Lowell School (Washington, D.C.)

Lowell School
alt text
Location
1640 Kalmia Road NW
Washington, DC 20012
Information
School type Independent
Progressive
Established 1965
Head of School Debbie Gibbs
Grades PS-8
Enrollment 350
Student to teacher ratio 6:1
Color(s) Green, white
Mascot Leopard
Tuition $29,625 (preschool)
$35,450 (K-3)
$36,135 (4-5)
$37,815 (6-8)
Publications The Lowell Ledger (Bi-annual Newspaper)
In the Loop (Quarterly in-depth stories)
The Lowell Loop (Weekly e-Newsletter)
Website http://www.lowellschool.org

Lowell School is an independent, co-educational preschool through 8th grade school located in the Colonial Village neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

School history

Lowell was founded in 1965 by Judith Grant and Susan Semple. It began as nursery school in the basement of Cleveland Park Congregational Church at 34th and Lowell Streets, N.W. The annual tuition was only $325.[1] Gail Shandler joined the Lowell staff in 1966 and went on to become the school's first director. In 1975 the school added a kindergarten. Growing enrollment caused the school to move in 1978 to the Sixth Presbyterian Church on 16th and Kennedy Streets, N.W., making it one of the first independent schools to be located on the east side of Rock Creek Park.

In 1983, 1st grade was added and in 1984, in addition to adding 2nd grade, the Parents Association was formed and remains a cornerstone of the school today. In 1985 Annual Giving was instituted in order to fund financial aid and ensure that the school remained financially accessible. The Lowell library opened in 1986 with 400 volumes, far fewer than the 10,000 volumes on the shelves today. In 1987 Lowell expanded to 3rd grade, and a year later Gail Shandler resigned and Abigail Wiebenson, formerly the head of the lower school at Georgetown Day School, became the second head of school. Finally, in 1989 Lowell purchased the Himmelfarb mansion at 16th and Decatur Streets, N.W. and moved into its own building in October of that year.

In the 1990s Lowell was accredited by the Association of Independent Maryland Schools, moved to its present Kalmia campus and expanded through 5th grade. In 2001 the first 6th grade class was added and the first 8th grade class began in 2012. Lowell celebrated its 40th Anniversary in 2005-06 and in 2007 appointed its third head of school, Debbie Gibbs, who had been a longstanding administrator at Marin Country Day School in California. Debbie Gibbs announced her retirement in 2016.[2]

Lowell has expanded to include a middle school, having added 7th grade in 2011 and 8th grade in 2012. In the fall of 2010 the 6th grade moved to the Parkside Building and has subsequently been joined by 7th and 8th grade classes.

Campus

The Main Building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Marjorie Webster Junior College Historic District.

Lowell School occupies a large and historic campus with four buildings, two playgrounds, a field, and a stream. The main building contains classrooms, the Pre-Primary School rooms, a gym, a creative movement space, a swimming pool, a technology lab, a library and Pre-Primary Book Nook, two art workshops, and a dance studio. The second building, Parkside, which is next to Rock Creek Park, holds a science lab, art studio and gallery, Spanish and math classrooms, music rooms, and a theater. This building houses the Middle School program and will undergo major renovation in the summer of 2013 (see Expansion Plans above). Marjorie Webster House, another building bordering Kalmia Road, houses various administrative offices, including the Admissions Office, and a creative woodshop.

The 8-acre (32,000 m2) campus bordering Rock Creek Park has a long history. Records show that the property was a working farm called Clouin Course in the 1840s.[3] Further evidence of its history still exists on the campus: a 150-year-old spring house with a small pond beside it.[4] Today the 8 acres (32,000 m2) and the stream which the school daylighted soon after acquiring the property are used as an outdoor classroom where students learn how to grow vegetables, and observe and care for the environment.

In 1928, the property became The Marjorie Webster School of Expression and Physical Education, which later became known as Marjorie Webster Junior College, a two-year, private junior college for women.[5] The school operated until 1971. Six years later, the property was purchased by the United States Fire Administration to house the new National Fire Academy.

In 1978, while the property was still vacant, a more suitable location was found for the National Fire Academy and other elements of the U.S. Fire Administration. The property was subsequently transferred to Gallaudet University, which made it a satellite campus.[6] In 1997, the property was acquired by Lowell School. The buildings were once again renovated, and the school moved in at the start of the 1999 school year.

The campus was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

References

  1. ↑ Lowell School: The First Thirty Years, self-published booklet, August 1995.
  2. ↑ "Head of School Search". www.lowellschool.org. Lowell School. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  3. ↑ Legal Description of Property prepared in connection with sale of property from Gallaudet College to Lowell School, 1997.
  4. ↑ Letter from Adrienne Coleman, Superintendent, Rock Creek Park to Lydia Gillman, Lowell School, July 16, 2001.
  5. ↑ See Baist's Real Estate Atlas Surveys of Washington, D.C., Plan 37 1937, 1954 (Washington, D.C.: Wm. E. and H.V. Baist).
  6. ↑ Celebrating 30 Years of Service, the Creation of the National Emergency Training Center, United States Fire Administration, 2009.

Coordinates: 38°59′07″N 77°02′19″W / 38.9852°N 77.0386°W / 38.9852; -77.0386

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