The Colorado Springs School
Encyclopedia
The Colorado Springs School (CSS) is a private
, nonprofit, college preparatory school serving pre-kindergarten
to 12th grade in Colorado Springs.
The Colorado Springs School (CSS) is a co-ed college-preparatory school that includes grades Preschool through 12. The 32 acres (129,499.5 m²) campus is located on the former Claremont Estate, built in 1907 as the home of Charles and Virginia Baldwin. The main building, known as The Trianon (formerly called "Claremont"), is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. The School is set in a residential neighborhood at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.
A certificate of incorporation for the school was drawn up in July 1961. The name of the school originally was The Colorado Springs Episcopal School for Girls, but in March 1962, the school dropped its affiliation with the church and was renamed The Colorado Springs School for Girls. That spring, the school’s founders interviewed Margaret Campbell, the Head of the Upper School at Beaver Country Day School near Boston. Janet LeCompte, one of the founders, wrote, "she was, of course, irresistible to us and on her part eager to found a new school." Thus, in September 1962, the school began with 23 students in the former home of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Drake on Pourtales Road with Margaret Campbell as its first Headmistress.
By the spring of 1967, enrollment had nearly quadrupled and the Board of Trustees voted to purchase the Trianon property at 21 Broadmoor Avenue from John W. Metzger and nearly 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) which are known today as Boddington Field. Otis (“Utley”) White and Bill Boddington were central to the delicate negotiations surrounding this purchase. Many generous donors made the acquisition possible, including Mr. and Mrs. Philip G. Cole, Russell T. Tutt, William Thayer Tutt, Raymond J. Montgomery, Ben S. Wendelken, Mr. and Mrs. James A. Krentler, Mr. and Mrs. Oliver LeCompte, Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Norris, and El Pomar Foundation. New programs were added in response to market changes and demands.
In the fall of 1965, the school initiated a full-fledged boarding program in the former Heintges home at 24 Pourtales Rd. Boys were admitted to the 7th and 8th grades in 1970 and to 9th grade in 1974. In 1975, the Board of Trustees voted to make the school fully coeducational for grades 7 through 12 and renamed The Colorado Springs School.
Then, in 1976, the school merged with the newly formed Children’s School to offer a comprehensive program for Kindergarten through 12th grade. That year also brought the creation of the Experience Centered Seminars (month-long academic and experience-centered courses) in the Upper School. Since then all grades have incorporated experiential education into their coursework. The first male boarding student graduated in 1977. In 1994, a much requested PreKindergarten was established for four-and five-year-olds. In the fall of 1998, preschool was added to the Children's School.
In the fall of 2000, CSS's boarding program was phased out and in its stead came the Homestay Program which continues today. Between 1991 and 1995 enrollment grew dramatically from 180 to more than 400 students. Today, the school enrolls about 530 students in all grades.
CSS is a member school in the ASSIST
exchange program.
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...
, nonprofit, college preparatory school serving 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...
to 12th grade in Colorado Springs.
The Colorado Springs School (CSS) is a co-ed college-preparatory school that includes grades Preschool through 12. The 32 acres (129,499.5 m²) campus is located on the former Claremont Estate, built in 1907 as the home of Charles and Virginia Baldwin. The main building, known as The Trianon (formerly called "Claremont"), is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The School is set in a residential neighborhood at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.
History
CSS was established in the early 1960s by a group of parents, educators, and other concerned individuals who were drawn together by their desire to provide a strong, educationally innovative, college preparatory school for girls in Colorado Springs.A certificate of incorporation for the school was drawn up in July 1961. The name of the school originally was The Colorado Springs Episcopal School for Girls, but in March 1962, the school dropped its affiliation with the church and was renamed The Colorado Springs School for Girls. That spring, the school’s founders interviewed Margaret Campbell, the Head of the Upper School at Beaver Country Day School near Boston. Janet LeCompte, one of the founders, wrote, "she was, of course, irresistible to us and on her part eager to found a new school." Thus, in September 1962, the school began with 23 students in the former home of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Drake on Pourtales Road with Margaret Campbell as its first Headmistress.
By the spring of 1967, enrollment had nearly quadrupled and the Board of Trustees voted to purchase the Trianon property at 21 Broadmoor Avenue from John W. Metzger and nearly 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) which are known today as Boddington Field. Otis (“Utley”) White and Bill Boddington were central to the delicate negotiations surrounding this purchase. Many generous donors made the acquisition possible, including Mr. and Mrs. Philip G. Cole, Russell T. Tutt, William Thayer Tutt, Raymond J. Montgomery, Ben S. Wendelken, Mr. and Mrs. James A. Krentler, Mr. and Mrs. Oliver LeCompte, Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Norris, and El Pomar Foundation. New programs were added in response to market changes and demands.
In the fall of 1965, the school initiated a full-fledged boarding program in the former Heintges home at 24 Pourtales Rd. Boys were admitted to the 7th and 8th grades in 1970 and to 9th grade in 1974. In 1975, the Board of Trustees voted to make the school fully coeducational for grades 7 through 12 and renamed The Colorado Springs School.
Then, in 1976, the school merged with the newly formed Children’s School to offer a comprehensive program for Kindergarten through 12th grade. That year also brought the creation of the Experience Centered Seminars (month-long academic and experience-centered courses) in the Upper School. Since then all grades have incorporated experiential education into their coursework. The first male boarding student graduated in 1977. In 1994, a much requested PreKindergarten was established for four-and five-year-olds. In the fall of 1998, preschool was added to the Children's School.
In the fall of 2000, CSS's boarding program was phased out and in its stead came the Homestay Program which continues today. Between 1991 and 1995 enrollment grew dramatically from 180 to more than 400 students. Today, the school enrolls about 530 students in all grades.
CSS is a member school in the ASSIST
ASSIST (organization)
ASSIST is a non-profit organization with tax-exempt status incorporated in the state of Vermont...
exchange program.
Campus Buildings
The Colorado Springs School has a children's school building and an upper/middle school building. The upper/middle school building is called the El Pomar Building, as it was donated by the El Pomar Foundation. The Louisa Theatre is a functional theatre used daily, and is located next to the gymnasium, the Louise Honnen-Tutt Field House.Head of school
The succession of the Heads of School at CSS is as follows:- Margaret Campbell (1962–1974)
- Robert MacDonald (1974–1979)
- Jerel Cathey (1979–1983)
- Donald W. Fudge (1983–1986)
- George S. Swope (1986–1989)
- Mary Flemke (1989–2000)
- Mickey Landry (2000–2007)
- Kevin Reel (2007–present).