Bentley School
Encyclopedia
Bentley School is a private co-educational college preparatory day school. The Bentley school's lower and middle school campus (K-8) is located in the Oakland Hills and the high school (9-12) campus is located in Lafayette, California.
Moving to the Hiller estate, a mansion formerly owned by helicopter mogul, pioneer and inventor Stanley Hiller
on the border of Berkeley and Oakland a year later, the K-8 school grew steadily in enrollment until 1991, when the Oakland Hills firestorm burned over half of the campus.
Under the stewardship of longtime head Robert Munro, the School rebuilt its facilities within half a year and the School's mascot, the phoenix, was adopted thereafter.
Seven years later, the School completed the first phase of construction on its Upper School campus in Lafayette.
Bentley School inspires inquiry, academic excellence, personal achievement, and character by engaging students’ intellect and creativity, and by encouraging them to embrace values that enrich their community and the world.
Theater at Bentley Upper School is one of the school's high points, producing many challenging musicals, including Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Cabaret, Threepenny Opera, Assassins, Rhinoceros, and Dido and Aneas, and assorted ambitious plays, including Equus, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Arcadia. The theater department's 2007–2008 season produced 10 plays, with many being student directed. Visual arts includes drawing, painting, ceramics, photography, film, and AP Art History.
in South Korea
. The school will be administrated independently of the aforementioned school, but will carry the logo and teach the same curriculum. The school will teach in a format similar to that of the California-based program. It is commonly thought that the Bentley School of Asia will open September 2010.
, volleyball
, tennis
, baseball
, softball
, golf
, swimming
, soccer, cross country
, and lacrosse
. The school is one of ten schools in the Bay Counties League - East
.
Bentley Middle School offers junior varsity and varsity basketball
, volleyball
, tennis
, softball
.
* Lower School (K-5): $21,325
* Middle School (6-8): $23,200
* Upper School (9-12): $28,475
Bentley School offers financial aid to families who qualify through the School and Student Services for Financial Aid.
History
Lucy Soule and Edith Ainsworth founded the Margaret Bentley School, named in honor of Soule's grandmother, in 1920 as an all girls school; boys later were admitted starting in the early 1930s. Lucy Soule sold the school in 1940 to her dear friend and long-time Bentley teacher Esther Branch, who remained principal and proprietor of the School until its incorporation as a non-profit in 1969.Moving to the Hiller estate, a mansion formerly owned by helicopter mogul, pioneer and inventor Stanley Hiller
Stanley Hiller
-Biography:Stanley Hiller was born November 15, 1924 in San Francisco, California to Stanley Hiller, Sr. and Opal Perkins. The family moved to Berkeley, California in the 1930s....
on the border of Berkeley and Oakland a year later, the K-8 school grew steadily in enrollment until 1991, when the Oakland Hills firestorm burned over half of the campus.
Under the stewardship of longtime head Robert Munro, the School rebuilt its facilities within half a year and the School's mascot, the phoenix, was adopted thereafter.
Seven years later, the School completed the first phase of construction on its Upper School campus in Lafayette.
Bentley School inspires inquiry, academic excellence, personal achievement, and character by engaging students’ intellect and creativity, and by encouraging them to embrace values that enrich their community and the world.
Arts
Students experience the Arts at Bentley through two strong departments: Performing arts, including Music and Theater, and Visual Arts. Music includes Chamber Chorus Ensemble, String and Woodwind ensemble, Chamber Music, AP Music Theory and two Jazz Ensembles.Theater at Bentley Upper School is one of the school's high points, producing many challenging musicals, including Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Cabaret, Threepenny Opera, Assassins, Rhinoceros, and Dido and Aneas, and assorted ambitious plays, including Equus, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Arcadia. The theater department's 2007–2008 season produced 10 plays, with many being student directed. Visual arts includes drawing, painting, ceramics, photography, film, and AP Art History.
Bentley School of Asia
The Board of Trustees signed an agreement to help establish a sister school on Jeju IslandJeju-do
Jeju-do is the only special autonomous province of South Korea, situated on and coterminous with the country's largest island. Jeju-do lies in the Korea Strait, southwest of Jeollanam-do Province, of which it was a part before it became a separate province in 1946...
in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. The school will be administrated independently of the aforementioned school, but will carry the logo and teach the same curriculum. The school will teach in a format similar to that of the California-based program. It is commonly thought that the Bentley School of Asia will open September 2010.
Athletics
Bentley Upper School offers junior varsity and varsity basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball 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...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, soccer, cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, and lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
. The school is one of ten schools in the Bay Counties League - East
Bay Counties League - East
The Bay Counties League – East is a school athletic conference located in the East Bay Area. The league is a member of the North Coast Section, one of ten sections that comprise the California Interscholastic Federation. There are seven current member schools...
.
Bentley Middle School offers junior varsity and varsity basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball 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...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
.
Tuition and financial aid
The tuition for the 2010–2011 school year:* Lower School (K-5): $21,325
* Middle School (6-8): $23,200
* Upper School (9-12): $28,475
Bentley School offers financial aid to families who qualify through the School and Student Services for Financial Aid.