Charles River School was founded by parents on the banks of the

Charles River The Charles River ( Massachusett: ''Quinobequin)'' (sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles) is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton to Boston along a highly meandering route, that doubles b ...

Needham, Massachusetts Needham ( ) is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. A suburb of Boston, its population was 32,091 at the 2020 U.S. Census. It is home of Olin College. History Early settlement Needham was first settled in 1680 with the purchase of a ...

, United States, in 1911. In 1917, the school moved to

Dover, Massachusetts Dover is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,923 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. With a median income of more than $250,000, Dover is one of the wealthiest towns in Massachusetts. Located abou ...

. Today the school serves children from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade Eight. The school is accredited by the Association of Independent Schools in New England.

CRS Summer Programs

The ''Charles River Creative Arts Program'' (CRCAP) was founded in 1970 to provide an environment in which young people could pursue an interest in the

arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both hi ...

. As the school looks to expand its summer offerings, CRCAP will remain a beloved piece of summer programming. Approximately 550 students from around the state, ages 8 to 15, enroll in the program each year. In previous years, CRCAP students chose their own schedule from more than 130 classes in art, writing, media, performing arts, gymnastics, textiles, sports, photography, and more. Every summer the program produces two original musical productions, which are usually written by CRCAP alumni or staff members. Programs based on the CRCAP model have been established in 20 states, including six other programs in Massachusetts. CRCAP-inspired programs have also been initiated in Geneva, Switzerland, and Hong Kong. Guest artists to the program have included William Wegman,

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

Madeleine l'Engle Madeleine L'Engle DStJ (; November 29, 1918 – September 6, 2007) was an American writer of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and young adult fiction, including ''A Wrinkle in Time'' and its sequels: ''A Wind in the Door'', ''A Swiftly Tilting Plan ...

Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. Chapman is best known for her hit singles "Fast Car" and "Give Me One Reason". Chapman was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she released ...

Mary Chapin Carpenter Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

Noel Stookey Noel Paul Stookey (born December 30, 1937) is an American singer-songwriter who was famous for being in the 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary; however, he has been known by his first name, Noel, throughout his life. Nowadays, he continues to w ...

William Hurt William McChord Hurt (March 20, 1950 – March 13, 2022) was an American actor. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he received various awards including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award and Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. ...

Israel Horovitz Israel Horovitz (March 31, 1939 – November 9, 2020) was an American playwright, director, actor and co-founder of the Gloucester Stage Company in 1979. He served as artistic director until 2006 and later served on the board, ex officio an ...

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 ...

Yo Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma (''Chinese language, Chinese'': 馬友友 ''Ma Yo Yo''; born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. ...

Elizabeth Swados Elizabeth Swados (February 5, 1951 – January 5, 2016) was an American writer, composer, musician, and theatre director. Swados received Tony Award nominations for Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Origin ...

John Hockenberry John Charles Hockenberry (born June 4, 1956) is an American journalist and author. He has reported from all over the world, on a wide variety of stories in several mediums for more than three decades. He has written dozens of magazine and newsp ...

Julie Harris Julia Ann Harris (December 2, 1925August 24, 2013) was an American actress. Renowned for her classical and contemporary stage work, she received five Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Play. Harris debuted on Broadway in 1945, against the wish ...

Niia Niia Bertino (born July 11, 1988), better known by her stage name Niia, is an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. Early life Niia was born in Needham, Massachusetts, and was trained by her mother in classical piano and began singing an ...

, and

Matt and Kim Matt and Kim (sometimes stylized MATT and KIM) are an American indie electronic duo from Brooklyn, New York City. The group formed in 2004 and consist of Matt Johnson (vocals/keyboards) and Kim Schifino (drums). The duo is known for its upbeat d ...

. Beginning in 2021, plans were underway for a broader summer experience at CRS.

Notable alumni

Sarah Parsons Sarah Sturgis Parsons (born July 27, 1987) is an American ice hockey player. She won a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics. She was a member of Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New H ...

- Olympian 2006 - US Women's Hockey - youngest member of the

United States women's national ice hockey team The United States women's national ice hockey team is controlled by USA Hockey. The U.S. has been one of the most successful women's ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating ...

that competed in Turin, Italy. Won Bronze Medal *Juliet Thompson Hochman - Olympian 1988 - US Women's Rowing - youngest member of the US Women's Rowing Team that competed in Seoul, Korea. *J. Rupert Thompson - filmmaker - Co-Executive Producer of

Fear Factor ''Fear Factor'' is an American stunt/ dare game show that first aired on NBC from 2001 to 2006 and was initially hosted by comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The show was adapted by Endemol USA from the original Dutch series titled ''Now or ...

*Peter Wylde - Olympian 2004 - US Equestrian - Silver medal *

Francis W. Sargent Francis Williams Sargent (July 29, 1915 – October 22, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 64th governor of Massachusetts from 1969 to 1975. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 63rd Lieutenant Govern ...

- former Governor of Massachusetts *

Rosemary Mahoney Rosemary Mahoney (born January 28, 1961 Boston, Massachusetts) is an American writer. She has published six books of narrative non-fiction and numerous magazine articles. For the ''American Spectator'', Christopher Caldwell wrote, "Mahoney has a ...

- author "Down the Nile in a Fisherman's Skiff" *David H.D.S. Greenway - columnist, former foreign affairs editor, The Boston Globe

External links

*
CRCAP website

References

{{coord, 42, 14, 40.0, N, 71, 16, 41.2, W, display=title Private elementary schools in Massachusetts Schools in Norfolk County, Massachusetts Private middle schools in Massachusetts