Hamden Hall Country Day School

Hamden Hall Country Day School is a coeducational private day school in Hamden, Connecticut, running from Pre-K through Grade 12. Hamden Hall was founded in 1912 as an elementary day school for boys by Dr. John P. Cushing, its first Headmaster. Hamden Hall has been coeducational since 1927 and expanded to students through Grade 12 in 1934. Now divided into three separate schools, Hamden Hall enrolls the majority of its nearly 600 students in the Upper and Middle Schools (Grades 7-12) and the remainder in the Lower School (Pre-K through Grade 6).

Hamden Hall's current mission is "To challenge students to develop a strong sense of personal integrity and social responsibility while preparing them for demanding programs at the collegiate level."

Tuition ('08-'09 school year) ranges from $13,000 in Pre-Kindergarten to $26,450 in Grades 7-12. Hamden Hall awards financial aid to approximately 30 percent of its student body, based on need.

Hamden Hall is acredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges as well as holding membership in the National Association of Independent Schools and the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools.

The school

The school year, from early September to early June, is divided into two semesters, with Thanksgiving, winter, and spring recesses and observances of several national and religious holidays. Parent-teacher conferences are held in November and April, or more often if needed. Written progress reports are issued four times a year, with interim reports sent home in the middle of each marking period for those students requiring intervention in their academic performance.

Most classes are held five days a week from 8:10 a.m. to 2:35 p.m. Periods are 45 minutes long, and extra-help sessions are incorporated into the schedule.

The Lower School (Grades Pre-K through 6)

This curriculum emphasizes reading and writing, comprehension, and critical thinking as well as the mastery of problem-solving and computational skills in mathematics. The introduction of laboratory sciences enables children to observe, experiment, research, and discuss scientific theories and concepts. Understanding other cultures from a global perspective is the focus of the social studies program, which utilizes regular field trips, guest lecturers, and group projects to reinforce classroom instruction. Specialists teach music, fine arts, computer activities, and physical education. Latin is taught in Grades 5-6. An Extended-Day program provides after-school enrichment for students in Pre-Kindergarten-Grade 6.

The Middle School (Grades 7 through 8)

The Middle School program is specially structured for students making the transition from childhood to adolescence. The curriculum builds on the skills acquired in the early grades, combined with new challenges and techniques designed to maximize learning. English classes emphasize classical authors while providing students with opportunities to produce their own creative and expository essays. In mathematics, basic computational skills lead to the mastery of problem solving and a preview of algebraic concepts. Life science and physical science studies offer an overview of scientific vocabulary, concepts, and methods of investigation. French, Spanish, or Latin and participation in studio arts, music, and theater are required. Beginning in Grade 7, students work with a faculty advisor who meets with them regularly.

The Upper School (Grades 9 through 12)

Students in the Upper School carry 4 to 6 courses each semester, with the vast majority of students carrying 5 or 5.5 courses. To graduate, they must complete 19 credits as follows: 4 credits of English; 2.5 credits of history, including U.S. History; 3 credits of foreign language; at least 3 credits of mathematics through the junior year, including Geometry and Algebra II; 2 credits of science, including Biology and a physical science; 1 credit of fine arts; and at least 3.5 credits made up of electives or any of the above. Students must also demonstrate proficiency in computers.

The Upper School divides these required credits into four types of classes, based on academic proficiency required to succeed in the class: Skills (the lowest level), General, Honors, and Advanced Placement. Typically, math and science courses are offered in general and honors levels, with APs available for students who have exhausted the Honors curriculum, and skills courses of other types available, usually in science, for those students who have lesser ability.

Among the required and elective courses in the Upper School are English 9-12, including American Literature, British Fiction, Modern Poetry, and Shakespeare as well as general English 9 and English 10 courses, and AP English options for seniors; Constitutional Law, History of Art and Architecture, History of Islam, U.S. History, with an AP option, Western Civilization 1 & 2, and Vietnam; Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, all with honors and AP options, Astronomy, Electronics, Geology, Meteorology and Oceanography, and Zoology; French I-V, Latin I-IV, Spanish I-V, all with honors and AP options; Algebra 1 & 2, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, and Trigonometry, all with honors options, as well as Advanced Placement Calculus AB/BC. With the approval of the Academic Dean, students may undertake independent study projects.

Faculty

*Eighty-five full and part-time teachers
*Three quarters of the faculty hold advanced degrees
*Student / faculty ratio: 7 to 1
*Average class size: 13

The campus

Hamden Hall's main campus is located on 12 acres in Hamden, Connecticut, overlooking Lake Whitney.

Only one original building still remains from the 1912 founding: originally classrooms, it is now the teacher lounge and administrative offices. The building was renovated in 1964.The current campus consists of 8 major buildings.

Swain Center contains the Ellen and Charles Swain library, with a collection of more than 25,000 volumes and a new, multiuser computer lab with internet connections and electronic encyclopedias. Swain Center also contains several classrooms, the student lounge, and several faculty offices.

The Schiavone Science Center, physically linked to the Taylor Fine Arts Center, houses 4 regular classrooms and 4 full laboratories, along with a second multiuser computer facility for students and faculty alike. In addition, the Lender Refectory, housing the school's dining hall and many special events, is housed in the lower floors of Schiavone.

The aforementioned Taylor Fine Arts Center houses a fully-equipped theatre suitable for seating up to 300, a video production and editing room, as well as complete backstage facilities and an art gallery. The lower floors contain music practice rooms and equipment, as well as student lockers and 2 classrooms. Regular Upper School assemblies are held in the theatre twice a week.

The Dolven Admissions Center sits adjacent to Schiavone, and contains a full art studio, with digital art equipment and a clay studio, on its upper floors. The remainder of the building contains administrative and college counseling offices and an art gallery.

Whitson Hall is the main classroom building of the school, containing 15 Upper and Middle school classrooms along with several faculty offices on its upper floors. The lower floors contain 6 Lower School classrooms, along with a small audiovisual and computer lab dedicated to the Lower School.

Connected directly to Whitson Hall, Taylor Gymnasium contains a combined basketball/volleyball court, as well as wrestling and weight training facilities, the athletic trainer's office, and sports lockers. Full-school assemblies are held in the gymnasium on occasion.

Situated in the rear of the campus, Ethyle R. Alpert Building provides several more Lower School classrooms, as well as a Lower School playground and extended-day program facilities.

Athletics

Athletics are a major part of Hamden Hall's student culture; all students are required to participate in athletics.

In the Lower School, intramural teams and/or general physical education activities are participated in by all students. Generally, the younger the students, the more "fun" and less competitive the activities are. Moving closer to the final year of the Lower School, some exceptional students may even participate on Middle School interscholastic teams.

In the Middle School, all students participate in either interscholastic or non-competitive athletic teams or activities, with the majority choosing the former. Athletics in the Middle School are run on a trimester system: all students must participate in athletics all three trimesters of the year. Many exceptional Middle School athletes participate on Upper School Varsity teams, with some even beginning this participation in the first year of Middle School.

In the Upper School, the trimester system is again used. Now, however, students are mandated to participate in only two trimesters per year of school, with mandatory participation in the Fall trimester. All freshmen must participate in at least one team sport, the idea behind this being that team sports in the first year of school will help build class unity for the remaining years of school. Despite the requirement of only two trimesters, many students participate in athletics all three trimesters, often competing on teams only two trimesters and doing general athletic training for the remaining trimester. Conversely, some students who have major extracurricular commitments, such as theatre, or the senior editors of the school Yearbook, are exempt from the two trimester requirement, and instead participate in only one athletic season.

In the Middle and Upper Schools, interscholastic varsity teams are formed in football, soccer, wrestling, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, and tennis for boys; and field hockey, soccer, basketball, lacrosse, tennis, softball, and volleyball for girls. Cross-country, golf, and swimming squads are coeducational. Non-competitive athletics include weightlifting, yoga, pilates, and Outdoors club. Additionally, several students participate in independent athletics for credit: in the past, these have ranged from martial arts to dancing. This upcoming 2006-2007 year, Hamden Hall is starting a hockey team. This will not be competitive, but will start out as a club.

Most Hamden Hall athletic teams compete under the umbrella of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council [ [http://www.nepsac.org/] Homepage of NEPSAC.] , with some competing in specific leagues such as the Fairchester League. Hamden Hall is most famous for its Boys Basketball team, winning 8 Fairchester League titles and producing such players as former star Yale University guard Casey Hughes. Many other Hamden Hall teams are extremely competitive as well; in particular, the Varsity Baseball team has produced many highly regarded prospects such as current Tulane University pitcher Josh Zeid and has won several Fairchester league titles.

Hamden Hall maintains two off-campus athletic facilities: a small, soccer sized field directly adjacent to the main campus, and a 30 acre athletic complex convert|1.5|mi|km from campus. The latter contains some of the most highly regarded playing surfaces in the state, with fields/facilities for all outdoor athletics. Indoor facilities at this complex are lacking, although current school plans call for a 10 million dollar athletic complex to be completed in the next 5 years, with indoor facilities, lockers, and other amenities. As well as these off-campus facilities, a basketball/volleyball court, wrestling ring, and weight room are maintained on campus in the Taylor Gymnasium.

Alumni

Notable alumni include:
* Doctor Benjamin Spock, author of the child-rearing guide "Baby and Child Care"
* Jay Lender, writer and director of the animated TV series SpongeBob SquarePants
* Ross Gregory Douthat, author of "Privilege : Harvard and the Education of the Ruling Class"
* Deborah Gruen, a U.S. Paralympic Bronze Medalist, current student at Yale University

External links

* [http://www.hamdenhall.org/ Hamden Hall website]

References