Moravian Academy is a preschool through 12th-grade co-educational college preparatory school that predominantly serves students from the
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the no ...
region of eastern
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. Moravian Academy descended from the first school for girls in the
American Colonies, established by
Benigna Zinzendorf, a 16-year-old Countess. Moravian Academy is the ninth oldest independent school in the nation.
History
The original school was established in
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 19, ...
in 1742. In 1929, The Swain School, a preschool through 8th-grade secular co-educational independent school, was founded by D. Esther Swain. Later, in 1971, Moravian Seminary for Girls merged with Moravian Preparatory School to form Moravian Academy. In August 2020, Moravian Academy and the Swain School merged, creating a new school still operating under the name Moravian Academy.
The school has more than 900 students and 200 employees from across the region located on three campuses:
*Downtown Campus: (preschool - 8th grade), situated along the national historic site in the heart of Bethlehem.
*Swain Campus: (preschool - 8th grade), a 22-acre contemporary campus in the west end of
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 United ...
.
*Merle-Smith Campus: (grades 9- 12), situated on a 120 acres green expanse in Bethlehem.
Beginning School
The Beginning School consists of preschool - kindergarten classes on th
Downtownan
Swain Campuses Students in the Beginning School learn through responsive classroom techniques, experiential learning, and learning though play.
Lower School
The Lower School consists of students in grades 1 - 5 on the Downtown and Swain Campuses. The Lower School focuses on foundations skills, field trips, interdisciplinary project-based learning. Curriculum is built to inspire curiosity, critical thinking, creativity, and perseverance.
Comenius Signature Program
The Comenius Signature Program is an honors independent study program designed to allow sophomores, juniors, and seniors to design and carry out a research project, under the mentorship of a faculty member and in collaboration with the Comenius committee. Students create projects beyond the Moravian Academy curriculum in areas of personal interest.
Learn More
Administration
School Leadership History
Henrietta Benigna Justina von Zinzendorf (1742, founds first school, Germantown, PA)
Principals:
* Reverend John Andrew Huebner (1785-1790)
* Reverend Jacob Van Vleck (1790-1800)
* Andrew Benade (1800-1813)
* Reverend Lewis Huebner (1813)
* Reverend John G. Cunow (1813-1815)
* Right Reverend Charles G. Reichel (1815-1816)
* Reverend Henry Steinbauer (1816-1818)
* Reverend Charles F. Seidel (1818-1819)
* Reverend John F. Frueauff (1819-1821)
* Reverend Lewis Davis deSchweinitz (1821-1822)
* Reverend Charles F. Seidel (1822-1836)
Notable alumni
*
Sally Kohn
Sally Rebecca Kohn (born March 27, 1977) is an American liberal political commentator, community organizer, and founder and chief executive officer of the Movement Vision Lab, a grassroots think tank that focuses on liberal and progressive i ...
, liberal political commentator
*
Santo Loqusto ‘61P, Tony Award winner
*
Gilmer McCormick
Gilmer McCormick is an American actress and singer best known for her performance in the stage and film versions of ''Godspell'' in the early 1970s and for her role as Sister Margaret in the 1984 horror film ''Silent Night, Deadly Night''.
Early ...
‘65P, Actress
References
External links
*
Moravian Academy athleticsofficial website
Moravian Academy profileat
Niche
Niche may refer to:
Science
*Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development
*Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species
*Niche differentiation, in ecology, the ...
Moravian Academy sports coverageat ''
The Express-Times
''The Express-Times'' is a daily newspaper based in Easton, Pennsylvania. The newspaper provides national news and extensive local news coverage of the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855, ''The Express-Times'' is the lon ...
''
{{Coord, 40.678945, -75.311794, type:edu_globe:earth_region:US-PA, display=title
1742 establishments in Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Educational institutions established in 1742
Educational institutions established in 1971
Educational institutions of the American (North) Province of the Moravian Church
Moravian settlement in Pennsylvania
Private elementary schools in Pennsylvania
Private high schools in the Lehigh Valley
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
Private middle schools in Pennsylvania
Schools in Northampton County, Pennsylvania