Renbrook School
Encyclopedia
Renbrook School is an independent, private day school in West Hartford, Connecticut
for children age 3 through Grade 9.
and seven other families established a progressive school in the spirit of John Dewey
. This school, called the Tunxis School, opened in West Hartford on 1234 Albany Avenue with just 3 teachers and 17 students. It offered education from nursery school through Grade 4.
The school was soon renamed the Junior School, and grew rapidly in the next two decades, moving twice in its early years. By 1956, the Junior School had 240 students, and was outgrowing its home. In 1958, it moved to the Talcott Mountain
estate of Frederick Brant Rentschler
, founder of Pratt & Whitney
, leasing the property for $1.00 a year. In appreciation, the Junior School renamed itself Renbrook School, the original name of the Rentschler estate. The school remains at that location today.
The school added its ninth grade in the 1960s and its award-winning Summer Adventure Day Camp in the 1970s. In 1996, the Faye Belden Rentschler Foundation merged with the school. Today it is a member of CAIS
, NAIS
, the SPHERE consortium, and the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce.
Renbrook has enjoyed several exceptional heads of school. Florence Greene, the first headmistress, served for 32 years. Jane Shipp, who retired in 2010, was a beloved speaker and mentor who led the school during its greatest physical expansion. Her stuffed pigs Molly and Norman became fixtures at the school, and her departure was marked by a soulful rap tribute.
Recent renovations have preserved the Tudor Revival architecture which was so essential to the Rentschler estate's original aesthetic.
The diverse Upper School athletic offerings include football, soccer, field hockey, ice hockey, basketball, skiing, gymnastics, squash, lacrosse, baseball, softball, and tennis. Outdoor Adventure is offered in both fall and spring and makes use of the low- and high-ropes courses. Renbrook's perennial rival is the Kingswood-Oxford School
. Since 2004, Renbrook's mascot has been Freddie the Gender-Neutral Hawk, an anthropomorphic red-tailed hawk
.
Renbrook has a very successful music program with 95% student participation. Musical offerings include Concert Choir, Girl's Chorus, Boy's Chorus, the Renaissance Singers, Jazz Band, Concert Band, 4th and 5th Grade Band, 6th Grade Band, 6th Grade Chorus, Off Broadway, and a yearly musical. Jane Shipp was instrumental in transforming Renbrook into a "singing school."
Publications include The Globe, a literary magazine, and The Astrolabe, a self-published yearbook.
The Globe is produced by the 9th Grade Honors Class during the Spring Term, and is distributed at the end of school.
The Astrolabe Yearbook is produced by a group of 9th grade students who work on it throughout the year. It too is presented near the end of the year.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Name !! Class Year !! class="sortable" | Description
|-
| Eunice Groark
|| 1950 || First female Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut (1991–1995)
|-
| Elizabeth May
|| 1969 || President of the Green Party of Canada
|-
| Michael Sucsy
|| 1988 || Writer, director, and producer of the HBO film Grey Gardens (HBO film)
|-
| John Conklin
|| 1949 || Set designer and Associate Artistic Director for the Glimmerglass Opera
|-
| Samantha Magee
|| 1998 || Olympian rower
|-
| Sirena Huang
|| 2009 || Professional Violinist
|-
West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town was incorporated in 1854. Prior to that date, the town was a parish of Hartford....
for children age 3 through Grade 9.
History
In 1935, Mr. and Mrs. John Lee of FarmingtonFarmington, Connecticut
Farmington is a town located in Hartford County in the Farmington Valley area of central Connecticut in the United States. The population was 25,340 at the 2010 census. It is home to the world headquarters of several large corporations including Carrier Corporation, Otis Elevator Company, and Carvel...
and seven other families established a progressive school in the spirit of John Dewey
John Dewey
John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey was an important early developer of the philosophy of pragmatism and one of the founders of functional psychology...
. This school, called the Tunxis School, opened in West Hartford on 1234 Albany Avenue with just 3 teachers and 17 students. It offered education from nursery school through Grade 4.
The school was soon renamed the Junior School, and grew rapidly in the next two decades, moving twice in its early years. By 1956, the Junior School had 240 students, and was outgrowing its home. In 1958, it moved to the Talcott Mountain
Talcott Mountain
Talcott Montain of central Connecticut, with a high point of , is a long trap rock mountain ridge located west of the city of Hartford. The ridge, a prominent landscape feature, forms a continuous line of exposed western cliffs visible across the Farmington River valley from Farmington to Simsbury...
estate of Frederick Brant Rentschler
Frederick Brant Rentschler
Frederick Brant Rentschler was an American aircraft engine designer, aviation engineer, and industrialist. A talented inventor of aviation equipment, Rentschler founded Pratt & Whitney Aircraft...
, founder of Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is a U.S.-based aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation . Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation and military aviation. Its headquarters are in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA...
, leasing the property for $1.00 a year. In appreciation, the Junior School renamed itself Renbrook School, the original name of the Rentschler estate. The school remains at that location today.
The school added its ninth grade in the 1960s and its award-winning Summer Adventure Day Camp in the 1970s. In 1996, the Faye Belden Rentschler Foundation merged with the school. Today it is a member of CAIS
CAIS
CAIS may refer to:* Canadian Association for Information Science * Canadian Association of Independent Schools* Centre for Australian Indigenous Studies* Chemical Agent Identification Set* Christian Alliance International School...
, NAIS
NAIS
NAIS can mean:*National Animal Identification System, a program intended to identify animals and track them as they come into contact with, or commingle with, animals other than herdmates from their premises of origin....
, the SPHERE consortium, and the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce.
Renbrook has enjoyed several exceptional heads of school. Florence Greene, the first headmistress, served for 32 years. Jane Shipp, who retired in 2010, was a beloved speaker and mentor who led the school during its greatest physical expansion. Her stuffed pigs Molly and Norman became fixtures at the school, and her departure was marked by a soulful rap tribute.
Campus
The Talcott Mountain campus encompasses seventy-five acres of woodlands, wetlands, fields and gardens. Outdoor facilities include four athletic fields, three swimming pools, one of the oldest and largest ropes courses in the country, three playgrounds, and a natural pond. The indoor facilities include 10 buildings, nine science and technology labs, a mathematics center, six music and art studios, two theaters, a dining commons, and two gymnasiums. The 16600 square feet (1,542.2 m²) Library and Technology Center contains 31,000 print and media volumes and is heated with geothermal technology.Recent renovations have preserved the Tudor Revival architecture which was so essential to the Rentschler estate's original aesthetic.
Student Life
Renbrook's 530 students are distributed across three schools. The Beginning School includes the Threes, Junior Kindergarten, and Kindergarten. The Lower School includes Grades 1-3 in one building wing and Grades 4-5 in another. The Upper School encompasses Grades 6-9. Since many students enter in the sixth grade and leave after the eighth, the ninth grade is a smaller, more intimate program with extensive opportunities for student leadership.The diverse Upper School athletic offerings include football, soccer, field hockey, ice hockey, basketball, skiing, gymnastics, squash, lacrosse, baseball, softball, and tennis. Outdoor Adventure is offered in both fall and spring and makes use of the low- and high-ropes courses. Renbrook's perennial rival is the Kingswood-Oxford School
Kingswood-Oxford School
Kingswood Oxford School is a private day school located in West Hartford, Connecticut. Originally two separate schools, Kingswood School and Oxford School for boys and girls respectively, KO is now a co-educational institution and offers grades 6 through 12...
. Since 2004, Renbrook's mascot has been Freddie the Gender-Neutral Hawk, an anthropomorphic red-tailed hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
The Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of prey, one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk," though it rarely preys on standard sized chickens. It breeds throughout most of North America, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West...
.
Renbrook has a very successful music program with 95% student participation. Musical offerings include Concert Choir, Girl's Chorus, Boy's Chorus, the Renaissance Singers, Jazz Band, Concert Band, 4th and 5th Grade Band, 6th Grade Band, 6th Grade Chorus, Off Broadway, and a yearly musical. Jane Shipp was instrumental in transforming Renbrook into a "singing school."
Publications include The Globe, a literary magazine, and The Astrolabe, a self-published yearbook.
The Globe is produced by the 9th Grade Honors Class during the Spring Term, and is distributed at the end of school.
The Astrolabe Yearbook is produced by a group of 9th grade students who work on it throughout the year. It too is presented near the end of the year.
Notable alumni
The alumni association includes over 2,400 graduates from Renbrook and the Junior School. The association hosts events and reunions every year.{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Name !! Class Year !! class="sortable" | Description
|-
| Eunice Groark
Eunice Groark
Eunice S. Groark was elected the first female lieutenant governor of Connecticut in 1990. Groark ran on a ticket with Lowell Weicker, both of whom were members of A Connecticut Party...
|| 1950 || First female Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut (1991–1995)
|-
| Elizabeth May
Elizabeth May
Elizabeth Evans May, OC, MP is an American-born Canadian Member of Parliament, environmentalist, writer, activist, lawyer, and the leader of the Green Party of Canada. She was the executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada from 1989 to 2006. She became a Canadian citizen in 1978.May's...
|| 1969 || President of the Green Party of Canada
Green Party of Canada
The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983 with 10,000–12,000 registered members as of October 2008. The Greens advance a broad multi-issue political platform that reflects its core values of ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy and...
|-
| Michael Sucsy
Michael Sucsy
Michael Sucsy is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award winning film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known as the filmmaker who created the hit film Grey Gardens .-Early Life:...
|| 1988 || Writer, director, and producer of the HBO film Grey Gardens (HBO film)
Grey Gardens (HBO film)
Grey Gardens is an HBO film about the lives of Edith Bouvier Beale/"Little Edie", played by Drew Barrymore, and her mother Edith Ewing Bouvier/"Big Edie", played by Jessica Lange. Co-stars include Jeanne Tripplehorn as Jacqueline Kennedy and Ken Howard as Phelan Beale...
|-
| John Conklin
John Conklin
John Conklin is a theater designer and teaches in the Department of Design for Stage and Film at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.-Biography:John Conklin was born in Hartford Connecticut, and educated at Yale University....
|| 1949 || Set designer and Associate Artistic Director for the Glimmerglass Opera
Glimmerglass Opera
Glimmerglass Festival is an opera company which was founded in 1975 by Peter Macris and presents an annual season of operas at the Alice Busch Opera Theater on Otsego Lake eight miles north of Cooperstown, New York, United States.The summer-only season usually consists of four operas performed in...
|-
| Samantha Magee
Rowing at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's Eight
These are the results of the Women's eight competition, one of six events for female competitors in Rowing at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.-Women's Eight:-Heats - 15 August:Heat 1...
|| 1998 || Olympian rower
|-
| Sirena Huang
Sirena Huang
Sirena Huang is a concert violinist. She is the First Prize Winner and recipient of the Audience Award of the 2011 Thomas & Evon Cooper International Competition....
|| 2009 || Professional Violinist
|-