Vermont Academy (VA) is a

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 ...

co-educational 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 ...

college preparatory A college-preparatory school (usually shortened to preparatory school or prep school) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily designed to prepare students for higher education ...

, boarding and day school in

Saxtons River The Saxtons River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Vermont, a tributary of the Connecticut River. Its watershed covers and ...

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

, serving students from ninth through twelfth grade, as well as

postgraduates Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and struc ...

. Founded in 1876, the campus was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

as the Vermont Academy Campus Historic District in 2015.

History

Founded in 1876 by William M. Pingry, Vermont Academy originally included a boys-only

lower school Three-tier education refers to those structures of schooling, which exist in some parts of England, where pupils are taught in three distinct school types as they progress through the education system. Terminology In a three-tier local educ ...

, which gave "...special attention to life in the open." In 1934,

Ernest Martin Hopkins Ernest Martin Hopkins (November 6, 1877 – August 13, 1964) served as the 11th President of Dartmouth College from 1916 to 1945. Dartmouth Presidency At the dedication of the Hopkins Center for the Arts in 1962, the speaker, then- Governor ...

, President of

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

, recommended

Laurence G. Leavitt Laurence Gillelan Leavitt (1903–2000) was the longtime headmaster of Vermont Academy in Saxtons River, Vermont, United States, where he succeeded in steering the University-preparatory school, preparatory school from dire financial straits to fin ...

, a fellow Dartmouth graduate, for the job of Head of School of Vermont Academy. Leavitt was headmaster for twenty-five years, during which he doubled enrollment, eliminated school debt, and made improvements to the campus. In 2012, Vermont Academy fired a math and science teacher for possession of child pornography. He was later sentenced to 30 years in prison. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vermont Academy received more than two million dollars in PPP loans

Academics

The Vermont Academy curriculum includes courses in Art, College Counseling, English, History, Learning Skills, Mathematics, Music, Science, and World Language ( French,

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, or

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

). Additionally, VA is a partner with Liceo Europeo, a private school in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

Athletics

Home of the

Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

, Vermont Academy athletics compete in the

New England Preparatory School Athletic Council The New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) is an organization that serves as the governing body for sports in preparatory schools and leagues in New England. The organization has 169 full member schools as well as 24 associate ...

and are a member of the

Lakes Region League The Lakes Region League is composed of eight New England preparatory schools that compete athletically and academically. Its members are also members of the New England Prep School Athletic Conference (NEPSAC). The league's name comes from the ...

. The school offers a wide range of sports, categorized by Fall, Spring, and Winter. Fall athletics include: crew, cross country, equestrian, mountain biking, soccer, and wilderness skills. Spring athletics include: baseball, equestrian, fly fishing, golf, lacrosse, rock climbing, and tennis. Winter athletics include: alpine, basketball, dance, freeski, hockey, nordic, skiing, and snowboarding. The school has five playing fields and two practice ones, an ice rink, six tennis courts, a thirteen-station ropes course, a mountain biking course, of trails, and a winter sports park, including ski jumps and slopes.

Campus

The Vermont Academy campus is located on the north side of

, bounded on the south by Burk Hill Road and on the east by Pleasant Street. It is more than in size, and includes buildings dating back to the school's founding in 1876. Jones Hall, now a dormitory, was its only building until 1888, when Fuller Hall, was built. In 1921, Alumni Hall was designed by the noted architect Frank Lyman Austin. In addition to the Wilbur Library, Vermont Academy has a number of buildings on campus. Dormitories are separated by gender, with space to accommodate just over 100 boys and 60 girls. In the 2000s, several new spaces on campus were created, including: the observatory (2003), the gymnasium and fitness center (2004), and a performing arts center (2006). The Vermont Academy campus was listed on the

in 2015.

Notable alumni

File:Frank C. Archibald (Vermont Attorney General).jpg, Frank C. Archibald File:Bruce Brown Miami (cropped).jpg, Bruce Brown File:Clara Converse.jpg,

Clara Converse Clara Adra Converse (May 8, 1857 – January 24, 1935) was an American educator and missionary who joined the Woman’s Baptist Foreign Missionary Society and became a pioneer educator in Japan. After earning her credentials at the Vermont Academ ...

File:Paul Percy Harris 1968 Brazil stamp.jpg, Paul Harris File:Jordan Nwora.jpg,

Jordan Nwora Jordan Ifeanyi Nwora (born September 9, 1998) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals. He plays interna ...

File:HollywoodVampsSSe200618-151 (43604265504).jpg, Joe Perry File:BillTorrey.jpg,

Bill Torrey William Arthur Torrey (June 23, 1934 – May 2, 2018) was a Canadian hockey executive. He served as a general manager in the National Hockey League for the Oakland Seals, New York Islanders, and Florida Panthers. He developed the Islanders in ...

Vermont Academy has educated numerous

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

politicians and

military officers An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

, including the diplomat John Barrett (1885), the ambassador Mark Palmer (1959), the judges Joseph Bogdanski (1931), Fred Tarbell Field (1895), and Frank L. Fish, and three members of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

Henry L. Bowles Henry Leland Bowles (January 6, 1866 – May 17, 1932) was an American politician who served as a United States representative from Massachusetts. Biography Bowles was born in Athens, Vermont on January 6, 1866. He attended the district school ...

, Howard A. Coffin, and Samuel B. Pettengill (1904). Frank C. Archibald, the seventh

Vermont Attorney General The Vermont Attorney General is a statewide elected executive official in the U.S. state of Vermont who is elected every two years. It was created by an act of the Vermont General Assembly in 1790, repealed in 1797, and revived in 1904. The office ...

, also graduated from the school. Frank E. Putnam, who was a lawyer and served in the Minnesota Senate, graduated from the Vermont Academy. Military officers include

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

officers

Donald E. Edwards Donald E. Edwards (June 15, 1937 – August 16, 2018) was an American military officer. He was most notable for his service as adjutant general of the State of Vermont from 1981 to 1997. The adjutant general is the senior uniformed officer in th ...

(1955) and Bruce M. Lawlor (1966),

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

officer William W. Stickney (1922), and

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

officer

Joseph Metcalf III Joseph Metcalf III (20 December 1927 – 2 March 2007) was a United States Navy vice admiral. He graduated from Vermont Academy in 1946 and then from the Naval Academy in 1951 and retired from active duty in 1987. Experience Vice Admiral M ...

(1946). A number of graduates have also pursued professional sports. Professional basketball players include: Bruce Brown (2016),

Keron DeShields Keron Melique DeShields (born December 4, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for Hapoel Afula of the Israeli National League. He played college basketball for the University of Montana and Tennessee State University before playi ...

(2011), Corey Johnson (2015),

Tyrique Jones Tyrique Jones (born May 3, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for Türk Telekom of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He played college basketball for the Xavier Musketeers. Early life and high school career Jones grew up playing f ...

(2016),

(2017),

Simisola Shittu Oluwasimisola "Simisola" Shittu (born 7 November 1999) is a British-born Canadian professional basketball player for the Lakeland Magic of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores. He was one of the top-ranked ...

(2018), and Christian Vital, who later transferred to St. Thomas More School. Brown and Nwora are the only two to have played in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

, with Nwora winning the 2021 NBA Finals with the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

. Marcus Santos-Silva (2017) currently plays

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Texas Tech Red Raiders The Texas Tech Red Raiders and Lady Raiders are the athletic teams that represent Texas Tech University, located in Lubbock, Texas. The women's basketball team uses the name Lady Raiders, while the school's other women's teams use the "Red Raider ...

. Professional hockey players include Paul Fenton, Lotti Odnoga and Blanka Škodová, while

(1952) is a member of the

Hockey Hall of Fame , logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg , logo_upright = 0.5 , image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg , caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992 , map_type = , former_name = , established = 1943 , location = 30 Y ...

as an executive in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

. Other notable athletes include Bert Abbey (1887) and

Danny MacFayden Daniel Knowles MacFayden (June 10, 1905 – August 26, 1972) was an American starting and relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. From through , he played for the Boston Red Sox (1926–1932), New York Yankees (1932–1934), Cincinnati Reds ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

, the

skiers Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...

Rob DesLauriers (1983) and Joseph Peter Wilson, and

Jim MacLaren James E. MacLaren (April 13, 1963 – August 31, 2010) was a motivational speaker and author, noted for his record-breaking performances in the marathon and Ironman triathlon after having his left leg amputated below the knee. MacLaren was born o ...

(1981), a

triathlete A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the d ...

. John Henry Williams (1986), the only son of the baseball great

Ted Williams Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 ...

, also attended the school. Three notable founders and inventors attended Vermont Academy in the nineteenth-century, including: Paul Harris (1888), the founder of

Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...

;

Russell W. Porter Russell Williams Porter (December 13, 1871 – February 22, 1949) was an American artist, engineer, amateur astronomer and Arctic explorer. He was a pioneer in the field of “cutaway illustration" and is sometimes referred to as the "founder" or ...

(1891), the founder of

amateur telescope making ''Amateur Telescope Making'' (''ATM'') is a series of three books edited by Albert G. Ingalls between 1926 and 1953 while he was an associate editor at ''Scientific American''. The books cover various aspects of telescope construction and obser ...

; and

Archibald Query Archibald Query (1873–1964) was a Canadian-born American confectioner, who invented Marshmallow Fluff, a special formula of marshmallow cream, in 1917. Biography Query developed the recipe in his kitchen, initially selling his marshmallow flu ...

(1900), the inventor of

Marshmallow Fluff Marshmallow creme (also called marshmallow fluff, marshmallow stuff, marshmallow spread, or marshmallow paste) is a marshmallow confectionery spread similar in flavor, but not texture, to regular solid marshmallow. One brand of marshmallow crem ...

. Christopher A. Sinclair (1967), the former

Chief Executive Officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi was ...

, also graduated from the school. The authors Mark W. Smith (1987),

John Steptoe John Steptoe (September 14, 1950 – August 28, 1989) was an author and illustrator for children’s books dealing with aspects of the African-American experience. He is best known for ''Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters'', which was acknowledged ...

, and Helen M. Winslow, the

orthodontist Orthodontics is a dentistry specialty that addresses the diagnosis, prevention, management, and correction of mal-positioned teeth and jaws, and misaligned bite patterns. It may also address the modification of facial growth, known as dentofacial ...

Albert H. Ketcham, the scientist Florence R. Sabin (1889), and the religious figures Bishop

John Bryson Chane John Bryson Chane (born May 13, 1944) is a retired bishop of the Episcopal Church. The eighth diocesan bishop of Washington, he was consecrated at Washington National Cathedral on June 1, 2002, leading the Episcopal Diocese of Washington until ...

(1963) and missionary

(1879), who is credited with establishing education for women in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, all graduated from the school. Joe Perry (1969), the lead

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

of the noted rock band

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...

, graduated from Vermont Academy.

References

External links

* {{authority control Boarding schools in Vermont Preparatory schools in Vermont Private high schools in Vermont Educational institutions established in 1876 Saxtons River, Vermont Schools in Windham County, Vermont 1876 establishments in Vermont Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont National Register of Historic Places in Windham County, Vermont Buildings and structures in Rockingham, Vermont