Purnell School
Encyclopedia
The Purnell School is a private
all-girls boarding
high school
located in Pottersville
, within Bedminster Township
, New Jersey
, about an hour west of New York City
, and two hours north of Philadelphia.
The Purnell School is a member of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools
.,
Purnell School's mission is to educate young women in grades nine through twelve whose potential has not previously been realized and to prepare them for college. Students learn to be ethical, independent, self-confident young women with a greater appreciation of the world around them. They understand how to be successful in a creative, supportive, and reflective environment that encompasses not only their lives in the classroom, but also their pride as participants in a vibrant residential community. Dedicated faculty act as mentors who understand how all types of minds learn.
Lytt and Sis Gould and their friends, Hap and Jeanie Johnson, remember how, after a day of cruising Long Island Sound late in the summer of 1962, they found themselves anchored in Stonington Harbor, discussing education. It was a familiar topic, as Hap's father had been a Headmaster of two schools and Hap had also been involved in starting The East Woods School on Long Island. This conversation was in earnest, about the need for a specific type of girls' school, "a school which puts the girl first, a school which values each individual."
During a luncheon with Ethel Stringfellow, friend and retired head of Chapin School in New York, Lytt recalls being "pushed over the cliff," wholeheartedly encouraged to turn their dream of a different kind of school into a reality. Knowledgeable about the educational possibilities available to young women at the time, Ethel told them their dream was desperately needed.
"I think I was the first at Far Hills to hear of Lytt's scheme," recalls Carroll Boynton, “As Headmaster of Far Hills Country Day School, Lytt had no difficulty placing all the graduating 8th grade boys, but he couldn't find the right place for Far Hills' 'salt of the earth' girls---so after discussing the options, he decided he would create it!" In 1958, Over the years, Lytt and Carroll enjoyed many philosophical conversations about education, and encouraged by Carroll, then the Chairman of the Board, Lytt gave his notice effective the end of the 1962-63 school year, in order to pursue the dream of Purnell.
It was in December 1963 that a not-for-profit corporation, Purnell, was established; and its founders were named: Lytt Gould, President, Sis Gould, Secretary, Hap Johnson, Treasurer, and Ethel Stringfellow as the corporation's original Vice President.
It was Carroll who had contacts within the Bernardsville community which led to the purchase of the 83 acres (335,889.4 m²) Bassett Farm in Pottersville. Though the farm was not for sale, Carroll managed to convince Mr. Bassett that it was the ideal spot for the new school.
After renovations, which were done primarily by the Gould family, all five Founders, and their various friends, began recruiting the first students to Purnell. Ethel Stringfellow knew of girls who would be better placed at Purnell than at Chapin; Lytt had made many contacts as a Head; and numerous "teas" were hosted in the New Jersey-New York-Connecticut area at which prospective students and parents could learn of Purnell and its unique mission in education. The new Headmaster had hired eight teachers who possessed the imagination to look beyond traditional methods of instruction, and who had an ability to work compassionately with students in a caring, yet firm, manner. The components were in place.
In September 1965, Headmaster Lytt Gould and Associate Head Sis Gould greeted the first entering class of 18 students. The following year, a second class was added, and again a third, so that in June, 1968, Purnell celebrated its first graduation. With a strong, carefully researched foundation, and an educational niche to fill, Purnell has developed from its inauspicious start to an unequalled independent girls' school, respected and admired from a distance, and loved from within.
Today Purnell has over 1,200 alumnae around the world.
Graduation requirements include 4 years of English, 3 years of math, science and history, 2 years of foreign language, and classes in performing and studio arts.
In addition to traditional classes, students also participate in the Affinities Program, a set of seminars designed to help students find and use their strengths developed by Jenifer Fox
and featured in Your Child's Strengths, Viking www.strengthsmovement.com.
Each February, traditional classes are suspended and the school has Project Exploration, a mini-term during which students choose one class to focus on for the entire three-week period. Recent Project Exploration courses have included trips to France, Mexico, Costa Rica, the school’s musical production, Culinary Arts, Mass Media, Equine Studies, Animals and Society, Maritime Studies, Interior Design, and many more.
Purnell competes in the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools Athletic Association - Division B
Each spring the school holds E.B. Osborn Artists in Residence weekend in which various artists come to the school and work with students in workshops. It’s a great opportunity for students to get advice and hands on experience from the artists.
The Carney Center for performing Arts is a 179 seat theater. Student performing groups include Ad-libbers, Dance Synthesis, Ringers- hand bell choir and Shoots and Strawberries, the choral group.
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 boarding
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
high school
Secondary education in the United States
In most jurisdictions, secondary education in the United States refers to the last six or seven years of statutory formal education. Secondary education is generally split between junior high school or middle school, usually beginning with sixth or seventh grade , and high school, beginning with...
located in Pottersville
Pottersville, New Jersey
Pottersville is an unincorporated area split within Bedminster Township in Somerset County and Tewksbury Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States...
, within Bedminster Township
Bedminster Township, New Jersey
Bedminster Township is a Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 8,165....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, about an hour west of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and two hours north of Philadelphia.
The Purnell School is a member of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools
New Jersey Association of Independent Schools
The New Jersey Association of Independent Schools serves independent elementary and secondary schools throughout the state of New Jersey. The Association consists of 70 member schools with a total enrollment of approximately 26,000 students...
.,
Purnell School's mission is to educate young women in grades nine through twelve whose potential has not previously been realized and to prepare them for college. Students learn to be ethical, independent, self-confident young women with a greater appreciation of the world around them. They understand how to be successful in a creative, supportive, and reflective environment that encompasses not only their lives in the classroom, but also their pride as participants in a vibrant residential community. Dedicated faculty act as mentors who understand how all types of minds learn.
Founding principles
The School's three founding guidelines:- Consideration of Others
- Truthfulness in All Relations
- Use of Common Sense
History
More than 40 years ago, the Headmaster of Far Hills Country Day School, Lytt Gould, and his wife, Sis, traveled to various independent secondary schools in the mid-Atlantic and New England states, looking for a place which, in Lytt's words, was intended for the "salt of the earth girls." Not finding a school which supplied the answer to their search, the Goulds' dream of Purnell began taking shape in the summer of 1962 through a series of fortuitous events involving friends who would become very close associates in the years ahead: Hap Johnson, Carroll Boynton, and Ethel Stringfellow.Lytt and Sis Gould and their friends, Hap and Jeanie Johnson, remember how, after a day of cruising Long Island Sound late in the summer of 1962, they found themselves anchored in Stonington Harbor, discussing education. It was a familiar topic, as Hap's father had been a Headmaster of two schools and Hap had also been involved in starting The East Woods School on Long Island. This conversation was in earnest, about the need for a specific type of girls' school, "a school which puts the girl first, a school which values each individual."
During a luncheon with Ethel Stringfellow, friend and retired head of Chapin School in New York, Lytt recalls being "pushed over the cliff," wholeheartedly encouraged to turn their dream of a different kind of school into a reality. Knowledgeable about the educational possibilities available to young women at the time, Ethel told them their dream was desperately needed.
"I think I was the first at Far Hills to hear of Lytt's scheme," recalls Carroll Boynton, “As Headmaster of Far Hills Country Day School, Lytt had no difficulty placing all the graduating 8th grade boys, but he couldn't find the right place for Far Hills' 'salt of the earth' girls---so after discussing the options, he decided he would create it!" In 1958, Over the years, Lytt and Carroll enjoyed many philosophical conversations about education, and encouraged by Carroll, then the Chairman of the Board, Lytt gave his notice effective the end of the 1962-63 school year, in order to pursue the dream of Purnell.
It was in December 1963 that a not-for-profit corporation, Purnell, was established; and its founders were named: Lytt Gould, President, Sis Gould, Secretary, Hap Johnson, Treasurer, and Ethel Stringfellow as the corporation's original Vice President.
It was Carroll who had contacts within the Bernardsville community which led to the purchase of the 83 acres (335,889.4 m²) Bassett Farm in Pottersville. Though the farm was not for sale, Carroll managed to convince Mr. Bassett that it was the ideal spot for the new school.
After renovations, which were done primarily by the Gould family, all five Founders, and their various friends, began recruiting the first students to Purnell. Ethel Stringfellow knew of girls who would be better placed at Purnell than at Chapin; Lytt had made many contacts as a Head; and numerous "teas" were hosted in the New Jersey-New York-Connecticut area at which prospective students and parents could learn of Purnell and its unique mission in education. The new Headmaster had hired eight teachers who possessed the imagination to look beyond traditional methods of instruction, and who had an ability to work compassionately with students in a caring, yet firm, manner. The components were in place.
In September 1965, Headmaster Lytt Gould and Associate Head Sis Gould greeted the first entering class of 18 students. The following year, a second class was added, and again a third, so that in June, 1968, Purnell celebrated its first graduation. With a strong, carefully researched foundation, and an educational niche to fill, Purnell has developed from its inauspicious start to an unequalled independent girls' school, respected and admired from a distance, and loved from within.
Today Purnell has over 1,200 alumnae around the world.
Academics
Purnell’s academic programs are based in the philosophy of the All Kinds of Mind’s Program. Each student’s learning strengths and challenges are identified and each student uses that information to maximize her success. Classes are often hands-on, project-based, and designed to highlight the real-world application of academic inquiry. Studio and Performing arts are an integrated and important element of the curriculum.Graduation requirements include 4 years of English, 3 years of math, science and history, 2 years of foreign language, and classes in performing and studio arts.
In addition to traditional classes, students also participate in the Affinities Program, a set of seminars designed to help students find and use their strengths developed by Jenifer Fox
Jenifer Fox
Jenifer Fox is an American educator, author, and speaker.She is best known for her work in promoting strengths-based approaches in K-12 schools. In 2008, her book Your Child's Strengths: Discover Them, Develop Them, Use Them was published by Viking Press. She is considered the leader of the...
and featured in Your Child's Strengths, Viking www.strengthsmovement.com.
Each February, traditional classes are suspended and the school has Project Exploration, a mini-term during which students choose one class to focus on for the entire three-week period. Recent Project Exploration courses have included trips to France, Mexico, Costa Rica, the school’s musical production, Culinary Arts, Mass Media, Equine Studies, Animals and Society, Maritime Studies, Interior Design, and many more.
Athletics
Purnell offers a variety of competitive and non-competitive sports throughout the year. Competitive sports include soccer, volleyball, tennis, dance synthesis, basketball, lacrosse and softball. Non-competitive sports include horseback riding, circuit training, dance sport, personal conditioning, yoga and golf.Purnell competes in the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools Athletic Association - Division B
Arts
The Johnson Art Center is where our studio arts held. Classes range from drawing, collage, pastels, ceramics, photography, oil painting and fashion design.Each spring the school holds E.B. Osborn Artists in Residence weekend in which various artists come to the school and work with students in workshops. It’s a great opportunity for students to get advice and hands on experience from the artists.
The Carney Center for performing Arts is a 179 seat theater. Student performing groups include Ad-libbers, Dance Synthesis, Ringers- hand bell choir and Shoots and Strawberries, the choral group.