The Purnell School was a

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

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 ...

all-girls

boarding Boarding may refer to: *Boarding, used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals as in a: ** Boarding house **Boarding school *Boarding (horses) (also known as a livery yard, livery stable, or boarding stable), is a stable where ho ...

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 ...

located in Pottersville, within

Bedminster, New Jersey Bedminster is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's population was 8,165, reflecting a decline of 137 (−1.7%) from the 8,302 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in t ...

, about an hour and one-half west of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and two hours north of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. Purnell School was a member of the

New Jersey Association of Independent Schools The New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS) serves independent elementary and secondary schools throughout the state of New Jersey. The Association consists of 70 member schools with a total enrollment of approximately 26,000 students ...

. The school was accredited in 1973 by the

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (Middle States Association or MSA) was a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association that performed peer evaluation and regional educational accreditation, accreditation of public and priva ...

Commission on Secondary Schools.Purnell School

Commission on Secondary Schools. Accessed October 28, 2020. The school officially closed following the 2020-21 academic school year citing "“challenges related to the competitive landscape’’. As of the 2017–18 school year, the school had an enrollment of 57 students and 15 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...

of 3.8:1. The school's student body was 61.4% (35) White, 26.3% (15) Black, 7.0% (4) Hispanic and 5.3% (3) Asian.School data for Purnell School

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...

. Accessed September 1, 2020.

History

In December 1963, Purnell was established as a not-for-profit corporation by: Lytt Gould, President, Sis Gould, Secretary, Hap Johnson, Treasurer, and Ethel Stringfellow as the corporation's original Vice President. Carroll's contacts within the Bernardsville community led to the purchase of the Bassett Farm in Pottersville. After renovations, primarily by the Gould family, the Founders and their friends, began recruiting the first students to Purnell. The new Headmaster hired eight teachers. In September 1965, Headmaster Lytt Gould and Associate Head Sis Gould greeted the first entering class of 18 student and Purnell celebrated its first graduation in June 1968. Today Purnell has over 1,375 alumnae. On February 16, 2021, the Purnell School board of trustees announced their decision that Purnell would cease operations on June 30, 2021. In June of 2021, the

Pingry School The Pingry School is a coeducational, independent, college preparatory country day school in New Jersey, with a Lower School (K–5) campus in the Short Hills neighborhood of Millburn, and a Middle (6–8) and Upper School (9–12) campus ...

announced the acquisition of the Purnell School campus.

Academics

Graduation requirements included 4 years of English, 3 years of math, science and history, 2 years of foreign language, and classes in performing and studio arts. In addition to traditional classes, students also participated in the Affinities Program, as an additional class and a set of seminars designed to help students find and use their strengths. Each February, traditional classes were suspended and the school had Project Exploration, a mini-term during which students chose one class to focus on for the entire three-week period. Project Exploration courses have included trips to France, Mexico, Costa Rica, the school's musical production, Culinary Arts, Mass Media, Equine Studies, Animals and Society, Maritime Studies, Interior Design, and many more.

Athletics

Purnell offered a variety of competitive and non-competitive sports throughout the year. Competitive sports included soccer, volleyball, tennis, dance synthesis, basketball, lacrosse and softball. Non-competitive sports included horseback riding, circuit training, dance sport, personal conditioning, yoga and golf. Purnell competed in the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools Athletic Association - Division B

Arts

The Johnson Art Center hosted classes in drawing, collage, pastels, ceramics, photography, oil painting and fashion design. The Carney Center for Performing Arts was a 179-seat theater. Student performing groups included Ad-libbers, Dance Synthesis, and Shoots and Strawberries, the choral group.

References

External links

* {{authority control 1963 establishments in New Jersey Boarding schools in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1963 Girls' schools in New Jersey Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools Private high schools in Somerset County, New Jersey Bedminster, New Jersey