Besant Hill School of Happy Valley, formerly the Happy Valley School, is an American

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

coeducational 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 ...

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

and day school in

Ojai, California Ojai ( ; Chumash: ''’Awhaỳ'') is a city in Ventura County, California. Located in the Ojai Valley, it is northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara. The valley is part of the east–west trending Western Transverse Ranges and is ...

. The school has approximately 100 students and about 35 faculty and staff, all of whom live on or near campus. In the 2017/18 school year there are 13 states and 22 countries represented in the student body. An environmental science and sustainability program is coupled with a working garden/farm on campus.

History

An educational community was envisioned by

Annie Besant Annie Besant ( Wood; 1 October 1847 – 20 September 1933) was a British socialist, theosophist, freemason, women's rights activist, educationist, writer, orator, political party member and philanthropist. Regarded as a champion of human f ...

, which later took the form of a secondary school that was founded by Guido Ferrando,

Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. He wrote nearly 50 books, both novels and non-fiction works, as well as wide-ranging essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the prominent Huxley ...

, J. Krishnamurti, and

Rosalind Rajagopal ( Williams; 1903 1996) was a long-time director of the Happy Valley School (Besant Hill School) in Ojai, California. She co-founded the school in 1946 with Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti, Italian literary critic Guido Ferrando, and Engli ...

. The school is on of land that was bought in 1927 by Besant. It opened on October 1, 1946 as the Happy Valley School with Dr. Ferrando serving as the first Head of School. The school was later renamed in July 2007 in Besant's honor.

Notable founders/faculty members

– Main Founder of the school, women's rights activist and president of the theosophical society *

– Main Founder of the school and long-time director. *

– Main Founder of the school and author/novelist *

Jiddu Krishnamurti Jiddu Krishnamurti (; 11 May 1895 – 17 February 1986) was a philosopher, speaker and writer. In his early life, he was groomed to be the new World Teacher, an advanced spiritual position in the theosophical tradition, but later rejected thi ...

– An Indian speaker and writer on philosophical and spiritual subjects *

Franklin Lacey Franklin Lacey (1917–1988) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He is best known for co-authoring the story for ''The Music Man'' (1957), together with collaborator Meredith Willson,Bloom, Ken and Vlastnik, Frank. ''Broadway Musicals: T ...

– Faculty member and Head of School, playwright and screenwriter *

Beatrice Wood Beatrice Wood (March 3, 1893 – March 12, 1998) was an American artist and studio potter involved in the Avant Garde movement in the United States; she founded and edited ''The Blind Man'' and ''Rongwrong'' magazines in New York City with Frenc ...

– Faculty member and

Avante garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or 'vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical De ...

artist and studio potter

Notable alumni

* Alex J. Mandl *

Tom Pollock Thomas Philip Pollock (April 10, 1943 – August 1, 2020) was an American film producer and studio executive. He started his career as an entertainment lawyer, before transitioning to a studio executive and film producer. He was the chairman of ...

* Kaffe Fassett *

Cheryl Crane Cheryl Christina Crane (born July 25, 1943) is an American retired real estate broker, author and former model. She is the only child of actress Lana Turner. Her father was Turner's second husband, actor-turned-restaurateur Steve Crane. She was ...

Lisa Marie Presley Lisa Marie Presley (born February 1, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter. She is the only child of singer and actor Elvis Presley and actress Priscilla Presley, as well as the sole heir to her father's estate. Presley has developed a career ...

Ron Cooper (artist) Ron Cooper (born 1943) is an American artist who grew up in Ojai, California and started his career in the late 1960s in Los Angeles. By 1973, Cooper had already participated in numerous international solo and group shows with pieces in the permane ...

Frazier Mohawk Frazier Mohawk (born Barry Friedman, December 12, 1941 – June 2, 2012) was an American record producer and sometime photographer, publicist, circus owner, and farmer. Life and career Friedman attended the Happy Valley School in California. He ...

References

External links

Official website

Happy Valley Foundation
{{authority control High schools in Ventura County, California Boarding schools in California Ojai, California Private high schools in California 1946 establishments in California Educational institutions established in 1946 Monuments and memorials to Annie Besant