Northfield Mount Hermon
Encyclopedia
Northfield Mount Hermon School, commonly referred to as NMH, is a co-educational independent boarding high school
for students in grades 9–12. The school is located on the banks of the Connecticut River
, adjacent to the towns of Northfield
and Gill
, Massachusetts
, United States
.
NMH is a member of the Eight Schools Association
, established in 1973 comprising Choate Rosemary Hall
(known as Choate), Deerfield Academy
, Hotchkiss School
, Lawrenceville School
, Phillips Academy
(known as Andover), Phillips Exeter Academy
(known as Exeter), and St. Paul's School
.
The school was originally founded by famed Protestant evangelist Dwight Lyman Moody as two separate institutions: Northfield Seminary for Young Ladies in 1879, and Mount Hermon School for Boys in 1881. Moody envisaged both these schools as parts of his dream to provide the best possible education for less privileged people. Indeed, even, in their infancy, Moody’s schools matriculated students whose parents were slaves, Native Americans, and from outside the US—something that was unimaginable in many elite private schools at that time.
Moody located the girls' school in Northfield, Massachusetts
, the town of his birth, and the boys' school several miles away in the town of Gill. After the schools merged in 1971, both campuses remained in use until the Northfield campus was closed in 2005. Moody's birthplace and burial place are both located on the Northfield campus.
In Moody's view, Christian religious education was an essential part of the objective of his schools. However, under subsequent administrations, the schools became more theologically liberal and ultimately became nonsectarian and ceased evangelization of students. (This change put them at odds with other Moody institutions such as Moody Bible Institute
in Chicago). Spiritual life continued to be an important part of the schools, but religious services ceased to be compulsory and students were no longer instructed in Christian doctrine.
In 1934, reformist headmaster Elliot Speer was murdered by a shotgun blast through his study window. The crime was never solved. The book Murder at Mount Hermon: The Unsolved Killing of Headmaster Elliott Speer by Mount Hermon alumnus Craig Walley proposes a possible solution.
In 1944, Howard Lane Rubendall, a graduate of Dickinson College
and Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
assumed the presidency of the Northfield Schools, which included both Headmaster of Mount Hermon School for Boys and President of Northfield School for Girls. He came from First Presbyterian Church, Albany, New York, and continued at the Northfield Schools until 1961.
In the 1970s and 1980s, many U.S. private secondary schools that had previously offered single-sex education either became coeducational unilaterally or merged with other schools to become coeducational. In what was then a controversial decision, Northfield Seminary and Mount Hermon School merged to become a single coeducational institution in 1971. The settlement at NMH of mutually accepted terms was a contrast to the takeover of Abbot Academy by its neighbor, Phillips Academy. The schools had been run for many years by a single board of trustees with a similar mission and vision. The new school was dubbed Northfield Mount Hermon School. Both original campuses were retained at that time, a frequent bus schedule to connect the two campuses (five miles apart) was added but students were (and still are) segregated by sex at the dormitory level.
The school operated on two campuses up until the end of the 2004-05 school year, but consolidated all students and classes onto its Mount Hermon campus when the school's board of trustees decided that students would best benefit educationally and socially in a smaller, more close-knit community. Most influential in the Board's decision were the capital resources required to maintain operation on two campuses.
In December 2009, the Northfield campus was sold to David Green, CEO and founder of Hobby Lobby
, on behalf of the C.S. Lewis Foundation which plans to found the eponymous C.S. Lewis College on the campus.
The sale involved the core campus only. The school retained ownership of the Moody legacy sites: Round Top (Dwight L. and Emma Moody's burial site), the Birthplace, and the Homestead. Also retained are the golf course, the East Northfield Water Company, and over a thousand acres (4 km²) of the Northfield Ridge. Although The Auditorium was part of the sale, the school brokered an agreement to continue to hold its annual Concert of Sacred Music there annually.
In 1976, a history of Northfield and Mount Hermon entitled So Much to Learn was written by Burnham Carter to commemorate the school's 100th anniversary. A second history of the school entitled Lift Thine Eyes was released in October 2010 to commemorate the school's 130th anniversary.
The percentage of international students at NMH is above the average of many elite private schools, at 20 per cent compared to perhaps 10 per cent at other institutions. (The 2006-07 handbook lists about 120 students with non-US addresses, more than three-fourths of them from East Asia.) In many cases, international students make a connection with the school through family members who also attended NMH. Earlier in the school's history, some international students were evangelized by Moody or his affiliated denominations and religious missions in the 19th century.
In 2004, the trustees of Northfield Mount Hermon School decided to close the Northfield campus and to consolidate the school as of September 2005 with a smaller coeducational student body on the Mount Hermon campus. This decision has been controversial. Before consolidation, the school had about 1,100 students enrolled per year; enrollment has now settled to slightly above 600 students.
In May 2006, it was announced that David Bolger '50 would donate $10 million in securities to the school. It is the largest gift in the school's history. In addition to his $10 million gift, in October 2006, it was announced that David Bolger will donate another $2.5 million to fund a new admissions building. In June 2006 it was announced that William R. Rhodes
'53 had donated $5 million as the lead gift for a new $29 million arts center. The arts center, opened in the fall of 2008, is named Rhodes Center for the Arts in honor of Rhodes and his father Edward, class of 1916.
NMH has, during the late 20th century, been viewed as informal, tolerant, and progressive. The students at NMH have in the past been described as more culturally or politically liberal than students at other New England private college preparatory schools, although one of its strengths is its richness of diversity and its students' acceptance of differing points of view.
compose the Eight Schools Athletic Council, which organizes sports events and tournaments among ESA schools.
NMH sports programs include:
Fall Season
Winter Season
Spring Season
(*) -- Denotes Co-ed teams
(|) -- Denotes separate, male or female teams
Girls' Dormitories
," which featured NMH's Select Women's Ensemble.
Donated in part by William R. Rhodes
, the Rhodes Arts Center houses all of the arts programs at NMH as of the 2008 summer term. The Arts center is fondly referred to as "The RAC" across campus.
is referred to in the Bible as one of Joshua's conquests: "Thus Joshua took all this land: the mountain country, all the South, all the land of Goshen, the lowland, and the Jordan plain--the mountains of Israel and its lowlands, from Mount Halak and the ascent to Seir, even as far as Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon." (Joshua 11:16-17).
D.L. Moody's aspirations for a young men's school are expressed in Psalm 133, from which he chose the name "Mount Hermon": "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore." (Psalm 133:1-3)
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
for students in grades 9–12. The school is located on the banks of the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
, adjacent to the towns of Northfield
Northfield, Massachusetts
Northfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,951 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area...
and Gill
Gill, Massachusetts
Gill is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, USA. The population was 1,363 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
NMH is a member of the Eight Schools Association
Eight Schools Association
The Eight Schools Association is a group of leading private college-preparatory schools in the United States, begun informally during the 1973-74 school year and formalized in 2006 with the appointment of a president and an executive director...
, established in 1973 comprising Choate Rosemary Hall
Choate Rosemary Hall
Choate Rosemary Hall is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school located in Wallingford, Connecticut...
(known as Choate), Deerfield Academy
Deerfield Academy
Deerfield Academy is an independent, coeducational boarding school in Deerfield, Massachusetts, United States. It is a four-year college-preparatory school with approximately 600 students and about 100 faculty, all of whom live on or near campus....
, Hotchkiss School
Hotchkiss School
The Hotchkiss School is an independent, coeducational American college preparatory boarding school located in Lakeville, Connecticut. Founded in 1891, the school enrolls students in grades 9 through 12 and a small number of postgraduates...
, Lawrenceville School
Lawrenceville School
The Lawrenceville School is a coeducational, independent preparatory boarding school for grades 9–12 located on in the historic community of Lawrenceville, in Lawrence Township, New Jersey, U.S., five miles southwest of Princeton....
, Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
(known as Andover), Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy is a private secondary school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.Exeter is noted for its application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking...
(known as Exeter), and St. Paul's School
St. Paul's School (Concord, New Hampshire)
St. Paul's School is a highly selective college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school in Concord, New Hampshire affiliated with the Episcopal Church. The school is one of only six remaining 100% residential boarding schools in the U.S. The New Hampshire campus currently serves 533 students,...
.
History
Moody located the girls' school in Northfield, Massachusetts
Northfield, Massachusetts
Northfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,951 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, the town of his birth, and the boys' school several miles away in the town of Gill. After the schools merged in 1971, both campuses remained in use until the Northfield campus was closed in 2005. Moody's birthplace and burial place are both located on the Northfield campus.
In Moody's view, Christian religious education was an essential part of the objective of his schools. However, under subsequent administrations, the schools became more theologically liberal and ultimately became nonsectarian and ceased evangelization of students. (This change put them at odds with other Moody institutions such as Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute is a Christian institution of higher education and related ministries that was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Since its founding, MBI's main campus has been located in the Near North Side of Chicago. MBI's primary ministries are education,...
in Chicago). Spiritual life continued to be an important part of the schools, but religious services ceased to be compulsory and students were no longer instructed in Christian doctrine.
In 1934, reformist headmaster Elliot Speer was murdered by a shotgun blast through his study window. The crime was never solved. The book Murder at Mount Hermon: The Unsolved Killing of Headmaster Elliott Speer by Mount Hermon alumnus Craig Walley proposes a possible solution.
In 1944, Howard Lane Rubendall, a graduate of Dickinson College
Dickinson College
Dickinson College is a private, residential liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Originally established as a Grammar School in 1773, Dickinson was chartered September 9, 1783, five days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, making it the first college to be founded in the newly...
and Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
assumed the presidency of the Northfield Schools, which included both Headmaster of Mount Hermon School for Boys and President of Northfield School for Girls. He came from First Presbyterian Church, Albany, New York, and continued at the Northfield Schools until 1961.
In the 1970s and 1980s, many U.S. private secondary schools that had previously offered single-sex education either became coeducational unilaterally or merged with other schools to become coeducational. In what was then a controversial decision, Northfield Seminary and Mount Hermon School merged to become a single coeducational institution in 1971. The settlement at NMH of mutually accepted terms was a contrast to the takeover of Abbot Academy by its neighbor, Phillips Academy. The schools had been run for many years by a single board of trustees with a similar mission and vision. The new school was dubbed Northfield Mount Hermon School. Both original campuses were retained at that time, a frequent bus schedule to connect the two campuses (five miles apart) was added but students were (and still are) segregated by sex at the dormitory level.
The school operated on two campuses up until the end of the 2004-05 school year, but consolidated all students and classes onto its Mount Hermon campus when the school's board of trustees decided that students would best benefit educationally and socially in a smaller, more close-knit community. Most influential in the Board's decision were the capital resources required to maintain operation on two campuses.
In December 2009, the Northfield campus was sold to David Green, CEO and founder of Hobby Lobby
Hobby Lobby
Hobby Lobby is a privately held retail chain of arts and crafts stores based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and is formally called Hobby Lobby Creative Centers.Founded by David Green on August 3, 1972, the chain has more than 456 stores in 39 states...
, on behalf of the C.S. Lewis Foundation which plans to found the eponymous C.S. Lewis College on the campus.
The sale involved the core campus only. The school retained ownership of the Moody legacy sites: Round Top (Dwight L. and Emma Moody's burial site), the Birthplace, and the Homestead. Also retained are the golf course, the East Northfield Water Company, and over a thousand acres (4 km²) of the Northfield Ridge. Although The Auditorium was part of the sale, the school brokered an agreement to continue to hold its annual Concert of Sacred Music there annually.
In 1976, a history of Northfield and Mount Hermon entitled So Much to Learn was written by Burnham Carter to commemorate the school's 100th anniversary. A second history of the school entitled Lift Thine Eyes was released in October 2010 to commemorate the school's 130th anniversary.
Northfield Mount Hermon today
All students are required to participate in the school's work program. The school's handbook states, "The work program is a tradition that dates back to the school's beginning and allows students to know the dignity of labor. The program creates a sense of investment in the welfare of the school and a unique community spirit." Student jobs include washing dishes, shelving books in the library, and making maple syrup on the farm. Some students' work duties include editing the school newspaper, performing residential leadership duties, presiding over computer labs, or printing photographs.The percentage of international students at NMH is above the average of many elite private schools, at 20 per cent compared to perhaps 10 per cent at other institutions. (The 2006-07 handbook lists about 120 students with non-US addresses, more than three-fourths of them from East Asia.) In many cases, international students make a connection with the school through family members who also attended NMH. Earlier in the school's history, some international students were evangelized by Moody or his affiliated denominations and religious missions in the 19th century.
In 2004, the trustees of Northfield Mount Hermon School decided to close the Northfield campus and to consolidate the school as of September 2005 with a smaller coeducational student body on the Mount Hermon campus. This decision has been controversial. Before consolidation, the school had about 1,100 students enrolled per year; enrollment has now settled to slightly above 600 students.
In May 2006, it was announced that David Bolger '50 would donate $10 million in securities to the school. It is the largest gift in the school's history. In addition to his $10 million gift, in October 2006, it was announced that David Bolger will donate another $2.5 million to fund a new admissions building. In June 2006 it was announced that William R. Rhodes
William R. Rhodes
William R. "Bill" Rhodes is the Senior Vice Chairman of Citi. and the Chairman of Citigroup and Citibank.He is also Chairman of the Board of both the Americas Society and its affiliate, the Council of the Americas, which were originally founded by David Rockefeller in 1965, and is a board member of...
'53 had donated $5 million as the lead gift for a new $29 million arts center. The arts center, opened in the fall of 2008, is named Rhodes Center for the Arts in honor of Rhodes and his father Edward, class of 1916.
NMH has, during the late 20th century, been viewed as informal, tolerant, and progressive. The students at NMH have in the past been described as more culturally or politically liberal than students at other New England private college preparatory schools, although one of its strengths is its richness of diversity and its students' acceptance of differing points of view.
Athletics
The athletic directors of NMH and the other members of the Eight Schools AssociationEight Schools Association
The Eight Schools Association is a group of leading private college-preparatory schools in the United States, begun informally during the 1973-74 school year and formalized in 2006 with the appointment of a president and an executive director...
compose the Eight Schools Athletic Council, which organizes sports events and tournaments among ESA schools.
NMH sports programs include:
Fall Season
- Regatta (|)
- Cross-Country (|)
- Girls Field Hockey
- Football
- Soccer (|) ['06, '10, New England Champions]
- Boy's Waterpolo
- Dance (*)
- Girl's Volleyball (|)
- Outdoor Team (*)
Winter Season
- Alpine Skiing (|)
- Nordic Skiing (I)
- Swimming (|)
- Basketball (|)
- Ice Hockey (|)
- Wrestling ['08, '10,' 11, New England Champions]
- Dance (*)
Spring Season
- Baseball
- Crew (|)
- Golf (*)
- Lacrosse (|)
- Softball
- Tennis (|)
- Track (|) ['07, New England Champions]
- Girls' Waterpolo
- Ultimate Frisbee(|) ['07, '08 New England Champions]
- Boy's Volleyball(|) ['05, '08 New England Champions]
- Dance (*)
- Outdoor Team (*)
(*) -- Denotes Co-ed teams
(|) -- Denotes separate, male or female teams
Dormitories
Boys' Dormitories- London ("Cottage 1" or "C-1") - Freshman dorm
- Monadnock ("Cottage 2" or "C-2") - Freshman dorm
- North Farmhouse - Freshman dorm
- Hayden Hall("Hayden" or "The Den")
- Shea Family Cottage ("Shea")
- Overtoun ("Tron")
- North Crossley (divided into Lower North Crossley and Upper North Crossley)
Girls' Dormitories
- Manchester ("Cottage 5" or "C-5") - Freshman dorm
- Hubbard ("Cottage 4" or "C-4") - Freshman dorm
- Mary E. Mackinnon Cottage ("Mack")
- WallaceDeWitt WallaceDeWitt Wallace , also known as William Roy was a United States magazine publisher. He co-founded Reader's Digest with his wife Lila Wallace and published the first issue in 1922.Born in St...
Hall - Divided into North and South Sides. - South Crossley (divided into Lower South Crossley and Upper South Crossley)
- Rikert Hall Smallest dorm on campus.
- Crossley, the only co-ed dorm on campus (although boys and girls are separated in the north and south ends) also houses spaces for student-run organizations, as well as NMH's own radio station, WNMH.
Classroom buildings
- Cutler Science Center - Named after headmaster Dr. Henry Franklin Cutler, the Cutler Science Center is home to the following:
- Basement: computer scienceComputer scienceComputer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
and various on-campus group offices. - 1st floor: physicsPhysicsPhysics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
- 2nd floor: chemistryChemistryChemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
- 3rd floor: biologyBiologyBiology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
- Basement: computer science
- Blake Hall - Donated by S. Prestley BlakeS. Prestley BlakeS. Prestley Blake is a co-founder of the Friendly Ice Cream Corporation . He attended the Northfield Mount Hermon School and subsequently had Blake Hall named after him....
in 1993, Blake Hall contains 5 classrooms for humanities, and the religious studies office. Grandin Auditorium is in the oldest portion of the building, originally known as Camp Hall. Blake Hall formerly housed the Dance Program, which relocated to the Rhodes Center for the Arts. The building is also home to the Mail Center, with the Summer Session offices located above. - Beveridge Hall - Beveridge is the largest multi-subject classroom building. It contains a lounge/conference room which is used for events such as NMH Diversity Summits or Board of Trustee meetings. The floor plan is the following:
- Basement: foreign languageLanguage educationLanguage education is the teaching and learning of a foreign or second language. Language education is a branch of applied linguistics.- Need for language education :...
(The basement is also the home to the Center for International Education, the Beveridge Media Lab, and a foreign language lab.) - 1st floor: humanitiesHumanitiesThe humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
, misc. - 2nd floor: mathMathematics educationIn contemporary education, mathematics education is the practice of teaching and learning mathematics, along with the associated scholarly research....
- Basement: foreign language
- Lower Modular - The Lower Modular contains English studies and several Humanities classes.
- Upper Modular - The Upper Modular contains the HumanitiesHumanitiesThe humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
and HealthHealthHealth is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
classrooms, although with the recent sale of the Northfield campus has been mostly switched over to offices for campus organizations, such as Upward Bound or the IT (Information Technology) department. - Social Hall - One of the oldest buildings on campus, Social Hall (previously "Music Building") houses the Chaplin's office, the Center for Multi-Cultural Education, and a recitation hall converted into lounge space.
Rhodes Arts Center
The 65000 square feet (6,038.7 m²) Rhodes Arts Center or Rhodes Center for the Arts (at right) opened in fall 2008. One of the first performances in Rhodes was a live taping of NPR show "From the TopFrom the Top
From the Top is a national program and initiative to develop and showcase young classical musicians. It is best known for its NPR radio and PBS television programs hosted by pianist Christopher O'Riley, which celebrate the passion, dedication and personal stories of America's best young classical...
," which featured NMH's Select Women's Ensemble.
Donated in part by William R. Rhodes
William R. Rhodes
William R. "Bill" Rhodes is the Senior Vice Chairman of Citi. and the Chairman of Citigroup and Citibank.He is also Chairman of the Board of both the Americas Society and its affiliate, the Council of the Americas, which were originally founded by David Rockefeller in 1965, and is a board member of...
, the Rhodes Arts Center houses all of the arts programs at NMH as of the 2008 summer term. The Arts center is fondly referred to as "The RAC" across campus.
- The facility is located on the eastern edge of campus between Holbrook Hall and Forslund Gymnasium, where Recitation Hall and Silliman Laboratory once stood. Here, the center for the arts provides a visible image of the "new campus" identity, redefine the landscape and academic quad, create community as it sits along current student paths, and take advantage of shared parking in support of the plan to pedestrianize the center of campus. It houses two concert performance spaces, as well as a theater and multiple dance studios.
- The upper level houses Raymond Concert Hall, Heffernon Hall, and the Theater, as well as a small Art Gallery. On the middle level are the dance studios, art department head offices, and practice rooms. The lowest level houses the visual arts department.
- Unique design features:
- An interior "street" that runs on an axis through all three levels, connecting the different parts of the building;
- a tower, echoing Blake Hall, Memorial Chapel, and the towers of Northfield, which houses the carillonCarillonA carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
formerly in Northfield's Sage Chapel; - Gold LEED certified
Other buildings
This listing does not include the offices that may be included in classroom buildings (ex: International Students Assoc. in Beveridge basement) or on campus faculty housing.- Blake Hall - Student Center, Student Activities office, Summer Session office, the Press Box Snack Bar, NMH Book Store, and Mail Center.
- Grandin Auditorium - Formerly the dining hall portion of Camp Hall, it is attached to Blake Hall and currently serves as a multi-purpose auditorium.
- O'Connor Health Center - 24/7 medical staff, beds, x-ray machineX-ray machineAn X-ray generator is a device used to generate X-rays. These devices are commonly used by radiographers to acquire an x-ray image of the inside of an object but they are also used in sterilization or fluorescence....
, and counsellors' and psychiatrists' offices. O'Connor is a registered hospital in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. - Alumni Hall (formerly "West Hall") - cafeteria and conference rooms
- Norton House - Former Admission office. A new $5 million admission office, Bolger Cottage opened in Fall 2009.
- Bolger Cottage - Admission office opened in Fall 2009, named after David Bolger.
- Oaknoll Cottage - Currently faculty housing.
- Holbrook Hall - Head of school's office, deans' offices, administration offices.
- Cottage 3 or C-3 - College counseling office.
- Memorial Chapel - Built by NMH students in 1899, Memorial Chapel is home to a beautiful organ and a multi-million dollar audio/visual system. The chapel is multi-faith. It is also used when the entire school must gather inside, such as for all school meetings and lectures by guest speakers, since the Northfield campus closed.
- Schauffler Library - Library, media lab and info commons housing, ITInformation technologyInformation technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
department - Farm - A functional New EnglandNew EnglandNew England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
farm, with dairy cows, horses, and chickens, as well as a cider house, sugar house, vegetable and flower gardens, and a small farm store. The farm produces maple syrup, ice cream, milk, and cider for the cafeteria. - Forslund Gym and James Gymnasiums The Forslund addition to James Gym was built in the mid 1960's. The two gyms house basketball courts, a wrestling gym, weight room, locker rooms, swimming/water polo pool, trainers, and athletic department offices. Underneath Forslund is the "The Cage" where all outdoor education equipment is stored.
- McCollum Ice Rink - Fully functioning hockey arena with heated bleachers.
- Power Plant - A fully functioning power plant providing the NMH community with heat and hot water through an underground steam transport system.
- Laundry Building - A building next to the power plant where students send their laundry.
Biblical reference
Mount HermonMount Hermon
Mount Hermon is a mountain cluster in the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. Its summit straddles the border between Syria and Lebanon and, at 2,814 m above sea level, is the highest point in Syria. On the top there is “Hermon Hotel”, in the buffer zone between Syria and Israeli-occupied...
is referred to in the Bible as one of Joshua's conquests: "Thus Joshua took all this land: the mountain country, all the South, all the land of Goshen, the lowland, and the Jordan plain--the mountains of Israel and its lowlands, from Mount Halak and the ascent to Seir, even as far as Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon." (Joshua 11:16-17).
D.L. Moody's aspirations for a young men's school are expressed in Psalm 133, from which he chose the name "Mount Hermon": "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore." (Psalm 133:1-3)
Leadership positions
NMH students are able to apply to various different leadership positions. The Center for International Education selects a number of International Ambassadors (IAs) whose job is to welcome new international students at the beginning of each year, as well as to promote diversity throughout the year. Peer mediators are nominated by faculty members who think they are worthy of helping settle roommate issues between students. The highest honor an NMH student is awarded is Student Leadership. SLs are akin to prefects. They function as members of the NMH staff—handing out restrictions and meeting with dorm faculties—as well as assisting students in any ventures. Each class also elects class representatives to Student Congress, which works directly with the school administration and can propose new rules or question existing ones.Clubs and organizations
Students participate in a wide variety of extracurricular organizations. NMH's Student Activities office provides support, services, and resources for student organizations, including places to meet, materials, and funding. Organizations are listed below.General
- NMH Robotics Club ― Being one of the newest clubs on campus, NMH Robotics Club, established in 2010, is also one of the most energetic and progressive ones. The club participates in RoboCup Competition annually and, as 2011 American champion team, is chosen to compete in RoboCup 2011 Istanbul in July, representing USA.
- Chess Club ― For students interested in playing chess, possibly competitively with other schools.
- Debate Society ― Debaters test their skills against each other and in interscholastic competition.
- NMH Farm ― Students press cider, make maple syrup, harvest vegetables and flowers for drying, work in the greenhouse, and drive horses.
- NMH Outreach ― Volunteer in a variety of community projects and programs.
- Peer Education Program ― Students are selected and trained to be resource people for the community.
- Student Congress ― NMH's student government, members are elected by class and by house.
- WNMHWNMHWNMH is a high school radio station broadcasting a Variety format. Licensed to Northfield, Massachusetts, USA. The station is currently owned by Northfield Mount Hermon School and features programing from ABC Radio ....
Radio 91.5 FM ― The school’s FCC licensed FM radio station (broadcasts 24 hours every day to campus and the tri-state area and webcasts around the globe) with student and faculty DJs. - GEECS for Electronics, Engineering, Computers, and Science - GEECS provides an environment for students interested in technology and science to gather, learn from one another, and explore technology. Notable projects have included building the school's first e-mail system, hosting its own server (named Ishmael) and web site, and providing services such as e-mail and hosting to its members. GEECS is largely accredited with bringing the first computer and networking systems to NMH.
- LEAMPH (Loving Everyone Also Making People Happy) ― LEAMPH is an on on-campus happiness boost for members of the NMH community with spontaneous cupcake handouts, Happy Hug Mondays, Sun Fuzzies Saturdays, Song Sundays, and the much-anticipated monthly Day of Utter Nonsense.
Literary
- The Bridge―The student newspaper expresses the point of view of the community. Name was temporarily changed to "The Hermon Echo," but was reverted back to "The Bridge" in the fall of 2007.
- The Hermonite- A student newspaper that was reestablished in the winter of 2010. Students decided to add another source of print media to the campus in order to express a strictly student point of view, and brought back the Hermonite to restore the history at NMH.
- Gemini—the school yearbook, compiled and edited by students.
- The Globe―A magazine for international students, published once per term.
- International Connections―The Center for International Education's monthly newsletter.
- Mandala―The NMH art and literary magazine published yearly.
Multicultural groups
- American Indian Students Association (AISA)
- Chinese Students Association (CSA)
- Circle of Sisters (COS)―Nurtures the intellectual, social, professional, spiritual and physical growth of women of African-American, Hispanic, and Caribbean descent.
- Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) - Group interested in equality for all.
- Francophone Organization for More Awareness of Global Equity (FROMAGE)-Group interested in raising money for causes in French-speaking countries as well as general awareness of the surrounding world.
- International Students Association (ISA)―Provides support for international students and helps the entire student body become more aware of different cultures.
- Korean Students Association (KSA)
- The Brothers ― This group is focused on developing leadership, solidarity and support networks for male students of color.
- Muslim Students Association (MSA)
- Spanish and Latino/a Students Association (SaLSA)
- Whites Examining Racism and Culture (WERC)―An anti-racist group explores the racial and cultural identities of white Euro-Americans in the context of race relations in the U.S.
Performing arts
- Chamber Music Group
- Symphony Orchestra
- Chamber Orchestra
- Concert Band
- Concert Choir―has been performing NMH's Christmas Vespers yearly in different cities
- Jazz Ensemble
- Student-run a cappella groups: Northfield Mount Harmony (co-ed), Hogappella (all male), the Nellies (all female)
- NMH Dance Company and Junior Dance Company―three to four major productions a year
- NMH Singers
- Select Women’s Ensemble
- Theatre: Three to four major plays a year, one musical, and student-directed one-act festival
- World Music Combo
- World Music Singers (student run group)
Social concerns
- Alliance for the Humane Treatment of Animals
- Campaign AIDS―Raises awareness and funds for women, girls, and children affected with the AIDS virus in Africa
- Gay-Straight Alliance(GSA)
- Campus Conservatives
Spiritual life
- BREAKAWAY (NMH's largest Christian fellowship, meets weekly)
- Chinese Christian Fellowship
- Deacons of the Church of Christ (Protestant)
- Interfaith Council
- Jewish Student Union - provides support for Jewish life at boarding school; has weekly shabbat services and celebrates all major holidays.
- Korean Christian Fellowship
- Muslim Student Association
- Quaker Student Association
- Unitarian Universalist Student Association
- Spiritual Seekers
- Nature-Based Beliefs (Neo-Pagan)
- Native American, Hindu, and Buddhist groups are available if there is interest
Prominent alumni
The following is a list of notable alumni from Northfield Mount Hermon School, sorted by graduation year. Due to the school's operation on two campuses until consolidation in 2005, NMH has the largest living alumni population among all boarding schools in America.- Lee de ForestLee De ForestLee De Forest was an American inventor with over 180 patents to his credit. De Forest invented the Audion, a vacuum tube that takes relatively weak electrical signals and amplifies them. De Forest is one of the fathers of the "electronic age", as the Audion helped to usher in the widespread use...
, 1893, controversial radio pioneer - William G. MorganWilliam G. MorganWilliam G. Morgan was the inventor of volleyball, originally called "Mintonette". He was born in Lockport, New York, USA. He met James Naismith, inventor of basketball, while Morgan was studying at Springfield College, Massachusetts in 1892. Like Naismith, Morgan pursued a career in Physical...
, 1893, inventor of volleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive... - Pixley Seme, 1902, founder of the African National CongressAfrican National CongressThe African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
- Henry Roe CloudHenry Roe CloudHenry Roe was a Native American who distinguished himself as an educator, college administrator, U.S. Federal Government official , Presbyterian minister, and reformer....
, 1906, educator and government official - DeWitt WallaceDeWitt WallaceDeWitt Wallace , also known as William Roy was a United States magazine publisher. He co-founded Reader's Digest with his wife Lila Wallace and published the first issue in 1922.Born in St...
, 1907, founder of Reader's DigestReader's DigestReader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace... - Monroe W. Smith, 1919, founder of American Youth HostelsAmerican Youth HostelsAmerican Youth Hostels, Inc. is a 501 nonprofit membership organization founded in 1934 by Monroe W. Smith, whose formal name is Hostelling International USA . It is the American member of Hostelling International. It is incorporated in New York.Youth hostels offer inexpensive temporary...
- S. Prestley BlakeS. Prestley BlakeS. Prestley Blake is a co-founder of the Friendly Ice Cream Corporation . He attended the Northfield Mount Hermon School and subsequently had Blake Hall named after him....
, 1934, founder of Friendly Ice Cream - Lawrence FerlinghettiLawrence FerlinghettiLawrence Ferlinghetti is an American poet, painter, liberal activist, and the co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers...
, 1937, poet - Tad MoselTad MoselTad Mosel was an American playwright and one of the leading dramatists of hour-long teleplay genre for live television during the 1950s. He received the 1961 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play All the Way Home....
, 1940, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright for All the Way HomeAll the Way Home (play)All the Way Home is a 1960 play written by American playwright Tad Mosel, adapted from the 1957 James Agee novel, A Death in the Family. Both authors received the Pulitzer Prize for their separate works.... - James W. McLamore, 1943, founder of Burger KingBurger KingBurger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
- William C. Pryor, 1950, Washington, D.C. Appellate Court Chief Judge
- David HartmanDavid Hartman (TV personality)David Downs Hartman is an American journalist and media host who began his media career as an actor. He currently anchors and hosts documentary programs on cable TV's History and on PBS. Hartman is best known as the first host of ABC's Good Morning America, from 1975 to 1987. As an actor, he...
, 1952, television host - William R. RhodesWilliam R. RhodesWilliam R. "Bill" Rhodes is the Senior Vice Chairman of Citi. and the Chairman of Citigroup and Citibank.He is also Chairman of the Board of both the Americas Society and its affiliate, the Council of the Americas, which were originally founded by David Rockefeller in 1965, and is a board member of...
, 1953, Chairman of Citicorp and Chairman Emeritus of the NMH Board of Trustees - June JordanJune JordanJune Millicent Jordan was a Caribbean American poet, novelist, journalist, biographer, dramatist, teacher and committed activist...
, 1953, poet, professor of African American Studies, UC BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA... - J. Stapleton RoyJ. Stapleton RoyJ. Stapleton Roy was a senior United States diplomat specializing in Asian affairs. A fluent Chinese speaker, Roy spent much of his career in East Asia, where his assignments included Bangkok , Hong Kong, Taipei, Beijing , Singapore, and Jakarta...
, 1953, senior United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
diplomatDiplomatA diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and ambassadorAmbassadorAn ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to ChinaPeople's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... - Edward W. Said, 1953, Palestinian AmericanPalestinian AmericanPalestinian Americans are Americans of Palestinian ancestry. It is difficult to say when the first Palestinian immigrants arrived at the United States; however, many of the first immigrants to arrive were Christians escaping persecution from the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century...
literary theorist and cultural critic - Neil SheehanNeil SheehanCornelius Mahoney "Neil" Sheehan is an American journalist. As a reporter for The New York Times in 1971, Sheehan obtained the classified Pentagon Papers from Daniel Ellsberg. His series in the Times revealed a secret U.S. Department of Defense history of the Vietnam War and resulted in government...
, 1954, author - Frank ShorterFrank ShorterFrank Charles Shorter is a former American long-distance runner who won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1972 Summer Olympics. His victory is credited with igniting the running boom in the United States of the 1970s....
, 1965, Olympic runner - William AckermanWilliam AckermanWilliam Ackerman is a Grammy winning guitarist and composer of acoustic-based instrumental music. He founded and ran for many years the influential New Age record label Windham Hill Records.- Career :...
, 1967, founder of Windham Hill RecordsWindham Hill RecordsWindham Hill Records is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment specializing in Acoustic, New Age and Folk music. Originally founded in 1976 as an Independent record label by guitarist and carpenter William Ackerman and his then-wife Anne Robinson, Windham Hill was a successful and well-respected...
and 2005 Grammy AwardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winner - Natalie ColeNatalie ColeNatalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...
, 1968, Grammy Award-winning vocalist - Amy DominiAmy DominiAmy Domini is an American investment adviser and author known for her work in "social investing". As one of the founders of KLD Research & Analytics, Inc., she helped created the Domini 400 Social Index, a stock market index selected according to a set of social and environmental standards...
, 1968, the "first lady of social investing" - Valerie JarrettValerie JarrettValerie Bowman Jarrett is a senior advisor and assistant to the president for Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Obama administration. She is a Chicago lawyer, businesswoman, and civic leader...
, 1974, Senior Advisor to Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in... - Helen DeWittHelen DeWittHelen DeWitt is a novelist.DeWitt grew up primarily in South America , as her parents worked in the United States diplomatic service...
, 1975, novelist - Laura LinneyLaura LinneyLaura Leggett Linney is an American actress of film, television, and theatre. Linney has won three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has been nominated for three times for an Academy Award and once for a BAFTA Award...
, 1982, actress - Dylan BrodyDylan BrodyDylan Brody is a U.S. playwright, author and stand-up comedian. In 2005 his play Mother May I won the Stanley Drama Award. He has appeared on A&E's Comedy on the Road and Fox TV's Comedy Express and has written for Jay Leno's Tonight Show monologue...
, 1982, humorist, author, comedian, playwright, and poet - Kim RaverKim RaverKimberly Jayne "Kim" Raver is an American actress.She is best known for her numerous roles on TV: as Kim Zambrano on Third Watch, Audrey Raines on 24, Nico Reilly on Lipstick Jungle, and, most recently, Teddy Altman on Grey's Anatomy.-Personal life:Raver was raised in New York City by her mother,...
, 1985, actress - Arn Chorn-PondArn Chorn-PondArn Chorn-Pond is a human rights activist committed to preserving traditional Cambodian music.-Early life:Chorn-Pond was born in Cambodia in 1966 into a Battambang family of performers and musicians...
, 1986, activist and musician - Uma ThurmanUma ThurmanUma Karuna Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Among her best-known roles are those in the Quentin Tarantino films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill...
, 1988, actress - Misha CollinsMisha CollinsMisha Collins is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his role as the angel Castiel on the CW television series Supernatural.-Personal life:...
, 1992, actor - YaYa DaCosta, 2000, actress
- Kimmie WeeksKimmie WeeksKimmie Weeks is an internationally acclaimed human rights activist. He was born on December 6, 1981 in Monrovia, Liberia.-Early years:In 1991, Kimmie Weeks experienced the First Liberian Civil War first hand. He and his mother, Estina Ntow, were forced to leave their home and marched with many...
, 2001, human rights activist; winner of the 2007 BR!CK award - Dallas BakerDallas BakerDallas Leon Baker is an American professional football player who is a wide receiver with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League...
, 2002, professional football player