The Norwich Free Academy (NFA), founded in 1854 and in operation since 1856, is a coeducational independent school for students between the 9th and 12th grade. Located in

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) (also called "The Rose of New England") is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River flows south to Long ...

, the Academy serves as the primary high school for Norwich and the surrounding towns of

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

Bozrah Busaira ( ar, بُصَيْرا, buṣayrā; also Busayra, Busairah or Buseirah) is a town in Tafilah Governorate, Jordan, located between the towns of Tafilah (Tophel) and Shoubak and closer to the latter. Bozrah ( he, בָּצְרָה ; also Bo ...

, Voluntown,

Sprague Sprague may refer to: Places ;Canada * Sprague, Manitoba, a small town near the Minnesota/Manitoba border ;United States * Sprague, Alabama, Montgomery County, Alabama * Sprague, Connecticut * Sprague, Missouri * Sprague, Nebraska * Sprague, ...

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

, Preston, and

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. It was recognized by the

U.S. Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...

as a

National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

in 2001. Incorporated in 1855 by an act of the Connecticut Legislature, the Academy is an independent school and operates as a privately endowed educational institution that is governed by its board of trustees. One of the state's three endowed, independent academies, the

Connecticut State Department of Education The Connecticut State Department of Education is a branch of the state government of Connecticut in the United States. The agency is headquartered at 450 Columbus Boulevard in Hartford.

History

In 2017 the NFA administration protested against a

Governor of Connecticut The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Connecticu ...

Dannel P. Malloy Dannel Patrick Malloy (; born July 21, 1955) is an American politician, who served as the 88th governor of Connecticut from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he chaired the Democratic Governors Association from 2016 to 2017. On July ...

's Senate Bill 786, which requires trustees of any "incorporated or endowed high school or academy" to publicly post each "schedule, agenda and minutes of each meeting". SB 786 also allows for area school districts that send students to NFA to have seats on the NFA board of representatives. It also allows public hearings and reviews by area boards of education of portions of NFA's budget, as well as the auditing the NFA revenues each year. The bill ultimately was modified; it continued to allow area boards of education to review the NFA budget and hold public hearings and requiring annual auditing, but the requirement that area school boards have representatives on the NFA board was removed. On March 24 the Education Committee of the

Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. Th ...

approved this revised version. The NFA administration expressed satisfaction over this outcome.

Campus

John Fox Slater Memorial Museum, 108 Crescent Street, Norwich (New London County, Connecticut)

NFA is located at 305 Broadwa

across from Park Church and the Chelsea Parade. The 38 acre main campus contains seven buildings that are listed in 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 ...

, the most prominent being the

Slater Memorial Museum The J. F. Slater Memorial Museum, also known as Slater Memorial Museum, is a historic building and art museum on the grounds of the Norwich Free Academy in Norwich, Connecticut, built in 1885 and dedicated in 1886. It is designed in Richardsonia ...

Varsity sport teams

Football rivalry

The oldest

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

rivalry in the United States is between Norwich Free Academy and New London High School. The first meeting between NFA and the Bulkeley School for Boys occurred on May 12, 1875; Bulkeley merged with Chapman Technical High School in 1951 to become New London High School and the rivalry with NFA continued. The games have been noncontinuous, interrupted by

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and a 2-year hiatus after a brawl in 1951. Some years saw them play against each other more than once a season. The two teams played their 153rd game in November 2014.

Notable alumni

Dan Dale Alexander Dan Dale Alexander (July 18, 1919 – June 15, 1990) was an American nutrition influencer, famous for his eccentric beliefs about cod liver oil curing arthritis. He became known as the "Codfather". Career Alexander was born in Norwich, Connect ...

(1937) – nutrition

quack Quack, The Quack or Quacks may refer to: People * Quack Davis, American baseball player * Hendrick Peter Godfried Quack (1834–1917), Dutch economist and historian * Joachim Friedrich Quack (born 1966), German Egyptologist * Johannes Quack (b ...

known as "the Codfather" *

John-Manuel Andriote John-Manuel Andriote (born October 6, 1958) is an American journalist and author. He has written about health, medicine, politics and culture for ''The Washington Post,'' and other newspapers and magazines. He began reporting on HIV and AIDS in 19 ...

(1976) – author and journalist * Allyn L. Brown (1901) – lawyer, judge, and Chief Justice of the

Connecticut Supreme Court The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit in ...

* Eric Campbell (2005) – former professional baseball player (

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

) *

Andrew Carignan Gary Andrew Carignan (born July 23, 1986) is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics. Amateur career Born in New London, Connecticut, Carignan attended high school at Norwich Free Acad ...

(2004) – former professional baseball player (

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

) *

Charles Frederic Chapman Charles Frederic Chapman (January 4, 1881 - March 21, 1976) was an avid boater, editor of Hearst's ''Motor Boating'' magazine from 1912 to 1968, co-founder of the United States Power Squadrons, co-founder of the Chapman School of Seamanship and ...

(1900) – boater, editor, and writer *

Scott Chiasson Scott Christopher Chiasson (born August 14, 1977) is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball in and . He graduated and was drafted out of Eastern Connecticut State University. In he signed ...

(1995) – former professional baseball player *

Charles W. Comstock Charles Whipple Comstock (October 9, 1858 – May 8, 1917) was an American attorney and judge who served as the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut under two presidents. Early life Charles Whipple Comstock was born on October ...

, ? – Connecticut judge and

United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut The United States District Court for the District of Connecticut (in case citations, D. Conn.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Connecticut. The court has offices in Bridgeport, Hartford, and New Haven. Appeals ...

* William J. Evans (1942) – Air Force general; former commander-in-chief of

United States Air Forces in Europe United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

John H. Fanning John Harold Fanning (September 19, 1916 — July 21, 1990) was an American lawyer and member of the National Labor Relations Board for a record 25 years (from 1957 to 1982).

, ? – lawyer; member and chairman of the

National Labor Relations Board The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an independent agency of the federal government of the United States with responsibilities for enforcing U.S. labor law in relation to collective bargaining and unfair labor practices. Under the Natio ...

Sidney Frank Sidney E. Frank (October 2, 1919 – January 10, 2006) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He became a billionaire through his promotion of Grey Goose vodka and Jägermeister. Early life, family, education Frank was born to a Jewish ...

(1938) – businessman *

Edwin W. Higgins Edwin Werter Higgins (July 2, 1874 – September 24, 1954) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from Connecticut from 1905 to 1912. Biography Born in Clinton, Connecticut, Higgins attended Norwich Free Aca ...

– U.S. representative from Connecticut *

Henry Jerome Henry Jerome (November 12, 1917 – March 23, 2011) was an American big band leader, trumpeter, arranger, composer, and record company executive. Jerome formed his first dance band in 1932 in Norwich, Connecticut. His bands flourished throughou ...

(1935) – band leader and record company executive * Henry Watson Kent – librarian and museum administrator; later became NFA faculty * Bill Krohn (1976) – professional distance runner *

Wally Lamb Wally Lamb (born October 17, 1950) is an American author known as the writer of the novels '' She's Come Undone'' and ''I Know This Much Is True'', both of which were selected for Oprah's Book Club. He was the director of the Writing Center at N ...

(1968) – author ('' She's Come Undone'', ''

I Know This Much Is True ''I Know This Much Is True'' is the second novel by Wally Lamb, published in 1998. It was featured in Oprah's Book Club for June 1998. Plot summary The novel takes place in Three Rivers, Connecticut, in the early 1990s. Dominick Birdsey's ide ...

'') *

Edwin H. Land Edwin Herbert Land, ForMemRS, FRPS, Hon.MRI (May 7, 1909 – March 1, 1991) was an Russian-American scientist and inventor, best known as the co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation. He invented inexpensive filters for polarizing light, a ...

(1926) – scientist and inventor, co-founder of

Polaroid Polaroid may refer to: * Polaroid Corporation, an American company known for its instant film and cameras * Polaroid camera, a brand of instant camera formerly produced by Polaroid Corporation * Polaroid film, instant film, and photographs * Polar ...

* Barbara Latham – painter, printer, children's book illustrator *

Dominic Leone Dominic Joseph Leone (born October 26, 1991), nicknamed Dominator, is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He played college baseball for the Clemson Tigers. The Seattle Mariners selected Leone in the 16th roun ...

(2009) – professional baseball player (

) * Joseph S. Longo – associate justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court *

Ida Mae Martinez Ida Mae Martinez Selenkow (September 9, 1931 – January 19, 2010) was an American professional wrestler in the 1950s, known as Ida Mae Martinez. After her retirement in 1960, she appeared in the 2004 documentary ''Lipstick & Dynamite'' about ...

– professional wrestler and yodeler * John D. McWilliams – U.S. representative from Connecticut; transferred to

Mercersburg Academy Mercersburg Academy (formerly Marshall College and Mercersburg College) is an independent selective college-preparatory boarding & day high school in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. Founded in 1893, the school enrolls approximat ...

* William J. Mills, ? – jurist and last governor of New Mexico Territory * Cathy Osten (1973) – Connecticut

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Robert J. Papp, Jr. Admiral Robert Joseph Papp Jr. (born 25 March 1953) is a retired admiral of the United States Coast Guard who served as the 24th commandant from 2010 to 2014. He led the largest component of the United States Department of Homeland Security, wi ...

(1970) – Coast Guard admiral; former

Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

of the United States Coast Guard *

Don Pardo Dominick George "Don" Pardo (February 22, 1918 – August 18, 2014) was an American radio and television announcer whose career spanned more than seven decades. A member of the Television Hall of Fame, Pardo was noted for his 70-year tenure with ...

(1937) – television announcer (''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'') * Dewey H. Perry (1917), US Marshal for Vermont * Samuel O. Prentice – Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Connecticut * Esther Rome – women's health activist, writer *

William Albert Setchell William Albert Setchell (April 15, 1864 – April 5, 1943) was an American botanist and marine phycologist who taught at the University of California, Berkeley, where he headed the Botany Department. Among his publications are the ''Phycotheca ...

– botanist, marine phycologist *

Matt Shaughnessy Matthew K. "Matt" Shaughnessy (born September 23, 1986) is a former American football defensive end. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wisconsin. Early years Shaughness ...

(2005) – professional football player (

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

) *

Tuzar Skipper Tuzar Skipper (born June 5, 1995) is an American football outside linebacker for the Arlington Renegades of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at the University of Toledo. College career Skipper played college football ...

(2014) – professional football player (

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

) *

William A. Slater William Albert Slater (1857–1919), was an American businessman, art collector, and philanthropist from Connecticut who was a member of the prominent Slater family. Early life and career William Slater, the son of John Fox Slater and grandson ...

– businessperson, art collector, philanthropist *Pete Slosberg (1968) – brewer, founder of

Pete's Brewing Company Pete's Brewing Company was founded by homebrewer Pete Slosberg and Mark Bronder in 1986. Its major product line was Pete's Wicked Ale, an American Brown Ale that is 5.3% alcohol by volume. The company was acquired by the Gambrinus Company in 199 ...

Dean Trantalis Dean J. Trantalis (born October 14, 1953) is an American politician and mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Before his election as mayor, Trantalis served as a city commissioner for Fort Lauderdale from 2009 to 2017. Biography Trantalis was bo ...

(1971) – mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Florida *

Edmund Asa Ware Edmund Asa Ware (December 22, 1837 – September 25, 1885) was an American educator and the first president of Atlanta University, serving from 1869 to 1885. Biography Ware, son of Asa B. and Catharine (Slocum) Ware, was born December 22, 18 ...

, ? – educator, president of

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Notable faculty

Paul Faulkner Paul W. Faulkner (April 2, 1913 – January 5, 1997) was an American artist. Early life Born in North Platte, Nebraska, Faulkner received a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska and a master's degree from the Chicago Art Institute ...

, artist * Henry Watson Kent, librarian and museum administrator; also NFA alumnus *

, author *

Alexey von Schlippe Alexey von Schlippe (1915–1988) was a Russian-American painter who became the first full-time professor at the University of Connecticut's Avery Point campus in Groton. Opened in 1992, the Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art is a contemporary a ...

, artist

References

External links

* {{authority control Buildings and structures in Norwich, Connecticut Schools in New London County, Connecticut Educational institutions established in 1854 Public high schools in Connecticut 1854 establishments in Connecticut