Harford Day School (Harford County, Maryland)
Encyclopedia
Harford Day School is an independent educational institution in Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland
known for its dedicated faculty, strong philosophies, and impressive academic record.
The school was founded in 1957 by three women: Sara Brumfield, Sydney Poor, and Mignon Cameron, the wife of a local judge
. The school initially occupied a rented building on Hays Street in Bel Air before moving to its current location on Moores Mill Road in 1962. Harford
Day School enrolls about 340 boys and girls in grades pre-kindergarten
through eight on a 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) campus
in Bel Air, MD. The campus comprises a Lower School building with an attached gymnasium and library, which also houses the school's administrative offices, a Middle School building, a Kindergarten building, two playgrounds, three athletic fields, and a small wooded area beside Moores Mill Road. Currently, construction is underway on a 12600 square feet (1,170.6 m²) addition off of the gymnasium that includes two science labs and a multi-purpose space.
The school is divided into three divisions: Lower, Intermediate, and Middle.
As of the 2009-2010 school year, the Head of School is Mrs. Su Harris. The division heads are currently:
The school teaches Science
, Mathematics
, History
, English
grammar and literature, along with two foreign languages. Students are introduced to the Spanish language
in pre-kindergarten, and all students take Spanish classes through the third grade. In fourth grade, students take an introductory French
course and then decide whether to continue with French or Spanish from fifth through eighth grade. A Latin
class is also offered to excelling students in the eighth grade.
Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland
The town of Bel Air is the county seat of Harford County, Maryland, United States. According to the 2000 census the population of the town was 10,080. In 2009 the town's estimated population was 10,368...
known for its dedicated faculty, strong philosophies, and impressive academic record.
The school was founded in 1957 by three women: Sara Brumfield, Sydney Poor, and Mignon Cameron, the wife of a local judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
. The school initially occupied a rented building on Hays Street in Bel Air before moving to its current location on Moores Mill Road in 1962. Harford
Harford County, Maryland
Harford County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 244,826. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area.-History:...
Day School enrolls about 340 boys and girls in grades pre-kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
through eight on a 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
in Bel Air, MD. The campus comprises a Lower School building with an attached gymnasium and library, which also houses the school's administrative offices, a Middle School building, a Kindergarten building, two playgrounds, three athletic fields, and a small wooded area beside Moores Mill Road. Currently, construction is underway on a 12600 square feet (1,170.6 m²) addition off of the gymnasium that includes two science labs and a multi-purpose space.
The school is divided into three divisions: Lower, Intermediate, and Middle.
As of the 2009-2010 school year, the Head of School is Mrs. Su Harris. The division heads are currently:
- Middle School (Grades 6-8) : Ms. Katy Dallam
- Intermediate Division (Grades 3-5): Mrs Betty Grubb
- Lower Division (Grades Pre-K to 2): Mrs. Molly Cain
The school teaches Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
grammar and literature, along with two foreign languages. Students are introduced to the Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
in pre-kindergarten, and all students take Spanish classes through the third grade. In fourth grade, students take an introductory French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
course and then decide whether to continue with French or Spanish from fifth through eighth grade. A Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
class is also offered to excelling students in the eighth grade.
Spring Musical
One of the largest events in Harford Day's Middle School is the annual spring musical. The musical became a yearly event in 2000 after a generous contribution to the program by the family of Lyn Stacie Getz '81. An award for outstanding achievement in the performing arts is given in Lyn Stacie Getz's name to an eighth grader at the end of each school year. Each year, the musical has been as follows:- 1995 - The Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz (adaptations)The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum, which has been adapted into several different works, the most famous being the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland...
- 1996 - Oliver!Oliver!Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
- 2000 - AnnieAnnie (musical)Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
- 2001 - The Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz (adaptations)The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum, which has been adapted into several different works, the most famous being the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland...
- 2002 - The Music ManThe Music ManThe Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with...
- 2003 - Guys and Dolls
- 2004 - Bye Bye Birdie
- 2005 - The Sound of MusicThe Sound of MusicThe Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
- 2006 - AladdinAladdinAladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland ....
- 2007 - Once Upon a MattressOnce Upon a MattressOnce Upon a Mattress is a musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway...
- 2008 - Fiddler on the RoofFiddler on the RoofFiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
- 2009 - The King and IThe King and IThe King and I is a stage musical, the fifth by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The work is based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon and derives from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in...
- 2010 - Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale. The first published version of the fairy tale was a rendition by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, published in La jeune américaine, et les contes marins in 1740...
- 2011 - OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
Graduation Speakers
- 2001 - Robert EhrlichRobert EhrlichRobert Leroy "Bob" Ehrlich, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 60th Governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007. A Republican, he became governor after defeating Democratic opponent Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a member of the Kennedy family, 51% to 48% in the 2002 elections...
, then congressman and future Maryland governor.
- 2002 - Chris Norman, world-renown flautist.
- 2004 - Johnny Holliday, Maryland Terrapins announcer and grandfather of one of the members of the graduating class.
- 2005 - Norm Lewis, chief meteorologist at ABC2
- 2006 - Kendel EhrlichKendel Sibiski EhrlichKendel Sibiski Ehrlich is the former First Lady of Maryland, having served from 2003 to 2007 during the administration of Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich. An attorney, Mrs. Ehrlich was active in various policy issues while serving as First Lady....
, wife of Maryland governor Robert EhrlichRobert EhrlichRobert Leroy "Bob" Ehrlich, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 60th Governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007. A Republican, he became governor after defeating Democratic opponent Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a member of the Kennedy family, 51% to 48% in the 2002 elections...
.
- 2007- Carlos Watson, host of the syndicated television show "Conversations With Carlos"
- 2011- Jenny ThompsonJenny ThompsonJennifer Beth Thompson is an American former competitive swimmer, and one of the most decorated Olympians in history, winning twelve medals, including eight gold medals , in the 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 Summer Olympics.Thompson, a Massachusetts native who calls Dover, New Hampshire her...
, most decorated Olympic swimmer