Berkshire School is a private, co-ed
boarding school for grades 9 through 12 located in
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...
,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
,
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
History
1907–1943: Founding and early years
Berkshire School (for boys) was established in 1907 at the foot of
Mount Everett
Mount Everett at 2,608 ft - or 793.1 m - is the highest peak in the south Taconic Mountains. Everett rises nearly 2,000 feet in about a mile from its eastern footings around Sheffield, Mass., and is known for its expansive views; for scrubby ...
, one of the
highest mountains in Massachusetts, by Seaver Burton Buck, a
Harvard graduate who had previously taught at
Hackley School
Hackley School is a private college preparatory school located in Tarrytown, New York, and is a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League. Founded in 1899 by a wealthy philanthropist, Frances Hackley, Hackley was intended to be a Unitarian al ...
.
Buck led the school until 1943.
![Seaver Buck 1930s, Berkshire School](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Seaver_Buck_1930s%2C_Berkshire_School.jpg)
His educational philosophy is reported as a "Victorian disciplinarian
howas sometimes subverted by a pixieish manner."
It is also reported that during this period the school "lacked the prestige of top-drawer prep schools."
Despite this fact, when Albert Keep became headmaster in 1943, the school instituted an Education with Wings program, which enabled students to gain a high school diploma and simultaneously prepare for
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
1943–1970: Rapid growth
In 1943, Delano de Windt, a 1911 graduate of the school, became headmaster. He was soon followed by John E. Godman in 1951, who increased the school's enrollment to 330 boys and expanded the faculty to 35 teachers. In 1964, an arts and science wing was added to Berkshire Hall.
In 1969, Berkshire also enrolled nine girls as day students in what Godman described as "an experiment" in
coeducation. This led to full-scale coeducation.
1971–1987: Changes
At the beginning of the 1970s, Robert Minnerly took over as headmaster. Under his leadership, the school restructured its scholastic mission and added new programs in computer science, ethics, health, and environmental science.
[Berkshire School: History & Traditions](_blank)
His successors built on these changes and added new programs of their own. Under James Moore (1979 - 1987), Berkshire constructed a 35,000 square foot athletic center and renovated the gymnasium to house a modern library which today boasts 40,000 volumes.
1988–2003: Dilemmas of a new decade
In 1991, Richard Unsworth whose previous experience included being the headmaster at
Northfield Mount Hermon School
Northfield Mount Hermon School, often called NMH, is a co-educational preparatory school in Gill, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is a member of the Eight Schools Association.
Present day
NMH offers nearly 200 courses, including AP a ...
became headmaster.
During Unsworth headmastership the school introduced co-curricular programs in Chinese and outdoor education though the school's "reputation for being lax about drugs" remained an issue.
Whilst Unsworth incorporated drug-awareness and counseling programs
after a series of drug-related incidents he resigned his post.
The board of trustees turned to Paul Christopher (1996 - 2002), an ethicist and previous head of philosophy at
West Point
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
, New York,
as the next headmaster to address the renewed public embarrassment around drugs.
Drug and alcohol use "declined dramatically" under Christopher.
In June 2002 Christopher resigned as headmaster "amidst sexual harassment allegations."
A year later, the board of trustees turned to Larry Piatelli (2003), a Harvard graduate, to reverse the school's decline. The ''Harvard Crimson'' described Piatelli as a "strong leader" and noted that Piatelli "caused two administrators and two faculty members to follow him to the Berkshire school from their former positions at
Albany Academy
The Albany Academy is an independent college preparatory day school for boys in Albany, New York, USA, enrolling students from Preschool (age 3) to Grade 12. It was established in 1813 by a charter signed by Mayor Philip Schuyler Van Rensselaer ...
."
After being headmaster for only three and a half months, Piatelli died of a heart attack while playing hockey in Albany, New York, on October 19, 2003.
Hawley Rogers, a Berkshire graduate, served as interim headmaster for six months.
2004–present: The Berkshire resurgence
Michael J. Maher became head of school in 2004. During his tenure the school's admissions applications doubled
and the endowment rose to upwards of $110 million. The 2011 acceptance rate was 24%.
In 2008, the school's main academic building was reopened after undergoing renovations. A year later, the
Jackman L. Stewart Athletic Center was also completed. In 2011, Berkshire added a new music center and renovated its performing arts facilities.
Maher resigned abruptly on April 22, 2013. He was replaced by the school's former dean of academic affairs Pieter Mulder.
Sustainability
The school is reported as becoming 'green'.
* In 2008, Berkshire won the
Green Cup Challenge for reducing the school's energy output by 21.05%.
Interscholastic sports
![Berkshire rink 2008-](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Berkshire_rink_2008-.jpeg)
The school offers 33 athletics.
Berkshire's athletic teams compete with boarding schools and other private schools throughout New England, including
Cushing Academy
Cushing Academy is a private, coeducational college-preparatory school for boarding and day students in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, United States. It serves approximately 400 students in grades 9–12 and a postgraduate year.
History
Cushing ...
,
Choate Rosemary Hall,
Loomis Chaffee
The Loomis Chaffee School (; LC or Loomis) is a selective independent, coeducational, college preparatory school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, including postgraduate students, located in Windsor, Connecticut, seven miles north ...
,
Suffield Academy,
Kent School
Kent School is a private, co-educational, college preparatory boarding school in Kent, Connecticut, United States. Frederick Herbert Sill established the school in 1906. It is affiliated with the Episcopal Church of the United States.
Acade ...
,
Pomfret School
Pomfret School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory boarding and day school in Pomfret, Connecticut, United States, serving 350 students in grades 9 through 12 and post-graduates. Located in the Pomfret Street Historic District, ...
,
South Kent School
South Kent School, a private all-boys boarding school in South Kent, Connecticut, United States, is located on a campus in western Litchfield County. It is sited on Spooner Hill east of Bull's Bridge, overlooking the former Housatonic Valley ...
,
The Gunnery,
Tabor Academy,
Taft School
The Taft School is a private, coeducational school located in Watertown, Connecticut, United States. It teaches students in 9th through 12th grades and post-graduates.
About three-quarters of Taft's roughly 600 students live on the school's ...
,
Salisbury School
Salisbury School is an all-boys, private college-preparatory boarding school founded in 1901 and located in Salisbury, Connecticut. Its school newspaper is ''The Cupola''. Its mascot is the Crimson Knight. The school's motto is '' Esse quam vid ...
,
Millbrook School
Millbrook School is a private, coeducational preparatory boarding school located in Stanford, New York, United States.
History
Millbrook School was founded in 1931 by Edward Pulling. Pulling was a graduate of both Princeton University and Cam ...
,
Deerfield Academy
Deerfield Academy is an elite coeducational preparatory school in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1797, it is one of the oldest secondary schools in the United States. It is a member of the Eight Schools Association, the Ten Schools Admis ...
,
Albany Academy
The Albany Academy is an independent college preparatory day school for boys in Albany, New York, USA, enrolling students from Preschool (age 3) to Grade 12. It was established in 1813 by a charter signed by Mayor Philip Schuyler Van Rensselaer ...
,
Canterbury School,
Brunswick School
Brunswick School is a private, college-preparatory school for boys in Greenwich, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1902 by George B. Carmichael.
History
Brunswick School was founded in 1902 by George B. Carmichael. The school is a ...
,
Williston Northampton School
Williston Northampton School (simply referred to as Williston) is a private, co-educational, day and boarding college-preparatory school in Easthampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1841.
History
Williston Seminary ...
,
Trinity Pawling,
Hotchkiss School,
Avon Old Farms
, motto_translation = Aspiring and Persevering
, address = 500 Old Farms Road
, city = Avon
, state = Connecticut
, zipcode = 06001
, country = United St ...
,
Northfield Mount Hermon
Northfield Mount Hermon School, often called NMH, is a co-educational preparatory school in Gill, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is a member of the Eight Schools Association.
Present day
NMH offers nearly 200 courses, including AP and ...
, and
Forman School.
Campus
![Berkshire School in 1953, 245 N Undermountain Rd, Sheffield, MA 01257, USA – 1953](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Berkshire_School_in_1953%2C_245_N_Undermountain_Rd%2C_Sheffield%2C_MA_01257%2C_USA_%E2%80%93_1953.jpg)
In a 2002 article the ''Boston Globe'' reported: "At the foot of Mount Everett, on a serene stretch of woods and fields in an isolated corner of southwestern Massachusetts, sits the Berkshire School. Drive along Undermountain Road in Sheffield, turn up a maple-lined lane and over a little rocky bridge, and there it is: the heart of what must be one of the prettiest campuses in Massachusetts, or anywhere."
The school's buildings are reported as "tastefully proportioned ivy-covered buildings
hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
flank manicured lawns. Rustic gray buildings tucked behind leafy copses house almost all of the 64 faculty members. Acres of pristine forest laced with trails rise behind the school."
Up the mountain is Guilder Pond, the highest fresh water pond in the state.
Campus facilities
Academic facilities
* The Morgan/Bellas/Dixon Math and Science Center is the school's 48,000-square-foot dedicated in 2012 housing math, science classroom/laboratories, and a teaching auditorium.
* The Fine Arts Center opened 2014 in Berkshire Hall at 14,700-square-foot.
* The Dixon Observatory which opened in 2000, houses state-of-the-art equipment that gives students and teachers the opportunity to make detailed observations of both solar system bodies as well as deep space objects. In addition, the tracking mount and CCD camera allows students to conduct advanced astro-imaging of faint galaxies and nebulae.
Governing structure
In the 1980s the school's board of trustees numbered 30.
Notable alumni
Artists, poets, and writers
*
Stirling Dickinson - expatriate artist
*
William Matthews - poet and essayist
*
George Platt Lynes - fashion and commercial photographer
*
C. D. B. Bryan - author and journalist
*
Lincoln Kirstein - co-founder of the
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...
*
Michael Gutenplan
Michael Gutenplan (born April 17, 1981) on Long Island, Long Island, New York, is a professional Magician (illusionist), magician and Mentalism, mentalist. A third generation psychic, he currently performs mind reading shows at corporate, pr ...
- magician and mentalist
*
J. P. Davis - screenwriter and actor
*
E.V. Day - sculptor and installation artist
*
Kristin Baker - painter
Finance
*
Peter Kellogg - former CEO of Wall Street specialist firm
Spear, Leeds & Kellogg
Industrialists
*
Harry Gale Nye, Jr. - industrialist, entrepreneur, and world champion sailor
*
John Hugh MacMillan - businessman
Media
*
Calvin Tomkins
Calvin Tomkins (born 17 December 1925) is an author and art critic for ''The New Yorker'' magazine.
Life and career
Tomkins was born in Orange, New Jersey. After graduating from Berkshire School, he attended Princeton University and received an un ...
- author and art critic for ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' magazine
*
Ryan Lizza - CNN contributor and the Washington correspondent for ''Esquire'' magazine
*
Chester Currier - newspaper and magazine columnist and nonfiction book author
*Ryan Brandell - Blogger "Barstool Chief" of
Barstool Sports
Barstool Sports is an American blog website and digital media company headquartered in New York City that produces content on sports and pop culture. Founded by David Portnoy in 2003 in Milton, Massachusetts, the company's two primary owners a ...
Chicago. Co-host of Redline Radio Podcast and Sirus XM Barstool Chicago Radio.
Politics
*
Wynn Underwood - Former Associate Justice of the
Vermont Supreme Court
The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court.
The Court ...
and former member of the
Vermont House of Representatives
Scientists
*
William Standish Knowles
William Standish Knowles (June 1, 1917 – June 13, 2012) was an American chemist. He was born in Taunton, Massachusetts. Knowles was one of the recipients of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He split half the prize with Ryōji Noyori for thei ...
- Nobel laureate in chemistry
*
Oliver L. Austin - ornithologist and zoologist
Sports
*
Conal Groom - Olympian in rowing
*
Jeff McLaughlin - Olympian in rowing
*
Kacey Bellamy
Kacey Lee Bellamy (born April 22, 1987) is an American ice hockey defender for the Calgary section of the PWHPA, an Olympic Silver medalist, and seven-time IIHF World Women's Championship winner. She currently plays for the Boston Pride in the ...
- ice hockey defenseman
*
Kendall Coyne
Kendall Coyne Schofield (born May 25, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey player who is currently a member of the United States women's national ice hockey team. With the national team, she has won six gold medals at the IIHF World Wome ...
- ice hockey forward
*
Matt Sewell - Canadian football player
*
Kevan Miller
Kevan Michael Miller (born November 15, 1987) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing career Amateur
Miller was born in Santa Clarita, California, an ...
- ice hockey defenseman
*
Zeiko Lewis - Bermudan soccer player
*
Jack Harrison - English soccer player
*
Kevin Rooney - ice hockey forward
*
Justin Donawa - Bermudan soccer player
*
Rebecca Russo - ice hockey forward
*
Jacob Shaffelburg - Canadian soccer player, Toronto FC (MLS)
References
External links
Boarding School ReviewThe Association of Boarding Schools
{{authority control
Private high schools in Massachusetts
Boarding schools in Massachusetts
Educational institutions established in 1907
Schools in Berkshire County, Massachusetts
1907 establishments in Massachusetts