The Storm King School campusThe annual faculty 'plunge' into the Hudson RiverStorm King's Lacrosse team winning the league championshipSpy Rock, one of six campus residencesStudents learning the art of printmakingStorm King's Model United Nations team ranks among the best in North East.Students conducting eel research during the spring semesterGirls' soccer program capturing the league titleStudent performances are held at the Walter Reade Jr. Theatre, with seating for 250 spectators.
The Storm King School (SKS) is an independent coeducational boarding and day school in the U.S. state of New York. Established in 1867, it is one of New York's oldest boarding schools. It is a college preparatory school for students in grades 8 to post-graduate, with an enrollment of 185 and 37 faculty living on or near campus through the year.
The Storm King School's students have been nominated to serve as pages at the United States Senate,[3] won prestigious scholarships with the United States Senate Youth Program,[4] appeared in the top 20 of the American Idol competition, and received athletic scholarships to NCAA programs throughout the nation.[5]
The school enrolls students from 27 countries. Seventy-five percent of students are boarding, and 25% are day students. Fifty-three percent are male and 47% female.
The school is accredited by the New York Association of Independent Schools,[6] and is a member of the New York State Association of Independent Schools, the National Association of Independent Schools,[7] the College Board,[8] and other education organizations.
A 15-member board of trustees governs the school.[9]
The school lies in the Hudson Valley between West Point and Newburgh. The nearby Storm King Art Center is an outdoor sculpture museum with work by world-class sculptors and artists.
History
The Storm King School began in 1867 as the Cornwall Heights School. Louis P. Ledoux,[10] a graduate of Amherst College and Union Theological Seminary, and a pastor of the Cornwall Presbyterian Church, founded the school after requests that he establish "a Christian school in the home of a Christian gentleman." Ledoux purchased Wood Farm on the northern slope of Storm King Mountain, where he prepared young men for New England colleges until 1872, when he sold his interest in the school to Oren S. Cobb.
Cobb was headmaster for 15 years until 1889, when the school was sold to Carlos H. Stone. During Stone's 29-year leadership, the school saw much growth, including increased enrollment and an enlarged physical plant. In 1914, the school was incorporated under New York State law and renamed the Stone School.
In 1923, during the tenure of headmaster Alvan P. Duerr, the school's name was changed to Storm King School. In 1928, the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York chartered SKS as a tax-exempt educational institution.
From 1932 to 1951, throughout the austere years of the Depression and World War II, SKS was led by headmaster Anson Barker and benefited from the patronage and participation of several prominent families who lived on the mountain, including the Abbotts, Ledouxs, Matthiesens, Partridges, Smidts and Stillmans.
Margaret Clark,[11] the school's first female teacher (primarily in art), retired in 1938 after over 40 years at SKS. Her design of the school's crest, initially created for the student publication The Echo, was later adopted as the school's official emblem.
During the 1950s and 1960s, the school saw considerable growth thanks in part to Stephen P. Duggan, an attorney and long-time member and chairman of the Board of Trustees who owned property adjacent to the school. He oversaw the rebuilding of SKS's then 44-acre campus, including construction of The Ogden Library (1958), Dyer Hall (1958), Highmount Dormitory (1958), Dempsey Dormitory (1959), Stillman Science Building (1960–61) and a new gymnasium (1963).
In 1967 the school celebrated its 100th anniversary. It was the culmination of a nearly decade-long modernization project championed by chairman Duggan and successive SKS headmasters Burke Boyce (1952–1956), Warren Leonard (1956–1966) and Frank Brogan (1966–1974). During centenary celebrations, ambassador-at-large Averell W. Harriman[12] dedicated the new Walter Orr Student Commons.
In April 1968, the campus's 100-year-old Main Building, known as "Old Main", was demolished to make way for a new dormitory. Residents of Old Main moved into the new McConnell Hall in the spring of 1968.
The school became coeducational in September 1970.
In 1981, Rients and Suzanne Van der Woude of Cornwall gave the school 70 acres of land on Storm King Mountain, just west of the campus. Van der Woude said the land was given in order "to preserve it forever and so that children can learn about nature and ecology, and respect for life and earth." The gift expanded SKS's campus to 125 acres.
The Van der Woude property was part of a historic 17-year dispute between New York utility Consolidated Edison and the Scenic Hudson Preservation Conference,[13] a group of concerned residents and citizens. In 1963, Con Ed planned a massive hydroelectric plant on Storm King Mountain which would have required cutting through the mountain and flooding the Black Rock Forest to create a reservoir. Due largely to opposition from the Preservation Conference, Con Ed's plan was abandoned and the suit settled in 1982.
In 1990, during the tenure of headmaster John H. Suitor, a roll-off shed observatory was built on campus to house a late-19th century refractor telescope, a gift from board member Robert Cobb, that was originally owned by Erard Mathiessan. It was eventually sold to finance the purchase of the school's current Parks Newtonian telescope. The observatory was designed and built by former SKS astronomy teacher and science writer Bob Berman.
Parks Newtonian telescope
Signature programs
The Capstone Project[14] is a voluntary, independent research project beginning in the spring of the junior year and completed in the fall of the senior year. It synthesizes learning from previously completed courses while focusing on the school's bedrock Skills and Knowledge for Success (S.K.S.). These 21st-century skills include strategic reading, writing, research, problem solving, technological proficiency, collaboration, and oral presentation skills. Students are guided through the process by a course instructor as well as experts, who are faculty or community mentors, with project-specific knowledge.
Domestic & International Travel complements the School's academic curriculum and community service program.[15]
The Storm King Cup[16] is awarded to a SKS student each year, during commencement, "to encourage high ideals, manly sport, tenacity of purpose, earnest behavior, fair play, and true chivalry."
Co-curricular activities
In addition to traditional academic courses and ESL, the Storm King School offers theater and visual arts, music, dance, sports, and various clubs and community service programs.
Arts
The Storm King School's arts program[17] includes Studio Art, Ceramics, Photography, Filmmaking, Fashion Design, Acting, Stagecraft, music, voice, and dance. Facilities include the 230-seat Walter Reade Jr. Theatre, the Allison Vladimir Art Center.
Spring sports: boys' and girls' lacrosse, boys' baseball, boys' and girls' tennis, mountain biking, Ultimate
Club sports: yoga, rock climbing, bowling, fitness
Residential life
About 70 percent of the school's students live on campus. A commuter rail station is a short drive away, and the Metro North train connects to Grand Central Terminal in less than one hour.
In 2019, the Storm King School enrolled students from 25 countries.
Mac Gayden (1958), country music star, best known as writer of the song "Everlasting Love"
Jack Hemingway (1941), writer, conservationist, son of Ernest Hemingway
Sammy Mejia (2003), professional basketball player, 2nd-round draft pick by the Detroit Pistons
David Parks (1969), photographer, film director, publicist and author
Wally Pfister (1979), Academy Award-winning cinematographer and director
Tom Price (1951), Olympic rower who competed for the U.S. at the 1952 Olympics
Walter Reade Jr. (1935), president of the Walter Reade Organization, movie theater owner/operators and film distributors; namesake of the school's theater
Burke Boyce (Headmaster 1952–1956), Olympic fencer, competed for the U.S. at the 1924 Olympics; an integral part of developing the school's fencing program, which continues to this day
Related Research Articles
Groton School is a private college-preparatory day and boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts. It is affiliated with the Episcopal tradition.
The Hotchkiss School is a private college-preparatory day and boarding school in Lakeville, Connecticut. Founded in 1891, it was one of the first English-style boarding schools in the United States and an early proponent of student financial aid, having accepted scholarship students since its inception.
Milton Academy is a co-educational, independent, and college-preparatory boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts, educating students in grades K–12. The Lower School educates day students and the Upper School educates a roughly even mixture of boarding and day students.
Appleby College is an international independent school located in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, founded in 1911 by John Guest, a former Headmaster of the Preparatory School at Upper Canada College. Guest dreamed of establishing a small boarding school in the country, and did so with the support and financial assistance of his father-in-law, Sir Byron Edmund Walker, a Canadian businessman. Today, Appleby is a co-educational day and boarding university-preparatory school, with a curriculum based around the liberal arts. It is situated on Lake Ontario in Oakville, Ontario, roughly 50 kilometres west of Toronto. Students are drawn primarily from Oakville, Burlington and Mississauga, but boarding students come from other parts of Canada and throughout all continents of the world.
Tabor Academy is an independent preparatory school located in Marion, Massachusetts, United States. Tabor is known for its marine science courses. Tabor's location on Sippican Harbor, Buzzards Bay, has earned it the name of "The School by the Sea" and the school continues to operate a 115-foot sail training vessel, the SSV Tabor Boy as a hallmark program of the school. Tabor participates in the Independent School League (ISL) and is a member of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council .
The Hill School is a coeducational preparatory boarding school located on a 200-acre (81 ha) campus in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about 35 miles (56 km) northwest of Philadelphia. The Hill is part of the Ten Schools Admission Organization.
Columbus Academy (CA) is a selective, independent college-preparatory school for students from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade. The school is located on a large, secluded campus surrounded by wooded areas in Gahanna, Ohio, in the United States, 8 miles from downtown Columbus. The academy was founded in 1911 by J. L. Hamill near Bexley, Ohio, and moved to its current campus in 1968. Originally an all-boys school, it became coeducational in 1991 when the board of trustees decided to admit girls. From its conception, the school expanded over time to a matriculation level of 1,000 students. Columbus Academy students and alumni often refer to the school as "Academy."
Cushing Academy is a private, coeducational college-preparatory school for boarding and day students in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, United States. It serves approximately 400 students in grades 9–12 and a postgraduate year.
The New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) is an association of 204 independent schools and organizations, ranging from nurseries to high schools, in New York State. Founded in 1947, NYSAIS is the second largest state association of independent schools in the United States. As of July 1, 2024 its member schools enrolled approximately 83,000 students. It was established "to protect independent schools from obstructive legislation and regulation". NYSAIS accredits member schools, provides professional development, and works with community leaders to support the needs and interests of independent schools throughout the state. NYSAIS is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) as well the International Council Advancing Independent School Accreditation (ICAISA).
Ridley College is a private boarding and day university-preparatory school located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, 20 miles (32 km) from Niagara Falls. The school confers the Ontario Secondary School Diploma and the International Baccalaureate diploma programme. Ridley is one of the oldest private schools in Canada, and has the largest boarding program in Ontario, with students representing over 55 countries.
Riverdale Country School is a co-educational, independent, college-preparatory day school in New York City serving pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. It is located on two campuses covering more than 27.5 acres (111,000 m2) in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, New York, United States. Started as a school for boys, Riverdale Country School became fully coeducational in 1972. It currently serves 1,140 students.
Hackley School is a private college preparatory school located in Tarrytown, New York, and is a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League. Founded in 1899 by a wealthy philanthropist, Frances Hackley, the school was intended to be a Unitarian alternative to Episcopal boarding schools. Since its founding, Hackley has dropped its Unitarian affiliations and changed from all-boys to coeducational.
Founded in 1952, Pinewood Preparatory School is an independent, co-educational, college-preparatory day school located in Summerville, South Carolina, United States. It is jointly accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It holds membership in the Palmetto Association of Independent Schools and the South Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (SCISAA).
Maplebrook School is a small boarding school in Amenia, New York, that serves adolescents and young adults with learning differences.
King's Academy is an independent, co-educational boarding and day school for students in grades 7 to 12 in Madaba-Manja, Jordan. It is named in honor of King Abdullah II of Jordan and seeks to fulfill His Majesty's vision of producing "a new generation of enlightened and creative minds."
St. Hilda's & St. Hugh's School is an independent, Episcopal day school in New York City. It is located in Morningside Heights on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The youngest students are beginners, and students graduate when they complete eighth grade.
South Kent School, a private all-boys boarding school in South Kent, Connecticut, United States, is located on a 650-acre (2.6 km2) campus in western Litchfield County. It is sited on Spooner Hill east of Bull's Bridge, overlooking the former Housatonic Valley rail-line, Hatch Pond, and the 'whistle-stop' South Kent station, and is itself overlooked by Bull Mountain.
The Harvey School is a co-educational, college preparatory school near Katonah, New York, for students in grades 6 through 12. It is located on a wooded, 125-acre campus and has an annual tuition (2024) of $52,680.
Bishop's College School or BCS is an English-language non-profit independent boarding prep school in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada for students in Grades 7 to 12. Founded in 1836, BCS is the fifth oldest private school in Canada. BCS has the highest endowment per student of any independent school in Canada. Seven BCS people have been named Rhodes Scholars. A royal charter was granted in 1853 from Queen Victoria for Bishop's College when BCS was the constituent junior division. The school was recognized as the "Eton of Canada" initially by the first Governor General of Canada, Lord Monck on a visit in 1864. It locates at the heart the historic Eastern Townships and near New England. The school is recognized as a Quebec cultural heritage site in the Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec.
Saint David's School is an independent primary and pre-primary school for boys on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City. The school educates boys from pre-kindergarten through to eighth grade. Saint David's was founded in 1951. The current headmaster is P. David O'Halloran.
↑ "Fox, Frederick". Who was who in the Theatre, 1912-1976: A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Directors, Playwrights, and Producers of the English-speaking Theatre, Volume 2. Gale Research Company. 1978. p.872. ISBN0-8103-0406-6.
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.
