Newton Country Day School
Encyclopedia
Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart (often abbreviated to Newton Country Day School, Newton, or NCDS) is a private
, all-girls Roman Catholic high school
and middle school
located on the Loren Towle Estate
in Newton, Massachusetts
, as part of the Sacred Heart Network of 21 schools in the United States and 44 countries abroad. It is the most expensive sacred heart school in the United States. It also ranked 17th on Business Insider's list of the most expensive private schools in the country.
. All Sacred Heart schools are associated with and live by the values of the Society of the Sacred Heart
, founded by Saint Philippine Duchesne
and Saint Madeleine Sophie in 1800 in Paris. Philippine brought the schools over to America in 1818.
The school was first located at 5 Chester Square in Boston's South End (now the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Washington Street), and subsequently in four Back Bay brownstones at 260-266 Commonwealth Avenue. In December 1925 it moved to the Loren Towle Estate
in Newton, where the architectural firm of Maginnis and Walsh added a chapel and a four-story school wing completed in 1928. In 1960 a gymnasium/auditorium was finished, with further additions of the Sweeney Husson building in 2002 (housing a theatre, state-of-the-art science labs, and an enlarged Middle School) and 2007 a new and greatly enlarged library.
Its motto is "Courage and Confidence". The current headmistress, Sister Barbara Rogers, has been head of the school since 1989.
A sampling of recent college enrollment includes Brown
, Columbia
, Dartmouth
, Georgetown
, Harvard
, Holy Cross
, Bowdoin College
, California Institute of Technology
, Middlebury College
, Vanderbilt University
, Williams College
, Bates College
, New York University
, Northwestern
, Notre Dame
, Princeton
, Stanford
, Tufts
, University of Chicago
, Colgate
, University of Michigan
, Lafayette
, University of Richmond
, Bucknell University
, Wellesley, and Yale
.
The school fields 33 teams in 12 interscholastic sports over the course of three seasons, at the middle school, junior varsity, and varsity levels. Athletics teams include soccer, cross country, field hockey, basketball, ice hockey, squash, volleyball, tennis, lacrosse, softball, sailing, golf, swimming, and crew.
Newton's varsity softball team is, as of June 2007, undefeated for two straight years. The team captured the Eastern Independent League regular season and post-season championships in 2006 and 2007.
Newton's varsity hockey team won the regular season title as well as the EIL tournament championship in 2007-2008.
Newton's varsity soccer team won the regular season EIL title in 2009.
Newton's varsity field hockey team won the regular season EIL title in 2011, and placed first in the New England Championships
Newton's varsity dance team won a nationally recognized first place trophy in New York City in 2010
NCDS performs annually in the Massachusetts High School Drama Guild. In 2007, the group performed an original adaptation of Edith Wharton
's short story Xingu, and reached the semi-final round, earning 4 all-star cast awards and an award for best stage design.
The Medley, Newton's annual literary journal, is student-run under the direction of a faculty advisor, and accepts submissions of prose, poetry, photography, and other art. The Medley was named a 2007 National Scholastic Press Association Magazine Pacemaker Finalist, with comments by the judges naming the Medley a "smaller but beautifully focused presentation".
, Clowning Committee, Economics Committee, Environmental Awareness Committee, Liturgical Dance, Model United Nations
, Mock Trial, Peer Education, Photo Journalism, P.R.I.S.M. (People for a Racially Inclusive Society of Multiculturalism), Service Committee, Speech and Debate, and the Step Team.
In the upper school, all new students receive a laptop as part of the technology program. Laptops are integrated into most classes, whether it is for note-taking, project presentations, research, data analysis, computer-aided experimentation, or online language labs. All students and faculty have school email addresses via the FirstClass
email client, which is used as an additional line of communication for assignments or out-of-class discussions.
Blue and Silver Teams: Competitive interschool "teams" based on the school colors that offer opportunities for a friendly and constructive rivalry. All members of the Newton Country Day School community are inducted into either the Blue or Silver Team during the fall of their first year at Newton. Throughout the school year, the teams compete for points in various areas of school life, including school spirit, participation and attendance at school events, Halloween costume competition, Congé, etc. At the end of the year, the team with the greater number of points is awarded the traditional Blue-Silver Trophy.
Congé: Congé, a French word meaning "holiday", is a surprise, in-school holiday during which the usual class schedule is suspended in favor of fun activities that help to build community. Planned by the Committee of Games, Congé is traditionally announced mid-morning by Seniors, sparking bursts of excitement and laughter throughout the school halls. Recent Congés have featured game shows and trivia contests, carnival games and other activities.
Goûter: The French word goûter refers to a mid-morning or afternoon snack that is provided on special occasions or celebrations. Students and faculty at Newton Country Day School look forward to goûters, which generally are planned by the Headmistress and kitchen staff as a surprise for all.
Prize Day: A time-honored tradition, Prize Day ritually marks the end of the school year. Held in the Chapel, the formal Prize Day ceremonies (the Middle and Upper Schools convene separately) celebrate students’ accomplishments in the previous semester. Students who earn honors grades receive silver or gold distinction and certificates distributed by the Headmistress. The Headmistress and Head of each school also distribute certificates and awards received for exemplary performance on regional and national exams (such as those for foreign languages, maths and the sciences). In addition to academic honors, each Prize Day affirms the Goals of Sacred Heart Schools by conferring five Goal Awards to a student in each class. Students nominate their peers, describing the ways in which their classmates have fulfilled the criteria set out by the individual goals.
Ring Ceremony: Held in the Spring of each year, Ring Ceremony is one of the most anticipated events in a girl’s career at NCDS. The class ring marks a student’s transition from junior to senior year.
Vespers: Each December just before Christmas, the school community, including students and their families, faculty and alumnae, gather for Advent worship. A popular family tradition, Newton Country Day School's Vespers features the school's acclaimed Schola Cantorum, as well as the Middle School Chorus and Upper School Chorale, Gospel Choir, Liturgical Dancers, and Instrumental Ensembles.
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
, all-girls Roman Catholic high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
located on the Loren Towle Estate
Loren Towle Estate
The Loren Towle Estate is a historic estate at 785 Centre Street in Newton, Massachusetts, USA.The estate's construction began in 1920 for real estate executive Loren D. Towle as a 35-room, Gothic-style mansion with formal gardens, terraces, tennis courts, and garage. Towle died in 1924 before the...
in Newton, Massachusetts
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
, as part of the Sacred Heart Network of 21 schools in the United States and 44 countries abroad. It is the most expensive sacred heart school in the United States. It also ranked 17th on Business Insider's list of the most expensive private schools in the country.
History
Newton Country Day School was founded in 1880 as the Boston Academy of the Sacred Heart. It was the twentieth Sacred Heart School to open in the United States, and is a member of the international Network of Sacred Heart Schools, which spans forty-four countries and twenty-one cities in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. All Sacred Heart schools are associated with and live by the values of the Society of the Sacred Heart
Society of the Sacred Heart
The Society of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic religious congregation established in France by St. Madeleine Sophie Barat in 1800. It has presence in 45 countries. Membership to the Society is restricted to women only. Its members do many works, but focus on education, particularly girls'...
, founded by Saint Philippine Duchesne
Rose Philippine Duchesne
Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne, R.S.C.J., was a Catholic Religious Sister and French-American saint. She spent the last half of her life teaching and serving the people of the Midwestern United States....
and Saint Madeleine Sophie in 1800 in Paris. Philippine brought the schools over to America in 1818.
The school was first located at 5 Chester Square in Boston's South End (now the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Washington Street), and subsequently in four Back Bay brownstones at 260-266 Commonwealth Avenue. In December 1925 it moved to the Loren Towle Estate
Loren Towle Estate
The Loren Towle Estate is a historic estate at 785 Centre Street in Newton, Massachusetts, USA.The estate's construction began in 1920 for real estate executive Loren D. Towle as a 35-room, Gothic-style mansion with formal gardens, terraces, tennis courts, and garage. Towle died in 1924 before the...
in Newton, where the architectural firm of Maginnis and Walsh added a chapel and a four-story school wing completed in 1928. In 1960 a gymnasium/auditorium was finished, with further additions of the Sweeney Husson building in 2002 (housing a theatre, state-of-the-art science labs, and an enlarged Middle School) and 2007 a new and greatly enlarged library.
Background
The school commits itself to five goals:- A personal and active faith in God
- A deep respect for intellectual values
- A social awareness which impels to action
- The building of community as a Christian value
- Personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom
Its motto is "Courage and Confidence". The current headmistress, Sister Barbara Rogers, has been head of the school since 1989.
Academics
Academics at Newton Country Day School are rigorous and demanding. The school offers 19 Advanced Placement courses, including Chemistry, Physics, Calculus, English, Art, Latin, Spanish, French, Comparative Government, Statistics, and History. Roughly three quarters of students graduate having taken at least one AP course.A sampling of recent college enrollment includes Brown
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, Georgetown
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, Harvard
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...
, Holy Cross
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...
, Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...
, California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
, Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
, Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
, Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
, Bates College
Bates College
Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...
, New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, Northwestern
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
, Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Stanford
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...
, Tufts
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
, University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, Colgate
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
, University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, Lafayette
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
, University of Richmond
University of Richmond
The University of Richmond is a selective, private, nonsectarian, liberal arts university located on the border of the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. The University of Richmond is a primarily undergraduate, residential university with approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate...
, Bucknell University
Bucknell University
Bucknell University is a private liberal arts university located alongside the West Branch Susquehanna River in the rolling countryside of Central Pennsylvania in the town of Lewisburg, 30 miles southeast of Williamsport and 60 miles north of Harrisburg. The university consists of the College of...
, Wellesley, and Yale
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...
.
Athletics
Newton Country Day is a member of the Eastern Independent League (EIL) as well as the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) and competes against member schools and other independent schools throughout New England.The school fields 33 teams in 12 interscholastic sports over the course of three seasons, at the middle school, junior varsity, and varsity levels. Athletics teams include soccer, cross country, field hockey, basketball, ice hockey, squash, volleyball, tennis, lacrosse, softball, sailing, golf, swimming, and crew.
Newton's varsity softball team is, as of June 2007, undefeated for two straight years. The team captured the Eastern Independent League regular season and post-season championships in 2006 and 2007.
Newton's varsity hockey team won the regular season title as well as the EIL tournament championship in 2007-2008.
Newton's varsity soccer team won the regular season EIL title in 2009.
Newton's varsity field hockey team won the regular season EIL title in 2011, and placed first in the New England Championships
Newton's varsity dance team won a nationally recognized first place trophy in New York City in 2010
Arts
The school offers various opportunities to take part in the arts, both in and outside of class. Courses in the visual arts are offered through the AP level. Shakespeare performance projects are performed by each grade beginning in grade 6. The school stages at least 4 major dramatic productions per year. Dance classes range from ballet to jazz to modern to liturgical, and the upper school Dance Team performs in competitions throughout New England. The Middle School Chorus and Upper School Chorale are at the core of the music programs, and are supplemented by the Gospel Choir, the Heartbeats (a capella group), and the Instrumental Ensemble, among other groups.NCDS performs annually in the Massachusetts High School Drama Guild. In 2007, the group performed an original adaptation of Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton , was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, short story writer, and designer.- Early life and marriage:...
's short story Xingu, and reached the semi-final round, earning 4 all-star cast awards and an award for best stage design.
The Medley, Newton's annual literary journal, is student-run under the direction of a faculty advisor, and accepts submissions of prose, poetry, photography, and other art. The Medley was named a 2007 National Scholastic Press Association Magazine Pacemaker Finalist, with comments by the judges naming the Medley a "smaller but beautifully focused presentation".
Extracurriculars
Newton Country Day offers more than 40 opportunities for extracurricular involvement. All students choose one or more "committee" to take part in, which meet at designated assembly times during the week. Committees include Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, Clowning Committee, Economics Committee, Environmental Awareness Committee, Liturgical Dance, Model United Nations
Model United Nations
Model United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda....
, Mock Trial, Peer Education, Photo Journalism, P.R.I.S.M. (People for a Racially Inclusive Society of Multiculturalism), Service Committee, Speech and Debate, and the Step Team.
Technology
NCDS has an extensive technology program dating to the mid-1990s. The middle school technology program includes a one period course in which students are introduced to the uses of Microsoft Office applications (Word, Powerpoint, Excel), Macromedia Flash, the Internet, etc. The technology course is often used in conjunction with students' science, math, or history classes in teaching research skills and data analysis.In the upper school, all new students receive a laptop as part of the technology program. Laptops are integrated into most classes, whether it is for note-taking, project presentations, research, data analysis, computer-aided experimentation, or online language labs. All students and faculty have school email addresses via the FirstClass
FirstClass
FirstClass is a client/server groupware, email, online conferencing, voice/fax services, and bulletin-board system for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux...
email client, which is used as an additional line of communication for assignments or out-of-class discussions.
Traditions
Advent Angels: During Advent, students and faculty participate in anonymous gift exchanges known as Advent Angels. During this holy period of anticipation, generosity of spirit is encouraged. Participants make and bake gifts for their Advent Angel in a celebratory atmosphere of secrecy and joy. At the traditional Christmas Sing (held the day before vacation), each Advent Angel presents a final gift and reveals herself to her Angel.Blue and Silver Teams: Competitive interschool "teams" based on the school colors that offer opportunities for a friendly and constructive rivalry. All members of the Newton Country Day School community are inducted into either the Blue or Silver Team during the fall of their first year at Newton. Throughout the school year, the teams compete for points in various areas of school life, including school spirit, participation and attendance at school events, Halloween costume competition, Congé, etc. At the end of the year, the team with the greater number of points is awarded the traditional Blue-Silver Trophy.
Congé: Congé, a French word meaning "holiday", is a surprise, in-school holiday during which the usual class schedule is suspended in favor of fun activities that help to build community. Planned by the Committee of Games, Congé is traditionally announced mid-morning by Seniors, sparking bursts of excitement and laughter throughout the school halls. Recent Congés have featured game shows and trivia contests, carnival games and other activities.
Goûter: The French word goûter refers to a mid-morning or afternoon snack that is provided on special occasions or celebrations. Students and faculty at Newton Country Day School look forward to goûters, which generally are planned by the Headmistress and kitchen staff as a surprise for all.
Prize Day: A time-honored tradition, Prize Day ritually marks the end of the school year. Held in the Chapel, the formal Prize Day ceremonies (the Middle and Upper Schools convene separately) celebrate students’ accomplishments in the previous semester. Students who earn honors grades receive silver or gold distinction and certificates distributed by the Headmistress. The Headmistress and Head of each school also distribute certificates and awards received for exemplary performance on regional and national exams (such as those for foreign languages, maths and the sciences). In addition to academic honors, each Prize Day affirms the Goals of Sacred Heart Schools by conferring five Goal Awards to a student in each class. Students nominate their peers, describing the ways in which their classmates have fulfilled the criteria set out by the individual goals.
Ring Ceremony: Held in the Spring of each year, Ring Ceremony is one of the most anticipated events in a girl’s career at NCDS. The class ring marks a student’s transition from junior to senior year.
Vespers: Each December just before Christmas, the school community, including students and their families, faculty and alumnae, gather for Advent worship. A popular family tradition, Newton Country Day School's Vespers features the school's acclaimed Schola Cantorum, as well as the Middle School Chorus and Upper School Chorale, Gospel Choir, Liturgical Dancers, and Instrumental Ensembles.
Notable alumnae
- Sarah Van PattenSarah Van PattenSarah Van Patten is a principal dancer with the San Francisco Ballet. She trained at Boston Ballet and began performing at age 8 in their annual performance of The Nutcracker. By age 10, Sarah was studying with Jacqueline Cronsberg and performing classical ballet repertoire with the Massachusetts...
, principal dancer, San Francisco BalletSan Francisco BalletThe San Francisco Ballet is a ballet company, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, under the direction of Helgi Tomasson. SFB is the first professional ballet company in the United States... - Niia Bertino '05, musician, featured on Wyclef Jean'sWyclef JeanWyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
2007 top 20 single, "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)"Sweetest Girl " is the lead single from American rapper Wyclef Jean's sixth studio album, Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant. The song features vocals from Niia and Akon, as well as rapper Lil Wayne...
"