Greenwich Academy
Encyclopedia
Greenwich Academy is an independent, all-girls preparatory day school
in Greenwich, Connecticut
. Founded in 1827, it is the oldest girls' school
in Connecticut. Greenwich Academy's motto is Ad ingenium faciendum, "Toward the Building of Character."
The current Head of School is Molly H. King. The current Head of Lower School is Jeanette Tyndall. The current Head of Middle School is Becky Walker. The current Head of Upper School is Tom Sullivan.
Originally the school accepted both boys and girls, but in 1902 George B. Carmichael, an English teacher at the Academy, founded the Brunswick School for boys. In 1913, the GA Board of Trustees formally decided to admit girls in the Middle and Upper Schools. From 1913 to 1971, Greenwich Academy was all girls. In 1971, however, the Academy joined with Brunswick to form coed classes in the Upper school.
Ruth West Campbell, the third female headmistress of GA, was principal from 1915 to 1955. Under her stewardship, the school grew almost fivefold, becoming one of the leading day schools for girls in the Northeast, and added many programs and activities. She oversaw the purchase of 116 Maple Avenue, now part of Brunswick School. Ruth West Campbell Hall was named in honor of Campbell after her death.
certified school, or a GREEN Middle School. This included adding meeting space, classrooms, air-conditioning, locker space, widening corridors, and upgrading lighting and technology. The Middle School has also added solar panels, recycled plastic toilet partitions, stone counter tops that are 75% glass and cement mixture, carpeting that is 50% recycled material and ceiling tiles that are 70% recycled material.
On October 15, 2003, the Upper School building unveiled a light installation designed by artist James Turrell
, called the Upper School Turrell Lighting. The light show
, embedded in the beams of the school, runs for 16 minutes.
, and practice rooms. The theater complex contains a scenery shop and a costume shop. Also in the theatrical complex is a small studio theater, nicknamed the Black Box Theater. The Black Box has computerized sound and lighting systems, a sprung floor
and can accommodate one hundred seats. It is usually used for dance and theatrical productions.
The Jacobs Lobby is an exhibit space for art works. Just off the Jacobs Lobby is the Luchsinger Art Gallery, the setting for exhibiting the work of students, faculty and visiting artists.
has two full courts used for a variety of sports including basketball
and volleyball
. The center includes a fitness room, five international squash courts, offices, and meeting spaces, as well as a training room. The Raether Athletic Center is also used for all-school gatherings.
s, including squash, tennis, basketball, crew, cross-country, field hockey, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, sailing, soccer, softball, swimming, track, fencing, and volleyball. Facilities include Tammaro Field, with 202000 square feet (18,766.4 m²) of the artificial grass known as Field Turf. The fields also include a full-size regulation baseball diamond. Greenwich Academy also has squash and tennis courts.
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...
in Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
. Founded in 1827, it is the oldest girls' school
Girls' School
Girls' School is a single by Wings released in 1977.Written and produced by McCartney, it is the other side of the double A-side with "Mull of Kintyre" and was the band's sole UK number one, spending nine weeks at the top in December 1977 and January 1978. The song was in complete contrast to the...
in Connecticut. Greenwich Academy's motto is Ad ingenium faciendum, "Toward the Building of Character."
The current Head of School is Molly H. King. The current Head of Lower School is Jeanette Tyndall. The current Head of Middle School is Becky Walker. The current Head of Upper School is Tom Sullivan.
History
Greenwich Academy was founded in 1827 by Darius Mead. The school was originally built adjacent to the Second Congressional Church in a small, two-story wooden house. In 1839, when Philander P. Button became principal, only six students were enrolled. Button served for 22 years.Originally the school accepted both boys and girls, but in 1902 George B. Carmichael, an English teacher at the Academy, founded the Brunswick School for boys. In 1913, the GA Board of Trustees formally decided to admit girls in the Middle and Upper Schools. From 1913 to 1971, Greenwich Academy was all girls. In 1971, however, the Academy joined with Brunswick to form coed classes in the Upper school.
Ruth West Campbell, the third female headmistress of GA, was principal from 1915 to 1955. Under her stewardship, the school grew almost fivefold, becoming one of the leading day schools for girls in the Northeast, and added many programs and activities. She oversaw the purchase of 116 Maple Avenue, now part of Brunswick School. Ruth West Campbell Hall was named in honor of Campbell after her death.
Middle School
The Greenwich Academy Middle School was originally built in 1962. In 2007, it underwent construction to become a LEEDLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
certified school, or a GREEN Middle School. This included adding meeting space, classrooms, air-conditioning, locker space, widening corridors, and upgrading lighting and technology. The Middle School has also added solar panels, recycled plastic toilet partitions, stone counter tops that are 75% glass and cement mixture, carpeting that is 50% recycled material and ceiling tiles that are 70% recycled material.
Upper School
The Upper School, completed in 2002, was designed by Skidmore, Owings and MerrillSkidmore, Owings and Merrill
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP is an American architectural and engineering firm that was formed in Chicago in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings; in 1939 they were joined by John O. Merrill. They opened their first branch in New York City, New York in 1937. SOM is one of the largest...
On October 15, 2003, the Upper School building unveiled a light installation designed by artist James Turrell
James Turrell
James Turrell is an American artist primarily concerned with light and space. Turrell was a MacArthur Fellow in 1984. He is represented by The Pace Gallery in New York...
, called the Upper School Turrell Lighting. The light show
Light show
Light show may refer to:*Aaron Landes* Laser lighting display * Liquid light shows* Christmas lights* Meteor shower* Wizards in Winter Christmas light show...
, embedded in the beams of the school, runs for 16 minutes.
Ruth West Campbell Hall
Ruth West Campbell Hall (RWC), named after the school's headmistress from 1925 to 1955, is located on the Greenwich Academy Campus. In 1950, Greenwich Academy purchased the old Rockefeller estate at 200 North Maple Avenue, its current location, and renamed the newly acquired building Ruth West Campbell Hall. The building served as the admission office and the field house. Now it houses administrative offices, a reception area, and a book store.Wallace Performing Arts Center
The Performing Arts Center (PAC) contains Massey Theater a four hundred seat theater, a choral room, a dance studioDance studio
A dance studio is a space in which dancers learn or rehearse. The term is typically used to describe a space that has either been built or equipped for the purpose....
, and practice rooms. The theater complex contains a scenery shop and a costume shop. Also in the theatrical complex is a small studio theater, nicknamed the Black Box Theater. The Black Box has computerized sound and lighting systems, a sprung floor
Sprung floor
A sprung floor is a floor that absorbs shocks, giving it a softer feel. Such floors are considered the best available for dance and indoor sports and physical education....
and can accommodate one hundred seats. It is usually used for dance and theatrical productions.
The Jacobs Lobby is an exhibit space for art works. Just off the Jacobs Lobby is the Luchsinger Art Gallery, the setting for exhibiting the work of students, faculty and visiting artists.
Raether Athletic Center
Raether Athletic Center, a 26852 square feet (2,494.6 m²) facility, was built in 1998. The gymnasiumGymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
has two full courts used for a variety of sports including 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...
and 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...
. The center includes a fitness room, five international squash courts, offices, and meeting spaces, as well as a training room. The Raether Athletic Center is also used for all-school gatherings.
E. Kay Cowan Early Learning Center
The Cowan E. Kay Early Learning Center (Cowan Center) was founded in 1991. It is a preschool and childcare program for children from birth to age five. The Cowan Center, located on campus, serves children of faculty and staff as well as children in the community.Athletics
Greenwich Academy has 16 varsity teamVarsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
s, including squash, tennis, basketball, crew, cross-country, field hockey, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, sailing, soccer, softball, swimming, track, fencing, and volleyball. Facilities include Tammaro Field, with 202000 square feet (18,766.4 m²) of the artificial grass known as Field Turf. The fields also include a full-size regulation baseball diamond. Greenwich Academy also has squash and tennis courts.
Notable alumnae
- Ethel Skakel KennedyEthel Skakel KennedyEthel Skakel Kennedy is the widow of Robert F. Kennedy, who served as Attorney General of the United States and a United States Senator for the state of New York.-Early life:...
, wife of Robert F. KennedyRobert F. KennedyRobert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F... - Jane FondaJane FondaJane Fonda is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards and received several other movie awards and nominations during more than 50 years as an...
, two-time Academy Award-winning actress, political activist, and fitness guru - Marissa Mazzola-McMahonMarissa Mazzola-McMahonMarissa McMahon is an American film producer and former public relations agent and television host.She is the wife of former World Wrestling Entertainment Executive Vice President of Global Media Shane McMahon, and is considered the fourth generation of the McMahon family dynasty of professional...
, wife of Shane McMahonShane McMahonShane Brandon McMahon is an American executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of YOU On Demand. A former executive and professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , he is the son of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and former US Senate candidate Linda... - Miranda Wells, the fictional protagonist of DragonwyckDragonwyck (novel)Dragonwyck is a novel, written by the American author Anya Seton which was first published in 1944.It is a fictional story of the life of Miranda Wells and her marriage to Nicholas Van Ryn, set against an historical background of the Patroon system, Anti-Rent Wars, the Astor Place Riots, and...
.