Marin Academy
Encyclopedia
Marin Academy is a private
college preparatory high school
in San Rafael, California
. Located on the campus
that for decades housed the San Rafael Military Academy prior to its closure, MA was founded in 1971 with 16 faculty and a student body of 59.
Marin Academy is one of the most competitive private high schools in the Bay Area to gain acceptance to. In the 2007–2008 school year, Marin Academy accepted only one in five students who applied.
The cost of attendance at Marin Academy for the 2010–2011 school year is $33,360.
. The student body sustains many socially-conscious student organizations and has been active in politics in Marin. The school has conducted conferences and workshops on equality and social justice, and has a tradition of seniors delivering speeches to school assemblies.
Marin Academy is an academically focused school, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 9:1 and an average class size of 15. More than 67% of the faculty hold advanced degrees. More than 99% of Marin Academy graduates go on to attend a four-year college or university. Members of the graduating class of 2011 will be attending some of the most prestigious colleges in the United States
such as Harvard University
, Princeton University
, Brown University
, Stanford University
, Columbia University
, and MIT.
Travis Brownley, an educator who was the dean
of several prestigious institutions such as the Groton School
, was appointed the head of school in 2008 following the departure of the previous head of school, Bodie Brizendine, who had led the school for 12 years, and Dick Drew, who served as interim head of school.
(NCS).
Marin Academy won back-to-back North Coast Section championships in boys' soccer in 2000 and 2001, and is a regular contender for regional championships. Girls' varsity soccer won the BCL and placed second in the North Coast Section Championship, losing to the Branson High School 4-2, in 2002. In 2006, the boys' soccer team won their third NCS championship in a match against University High School
. Tied 1-1 through overtime, the NCS championship game was decided by penalty kicks, in which MA won 5-4. MA also defeated University in the BCL finals that year. In 2007, MA and University again matched up in the BCL and NCS championships, with UHS winning BCL and MA winning NCS 2-0. In 2008 MA and University were matched up once again in the BCL final and the Wildcats defeated the Devils 2-0. These 5 final matches have fueled a fierce rivalry between the two schools and have been known to attract the entire student body from both schools to matches specifically in the past at Kezar Stadium
.
Marin Academy's varsity soccer teams, of which the boys' was ranked as high as fourth in the country among schools of all sizes, are coached by Josh Kalkstein.
The girls' volleyball team won the state and NCS division V championships in 2004, after losing to University High School in both the NCS and Northern California championship games the year before.
Current athletics offered include:
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
college preparatory high school
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 San Rafael, California
San Rafael, California
San Rafael is a city and the county seat of Marin County, California, United States. The city is located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area...
. Located on the campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
that for decades housed the San Rafael Military Academy prior to its closure, MA was founded in 1971 with 16 faculty and a student body of 59.
Marin Academy is one of the most competitive private high schools in the Bay Area to gain acceptance to. In the 2007–2008 school year, Marin Academy accepted only one in five students who applied.
The cost of attendance at Marin Academy for the 2010–2011 school year is $33,360.
Curriculum
MA requires students to take two years of the fine arts program. In addition to classroom instruction, Marin Academy students undertake a number of non-traditional learning experiences such as minicourse, the Outings program and Vision QuestVision quest
A vision quest is a rite of passage in some Native American cultures.In many Native American groups, the vision quest is a turning point in life taken before puberty to find oneself and the intended spiritual and life direction. When an older child is ready, he or she will go on a personal,...
. The student body sustains many socially-conscious student organizations and has been active in politics in Marin. The school has conducted conferences and workshops on equality and social justice, and has a tradition of seniors delivering speeches to school assemblies.
Academics
Marin Academy has phased out all Advanced Placement classes with the exception of AP Environmental Science. Instead, a plethora of honors and advances courses are offered, which are said to contend with the rigor of traditional Advanced Placement classes.Marin Academy is an academically focused school, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 9:1 and an average class size of 15. More than 67% of the faculty hold advanced degrees. More than 99% of Marin Academy graduates go on to attend a four-year college or university. Members of the graduating class of 2011 will be attending some of the most prestigious colleges in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
such as Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, and MIT.
Travis Brownley, an educator who was the dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of several prestigious institutions such as the Groton School
Groton School
Groton School is a private, Episcopal, college preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts, U.S. It enrolls approximately 375 boys and girls, from the eighth through twelfth grades...
, was appointed the head of school in 2008 following the departure of the previous head of school, Bodie Brizendine, who had led the school for 12 years, and Dick Drew, who served as interim head of school.
Athletics
Marin Academy has developed a strong athletics program, highlighted by recent successes in boys' soccer and girls' volleyball. The school competes in The Bay Counties League (BCL) within the North Coast SectionNorth Coast Section
The North Coast Section is a part of the California Interscholastic Federation, governing the eastern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area, up along the northern coast of the state of California, from Fremont in the south to Crescent City in the north. It also governs the private schools in the...
(NCS).
Marin Academy won back-to-back North Coast Section championships in boys' soccer in 2000 and 2001, and is a regular contender for regional championships. Girls' varsity soccer won the BCL and placed second in the North Coast Section Championship, losing to the Branson High School 4-2, in 2002. In 2006, the boys' soccer team won their third NCS championship in a match against University High School
San Francisco University High School
San Francisco University High School is an academically focused, college preparatory, private high school located in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, California...
. Tied 1-1 through overtime, the NCS championship game was decided by penalty kicks, in which MA won 5-4. MA also defeated University in the BCL finals that year. In 2007, MA and University again matched up in the BCL and NCS championships, with UHS winning BCL and MA winning NCS 2-0. In 2008 MA and University were matched up once again in the BCL final and the Wildcats defeated the Devils 2-0. These 5 final matches have fueled a fierce rivalry between the two schools and have been known to attract the entire student body from both schools to matches specifically in the past at Kezar Stadium
Kezar Stadium
Kezar Stadium is a stadium located adjacent to Kezar Pavilion in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California. It is the former home of the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL, and of the San Francisco Dragons of MLL. It also served as the home of the...
.
Marin Academy's varsity soccer teams, of which the boys' was ranked as high as fourth in the country among schools of all sizes, are coached by Josh Kalkstein.
The girls' volleyball team won the state and NCS division V championships in 2004, after losing to University High School in both the NCS and Northern California championship games the year before.
Current athletics offered include:
Fall Sports
| Winter Sports
| Spring Sports
|
Notable alumni
The following people attended Marin Academy (the year shown is their year of graduation or, for non-graduates, the year that their class graduated):- Ruth ParasolRuth ParasolRuth Parasol founded PartyGaming in 1997, the parent company of online poker site PartyPoker.com, which floated on the London Stock Exchange in June 2005. In 2006, Parasol was ranked #197 on Forbes' 400 Richest Americans. Subsequently in 2007, she dropped off the Forbes' 400 Richest Americans...
('84) – co-founder PartyGamingPartyGamingbwin.Party Digital Entertainment Plc is an online gambling company, formed by the March 2011 merger of PartyGaming plc and bwin. The world's largest publicly traded online gambling firm, it is best known for its online poker room PartyPoker.com and its sports betting brand Bwin. It is... - Nancy JuvonenNancy JuvonenNancy Juvonen is an American film producer. She and Drew Barrymore own the production company Flower Films.- Early life :Juvonen is of Finnish ancestry...
('85) – co-founder Flower FilmsFlower FilmsFlower Films is a commercial film production company founded by Drew Barrymore in 1995 with Nancy Juvonen. Flower Films has produced ten movies and several television shows to date... - Carré OtisCarré OtisCarré Otis is an American model and actress.-Early life:Carré Otis was born in San Francisco, and raised in Marin County, California along with her older sister Chrisse and her younger brother Jordan...
('87) – actress and model - Michael Ferris Gibson ('89) - Producer, Director, Writer
- Dr. Danielle Kaplan ('89) – Entrepreneur, Inventor, Technologist, Cognitive Scientist, Professor, Researcher, Entertainer, Designer
- Peter Som ('89) – fashion designer
- Luke Esterkyn ('90), Greg Gueldner ('90), John McDermott ('90) – members of the band Stroke 9Stroke 9Stroke 9 is an alternative rock band that was formed in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1989.- History :The band formed due to a "Rock Band" class at Marin Academy in San Rafael, just north of San Francisco. In 1990, as a project, students Luke Esterkyn, Greg Gueldner, Tom Haddad and Kirsten...
- Peter Sinn Nachtrieb ('92) - Playwright and Actor.
- Christopher Ford ('99) – co-founder Waverly FilmsWaverly FilmsWaverly Films is a Brooklyn based group of filmmakers who met at NYU and are named after a nearby diner. The group is Duncan Skiles, Christopher Ford, Jeff Kaplan, Ben Dickinson, Jon Watts, Jake Schreier and Aaron Wesner...
- Alexandra McCullagh ('05) – Member of the San Francisco BalletSan Francisco BalletThe San Francisco Ballet is a ballet company, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, under the direction of Helgi Tomasson. SFB is the first professional ballet company in the United States...