Bryn Mawr School, founded in 1885 as the first college-preparatory school for girls in the United States, is an independent, nonsectarian all-girls school for grades PK-12, with a coed preschool.[1] Bryn Mawr School is located in the Roland Park section of Baltimore, Maryland.
In 2023–2024, Bryn Mawr School had 147 faculty members and 712 students.[2] Boys are admitted into the pre-school division, known as the Little School. Students from Bryn Mawr's brother school are allowed to take classes in the Upper School.[citation needed]
Each student in the Middle and Upper School is assigned an Advisor in their division who serves as their representative to the school. Advisory groups meet together throughout the week for discussions and celebrations, and work together on a variety of charitable and service projects.[3]
History
The Bryn Mawr School for Girls of Baltimore City was founded in 1885 by five Baltimore women, M. Carey Thomas, Mary Elizabeth Garrett, Mamie Gwinn, Bessie King, and Julia Rogers, collectively known as the "Friday Evening" Group.[4] The group's aim was to provide an education for girls equivalent to that available to boys. In an 1883 letter to James E. Rhoads, who was the first president of the Bryn Mawr College, M. Carey Thomas shared her concern for how they would find young women prepared for the unprecedented rigorous standards of the new college: "The absence of the regularly organized preparatory schools that exist for boys greatly embarrasses a girl who means to enter college."[5]
The school had a predominantly educated female faculty, and a curriculum that required Latin and French, German and Greek, laboratory sciences, history, literature, advanced mathematics, elocution and art. Students would undergo examinations with the supervision of university professors and had to pass the entrance exam for Bryn Mawr College in order to graduate.[6]
Mary Elizabeth Garrett, who became the wealthiest “spinster woman” in the country after the death of her father John Work Garrett, was the main benefactor.[citation needed] She was often onsite during the construction of the school building in downtown Baltimore from 1888 to 1890, which featured an indoor swimming pool with cold “needle baths,” a gymnasium with a suspended track, and the Sargent School of Boston, as well as a full-time physician to oversee athletic and posture programs. Upstairs were scientific laboratories, an art room, and a library. The study hall bore a copy of the Parthenon Frieze and copies of European and American statuary and artwork throughout the building for the girls to study and draw. A model of the building was made for the Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago and numerous articles about it appeared in newspapers across the country.[citation needed] The school was seen as a move forward for women's education reaching far beyond Baltimore and Pennsylvania.[7]
After a series of Secretaries who managed the daily running of the school, the Board of Managers brought Edith Hamilton from her doctoral studies in Europe to be the first Headmistress. Edith guided the school from 1896 to 1922.
As the city became more congested and families moved out to the country, there was an urgent need to move the school. The 26-acre (110,000m2) property known as The Orchards was purchased in 1928 from the Gordon family north of the city line, and the school spent several years acquiring the funds to gradually move out of its home downtown and into renovated and new buildings in the country. Over the years buildings have been added as needed. The same stone that had been used to build the Gatehouse in the 19th century was found at the Butler quarry in Baltimore County and was used in the construction of Garrett (1931), Hamilton (1953), and the North Building (2007). Other structures built of complementary materials include Howell (1969) which houses the Upper School and the Edith Hamilton Library, Hardy (1969) for science and math, the Cafeteria (1948), Katherine Van Bibber Gymnasium (1959), the Lower School complex designed by Marcel Breuer (1972), Centennial Hall (1987), the Barbara Landis Chase Dance Studio (1992), the Lower School Science building (1996), the Admissions Cottage (1997), and a variety of small outbuildings and additions.
Academics
Coordination of classes with the adjacent boys' school at Gilman School and girls' school at Roland Park Country School at the Upper School level offers Bryn Mawr students a variety of electives and the opportunity for coeducational classes. These coordinated classes are concentrated in the junior and senior years.
Many students take two years of Latin and three years of either French or Spanish in Middle School. They often continue one or both in the Upper School and have the option of following a double language track. Offerings in other foreign languages including Chinese, Arabic, Russian, and Greek begin in the ninth grade and are usually coordinated with Gilman and Roland Park.
Graduation Requirements: Arts and fine arts (art, music, dance, drama), introduction to computer science, English, a foreign language, history, mathematics, physical education (includes health), public speaking, science, 50 hours of community service, and a convocation speech.[8]
Athletics
On November 25, 1901, Bryn Mawr and St. Timothy's School began what is thought to be the longest continuous girls' high school basketball rivalry in the country, with a silver cup dedicated to the game passed between the schools. The game was played nine on nine on a court divided into three sections, with groups of three in each section. The uniforms were high-collared white blouses over long corduroy skirts, black stockings and white athletic shoes. The game was played outdoors without a backboard, on a dirt field which would be covered with straw to absorb dampness if necessary. The headmistresses of both schools agreed to a list of rules and conditions, which included prohibiting male spectators (with the exception of William Marston, the Headmaster of Marston School who officiated the game) and guaranteed that none of the girls' names would be published in the newspapers. The game was moved inside in 1928 as interest in field hockey as an outdoor fall sport grew. In December 2011, the two schools played a game in the old-fashioned clothes and rules to commemorate the first game played between the two schools.[9][10][11]
In 1926 Rosabelle Sinclair established the first American women's lacrosse team at The Bryn Mawr School, bringing the Native American game to the United States from St Leonards School in Scotland (where it had arrived from Canada).[12] In 1992 she was the first woman inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.[13] The first game was held against Friends School of Baltimore. Since 1999, Bryn Mawr has shared Norris Field with the Mount Washington Lacrosse Club, one of the most successful amateur lacrosse teams in history.[14]
The athletics program today provides a wide range of offerings for competitive play including cross country, track, volleyball, basketball, softball, crew, squash, ice hockey, swimming, and dance.
In 2010, the Bryn Mawr Ice Hockey team won their first championship, defeating Holton Arms. The varsity soccer team won three back-to-back IAAM championships in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Like many of the other private schools in Baltimore, Bryn Mawr has a brother and sister school. Bryn Mawr's brother school is Gilman, located across the street. Bryn Mawr's sister school (as well as rival school) is the Roland Park Country School (RPCS). The three schools coordinate Upper School classes so that students may attend a wider variety of classes and so that they may interact with their peers at other schools. Twice an academic year, once in the fall and once in the spring, RPCS and Bryn Mawr hold Spirit Weeks, during which the two schools play games against each other in sports such as field hockey and lacrosse. During the school days of these weeks, students wear costumes in addition to the uniform skirt.
Traditions
Founders Day: On a day in late September/early October, the entire school gathers in the morning in the Graduation Garden to celebrate the founding of the School in 1885. Faculty and staff awards are presented for recognition of outstanding service to the community.
Bazaar: The Bazaar, begun in 1948 by the Parent's Association, is held on the first Saturday of May and includes activities for all the members of the school community including games, rides, and markets.
Gym Drill: After the Bazaar, the Bryn Mawr community gathers at the upper athletic field for Gym Drill. The Middle and Upper School perform an all-school dance and school exercises which have been performed since 1904, followed by each class in the Middle and Upper Schools performing an ethnic dance. In addition, the seniors perform a dance that they have choreographed. Reunion alumnae classes join in the Banner March in which the Gym Drill captain in each class passes down her banner to mark the completion of the year. The Fifth Grade marches onto the field at the end to receive their first banner, marking the end of their Lower School days.
Bell Ringing: The day before senior projects, each senior rings the bell in the 1992 Belltower with another Bryn Mawr student of her choice (or multiple students).
Class Day: The day before senior graduation, Grades 7–12 gather for a ceremony to mark the end of the school year.
This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations.(October 2018)
Mary Elizabeth Garrett, Bryn Mawr School founder, whose philanthropy was also fundamental in the support of Bryn Mawr College and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine[19]
Millicent Carey McIntosh, Class of 1916, headmistress of the Brearley School for 17 years and the first married female president of a Seven Sisters College, serving at Barnard College from 1947 to 1962.[20][21]
Ida Martha Metcalf, the second American woman to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics
↑ Hamilton, Andrea (2004). A vision for girls: gender, education, and the Bryn Mawr School. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN9780801878800. OCLC52895565.
↑ Marjorie Housepian Dobkin, ed., The Making of a Feminist: Early Journals and Letters of M. Carey Thomas; Kent State University Press, Kent, Ohio; 1979.
↑ Elizabeth Pokempner, '"Unusual Qualifications": Teachers at the Bryn Mawr School, 1885–1901" in Maryland Historical Magazine, Vol. 93, Issue 1 (Spring 1998), Baltimore, MD; pp. 77–87.
↑ Unpublished letters, The Bryn Mawr School Papers of the M. Carey Thomas Collection, Bryn Mawr School Archives, Baltimore, MD.
This does not include institutions in Baltimore County, only Baltimore City. For colleges/universities elsewhere in the metropolitan area, see this template.
Bryn Mawr College is a private women's liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Founded as a Quaker institution in 1885, Bryn Mawr is one of the Seven Sister colleges, a group of historically women's colleges in the United States. The college has an enrollment of about 1,350 undergraduate students and 450 graduate students. It was the first women's college to offer graduate education through a PhD.
Edith Hamilton was an American educator and internationally known author who was one of the most renowned classicists of her era in the United States. A graduate of Bryn Mawr College, she also studied in Germany at the University of Leipzig and the University of Munich. Hamilton began her career as an educator and head of the Bryn Mawr School, a private college preparatory school for girls in Baltimore, Maryland; however, Hamilton is best known for her essays and best-selling books on ancient Greek and Roman civilizations.
Martha Carey Thomas was an American educator, suffragist, and linguist. She was the second president of Bryn Mawr College, a women's liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
Alice Hamilton was an American physician, research scientist, and author. She was a leading expert in the field of occupational health, laid the foundation for health and safety protections, and a pioneer in the field of industrial toxicology.
Gilman School is an all-boys independent school located in the Roland Park neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. There are three school divisions: Lower School, grades pre-kindergarten through five; Middle School, grades six through eight; and Upper School, grades nine through twelve. Founded in 1897 as the Country School for Boys, it was the first country day school in the US. It is named for Daniel Coit Gilman, the first president of Johns Hopkins University and an early supporter of efforts by Anne Galbraith Carey to form an all-boys day school.
Roland Park Country School (RPCS) is an independent all-girls college preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It serves girls from kindergarten through grade 12. It is located on Roland Avenue in the northern area of Baltimore called Roland Park. An August 2010 Baltimore magazine article cites RPCS as the "best school for tomorrow’s leaders."
Chapin School is an all-girls independent day school in New York City's Upper East Side neighborhood in Manhattan.
Mount Washington is an area of northwest Baltimore, Maryland. It is a designated city historic district and divided into two sections: South Road/Sulgrave to the southeast and Dixon's Hill to the north. The Mount Washington Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990 with a boundary increase in 2001, with five contributing buildings and four contributing structures.
Dame Louisa Innes Lumsden was a Scottish pioneer of female education. Lumsden was one of the first five students Hitchen College, later Girton College, Cambridge in 1869 and one of the first three women to pass the Tripos exam in 1873. She returned as the first female resident and tutor to Girton in 1873.
Sacred Heart Academy Bryn Mawr, commonly referred to as, SHA or Sacred Heart, is a highly selective, independent, private, Roman Catholic school for girls. As an independent Catholic school in suburban Philadelphia, it comes under the spiritual guidance of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Sacred Heart is located on the Main Line in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and consists of a Lower, Middle, and Upper School with approximately 232 in enrollment. The school is a member of the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools.
Mary Elizabeth Garrett was an American suffragist and philanthropist. She was the youngest child and only daughter of John W. Garrett, a philanthropist and president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
The Baldwin School is a private school for girls in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1888 by Florence Baldwin.
Rosabelle Sinclair, known as the affectionately as the "Grand Dame of Lacrosse", established the first women's lacrosse team in the United States. She was the first woman to be inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
Lacrosse in Scotland is primarily played by women and is nationally governed by Lacrosse Scotland.
Millicent Carey McIntosh was an educational administrator and American feminist who led the Brearley School (1930–1947), and most prominently Barnard College (1947–1962). The first married woman to head one of the Seven Sisters, she was "considered a national role model for generations of young women who wanted to combine career and family," advocating for working mothers and for child care as a dignified profession.
The Bryn Mawr College Deanery was the campus residence of the first Dean and second President of Bryn Mawr College, Martha Carey Thomas, who maintained a home there from 1885 to 1933. Under the direction of Thomas, the Deanery was greatly enlarged and lavishly decorated for entertaining the college's important guests, students, and alumnae, as well as Thomas’ own immediate family and friends. From its origins as a modest five room Victorian cottage, the Deanery grew into a sprawling forty-six room mansion which included design features from several notable 19th and 20th century artists. The interior was elaborately decorated with the assistance of the American artist Lockwood de Forest and Louis Comfort Tiffany, de Forest's partner in the design firm Tiffany & de Forest, supplied a number of light fixtures of Tiffany glass. De Forest's design of the Deanery's so-called 'Blue Room' is particularly important as it is often considered one of the best American examples of an Aesthetic Movement interior, alongside the Peacock Room by James Abbott McNeill Whistler. In addition, John Charles Olmsted, of the Olmsted Brothers landscape design firm, designed a garden adjacent to the Deanery, which also contained imported works of art from Syria, China, and Italy. The Deanery's beauty and rich history established the Deanery as a cherished space on campus and an icon of Bryn Mawr College.
Mary Mackall "Mamie" Gwinn Hodder was an American educator. She taught at Bryn Mawr College, and was one of the founders of the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore. Her relationships with M. Carey Thomas and Alfred Hodder were fictionalized in Gertrude Stein's short novel Fernhurst (1905).
Margaret Hamilton was an educator and headmistress at Bryn Mawr School, Maryland, United States.
Clara Landsberg was an American educator. She was the leader of the adult education programme at Hull House, and was a close collaborator of Nobel laureate Jane Addams. She later taught at Bryn Mawr School with her lifelong friend Margaret Hamilton.
Janet Howell Clark was an American physiologist and biophysicist.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
