/uploads/pdf/0906school_chrt.pdf | accessdate = 2008-07-24]

History

In 1894, three sisters—Hannah, Elizabeth, and Katharine Shipley—founded Shipley to prepare girls for Bryn Mawr College, which is located directly across the street. The Shipley sisters were strong-minded, well-educated Quaker women and envisioned the school as far more than a mere finishing school. When the school opened with six students and nine faculty members, a philosophy of education was established that would guide the school for over a hundred years, up to the present time.

By the 1950s, Shipley had expanded its purpose and student body admitting approximately 350 students and sending its graduates to many traditional women's colleges. At this time, about half of all Upper School students were boarders hailing from all over the country and even from Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Shipley discontinued its boarding department and began to admit male students. The last boarders graduated in 1982, and by 1984 the school was fully coeducational with equal numbers of girls and boys. [cite web | title = The Shipley School: History | url = http://www.shipleyschool.org/whohist.html | accessdate = 2008-07-24]

Mission

As quoted from the school's website, Shipley's mission is:

The Shipley School, a prekindergarten - 12 coeducational day school, is committed to educational excellence and dedicated to developing in each student a love of learning and a compassionate participation in the world. Through a strong college preparatory curriculum in the humanities and sciences, the school encourages curiosity, creativity, and respect for intellectual effort. Shipley upholds and promotes moral integrity, a sense of personal achievement and worth, and concern for others at school and in the larger community. [cite web | title = The Shipley School: Mission | url = http://www.shipleyschool.org/mission/index.html | accessdate = 2008-07-24]

chool Structure

Lower School

The Lower School enrolls about 300 students in pre-Kindergarten through fifth grade with an average class size of 16 students. Teachers are often aided by a full-time teaching assistant, providing a student-to-teacher ratio of seven-to-one. In recent years the Lower School has added a character development component to its curriculum, designed to encourage and instill compassionate, respectful and principled behavior. The lower school also offers:
*An after-school program from three to six in the afternoon
*Private music lessons
*A drama club for fourth and fifth grade students [cite web | title = The Shipley School: About Lower School | url = http://www.shipleyschool.org/aboutls.html | accessdate = 2008-07-25] cite web | title = The Shipley School: Stats at a Glance | url = http://www.shipleyschool.org/who_E8A0C46B45A34323B1AE792BFF8166EB.htm | accessdate = 2008-07-25]

Middle School

The Middle School has about 210 students in grades six through eight. The average class size is 17 students. Students enroll in math, history, science, English, and foreign language (French, Latin, or Spanish) courses. Students also complete coursework in computer literacy, studio art, theater, and music. In seventh grade, the curriculum includes the "Generations Project," a several-week-long program during which students research their heritage. Every spring the Middle School puts on a musical.

Athletics change significantly during Middle School. In sixth grade, students have the option to participate in a physical education program or in an intra-school athletic league. In seventh and eighth grades, students are encouraged to join sports teams which compete against area schools. Middle School interscholastic boys' sports include soccer, cross-country, basketball, squash, swimming, baseball, tennis, and lacrosse. Girls' sports include soccer, field hockey, tennis, volleyball, basketball, swimming, softball, and lacrosse. For many sports, students are subdivided into multiple teams based on ability. [cite web | title = The Shipley School: About Middle School | url = http://www.shipleyschool.org/msabout.html | accessdate = 2008-07-25]

Upper School

The Upper School enrolls about 300 students in the ninth through twelfth grades. The average class size is 16 students. In most courses, students can choose to take the class at either a standard or honors level. Prior to the 2009-2010 academic year, Shipley offered Advanced Placement courses in most subjects. Like many other independent schools, Shipley has discontinued its Advanced Placement program to increase curricular latitude.

While in Upper School, students must take four English courses, three math courses, three courses in the same foreign language, two history courses, and two science courses. Every year, students must enroll in five of these "major courses," each of which meets daily. Students may also take major courses in computer science, studio art, music theory, philosophy, art history, economics, or humanities. During Junior year, students can elect to take an interdisciplinary American Studies course, which fulfills both a history and English requirement. Additionally, "minor courses," which meet once or twice a week, are required in computer literacy, music, art, and health. Minor courses in film and theater are also offered. [cite web | title = The Shipley School: Course Offerings Booklet | url = http://shipleyschool.org/pdf/course_description07-08.pdf | accessdate = 2008-07-25]

Every Upper School student is required complete a minimum of forty hours of community service in order to graduate. During the last several weeks of senior year, students, in lieu of taking classes, volunteer with an area service organization of their choice.

College counseling is available to every senior and second semester junior. Students take a "minor course" taught by the college counseling office during their senior fall. [cite web | title = The Shipley School: About Upper School | url = http://www.shipleyschool.org/upperschool/index.html | accessdate = 2008-07-25]

tudent Life

Athletics

Since the 2005-2006 school year, Shipley has competed in the Friends School League, which was founded in 1982 on the principles of the Religious Society of Friends. Abington Friends School, The Academy of the New Church, Friends' Central School, Friends Select School, George School, Germantown Friends School, Moorestown Friends School, and the Westtown School are the other eight members of the conference. Prior to the 2005-2006 school year, Shipley's girls competed in the Inter-Academic League and its boys in the Keystone Conference. Joining the Friends School League was largely motivated by the school's desire to have both its male and female students belong to the same conference. [cite web | title = The Shipley School: The Friends School League | url = http://www.shipleyschool.org/ath_about_95E51EE9C58546B284D96C98350AB281.htm | accessdate = 2008-07-26] [cite web | title = Friends School League: Home | url = http://www.friendsschoolsleague.org/ | accessdate = 2008-07-26]

Upper School students can choose from about 15 sports, most of which are offered at the varsity and junior varsity levels. Boys and girls compete on separate teams in the following sports: crew, soccer, cross country, tennis, basketball, squash, and lacrosse. The golf and swimming teams are co-ed. Additionally, there is a boys baseball team and girls softball, field hockey, and volleyball teams. Less athletically inclined students, who do not participate in at least two sports per year, are required to take physical education courses. [cite web | title = The Shipley School: JV and Varsity Teams | url = http://www.shipleyschool.org/ath_teams.html | accessdate = 2008-07-26]

Shipley's colors are green and blue, and its mascot is the gator. In recent years, the gym's student section has been dubbed "the swamp," the alligator's natural habitat.

The Arts

Lower School students perform in plays throughout the year and sing in the chorus. Lower School students are also encouraged to participate in the advanced chorus, recorder ensemble, orchestra, and string ensemble.

In Middle School, in addition to the chorus, the school offers handbell choirs, a wind ensemble, and a string ensemble. The Middle School puts on a musical every spring.

In Upper School, while students are not required to perform, there are many more offerings in music and theater. Vocal groups include an Upper School chorus, a male a cappella group (the Madriguys), and a female a cappella group (the Madrigals). Additionally, the Upper School has a Philharmonic orchestra, string ensemble, jazz band, handbell choir, and flute ensemble. [cite web | title = The Shipley School: Music Arts | url = http://www.shipleyschool.org/artsmus.html | accessdate = 2008-07-26] [cite web | title = The Shipley School: Theater Arts | url = http://www.shipleyschool.org/theaterarts/index.html | accessdate = 2008-07-26]

Upper School students can choose from a number of theater offerings. Traditionally, the theater department puts on a series of one act plays in the fall and a musical in the spring. The Shakespeare Program, started in 2002, presents a selection of Shakespeare scenes in the fall semester and a full Shakespeare play in the spring semester, generally staged outdoors. [cite web | title = The Shipley School: Fall Plays | url = http://www.shipleyschool.org/5F4FFDFDDC184305B74AEF6D550DF2A7.htm | accessdate = 2008-07-26] [cite web | title = The Shipley School: Shakespeare Plays | url = http://www.shipleyschool.org/385F7C360A9041F48730C39FE5D7C2B3.htm | accessdate = 2008-07-26]

Extra-Curricular Activities

Shipley students participate many different clubs, activities, and publications. An incomplete list is included below.
*Student Council
*Sprouts, a horticultural club which participates annually in the Philadelphia Flower Show [cite web | title = The Shipley School News: Sprouts Excel at the Philadelphia Flower Show" | url = http://www.shipleyschool.org/index_6D716416857E4A55B8B93A1D6D5A3168.htm | accessdate = 2008-07-26]
*Model United Nations Club, which sends a delegation to several Model United Nations conferences each year
*Yearbook Club
*"The Compass", the school's literary and visual arts publication
*"The Beacon", the student newspaper [cite web | title = The Shipley School: Student Publications | url = http://www.shipleyschool.org/stubeacon.html | accessdate = 2008-07-26]
*Yehipls, an improvisational comedy troupe
*The Lorax, an environmental advocacy group
* Green Gators, enviornmental club, last year's runner up in the Lexus Eco-Challenge

School Profile

*Over the last five years, 22% of Shipley graduates receive formal recognition from the National Merit Scholarship Program [cite web | title = The Shipley School: About | url = http://www.shipleyschool.org/who.html | accessdate = 2008-07-26]
*Average SAT scores: 658 verbal; 658 math (as of September 2006)
**Of all Philadelphia area schools, Shipley has the second highest combined SAT score
*From 2004-2007, approximately 14% of Shipley graduates have matriculated into Ivy League Colleges. [cite web | title = The Shipley School: College and University Matriculation | url = http://www.shipleyschool.org/stu5yrcoll.html | accessdate = 2008-07-25]
*The school has 107 full- and part-time faculty members; the student-to-faculty ratio is eight-to-one [cite web | title = The Shipley School: About Shipley Faculty | url = http://www.shipleyschool.org/who_355A0865806811D5914000D0B7694FD5.htm | accessdate = 2008-07-26]
*Male-to-female ratio: 51-to-49
*Minority students as a percent of the overall student body: 15%
*Tuition average by division, 2007-2008
**Lower School: $20,676
**Middle School: $24,200
**Upper School: $26,500
*Percent of students receiving financial aid: 22%

External links

[http://www.shipleyschool.org The Shipley School Official Website]

References

Navbox
name = Friends School League
title = Friends School League
titlestyle = background:#7D95B9;
list1 =

Members
Abington Friends School • The Academy of the New Church • Friends Central School • Friends Select School • George School • Germantown Friends School • Moorestown Friends School • The Shipley School • Westtown School