Staten Island Academy
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Staten Island Academy is a
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 ...
, college-preparatory day school located on a campus in
Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...
,
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 ...
, United States. Founded in 1884 by Anton Methfessel, it is the oldest independent school on Staten Island, and is the only
independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...
(non-public, non-religious) in the
borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...
. It educates students from
Pre-Kindergarten Pre-kindergarten (also called Pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...
through
Grade 12 Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...
. The current enrollment is around 390 students, with a student to teacher ratio of 7:1. Eileen Corigliano is the current head of school. The school is composed of three divisions: Lower School, Pre-K-Gr. 4; Middle School, Gr. 5-8; Upper School, Gr. 9-12. The Head of Lower, Middle and Upper School is Eileen Corigliano. The campus has seven buildings: the Early Childhood Building, the Art Barn, Haugen Hall, Kearns Hall, Crowe Hall, Alumni Hall and the OJ Buck Gymnasium. The school's accreditations include 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 ...
, and the
New York State Association of Independent Schools The New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) is an association of 201 independent schools and organizations, ranging from nurseries to high schools, in New York (state), New York State. Founded in 1947, NYSAIS is the second la ...
. It is chartered and registered by the Board of Regents,
University of the State of New York The University of the State of New York (USNY, ) is the state of New York (state), New York's governmental umbrella organization for both public and private institutions in New York State. The "university" is not an educational institution: it i ...
.


History


Founding and early years

The Academy was formally chartered on September 5, 1884 by Anton Methfessel and prominent educators that helped merge the Methfessel Institute, which was founded in 1862, with the original Staten Island Academy and Latin School. It rapidly expanded, dropped the phrase “Latin School” from its name, and gained prominence with a curriculum that was progressive for its day. In 1885, required courses for the Intermediate Form (grades 9-12) included Latin, German, French, English, geography, physiology, zoology, mathematics, history, natural philosophy, expression, music, and drawing. The Academic Form required more advanced study, and The Latin School division mandated, additionally, student literacy in both Latin and Greek. Many prominent professionals in theater, education, literature, politics and business were associated with the Academy throughout this period including actor Sidney Wollett,
North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...
explorer Admiral Perry,
Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...
, the
Vanderbilt family The Vanderbilt family is an American family who gained prominence during the Gilded Age. Their success began with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the family expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthr ...
,
Jacob Riis Jacob August Riis ( ; May 3, 1849 – May 26, 1914) was a Danish-American social reformer, "muckraking" journalist and social documentary photographer. He contributed significantly to the cause of urban reform in America at the turn of the twen ...
, and
George William Curtis George William Curtis (February 24, 1824 – August 31, 1892) was an American writer and public speaker born in Providence, Rhode Island. An early Republican, he spoke in favor of African-American equality and civil rights both before and after ...
, a member of the Academy's Board of Trustees and the namesake for Curtis High School. In 1891 the school bought land at the corner of Wall Street and Academy Place, a street that was named after the school, in the St. George section of Staten Island. Because of the expanding student population, a grand new building of English architectural design was built, and the cornerstone was laid in December 1895. The new building was dedicated at commencement in June 1896. The historic cornerstone now stands outside Alumni Hall on the school's Todt Hill campus, while the original building is now the Staten Island Museum.


Early 20th century

Around the start of the 20th century, the Academy explored and adopted "new" educational pedagogies, including those espoused by
John Dewey John Dewey (; October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. He was one of the most prominent American scholars in the f ...
and
Friedrich Fröbel Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel or Froebel (; 21 April 1782 – 21 June 1852) was a German pedagogue, a student of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, who laid the foundation for modern education based on the recognition that children have unique need ...
, the creator of the Kindergarten. Athletics gained prominence as interest in facilitating a connection between physical education and intellectual growth emerged, and the Academy expanded its athletics offerings. Teams during the early part of the 1900s included football, ice hockey (played at
Silver Lake Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
), track and cross-country running, basketball, baseball, tennis, and shell-racing. The growing program forced Academy athletes in 1921 to hold their contests at fields that had been given to the school on Delafield Square. In 1931, a field house and additional athletic fields were acquired when the school purchased land off Todt Hill Road, and Staten Island Academy donated the land at Delafield Square to the City of New York, which created Walker Park from it. During this time, William Winter, a critic and patron of the arts, established the Winter Memorial Library at the school in honor of his son Arthur, an Academy student who had died while he was enrolled at the school. Through Mr. Winter's influence, the collection of the library, which was modeled after Sir Walter Scott's, included autographed portraits of Dickens, Gladstone, and Disraeli. Its shelves held first editions of Twain, Dickens, Johnson, Byron, Andrew Carnegie, and Bram Stoker, as well as other rare books and prints.


Expansion

During and after the Depression years, the Academy acquired and merged with several other private schools, including the Livingston School, a highly regarded progressive elementary institution, the Dongan Hall-Arden School, which was located on the present day Todt Hill Campus, and the Willard-Mundorf School. In the 1940s, the Lower and Middle Schools of the Academy moved to Dongan Hall, a Georgian mansion that was formerly the estate of Edward Stettinius, FDR's and Truman's Secretary of State. The Upper School remained at the Wall Street campus. The Academy maintained two campuses for many years. On December 10, 1964, ground was broken on the Todt Hill campus to build facilities to house the entire school. The Todt Hill campus additions included structures still in use today—the Early Childhood Building, Kearns Hall, and the O.J. Buck Gymnasium. Alumni Hall was completed in 1970, and the entire student body was accommodated on the Todt Hill campus shortly thereafter. In September 1975, a fire destroyed Dongan Hall, the center of the Todt Hill campus. The building's structure was irreparably damaged, and most of the Winter Memorial Library portrait and book collections was lost. A single remnant from Dongan Hall, a pendulum clock, was saved. The clock now hangs in Crowe Hall, which was built in 1976 on the site of the historic Dongan Hall building. Crowe Hall contains the Patrick Commons (the dining hall), the Head of School's office, and other administrative spaces. Haugen Hall, which houses the auditorium, the Stanley Library and arts classrooms, was also built in 1976. In 1995, the Francis H. Powers Science and Technology Center was added to Kearns Hall. Campus facilities also include two outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, athletic fields, and the Art Barn, which is the last remaining original structure on the campus and is used for students’ 3-D art classes.


21st century

The fall of 2002 marked a new chapter in the Academy's history with the installation of Diane J. Hulse as the 15th Head of School. During the summer of 2003, the Stanley Library was completely renovated, the Patrick Commons dining hall was upgraded, new playground equipment was installed, and outdoor benches and tables were added. A school fitness center was opened in late 2003. In the summer of 2004, the school's athletics fields were upgraded. The Alexander Robbins Steinman Foundation partially funded the project in honor of Alex Steinman, Class of 1986, who died on
9/11 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...
. Other projects included the restoration of the Art Barn and the Haugen Hall entry steps, upgrades to classrooms, the art room, and computer labs. In Spring 2018, the Renaissance Campaign was announced, which is a five-year development to drastically reshape the Academy. Over $6.02 million has currently been funded, with a stated goal of $10 million. Some of the funds will be used for financial aid for “qualified students”. As part of the campaign, Crowe Hall will be completely renovated and expanded, notably the addition of classrooms on the second floor and an overall area expansion of the first floor. Construction was hoped to begin in early 2019.


Heads of School

*Anton Methfessel, 1862–1884 *Frederick E. Partington, 1884–1907 *Frank C. Page, 1907–1920 *Dr. John F. Dunne, 1920–1925 *Charles H. Garrison, 1925–29 *Thomas Burton, 1929–1933 *Charles L.S. Easton, 1933–1935 *Stephen J. Botsford, 1935–1942 *Dr. Harold E. Merrick, 1942–1962 *Harvey H. MacArthur, 1962–1967 *Dr. Mary E. Meade, 1967–1968 *Peter M. Webster, 1968–1976 *Dr. J. Stevens Bean, 1976–1989 *F. Graham Brown Jr., 1989–1996 *Carmen M. Marnell, 1996–2002 *Diane J. Hulse I, 2002–2012 *Albert R. Cauz, 2012–2022 *Eileen Corigliano 2022-


Athletics

The Academy's mascot is the
tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...
, and its colors are
maroon Maroon ( US/ UK , Australia ) is a brownish crimson color that takes its name from the French word ''marron'', or chestnut. "Marron" is also one of the French translations for "brown". According to multiple dictionaries, there are var ...
and
gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
. Athletic offerings include Cross Country,
Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
,
Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
,
Tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
,
Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
,
Softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...
,
Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
,
Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
and
Lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...
.


2006

The Varsity Golf team was undefeated (8-0), led by coaches Michael Shanley and Michael Acquilano. The team won the Independent Schools Athletic League (ISAL) regular season championship.


2007

The Varsity Golf team went undefeated (8-0) in the ISAL and was the regular season champion over
Loyola School (New York City) Loyola School is an American Jesuit high school on the Upper East Side of the Manhattan borough of New York City New York, founded in 1900 by the Society of Jesus. It is located two city blocks east of Central Park and Museum Mile on 83rd S ...
. The team also won the league tournament by seven strokes. The Girls Varsity Lacrosse team had its first victory in many years in the Athletic Association of Independent Schools (AAIS) league, tying for first place among Manhattan schools such as Brearley and Chapin for a regular season victory. Another first for the lacrosse team was qualifying for the
New York State Association of Independent Schools The New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) is an association of 201 independent schools and organizations, ranging from nurseries to high schools, in New York (state), New York State. Founded in 1947, NYSAIS is the second la ...
(NYSAIS) tournament. The Boy's Varsity Tennis team reached a milestone as Coach Brian Manske reached 300 wins as a coach. The team also took back their firm hold on the Staten Island League as champions with a 9-0 record. The Girls Varsity Tennis team were the regular season champions of their league for the first time in 5 years.


2008

The Girl's Varsity Basketball team went undefeated in the Athletic Conference of Independent Schools (ACIS) League, winning the season and playoff championships. However, the team was eliminated in the first round of the NYSAIS Tournament. The Varsity Golf team won the ISAL tournament championship for the second year in a row by 14 strokes.


2009

The Boy's Varsity Tennis team went undefeated. This was the first time the tennis team has ever won the ACIS League. The Boy's Varsity Soccer team won both the
Private Schools Athletic Association Established in 1986, the Private Schools Athletic Association (PSAA) is a sports league for independent high schools primarily located in the New York Metropolitan Area. Mission * Develop and foster athletic standards of excellence for boys and gi ...
(PSAA) and ACIS championships under the coaching of Bob Ramirez.


2013

The Girl's Varsity Basketball team were the ACIS regular season champions, as well as the league's playoff champions. The team additionally championed the Lady Tigers Holiday Tournament and the Fieldston Tip-Off Tournament. The Girl's Junior Varsity Basketball team were the PSAA regular season champions, as well as the league's playoff champions.


2014

The Girl's Varsity Tennis team went undefeated in both the
Catholic High School Athletic Association The Catholic High School Athletic Association or CHSAA is a high school athletic association made up of Catholic high schools based in New York City, Long Island, Westchester and Buffalo. It is the largest Catholic high school athletic league in ...
(CHSAA) and PSAA tennis leagues, winning the season and playoff championships. The Girl's Varsity Basketball team championed the Lady Tigers Holiday Tournament and the Fieldston Tip-Off Tournament. The Girl's Varsity Lacrosse team championed the AAIS league. The team also participated in the NYSAIS tournament.


2015

The Boy's Varsity Volleyball team championed the PSAA regular season and playoffs. The Girl's Varsity Basketball team championed the Lady Tigers Holiday Tournament and the Fieldston Tip-Off Tournament. The Girl's Varsity Softball team were the PSAA regular season champions. The team additionally were the NYS Federation "B" champions.


Arts

In recent years, the Performing Arts Department has presented Upper School student productions of ''
In The Heights ''In the Heights'' is a musical theatre, musical with concept, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a Book (musical theatre), book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story is set over the course of three days, involving characters in the larg ...
'' in 2015, ''
Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...
'' in 2016, ''
Anything Goes ''Anything Goes'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap ant ...
'' in 2017, and '' Rodger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella'' in 2018. Each year, the department presents two Upper School performances (one
straight play A play is a work of drama, usually consisting mostly of dialogue between characters and intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. The writer of a play is called a playwright. Plays are performed at a variety of levels, fr ...
and one
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
), a Middle School play, and multiple Lower School grade plays. Annual concerts include performances by various student groups such as the orchestra and assorted singing groups.


Notable alumni

The Academy publicizes a "representative" list of "distinguished graduates". Among the alumni who achieved wider notability: * Chris Agoliati, professional US soccer player. * Oscar Auerbach, pathologist who helped prove that smoking causes lung cancer. *O.J. Buck, World War II fighter pilot who died over
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
in 1942, two years after he graduated. The Gymnasium is named after him. * Donald Davidson, Slusser Professor of Philosophy at the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
. * John Peoples Jr., director of Fermilab from 1989–1999, director of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey from 1998–2003. * Joseph Rallo, Commissioner of Higher Education for
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. *
Alan Seeger Alan Seeger (22 June 1888 – 4 July 1916) was an American war poet who fought and died in World War I during the Battle of the Somme, serving in the French Foreign Legion. Seeger was the brother of Charles Seeger, a noted American pacifist ...
, poet and World War I hero ('' I Have a Rendezvous with Death''); uncle of
Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...
.


External links


Staten Island Academy official website


References

{{authority control Preparatory schools in New York City Private high schools in Staten Island Private middle schools in Staten Island Private elementary schools in Staten Island Educational institutions established in 1884 1884 establishments in New York (state) Todt Hill, Staten Island