Beaver Country Day School
Encyclopedia
Beaver Country Day School is an independent, college preparatory day school for students in grades 6 through 12 founded in 1920. The school is located on a 17 acres (68,796.6 m²) campus in the village of Chestnut Hill
, in Brookline, Massachusetts
, USA, near Boston
. Beaver is a member of the Cum Laude Society
, the Independent Curriculum Group, and the National Association of Independent Schools
. Beaver is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
.
Beaver was incorporated as an elementary school and an all-girls' high school
in 1920 by a group of parents who were interested in progressive education and the Country Day School movement
.
The school took its name in Boston, where some of the founders had been involved with a school for younger children later referred to as "Little Beaver." In an amusing historical chain, it seems that Beaver Place was possibly named for the Beaver, one of the ships of the Boston Tea Party
; the ship—a Nantucket trading vessel owned by Joseph Rotch--was in turn named for the North American beaver
, the rodent whose pelt was valued in Europe as a source of felt for high-quality hats. Thus, the "how did the school get its name?" question has a convoluted answer.
Beaver's first head of school was Eugene Randolph Smith, a progressive educator and a follower of the educational reformer John Dewey
; Smith had previously been head of the Park School of Baltimore
. The school opened in a facility in Brookline
, and moved to the present Chestnut Hill campus in the mid 1920s. Crosby Hodgman succeeded Smith as headmaster in 1943 and led the school until 1967, when Donald Nickerson became head. Nickerson resigned in 1973 and was succeeded by Philip E. McCurdy. McCurdy's successor, Jerome B. Martin. led the school from 1985 until 1992, when the current head of school, Peter R. Hutton, took over.
From the 1930s into the early 1940s Beaver was part of the Eight-Year Study, an educational experiment to test the efficacy of progressive education. The school adopted coeducation
in 1971.
Beaver offers grades 6 through 12. Enrollment (2011–12) is 452 students, of whom 329 are in the upper school (grades 9–12) and about 123 are in the middle school (grades 6-8). Classes average about 15 students; one hundred percent of Beaver graduates go on to four-year colleges and universities. The school community is diverse, with students coming from over 70 towns in the metropolitan Boston area and speaking 20 languages besides English at home. About 25% of students and 25% of faculty are of color. 25% of students receive financial aid.
The college preparatory curriculum includes advanced courses in mathematics and the sciences as well as the opportunity to do honors-level work in all disciplines; in recent years an increasing number of students have elected to do independent study in pursuit of intellectual interests that fall outside the curriculum. Beaver also requires two full years of study in the visual and/or performing arts for graduation, and students must pursue an interscholastic sport or fitness activity each year as part of the afternoon program.
In 2010-11 Beaver introduced NuVu ("new view"), an educational program based on the design studio model. Students are taught within the framework of studio projects rather than traditional subjects. The program focuses on hands-on problem solving, encourages an inventive culture, promotes peer teaching and learning, and cultivates curiosity to explore. NuVu Studio was developed in partnership with PhD students and faculty from MIT, and the program takes place in Cambridge. Beaver students in grades 9-12 may choose to spend a full 11-week trimester in the NuVu program at MIT, in lieu of taking their regular classes at school that term. Each NuVu studio term focuses on a different theme.
Beaver is a leader in the use of emerging technology in the classroom. All students are required to bring laptop computers to school. Teachers have been trained to incorporate applications, such as blogs, social media, and wikis, into the curriculum to expand students' opportunities to create and share content. The school is also a national model for how to integrate social justice and multicultural/global perspectives into its curriculum through its Hiatt Center for Civic Engagement, created in 2006 in memory of Anne Hiatt '47.
The main classroom building, dating from the 1920s, has been continuously upgraded to meet curricular demands, and the science wing renovations to be completed in the late summer of 2011 will provide innovative, state-of-the-art learning spaces and collaboration areas based on the most modern principles of science and technology instruction. The arts program is largely housed in the three-story Visual and Performing Arts Center, opened in 2004.
A new Athletic Center, completed in 2007, consolidates athletics in one space with the addition of a second 24,700 s.f. gymnasium, a fitness and weight training room and additional locker rooms.
Beaver is a part of the Eastern Independent League and fields interscholastic teams in soccer, field hockey, golf, cross country, basketball, fencing
, volleyball, wrestling, baseball, softball, tennis, ultimate frisbee, and lacrosse. In winter of 2011-2012, Beaver will begin competing in girls' ice hockey.
Stand we now to hail thee, Beaver,
loyal and united.
By the guiding spirit may our hearts and
minds be lighted.
May we know through rightful living
And the light of friendship true:
Ours the right to claim the motto,
Mente et Manu.
Stand we now to hail thee, Beaver,
loyal and united!
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Chestnut Hill is a wealthy New England village located six miles west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Like all Massachusetts villages, Chestnut Hill is not an incorporated municipal entity, but unlike most of them, it encompasses parts of three separate municipalities, each of...
, in Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
, USA, near Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. Beaver is a member of the Cum Laude Society
Cum Laude Society
The Cum Laude Society is an organization that honors scholastic achievement at secondary institutions, similar to the Phi Beta Kappa Society, which honors scholastic achievements at the university level. It was founded in 1906 as the Alpha Delta Tau fraternity and changed its name in the 1950s...
, the Independent Curriculum Group, and the National Association of Independent Schools
National Association of Independent Schools
The National Association of Independent Schools is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1963, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boarding, and day/boarding schools; elementary and secondary...
. Beaver is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. is the U.S. regional accreditation association providing educational accreditation for all levels of education, from pre-kindergarten to the doctoral level, in the six-state New England region. It also provides accreditation for some...
.
History
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in 1920 by a group of parents who were interested in progressive education and the Country Day School movement
Country Day School movement
The Country Day School movement is a movement in progressive education that originated in the United States in the late 19th century.Country Day schools seek to recreate the educational rigor, atmosphere, camaraderie and character-building aspects of the best college prep boarding schools while...
.
The school took its name in Boston, where some of the founders had been involved with a school for younger children later referred to as "Little Beaver." In an amusing historical chain, it seems that Beaver Place was possibly named for the Beaver, one of the ships of the Boston Tea Party
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston, a town in the British colony of Massachusetts, against the British government and the monopolistic East India Company that controlled all the tea imported into the colonies...
; the ship—a Nantucket trading vessel owned by Joseph Rotch--was in turn named for the North American beaver
Beaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
, the rodent whose pelt was valued in Europe as a source of felt for high-quality hats. Thus, the "how did the school get its name?" question has a convoluted answer.
Beaver's first head of school was Eugene Randolph Smith, a progressive educator and a follower of the educational reformer John Dewey
John Dewey
John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey was an important early developer of the philosophy of pragmatism and one of the founders of functional psychology...
; Smith had previously been head of the Park School of Baltimore
Park School of Baltimore
The Park School of Baltimore is a private, co-educational K-12 school located in Brooklandville, Maryland, USA, just north of the city of Baltimore. The campus lies to the south of Old Court Road in Baltimore County...
. The school opened in a facility in Brookline
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
, and moved to the present Chestnut Hill campus in the mid 1920s. Crosby Hodgman succeeded Smith as headmaster in 1943 and led the school until 1967, when Donald Nickerson became head. Nickerson resigned in 1973 and was succeeded by Philip E. McCurdy. McCurdy's successor, Jerome B. Martin. led the school from 1985 until 1992, when the current head of school, Peter R. Hutton, took over.
From the 1930s into the early 1940s Beaver was part of the Eight-Year Study, an educational experiment to test the efficacy of progressive education. The school adopted coeducation
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
in 1971.
Students
Programs and facilities
In 2010-11 Beaver introduced NuVu ("new view"), an educational program based on the design studio model. Students are taught within the framework of studio projects rather than traditional subjects. The program focuses on hands-on problem solving, encourages an inventive culture, promotes peer teaching and learning, and cultivates curiosity to explore. NuVu Studio was developed in partnership with PhD students and faculty from MIT, and the program takes place in Cambridge. Beaver students in grades 9-12 may choose to spend a full 11-week trimester in the NuVu program at MIT, in lieu of taking their regular classes at school that term. Each NuVu studio term focuses on a different theme.
Beaver is a leader in the use of emerging technology in the classroom. All students are required to bring laptop computers to school. Teachers have been trained to incorporate applications, such as blogs, social media, and wikis, into the curriculum to expand students' opportunities to create and share content. The school is also a national model for how to integrate social justice and multicultural/global perspectives into its curriculum through its Hiatt Center for Civic Engagement, created in 2006 in memory of Anne Hiatt '47.
The main classroom building, dating from the 1920s, has been continuously upgraded to meet curricular demands, and the science wing renovations to be completed in the late summer of 2011 will provide innovative, state-of-the-art learning spaces and collaboration areas based on the most modern principles of science and technology instruction. The arts program is largely housed in the three-story Visual and Performing Arts Center, opened in 2004.
A new Athletic Center, completed in 2007, consolidates athletics in one space with the addition of a second 24,700 s.f. gymnasium, a fitness and weight training room and additional locker rooms.
Beaver is a part of the Eastern Independent League and fields interscholastic teams in soccer, field hockey, golf, cross country, basketball, fencing
High school fencing
Fencing at the high school level has varied in popularity. Fencing was once part of many schools' physical education curriculum, and many schools had clubs and would compete in inter-school tournaments. In the second half of the 20th century, fencing gradually faded from physical education...
, volleyball, wrestling, baseball, softball, tennis, ultimate frisbee, and lacrosse. In winter of 2011-2012, Beaver will begin competing in girls' ice hockey.
School song
Stand we now to hail thee, Beaver,
loyal and united.
By the guiding spirit may our hearts and
minds be lighted.
May we know through rightful living
And the light of friendship true:
Ours the right to claim the motto,
Mente et Manu.
Stand we now to hail thee, Beaver,
loyal and united!
Notable alumni
- Dr. Tenley AlbrightTenley AlbrightTenley Emma Albright, M.D. is an American figure skater. She is the 1956 Olympic champion in Ladies' Singles, 1952 Olympic silver medalist, the 1953 & 1955 World Champion, the 1953 & 1955 North American champion, and the 1952–1956 U.S...
, physician and winner of the 1956 Olympic Gold Medal in Ladies Figure Skating - Jane AlexanderJane AlexanderJane Alexander is an American actress, author, and former director of the National Endowment for the Arts. Although perhaps best known for playing the female lead in The Great White Hope on both stage and screen, Alexander has played a wide array of roles in both theater and film and has committed...
, stage and film actor and former chair of the National Endowment of the Arts - Eliza DushkuEliza DushkuEliza Patricia Dushku is an American actress known for her television roles, including recurring appearances as Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff series Angel. She starred in two Fox series, Tru Calling and Dollhouse...
, actress most noted for her roles as Faith in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and AngelAngelAngels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
and as Echo in DollhouseDollhouse (TV series)Dollhouse is an American science fiction television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon under Mutant Enemy Productions. It premiered on February 13, 2009, on the Fox network and was officially cancelled on November 11, 2009. The final episode aired on January 29, 2010... - Brad FalchukBrad FalchukBrad Falchuk is a television writer, director and producer. He is best known for his work on the television series Nip/Tuck, Glee, and American Horror Story.-Early life:...
, co-creator, executive producer, writer, and director of GleeGlee (TV series)Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
; writer on Nip\Tuck - Jeffrey FinnJeffrey FinnJeffrey Finn is a theatrical producer notable for his work on Broadway, national tours, and corporate entertainment.-Theatre:...
, Broadway producer, nominated for 2005 Tony Award for Best Revival of a PlayTony Award for Best Revival of a PlayThe Tony Award for Best Revival has only been awarded since 1994. Prior to that, plays and musicals were considered together for the Tony Award for Best Revival...
for On Golden Pond - Lucinda FranksLucinda FranksLucinda Franks is a former staff writer for The New York Times, and she has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, and The Atlantic...
, journalist and winner of a Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City... - Temple GrandinTemple GrandinTemple Grandin is an American doctor of animal science and professor at Colorado State University, bestselling author, and consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior...
, created humane cow slaughtering device. Also noted for overcoming the barriers of her autism. - Joyce Ballou GregorianJoyce Ballou GregorianJoyce Ballou Gregorian Hampshire was an American author, expert on Oriental rugs, and lover of Arabian horses.-Life:...
, 1963, author - Tammy GrimesTammy Grimes-Early life:Grimes was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, the daughter of Eola Willard , a naturalist and spiritualist, and Nicholas Luther Grimes, an innkeeper, country-club manager, and farmer. She attended high school at the then-all girls school, Beaver Country Day School, in Chestnut Hill,...
, stage and film actress who originated the title role in The Unsinkable Molly BrownThe Unsinkable Molly Brown (musical)The Unsinkable Molly Brown is a musical with music and lyrics by Meredith Willson and book by Richard Morris. The plot is a fictionalized account of the life of Margaret Brown, who survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic, and her wealthy miner-husband....
on BroadwayBroadway theatreBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City... - Fanny HoweFanny HoweFanny Howe is an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. She has written many novels in prose collection. Howe was awarded the 2009 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, presented annually by the Poetry Foundation to a living U.S...
and Susan HoweSusan HoweSusan Howe is a American poet, scholar, essayist and critic, who has been closely associated with the Language poets, among others poetry movements. Her work is often classified as Postmodern because it expands traditional notions of genre...
, poets and sisters - Jan MinerJan MinerJan Miner was an American actress best known for her iconic role as the manicurist Madge in a 27-year series of television commercials for Palmolive dish-washing detergent....
, stage actress who gained fame as Madge, the manicurist in PalmolivePalmolivePalmolive may refer to:* Palmolive , a brand of soap made by the Colgate-Palmolive company* Palmolive or Paloma Romero , Spanish-born drummer...
television ads - Meg RosoffMeg RosoffMeg Rosoff is an American author based in London since 1989. She is best known for her novel How I Live Now, which won 3 awards including the Guardian Award , Michael L. Printz Award , Branford Boase Award and was shortlisted for the 2004 Whitbread Awards. Her second novel, , won the prestigious ...
, novelist, young adult fiction, How I Live NowHow I Live NowHow I Live Now is a novel by Meg Rosoff, first published in 2004. The book won three notable awards including the Michael L. Printz Award and received generally positive reviews.-Plot summary:... - Matt SelmanMatt SelmanMatthew "Matt" Selman is an American writer and producer. Selman grew up in Massachusetts, attended the University of Pennsylvania and was editor-in-chief of student magazine 34th Street Magazine. After considering a career in journalism, he decided to try and became a television writer...
, writer and producer for The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie... - Wayne TurnerWayne TurnerWayne Keon Turner is an American professional basketball player. He played high school basketball at Beaver Country Day School in Brookline, Massachusetts...
, former University of KentuckyUniversity of KentuckyThe University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
basketball star and professional basketball player