Millbrook School
Encyclopedia
Millbrook School is a private, coeducational preparatory school located in Duchess County, New York
, USA. It is governed by a self-perpetuating Board of Trustees, and is accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools
and the Board of Regents of the State University of New York. Institutional memberships include the Cum Laude Society, the Secondary School Admission Test Board, the National Association of Independent Schools
, the New York State Association of Independent Schools
, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and A Better Chance. As of 2009, the school's endowment stood at approximately $20 million; relatively modest in comparison to other private schools in the region.
and Cambridge University
and he taught at both Groton School
and Avon Old Farms
as well as private schools in the United Kingdom. While at Avon, Pulling began to think of creating his own school. His philosophy for a school was heavily influenced by the traditional setting he experienced at Groton and in the UK as well as the progressive ideology that Avon possessed. After searching for suitable grounds to house the school-including an offer from then Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt
to build in Hyde Park, New York
- Pulling and his wife decided on the Stephenson farm just 5 miles (8 km) outside of Millbrook NY.
After the purchase of the property Pulling drafted his first board of trustees which included Endicott Peabody Sr., who was headmaster at Groton, and Henry Harkness Flagler, who became the first President of the Board of Trustees. With the generous support of the Flagler family and Pulling's father-in-law Russell Leffingwell the campus increased from the original farm buildings to include a vast majority of the current campus infrastructure.
The campus, which sits atop a small hill, looks down onto the playing fields and most of the school property that extends south. On Ski Hill, which is at the southern end of the property, is a forest canopy walkway for biology research and below is a wetlands preserve where regular and advanced biology classes go "marsh-mucking" every fall and spring.
Freshman Housing:
Prum Hall, 1934 - Xavier Prum Guest House, 1940 - Formerly a boarding house for visitors
Upperclassman Housing:
Harris Hall, 1931 - Henry F. Harris Clark Hall, 1939 - Rene and Peg Clark Case Hall, 1946 - Everett N. Case Abbott Hall, 1969 - Nathaniel B. Abbott Burton Hall, 1988 - John C. Burton
style game, Winter Weekend has slowly evolved into roughly fifteen different activities and events. While the specific activities change from year to year, typical competitions include: The College Bowl, pep rally scavenger hunt, dorm skit/video, and a snow sculpture competition. During this weekend, dorm participants traditionally don clothing in their respective dorm colors, and judges distribute points not only to the first, second, and third place holders of events, but also to dorms that display spirit, participation, and respect throughout the weekend. In the following week, the scores are tallied up, and the victor is announced.
Occasionally, astonishing results will be produced from the effort put in by a dorm to win Winter Weekend.
Case Hall had achieved first place every year since the start of the Winter Weekend tradition in the late 1980s, until the 2011 Weekend, in which Burton Hall took first place and became the first dorm to ever beat Case. Their victory came by just four points. The victory did not come without some controversy. For the first time in the weekend's history, all of the scoring information was not made public or announced to the student body and the scoring that was made public showed Case Hall ahead of Burton in points.
with a car full of caged animals and told him "These used to be my animals, tonight they became the Millbrook Zoo". With the help of students Trevor began construction of the Zoo across School Road on six acres (24,000 m²) that backed up against a large horse farm. In the early days the zoo was mostly local animals, but soon the occupants became more exotic. In 1973 Jonothan Meigs '65 arrived back on campus 6 years after Trevor retired. He began to expand the zoo, building new cages and collecting new animals. In the early 80s he was named Director of the Zoo. Since then the Trevor Zoo has gotten every stamp of approval from national agencies and in 1989 was accredited by the AZA
, which only 214 zoos have the distinction. There are now well over 100 species with exhibits separated by continents, all but Antarctica represented. There are currently over a dozen endangered species such as Red Wolves, White Naped Cranes, lemur
s, Red Panda
s and tamarin
s. The zoo participates in many rehabilitation and conservation programs locally, nationally and internationally. The staff is somewhat unusual with 5 full time faculty including an animal behavior expert, but most of the grunt work is performed by "zooies", students who choose to work at the zoo as their community service. Trevor Zoo mimics the practices of larger zoos by beginning students off feeding animals and cleaning cages. As their experience grows, a select few are promoted to curators to take charge of the younger "zooies". One head curator is also elected.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA. It is governed by a self-perpetuating Board of Trustees, and is accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools
New York State Association of Independent Schools
The New York State Association of Independent Schools , founded in 1947, is an association of some 180 independent schools, ranging from nursery to high schools. In 2005, its member schools had approximately 65,000 students...
and the Board of Regents of the State University of New York. Institutional memberships include the Cum Laude Society, the Secondary School Admission Test Board, 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...
, the New York State Association of Independent Schools
New York State Association of Independent Schools
The New York State Association of Independent Schools , founded in 1947, is an association of some 180 independent schools, ranging from nursery to high schools. In 2005, its member schools had approximately 65,000 students...
, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and A Better Chance. As of 2009, the school's endowment stood at approximately $20 million; relatively modest in comparison to other private schools in the region.
History
Millbrook School was founded in 1931 by Edward Pulling. Pulling was a graduate of both Princeton UniversityPrinceton 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....
and Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
and he taught at both 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...
and Avon Old Farms
Avon Old Farms
Avon Old Farms is a single-sex boarding school for boys located in Avon, Connecticut. It was founded by Theodate Pope Riddle, an RMS Lusitania survivor and a master architect. It opened in 1927 and closed for a period during World War II to serve as a convalescent hospital for blind veterans. The...
as well as private schools in the United Kingdom. While at Avon, Pulling began to think of creating his own school. His philosophy for a school was heavily influenced by the traditional setting he experienced at Groton and in the UK as well as the progressive ideology that Avon possessed. After searching for suitable grounds to house the school-including an offer from then Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
to build in Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park is a town located in the northwest part of Dutchess County, New York, United States, just north of the city of Poughkeepsie. The town is most famous for being the hometown of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt....
- Pulling and his wife decided on the Stephenson farm just 5 miles (8 km) outside of Millbrook NY.
After the purchase of the property Pulling drafted his first board of trustees which included Endicott Peabody Sr., who was headmaster at Groton, and Henry Harkness Flagler, who became the first President of the Board of Trustees. With the generous support of the Flagler family and Pulling's father-in-law Russell Leffingwell the campus increased from the original farm buildings to include a vast majority of the current campus infrastructure.
Campus
The Millbrook School campus is situated on 634 acres (2.6 km²) of woods, streams and farmland. The surrounding area is all farmland that is now protected from development, preserving the area's natural beauty. The campus proper is situated around West Quadrangle, which is the main academic quad. It is organized much like a New England green with the Flagler Memorial Chapel at the head. Schoolhouse, which is the main academic building and holds the Harkness Library, is the other main building on the west quad. Pulling Quad is the other major quad which is surrounded by the Prum Hall as well as the headmaster's residence and "The Barn" both of which are holdovers from the original farm. The newest quad is commanded by the brand new Holbrook Arts Center completed in 2001. Much of the campus has been renovated since the early 90's including a new 80,000 square foot (7,000 m²) Mills Athletic Center completed in 1997.The campus, which sits atop a small hill, looks down onto the playing fields and most of the school property that extends south. On Ski Hill, which is at the southern end of the property, is a forest canopy walkway for biology research and below is a wetlands preserve where regular and advanced biology classes go "marsh-mucking" every fall and spring.
Dormitories
There are currently seven boarding houses on the Millbrook School campus. Each dorm is separated by gender, and has a representative color.Freshman Housing:
Prum Hall, 1934 - Xavier Prum Guest House, 1940 - Formerly a boarding house for visitors
Upperclassman Housing:
Harris Hall, 1931 - Henry F. Harris Clark Hall, 1939 - Rene and Peg Clark Case Hall, 1946 - Everett N. Case Abbott Hall, 1969 - Nathaniel B. Abbott Burton Hall, 1988 - John C. Burton
School Mission and Community Service
While the campus has many traditional values what makes Millbrook unique is the progressive mission that the school embodies. The school motto is "Non Sibi Sed Cunctis" Latin for "Not for Ones Self but for All" and this is incorporated in every facet of school life, most notably in the Community Service Program. Edward Pulling wanted every student who attended Millbrook to contribute something to the maintenance and upkeep of the school as well as contributing something to the surrounding community. Originally functions performed by students included fire safety, running the post office, growing food, dishwashing, helping to maintain the zoo (zooies) and a variety of other duties to help the school. By the time WWII began Millbrook used its community service program to help the war effort. In the subsequent years the community service program has changed considerably to encompass a much larger variety of programs that are much more specialized. They run the gamut from tour guides to an outreach program to head waiters (in charge of the dishwashers) to peer counselors that help students deal with the stressful life of boarding school. Every student is required to participate in a community service all four years of their stay at Millbrook and many keep with the same service all four years.Winter Weekend
One weekend in late January, each dorm competes against one another in several events spanning over three days, beginning on Friday afternoon. Having started over two decades ago as simply The College Bowl, a Trivial PursuitTrivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit is a board game in which progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions. The game was created in 1979 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, by Canadian Chris Haney, a photo editor for Montreal's The Gazette and Scott Abbott, a sports...
style game, Winter Weekend has slowly evolved into roughly fifteen different activities and events. While the specific activities change from year to year, typical competitions include: The College Bowl, pep rally scavenger hunt, dorm skit/video, and a snow sculpture competition. During this weekend, dorm participants traditionally don clothing in their respective dorm colors, and judges distribute points not only to the first, second, and third place holders of events, but also to dorms that display spirit, participation, and respect throughout the weekend. In the following week, the scores are tallied up, and the victor is announced.
Occasionally, astonishing results will be produced from the effort put in by a dorm to win Winter Weekend.
- In the 2004 - 2005 school year, Case Hall constructed a fully functional hot tub out of ice for the snow sculpture competition. The ice blocks used to form the structure were molded from recycling bins, and insulation was provided by hay, towels, and tarps. A pump system siphoned water from the hot tub and circulated it through a heated radiator before returning it to the main tub at a temperature of 120°F.
- Case Hall's dorm video http://www.vimeo.com/2969817 for the 2008 - 2009 school year demonstrated an unprecedented level of attention to the event.
Case Hall had achieved first place every year since the start of the Winter Weekend tradition in the late 1980s, until the 2011 Weekend, in which Burton Hall took first place and became the first dorm to ever beat Case. Their victory came by just four points. The victory did not come without some controversy. For the first time in the weekend's history, all of the scoring information was not made public or announced to the student body and the scoring that was made public showed Case Hall ahead of Burton in points.
Empire Cup
The Empire Cup is a huge attraction for Millbrook Students. During the last week of February, after the conclusion of the regular season, Milbrook School and Trinity-Pawling school host the Empire Cup hockey tournament. The tournament consists of 8 teams in two divisions, with Millbrook and Trinity-Pawling hosting their own divisions. The tournament is single elimination format, the winners of game one in each division play each other - and the losers play each other as well. The winner of the second game advances to the finals. The finals take place at either Millbrook or TP, based on a yearly rotation. The students of Millbrook take great pride in this last sporting event of the Winter term, as most of the school shows up for each of the Mustangs' games because there is nothing else to attend; Millbrook is miles away from any form of civilization. Students paint faces, wear jerseys of players and bang drums. Loud chants of "You can't do that!" when the opposition gets a penalty echo of the walls of the Bontecou rink. Teams that have been frequent to the tournament in its 10 year history have been: Hill School, Lawrenceville, The Albany Academy, NJ Avalanche, Wyoming Seminary, and Portledge School. The 2007 Champions was the Lawrenceville school, who defeated the Mustangs in the final, 6-1.The Trevor Teaching Zoo
If there was one thing that separates Millbrook from any other secondary school in the country it is the Trevor Teaching Zoo. It was founded in 1936 by Frank Trevor, the schools famed first biology teacher. According to Pulling, Trevor pulled up to his house directly from Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
with a car full of caged animals and told him "These used to be my animals, tonight they became the Millbrook Zoo". With the help of students Trevor began construction of the Zoo across School Road on six acres (24,000 m²) that backed up against a large horse farm. In the early days the zoo was mostly local animals, but soon the occupants became more exotic. In 1973 Jonothan Meigs '65 arrived back on campus 6 years after Trevor retired. He began to expand the zoo, building new cages and collecting new animals. In the early 80s he was named Director of the Zoo. Since then the Trevor Zoo has gotten every stamp of approval from national agencies and in 1989 was accredited by the AZA
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums was founded in 1924 and is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation.The AZA headquarters is located in Silver...
, which only 214 zoos have the distinction. There are now well over 100 species with exhibits separated by continents, all but Antarctica represented. There are currently over a dozen endangered species such as Red Wolves, White Naped Cranes, lemur
Lemur
Lemurs are a clade of strepsirrhine primates endemic to the island of Madagascar. They are named after the lemures of Roman mythology due to the ghostly vocalizations, reflective eyes, and the nocturnal habits of some species...
s, Red Panda
Red Panda
The red panda , is a small arboreal mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It is the only species of the genus Ailurus. Slightly larger than a domestic cat, it has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs...
s and tamarin
Tamarin
The tamarins are squirrel-sized New World monkeys from the family Callitrichidae in the genus Saguinus. They are closely related to the lion tamarins in the genus Leontopithecus.- Range :...
s. The zoo participates in many rehabilitation and conservation programs locally, nationally and internationally. The staff is somewhat unusual with 5 full time faculty including an animal behavior expert, but most of the grunt work is performed by "zooies", students who choose to work at the zoo as their community service. Trevor Zoo mimics the practices of larger zoos by beginning students off feeding animals and cleaning cages. As their experience grows, a select few are promoted to curators to take charge of the younger "zooies". One head curator is also elected.
Alumni
Millbrook School enjoys an active alumni body, including such notables as:- James L. BuckleyJames L. BuckleyJames Lane Buckley is a retired judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and previously served as a United States Senator from the state of New York as a member of the Conservative Party of New York from January 3, 1971 to January 3, 1977...
1939 - Former U.S. Senator and Federal Judge - William F. Buckley, Jr.William F. Buckley, Jr.William Frank Buckley, Jr. was an American conservative author and commentator. He founded the political magazine National Review in 1955, hosted 1,429 episodes of the television show Firing Line from 1966 until 1999, and was a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. His writing was noted for...
1943 - Founder of The Tamarack & National ReviewNational ReviewNational Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
, Author of 55 books - Schuyler ChapinSchuyler ChapinSchuyler Garrison Chapin was an Assistant General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera and Commissioner of Cultural Affairs for New York City during the administration of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani...
, Commissioner of Cultural Affairs for New York City - Frederic C. HamiltonFrederic C. HamiltonFrederic C. Hamilton is the chairman of Hamilton Groups LLC, a loosely connected group of companies focused on oil production, real estate holdings and educational institutions....
, Businessman - Alistair HorneAlistair HorneSir Alistair Allan Horne is a British historian of modern France. He is the son of Sir James Horne and Lady Auriol Horne ....
1943 - Author of 20 books - Thomas LovejoyThomas LovejoyDr. Thomas Eugene Lovejoy III is chief biodiversity adviser to the president of the World Bank, senior adviser to the president of the United Nations Foundation, and president of the Heinz Center for Science,...
1959 - Former Director of the World Wildlife Fund and conservation biologist - John Case 1962 - Author of 5 books
- John Steele Gordon 1962 - Author of 7 books
- Jim PowellJim PowellJim Powell is Senior Fellow at a libertarian think tank, the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C., with which he has been associated since 1988. He has also done work for the Manhattan Institute, the Institute for Humane Studies, Citizens for a Sound Economy, the National Right to Work Committee and...
1962 - Author of 8 books - John DawsonJohn Dawson (musician)John Collins Dawson IV, nicknamed "Marmaduke" , was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the leader and co-founder of the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage.-Musical career:...
1963 - Musician, associate of the Grateful DeadGrateful DeadThe Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, co-founder of the New Riders of the Purple SageNew Riders of the Purple SageNew Riders of the Purple Sage is an American country rock band. The group emerged from the psychedelic rock scene in San Francisco, California in 1969, and its original lineup included several members of the Grateful Dead. Their best known song is "Panama Red"... - Nicholas KazanNicholas KazanNicholas Kazan is an American writer, producer and director. He is the son of director Elia Kazan and his first wife, playwright Mary Day Thacher Kazan. He married Robin Swicord, a writer, producer, actress, and director in 1984. His daughter is the actress Zoe Kazan.Kazan, also a noted...
1963 - Writer, Producer and/or Director of 12 movies - Robert Wood Johnson IVRobert Wood Johnson IVRobert Wood "Woody" Johnson IV is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is a great-grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I , and the owner of the New York Jets of the National Football League....
1965 - Chairman and CEO of The Johnson Company and owner of the New York JetsNew York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Dorian Dale 1968 - Energy Director of The Town of Babylon NY
- Whit StillmanWhit StillmanWhit Stillman is an American writer-director known for his sly depictions of the "urban haute bourgeoisie" Whit Stillman (born John Whitney Stillman on January 25, 1952) is an American writer-director known for his sly depictions of the "urban haute bourgeoisie" Whit Stillman (born John Whitney...
1969 - Writer-director - Frank Borges 1970 - Former TreasurerTreasurerA treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
of ConnecticutConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately... - Robert Francis Kennedy, Jr. 1972 - Environmental LawEnvironmental lawEnvironmental law is a complex and interlocking body of treaties, conventions, statutes, regulations, and common law that operates to regulate the interaction of humanity and the natural environment, toward the purpose of reducing the impacts of human activity...
Attorney - Lars Haaland 1986 - Underwriter
- Serena AltschulSerena AltschulSerena Altschul is an American broadcast journalist, well known for her work at MTV News. She is the daughter of author Siri von Reis and Arthur Altschul, a former partner at Goldman Sachs.-Career:...
1989 - Journalist - Rufus WainwrightRufus WainwrightRufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:...
1991 - Musician - Rachel UchitelRachel UchitelRachel Uchitel is an American nightclub manager, hostess, sports groupie and TV correspondent. She first encountered publicity when,...
1992 - TigerTiger WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
's Woman - David Guy LevyDavid Guy LevyDavid Guy Levy is President/CEO of Periscope Entertainment.In 2004, David Guy Levy founded Periscope Entertainment, a Los Angeles based company dedicated to discovering innovative and original material and developing it into a compelling and unprecedented cinematic experience...
1999 - Producer