Beaver Country Day School is an independent, college-preparatory day school for students in grades 6 through 12 founded in 1920. The school is located on a campus in the village of

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Chestnut Hill is an affluent New England village located west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Like all Massachusetts villages, Chestnut Hill is located within one or more incorporated municipal entities. It is located partia ...

, near

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. Beaver is a member of the Cum Laude Society, the Independent Curriculum Group, and the

National Association of Independent Schools The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1962, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boar ...

. Beaver is accredited by the New England Association of Schools.

History

Beaver was incorporated as an elementary school and an all-girls'

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

in 1920 by a group of parents who were interested in

progressive education Progressive education, or protractivism, is a pedagogical movement that began in the late 19th century and has persisted in various forms to the present. In Europe, progressive education took the form of the New Education Movement. The term ''pro ...

and the

Country Day School movement The Country Day School movement is a movement in progressive education that originated in the United States during the late 19th century. Country Day Schools sought to recreate the educational rigor, atmosphere, camaraderie and character-building ...

. The school took its name in Boston, where some of the founders had been involved with a school for younger children later referred to as "Little Beaver." Beaver's first head of school was Eugene Randolph Smith, a progressive educator and a follower of the educational reformer

John Dewey John Dewey (; October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. He was one of the most prominent American scholars in the f ...

; Smith had previously been head of the

Park School of Baltimore The Park School of Baltimore, known as Park, is a private, coeducational, non-sectarian, progressive day school for children in Pre-Kindergarten (age 4) through grade twelve. Park is located in Brooklandville, Maryland, near the city of Baltimo ...

. The school opened in a facility in

Brookline Brookline may refer to: Places in the United States * Brookline, Massachusetts, a town near Boston * Brookline, Missouri * Brookline, New Hampshire * Brookline (Pittsburgh), a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania * Brookline, Vermont See ...

, and moved to the present Chestnut Hill campus in the mid-1920s. Crosby Hodgman succeeded Smith as headmaster in 1943 and led the school until 1967, when Donald Nickerson became head. Nickerson resigned in 1973 and was succeeded by Philip E. McCurdy. McCurdy's successor, Jerome B. Martin led the school from 1985 until 1992, when Peter R. Hutton, took over. Peter Hutton stepped down in June 2020, and Kim Samson took over as Head of School. From the 1930s into the early 1940s Beaver was part of the

Eight-Year Study The Eight-Year Study was an experiment that tested how American progressive secondary schools would prepare their students for college when released from the curricular restrictions of college admissions requirements. Between 1933 and 1941, the Pro ...

, an educational experiment to test the efficacy of progressive education. The school adopted

coeducation Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

in 1971. Painter

Beatrice Van Ness Beatrice Whitney Van Ness (1888–1981) was an American painter. Born Beatrice Whitney in Chelsea, Massachusetts, Van Ness grew up in Hyde Park, Massachusetts. She entered the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 1905 where she studied wi ...

founded the art department at the school in 1921 and remained on the faculty until 1949.

Students

Beaver offers grades 6 through 12. Enrollment (2019-2020) is 491 students, of whom 355 are in the upper school (grades 9–12) and about 136 are in the middle school (grades 6–8). Classes average about 15 students; one hundred percent of Beaver graduates go on to four-year colleges and universities. The school community is diverse, with students coming from over 60 towns in the metropolitan Boston area and speaking 20 languages besides English at home. About 25% of students and 25% of faculty are of color. Twenty-five percent of students receive

financial aid Student financial aid in the United States is funding that is available exclusively to students attending a post-secondary educational institution in the United States. This funding is used to assist in covering the many costs incurred in the p ...

. Tuition for the 2022–2023 academic year for all grades was $58,805. Beaver is a part of the Eastern Independent League and fields interscholastic teams in sailing, soccer, field hockey, golf, cross country, basketball,

fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, s ...

, volleyball, wrestling, squash, baseball, softball, tennis,

ultimate Ultimate or Ultimates may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Ultimate'' (Jolin Tsai album) * ''Ultimate'' (Pet Shop Boys album) *''Ultimate!'', an album by The Yardbirds *''The Ultimate (Bryan Adams Album)'', a compilatio ...

, and lacrosse. In winter of 2011–2012, Beaver started competing in girls' ice hockey. In 2015–2016, the school added boys' ice hockey as a part of their athletic program. In 2018, the school added co-ed sailing as well.

Notable alumni

Tenley Albright Tenley Emma Albright (born July 18, 1935) is an American former figure skater and surgeon. She is the 1956 Olympic champion, the 1952 Olympic silver medalist, the 1953 and 1955 World Champion, the 1953 and 1955 North American champion, and the ...

, physician and winner of the 1956 Olympic gold medal in Ladies Figure Skating *

Jane Alexander Jane Alexander (née Quigley; born October 28, 1939) is an American actress and author. She is the recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and nominations for four Academy Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. From 1993 to 1997 ...

, stage and film actor and former chair of the

National Endowment of the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

Carol Beckwith Carol Beckwith (born July 10, 1945) is an American photographer, author, and artist known for her photojournalism documenting the indigenous tribal cultures of Africa, most notably in partnership with the Australian photographer Angela Fisher. ...

, photographer, artist, and co-author (with Angela Fisher) of Maasai, African Ceremonies (2 vols.), African Ark, Nomads of Niger, and Passages, and winner of awards from Explorers Club, UN, and

Royal Geographical Society of London The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

. *

Eliza Dushku Eliza Patricia Dushku (; born December 30, 1980) is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Faith in the supernatural drama series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1998–2003) and its spin-off series ''Angel'' (2000–2003). She als ...

, actress most noted for her roles as Faith in ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...

'' and ''

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

'' and as Echo in ''

Dollhouse A dollhouse or doll's house is a toy home made in miniature. Since the early 20th century dollhouses have primarily been the domain of children, but their collection and crafting is also a hobby for many adults. English-speakers in North America ...

'' *

Brad Falchuk Bradley Douglas Falchuk (born March 1, 1971) is an American television writer, director, and producer, best known for co-creating with Ryan Murphy the comedy-drama television series ''Glee'', the drama series ''Pose'', the horror comedy '' Screa ...

, co-creator, executive producer, writer, and director of ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

''; co-creator, executive producer, and writer on "

American Horror Story ''American Horror Story'' is an American anthology horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX. The first installment in the '' American Story'' media franchise, each season is conceived as a ...

;" writer on '' Nip\Tuck'' *

Jeffrey Finn Jeffrey Finn is a Tony Awards, Tony award-winning theatrical producer. He is the Vice President of Theater Producing and Programming at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Artistic Director of Broadway Center Stage. He recei ...

, Broadway producer, nominated for 2005

Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play The Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play has only been awarded since 1994. Prior to that, plays and musicals were considered together for the Tony Award for Best Revival. The award is given to the best non-musical play that has appeared on Broadw ...

for '' On Golden Pond'' *

Lucinda Franks Lucinda Laura Franks (July 16, 1946May 5, 2021) was an American journalist, novelist, and memoirist. Franks won a Pulitzer Prize in 1971 for her reporting on the life of Diana Oughton, a member of Weather Underground. With that award she became ...

, journalist and winner of a

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

Temple Grandin Mary Temple Grandin (born August 29, 1947) is an American academic and animal behaviorist. She is a prominent proponent for the humane treatment of livestock for slaughter and the author of more than 60 scientific papers on animal behavior. Gra ...

, created humane cow slaughtering device. Also noted for overcoming the barriers of her autism. *

Joyce Ballou Gregorian Joyce Ballou Gregorian Hampshire (July 5, 1946 – April 29, 1991) was an American author, expert on Oriental rugs, and horse breeder. Life Joyce Ballou Gregorian was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the third child of Phebe Ballou, of New England ...

, 1963, author *

Tammy Grimes Tammy Lee Grimes (January 30, 1934 – October 30, 2016) was an American film and stage actress. Grimes won two Tony Awards in her career, the first for originating the role of Molly Tobin in the musical '' The Unsinkable Molly Brown'' and the ...

, stage and film actress who originated the title role in '' The Unsinkable Molly Brown'' on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

Fanny Howe Fanny Howe (born October 15, 1940 in Buffalo, New York) is an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. Howe has written more than 20 books of poetry and prose. Her major works include poetry such as ''One Crossed Out'', ''Gone'', and ''S ...

and

Susan Howe Susan Howe (born June 10, 1937) is an American poet, scholar, essayist, and critic, who has been closely associated with the Language poets, among other poetry movements.

, poets and sisters *

Jan Miner Jan Miner (October 15, 1917 – February 15, 2004) was an American actress best known for her role as the character "Madge", the manicurist in Palmolive dish-washing detergent television commercials beginning in the 1960s. Biography Early life ...

, stage actress who gained fame as Madge, the manicurist in Palmolive television ads *

Matt Selman Matt Selman (born }) is an American writer and producer. Early life Selman is a native of Watertown, Massachusetts. He graduated from Beaver Country Day School in 1989 and the University of Pennsylvania in 1993. Career After considering a car ...

, writer and producer for ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

'' * Wayne Turner, former

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

basketball star and professional basketball player *

Zachary Herivaux Zachary Herivaux (born 1 February 1996) is a Haitian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for Tampa Bay Rowdies in the USL Championship. Career New England Revolution Herivaux attended Beaver Country Day Schoo ...

, soccer player for

Birmingham Legion Birmingham Legion FC is an American professional soccer club based in Birmingham, Alabama, that competes in the USL Championship, the second division of American soccer. The team was established in August 2013 and played under the name Birmingh ...

Sammy Adams Samuel Adams Wisner (born August 14, 1987) is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. Early years Sammy Adams was born as Samuel Adams Wisner on August 14, 1987, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Kata Hull and Chuck Wisner. He and his family m ...

, rapper, singer, songwriter

References

External links

School website

''The Beaver Reader'' online student newspaper
{{authority control 1920 establishments in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Brookline, Massachusetts Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Educational institutions established in 1920 Private elementary schools in Massachusetts Private high schools in Massachusetts Private middle schools in Massachusetts Private preparatory schools in Massachusetts Schools in Norfolk County, Massachusetts