The Cambridge School of Weston

Infobox Private School
background = #f0f6fa (standard color)
border = #ccd2d9 (standard color)
name = The Cambridge School of Weston


motto = "Truth and Gentle Deeds"
established = 1886 |
type = Private
religion = None
head = Jane Moulding
city = Weston
state = Massachusetts
country = USA
campus = Suburban, 65 acres
enrollment = 320 students
ratio = 6:1
year =
colors = Blue and yellow
mascot = Griffin
homepage = [http://www.csw.org/ www.csw.org]
ceeb =

The Cambridge School of Weston is a private, coeducational high school in Weston, Massachusetts.

The school's motto is "Truth and Gentle Deeds" (from Chaucer, "Truthe and Gentil Dedes".) Its mascot is the Griffin.

Currently the school has approximately 330 students, 25% of whom are boarding.

The current Head of School is Jane Moulding.

History

The school was founded in 1886 as The Cambridge School for Young Ladies in Cambridge, Massachusetts by Arthur Gilman, who had previously helped found Radcliffe College.

In 1918 The Cambridge School for Young Ladies merged with the Boston based Haskell School, and was renamed The Cambridge-Haskell School. Lebanese-born poet Kahlil Gibran, an intimate friend of headmistress Mary Haskell, designed a ring for her students depicting a flower growing in an open hand [ [http://www.csw.org/page/about/history/1886 The Cambridge School of Weston- About CSW- History- 1886-1918] ] .

In 1931 the school was moved 20 miles west to its present campus in Weston by headmaster John French, became coeducational, and was renamed a final time as The Cambridge School of Weston. A follower of educational reformer John Dewey, French put in place many of the progressive educational underpinnings that still guide the school today, such as a focus on the whole student, experiential learning, community involvement, and a low student-to-faculty ratio.

In 1939 the school implemented a form of community self-governance modeled after the traditional New England town meeting. Following Robert's Rules of Order, the entire school community, including students, meet to propose and debate school rules and policies, elect representatives to school committees, and decide on other relevant topics to the community. The Cambridge School Town Meeting continues to be an a central part of the school's community governance to the present day.

Academics

The school has gained recognition as a pioneer of the Module System, implemented in 1973 by then Head of School Bob Sandoe.

A form of block scheduling, the goal of the Module, or "Mod" System is to provide a framework to allow students to focus on fewer subjects more intensively during a given term. The academic year is divided into seven terms (knows as Modules) of five weeks apiece. A school day consists of four class blocks of either 75 or 90 minutes each, with some classes spanning for two consecutive blocks. Students take up to three academic and one extracurricular class per mod. Some classes, such as those in mathematics or a foreign language, continue for multiple mods.

Tuition

The Cambridge School of Weston's tution for the 2007-2008 school year is $32,500 for day (commuting) students and $43,250 for boarding students [ [http://www.csw.org/page/admissions/affording/tuition The Cambridge School of Weston- Admissions- Affording CSW- Tuition and Other Costs] ] . About 25% of students receive financial aid [ [http://www.csw.org/page/admissions/affording/aid The Cambridge School of Weston- Admissions- Affording CSW- Financial Aid Q & A] ] .

Current Events

The Cambridge School of Weston finished building a "Green" (environmentally stable) Science/Art building called the Garthwaite Center for Science and Art, with a dedication ceremony and day of environmental education events on October 20, 2007.

The building represents a large portion of the Changing Lives Capital Campaign slated for completion by the end of 2009.

Notable alumni

*Miguel Arteta
*Jonathan Bertman
*Ian Falconer
*Ellen Feiss
*Paul Michael Glaser
*Helen Keller Teacher [http://search.eb.com/women/article-9045008 Helen Keller reference] ]
*Susanna Kaysen
*Stephin Merritt
*David Mugar
*Douglas Preston
*Margaret Salinger
*Andrew Strominger
*Joe Sumner
*Nick Zinner
*Steve Mumford

References

External links

* [http://www.csw.org/ The Cambridge School of Weston website]
* [http://www.csw.org/alumni The Cambridge School of Weston ALUMNI website]
* [http://www.chi-athenaeum.org/archawards/2001/award2001-12.htm Picture of award winning Mugar Center for Performing Arts]