Breck School
Encyclopedia
Breck School is an independent college-preparatory preK–12 school in Golden Valley
Golden Valley, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,281 people, 8,449 households, and 5,508 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,982.3 people per square mile . There were 8,589 housing units at an average density of 839.5 per square mile...

, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

, a suburb of Minneapolis. It was founded in 1886 and is affiliated with the Episcopal Church. The school includes a Lower School consisting of grades preschool through four, a Middle School consisting of grades five through eight, and an Upper School consisting of grades nine through twelve. Breck School is accredited by 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...

.

History

Breck was established in 1886 in Wilder, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

 and named after Episcopal missionary Reverend James Lloyd Breck
James Lloyd Breck
James Lloyd Breck was a priest, educator and missionary of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.James Lloyd Breck is commemorated on April 2 on the Episcopal calendar of saints.-Early life and education:...

. The school moved to 2095 Commonwealth Ave in Saint Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...

 under the direction of Rev. Charles Haupt, in 1916. In 1920 it moved to 2102 Carter Ave., just a few blocks away in Saint Anthony Park
Saint Anthony Park (Saint Paul)
Saint Anthony Park is a neighborhood in northwest Saint Paul, Minnesota. This neighborhood is adjacent to the University of Minnesota's St. Paul Campus , bordering Southeast Minneapolis on the west, the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on the east , and the suburbs of Falcon Heights and Lauderdale to...

. Then, in the fall of 1922 it moved a few more blocks west to Como and Hendon (now a part of the Luther Seminary
Luther Seminary
Luther Seminary is the largest seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America . Located in the Saint Anthony Park neighborhood of St...

). In 1938, the school became an exclusively boys' school, and military curriculum was added. This military aspect was eliminated in 1959. Girls were reintroduced in 1952 in grades one to three, and eventually throughout the school in 1967. A fire destroyed the original Chapel of the Holy Spirit at the school's River Road location in Minneapolis in 1979. In 1981, the school moved to its present location in Golden Valley at the campus of that city's former middle and high school, which were closed after a school district merger. Breck celebrated its centennial in 1986. That same year, John C. Littleford was succeeded by interim headmaster Kathryn Harper. Sam Salas served as headmaster from 1987 until retiring in June 2007. Edward Kim succeeded Salas as Head of School in July 2007. For more on Breck's history, see the Breck History article at its website.

Academics

Breck is an academic institution, excelling particularly in science, history, language, and the performing arts. In the classes of 2002–2006, numerous students have gone to colleges 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...

, Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

 and 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...

. Seventeen percent of the classes of 2002–2006 were National Merit Scholars.

Advanced Research programs

Breck features Advanced Research programs in its Science, History and Mathematics departments; these programs offer students the opportunity to do graduate-level work at institutions such as the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

 and present their results at national and international competitions. In the class of 2007, two Advanced Science Research students were semifinalists in the international Intel Science Talent Search competition; more students have gone to other prestigious events. Advanced Science Research students also have the opportunity to meet prestigious researchers, such as Dr. Norman Borlaug
Norman Borlaug
Norman Ernest Borlaug was an American agronomist, humanitarian, and Nobel laureate who has been called "the father of the Green Revolution". Borlaug was one of only six people to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal...

, the 1970 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...

.

The Advanced History Research Program, the only one of its kind in Minnesota, offers talented History students the chance to conduct cultural research around the Minneapolis metro area; through this program, they gain experience writing publication-quality papers and giving seminars on their results.

The Advanced Mathematics Research Program, new in 2011, combines sophisticated quantitative research with service. Students work at a nonprofit or government agency on problems that benefit society. In its first year, students are working with the City of Golden Valley on questions related to housing assessment and with a nonprofit agency that serves Iranian-Americans.

Technology

Breck School was one of the first schools in the Minneapolis area to adopt a full "one-to-one" laptop program. In the 2006-2007 school year, each student received an Apple laptop computer for use at school and home; these laptops are used on a daily basis in Breck Middle and Upper School classrooms, and to a lesser degree in fourth-grade classrooms. Some Breck classrooms are equipped with Smart Board technology that enhances the learning environment.

Language programs

Breck School has one of the most well-established language programs in the state. Breck's language programs, including Spanish, French, and Chinese, extend from preschool to 12th grade. The Mandarin Chinese program, the first in the state, was created by Margaret Wong; her accomplishments have received high praise from the Minneapolis Star Tribune
Star Tribune
The Star Tribune is the largest newspaper in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is published seven days each week in an edition for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. A statewide version is also available across Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota. The...

, which states that "Wong has been the most influential figure in developing and spreading Chinese language education in Minnesota."

Extracurricular activities

Performing Arts

Breck's Performing Arts program is regarded as one of the finest in the state. Breck's theater department presents four official shows per year, as well as various student-directed performances. Students from fifth grade and up have the opportunity to participate in Breck's theatrical productions, as well as Breck's music and dance performances. The theater department is run by Tom Hegg
Tom Hegg
Tom Hegg is an American author, teacher and theatrical professional who performed for many seasons as a member of the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota....

, an award winning drama teacher and author of the well-known books A Cup of Christmas Tea and Peef. The department has produced numerous accomplished actors and theater staff including actors Wayne Wilderson
Wayne Wilderson
Wayne Wilderson is an American comedian and actor who has had guest spots on many successful television programs, including The Office, Seinfeld, Mr. Show, The Steve Harvey Show, and Two and a Half Men. He is slated to appear in the pilot episode of The Thick of It as a political blogger. He...

 and Marisa Coughlan and comedian Erik Stolhanske
Erik Stolhanske
Erik Stolhanske is an American actor, writer, and producer, and one of the members of the Broken Lizard comedy group. He graduated from Breck School, then Colgate University. At Colgate he was part of the troupe Charred Goosebeak, which included the others of Broken Lizard.He is a member of Beta...

, a member of the Broken Lizard
Broken Lizard
Broken Lizard is an American comedy troupe, consisting of five friends, best known for its films, including Super Troopers and Beerfest. Its five members are Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske. They collaborate on the screen-writing, acting and...

 comedy troupe.

Charlie Korsmo
Charlie Korsmo
Charles Randolph "Charlie" Korsmo is an American former child actor turned lawyer and political activist.Korsmo was born in Fargo, North Dakota, the son of Deborah Ruf, an educational psychologist, and John Korsmo, a hospital administrator and chairman of the Federal Housing Finance Board...

, who starred in movies such as What About Bob?
What About Bob?
What About Bob? is a 1991 comedy film directed by Frank Oz, and starring Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss. Murray plays Bob Wiley, a multiphobic psychiatric patient who follows his successful and egotistical psychiatrist Dr. Leo Marvin on vacation...

, Dick Tracy (1990 film), Hook (film)
Hook (film)
Hook is a 1991 American fantasy film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins, and features Maggie Smith, Caroline Goodall, Charlie Korsmo, Amber Scott, and Dante Basco. Hook acts as a sequel to Peter Pan's original adventures, focusing...

, and Can't Hardly Wait
Can't Hardly Wait
Can't Hardly Wait is a 1998 American teen comedy film written and directed by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont. It stars Ethan Embry, Charlie Korsmo, Lauren Ambrose, Peter Facinelli, Seth Green, and Jennifer Love Hewitt, and is notable for a number of "before-they-were-famous" appearances by various...

, was an active member in the Performing Arts Department, and part of the 1996 Breck Class. Korsmo retired from acting while attending Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...

, and later went on to work for the United States Government in Missile Defense
Missile defense
Missile defense is a system, weapon, or technology involved in the detection, tracking, interception and destruction of attacking missiles. Originally conceived as a defence against nuclear-armed Intercontinental ballistic missiles , its application has broadened to include shorter-ranged...

 technologies, and also for the Environmental Protection Agency.

Jimmy Stofer
Jimmy Stofer
Jimmy Stofer is a well-known American bass guitarist.He was the touring bassist for Denver-based piano rock band The Fray. The Fray have never had an official bassist, and in 2005, Stofer was employed as touring bassist. Stofer and The Fray amicably split ways in 2007, and he focused his attention...

, a 2001 graduate, went on to play bass for The Fray
The Fray
-Literature:*Fray, a phenomenon in Terry Pratchett's The Carpet People*Fray , a comic book series by Joss Whedon**Melaka Fray, titular character of the comic book series-Music:*"Fray", a song from the album 14 Shades of Grey by Staind...

 for 2 years, and is now a member of the band Rose Hill Drive
Rose Hill Drive
Rose Hill Drive is an American rock band. The group is often aligned with other innovators in the revival of traditional hard rock and early metal–psychedelic...

.

Visual Arts

Breck has a large Visual Arts department, including numerous studios and art staff. Notably, artist Michal Sagar teaches Upper School art at Breck, as does respected potter Jil Franke. Art at Breck begins in preschool and can extend all the way to the 12th grade; Numerous Breck students in the Middle and Upper Schools have been recognized by national art institutions for their work.

Student newspaper

Breck's high school newspaper is The Voice. In 2004, it received 3rd Place in the Star Tribune
Star Tribune
The Star Tribune is the largest newspaper in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is published seven days each week in an edition for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. A statewide version is also available across Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota. The...

/Minnesota State High School League Newspaper Challenge. The Voice is a 12-page quarterly publication. Breck's middle school also has a newspaper, The Stampede.

Mock Trial

Breck is home to one of the top mock trial teams in Minnesota. In recent years, they have competed in the state tournament several times, placing fourth in 2007, second in 2009, and winning the state competition in 2010. The 2010 team went on to win the National High School Mock Trial Championship in Philadelphia, PA and remained undefeated while competing against teams from 42 states and six countries. The team continued their success in 2011, where on March 9th Breck defeated Edina for their second straight state title and earning a spot to go to Arizona to defend the national championship, where after losing 6 seniors from the national championship team, finished as the 8th best team in the nation.

Other

Breck School also has a Breck Summer Program, which begins during the first week of summer vacation

2008 U.S. Senate debate

On Saturday, October 11, 2008, Breck hosted the second debate between U.S. Senate candidates Republican Norm Coleman
Norm Coleman
Norman Bertram Coleman, Jr. is an American attorney and politician. He was a United States senator from Minnesota from 2003 to 2009. Coleman was elected in 2002 and served in the 108th, 109th, and 110th Congresses. Before becoming a senator, he was mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota, from 1994 to 2002...

, Democrat Al Franken
Al Franken
Alan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party....

, and Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley
Dean Barkley
Dean Malcolm Barkley is a politician who briefly served as a member of the United States Senate from Minnesota following the death of Paul Wellstone...

. The debate was aired locally on KARE-11 TV and nationally on C-SPAN
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...

. Several hundred local community members watched the debate live inside the Breck Cargill Theater and more than 200,000 Minnesotans watched the debate on television.

Wednesday service

Upper School students travel to various service sites across the metro each Wednesday. Wednesday service gives students an opportunity to serve the community and gain a new perspective on local issues. The students spend two hours of the day helping the elderly and the inner city youths of Minneapolis and the surrounding areas.

Athletics

Breck School is part of the Tri-Metro Conference
Tri-Metro Conference (Minnesota)
The Tri-Metro Conference is a MSHSL-sanctioned athletic conference composed of schools found in the Twin Cities metro area. The conference competes in the majority of sports offered in the MSHSL. Most teams in the Tri-Metro compete in basketball and football tournaments at the AA or AAA level....

 in the Minnesota State High School League
Minnesota State High School League
The Minnesota State High School League is a voluntary, non-profit association for the support and governance of interscholastic activities at high schools in Minnesota, United States. The association supports interscholastic athletics and fine arts programs for member schools...

. Several players from the hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 and football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 programs have gone on to play for Division One programs. The boys hockey team took the state championship in 2009 and 2010. The girls' hockey program was established in 1994; it won the Minnesota state consolation tournament in 2007, and 2nd place in the state tournament in 2008 and 2010. The boys basketball team also took 2nd place in the state tournament in 2006. For a complete list of athletic accomplishments see the Breck Trophy Case at the school's website.
State Championships
Season Sport Championships Year(s)
Fall  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...

, Girls
1 1996
Soccer, Boys 1 2005
Football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 
2 1996, 2003
Winter Hockey
Minnesota high school boys hockey
The Minnesota High School Boys Hockey program is a high school ice hockey program in the State of Minnesota. Based on tournament attendance, ice hockey is the most popular high school sport in the state...

, Boys
4 2000, 2004, 2009, 2010
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...

, Girls
1 2004
Swimming and Diving, Boys (Co-op with The Blake School) 2 2009, 2010
Spring 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....

, Boys
1 2004
Tennis, Boys 6 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2009, 2011
Track & Field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

, Girls
2 1996, 1997
Total 19

Awards

School Award Year
Lower School U.S. Department of Education "School of Excellence" 1988
Middle and Upper Schools U.S. Department of Education "Blue Ribbon School
Blue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...

"
1993

Notable alumni

  • Frank Mars 1901, creator of the Milky Way and other candy bars
  • Walter Bush
    Walter Bush
    Walter L. Bush, Jr. is an American ice hockey administrator.In 1955, he helped start the Central Hockey League, which turned into one of the few successful minor professional hockey leagues of that era...

     '47, former owner of the Minnesota North Stars, member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, and recipient of the Olympic Order
  • Richard Proudfit '49, founder of the non-profit, Feed My Starving Children
  • Stanley Hubbard '51, Chairman and President, Hubbard Broadcasting
  • Bradford Parkinson
    Bradford Parkinson
    Bradford Parkinson is an American engineer and inventor, and United States Air Force colonel best known as the father of the Global Positioning System....

     '52, inventor of Global Positioning System
    Global Positioning System
    The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...

     (GPS) technology
  • Paul Johnson
    Paul Johnson (ice hockey)
    Paul Herbert Johnson is a former ice hockey forward. He was a member of the United States hockey team that won the gold medal at Squaw Valley, California during the 1960 Winter Olympics. He scored the pivotal go-ahead goal in the semifinal game against Canada.-External links:...

     '53, gold medal Olympian and member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame
  • Hugh Roberts '69, retired EVP and President, International Commercial, Kraft Foods, Inc.
  • R.T. Rybak '74, Mayor of Minneapolis
  • Alice Goodman
    Alice Goodman
    Alice Goodman , American poet, was educated at Harvard University and Cambridge where she studied English and American literature. She received her Master of Divinity degree from the Boston University School of Theology. She has written the libretti for two of the operas of John Adams, Nixon in...

     '76, poet
  • Spencer Reece
    Spencer Reece
    Spencer Reece is a poet who lives not in Juno Beach, Florida. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University, he received a M.A. from the University of York , and a M.T.S. from the Harvard Divinity School...

     '81, author and poet
  • David Williams '83, Olympic athlete in Judo and NBC commentator, 2008 Summer Olympic Games
  • Wayne Wilderson
    Wayne Wilderson
    Wayne Wilderson is an American comedian and actor who has had guest spots on many successful television programs, including The Office, Seinfeld, Mr. Show, The Steve Harvey Show, and Two and a Half Men. He is slated to appear in the pilot episode of The Thick of It as a political blogger. He...

     '84, television actor
  • Mike Mattison '87, lead singer, Derek Trucks Band
  • Erik Stolhanske
    Erik Stolhanske
    Erik Stolhanske is an American actor, writer, and producer, and one of the members of the Broken Lizard comedy group. He graduated from Breck School, then Colgate University. At Colgate he was part of the troupe Charred Goosebeak, which included the others of Broken Lizard.He is a member of Beta...

     '87, actor/comedian
  • Alec Soth
    Alec Soth
    Alec Soth is an American photographer notable for "large-scale American projects" featuring the midwestern United States. His photography has a cinematic feel with elements of folklore that hint at a story behind the image. New York Times art critic Hilarie M...

     '88, photographer
  • Craig Finn
    Craig Finn
    Craig Finn is an American singer and guitarist. He is best known as the front man for bands Lifter Puller and The Hold Steady. He currently lives in New York City...

     '89, frontman of the band The Hold Steady
  • Marisa Coughlan '92, actor
  • Adam Herschman
    Adam Herschman
    Adam Herschman is an American actor.-Film work:Herschman is perhaps most known for his role as Glen in the 2006 film, Accepted. Adam also stars as Archie in Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay , Phillip in Soul Men and as Mr. Pickle's employee in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry...

     '94, actor
  • Charlie Korsmo
    Charlie Korsmo
    Charles Randolph "Charlie" Korsmo is an American former child actor turned lawyer and political activist.Korsmo was born in Fargo, North Dakota, the son of Deborah Ruf, an educational psychologist, and John Korsmo, a hospital administrator and chairman of the Federal Housing Finance Board...

     '96, actor
  • Dominique Byrd
    Dominique Byrd
    Dominique Montiel Byrd is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft...

     ’02, Tight End, Seattle Seahawks
  • John Curry
    John Curry (ice hockey)
    John Curry is an American professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing with the Hamburg Freezers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga...

     ’02, goaltender for the Pittsburgh Penguins
  • Blake Wheeler
    Blake Wheeler
    Blake James Wheeler is an American professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League . He was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round, fifth overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.-Early career:Wheeler attended Breck School his...

    , right wing for the Winnipeg Jets
  • Ben Gislason '10, defenseman for the Coulee Region Chill
    Coulee Region Chill
    The Coulee Region Chill is a Junior A Tier II ice hockey team based out of Onalaska, Wisconsin . For the 2010-2011 season, the Chill debuted in the North American Hockey League's Central Division...

    of the NAHL

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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