Poly Prep Country Day School

Poly Prep Country Day School
The clock tower atop the main building
Address
9216 Seventh Avenue
Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, New York 11228
United States
Coordinates 40°36′43″N 74°01′30″W / 40.612°N 74.025°W / 40.612; -74.025Coordinates: 40°36′43″N 74°01′30″W / 40.612°N 74.025°W / 40.612; -74.025
Information
Type Private
Motto Virtus victrix fortunae
(Virtue is the victor over fate)
Established 1854
Headmaster Audrius Barzdukas
Faculty Approx. 270
Grades N-12
Gender Coeducational
Enrollment 1,021 total
Campus Urban
Campus size 26 acres (110,000 m2)
Color(s) Blue and grey
Athletics conference Ivy Prep
Mascot Blue Devil
Accreditation NYSAIS
Newspaper The Polygon (Upper School)
The Tower Times (Middle School)
Yearbook The Polyglot
Affiliations New York Interschool
Website polyprep.org

Poly Prep Country Day School (known familiarly as Poly Prep) is an independent school with two campuses in Brooklyn, New York, United States. Middle School (5th to 8th grades) and Upper School (9th to 12th grades) are located in the Dyker Heights section of Brooklyn. Lower School (nursery to 4th grade) is located in Brooklyn's landmarked Park Slope neighborhood. Initially founded as part of the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute (predecessor of the NYU Tandon School of Engineering), Poly Prep now offers classes from nursery school through 12th grade.

History

Poly Prep Country Day School was founded 164 years ago in 1854 in Downtown Brooklyn as The Polytechnic Institute. It was one of the first private boys' schools in the city of Brooklyn. The initial aim of the school was to offer an academic program similar to that of boarding schools of the time while striving to maintain a strong community feel among students and faculty alike.

After 45 years, the future of the Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute was re-evaluated in 1889 when the preparatory school and the collegiate division were finally separated. In 1891, the construction of a new building next door to the school's original building provided a home for the college which became known as the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. Both divisions still exist, although the collegiate division, after many changes of name, was eventually acquired by New York University (NYU) in 2008 and, as of 2014, is now known as NYU Tandon School of Engineering.[1]

After its initial separation from the collegiate division, the Polytechnic Preparatory Institute remained an all-boys collegiate preparatory program at 99 Livingston Street and, by the mid-1890s, had already become one of the largest prep schools in the country, with over 600 students.

Move to Dyker Heights

Poly Prep moved to its Dyker Heights campus on July 1, 1916 when a 25-acre parcel of land, formerly part of the Dyker Heights Golf Course, was offered to trustees. Classes began during the fall of 1917 in the new campus amid continued construction and renovations that helped shape much of the school's current appearance.

Going coed

During the tenure of Headmaster William M. Williams, the school began the transition to co-education in 1977 when it first admitted girls, graduating its first coed class in 1979.

Creating primary school

Poly Prep's most recent and dramatic expansion occurred in 1995, with its acquisition of the historic Hulbert Mansion from the Brooklyn Ethical Culture Society, a site formerly rented by the now defunct Woodward Park School. The new property was converted into Poly's Lower School, offering classes for students from nursery through 4th grade.

Major primary school expansion

In the 2006-2007 school year, a modern expansion was added onto the Park Slope building. As part of its "Blue and Gray Goes Green!" initiative, Poly chose to reduce the new Lower School's ecological "footprint." Poly's renovated Lower School became the first LEED-certified school building in New York City, and the first such primary school building in the state.

In April 2009, Poly Prep's Lower School won the prestigious Lucy B. Moses Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy as an outstanding example of historic preservation and renovation.

Child abuse claims

The school was the subject of a federal lawsuit filed in the Eastern District Court in Brooklyn in 2009 centering on the sexual assault of students by Philip Foglietta, the head football coach from 1966 to 1991. The suit was settled for an undisclosed amount in December 2012. A 2004 state suit against the school had been dismissed due to the statute of limitations, but U.S. District Court Judge Frederic Block subsequently ruled that portions of the suit could proceed in federal court because administrators may have lied about when they learned of the abuse. Plaintiffs' attorney Kevin Mulhearn cited the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act in alleging that past and current administrators had engaged in a coverup of the abuse.[2] The school acknowledged in 2002 that it had received "credible allegations that such abuse occurred at Poly Prep."[3] Poly chairman Scott Smith's younger brother Philip never went to college and slid into multiple addictions. According to the lawsuit, he was sexually assaulted hundreds of times.[4] Published reports have compared the abuse and alleged coverup to a similar scandal at Pennsylvania State University in 2011.[5] In March 2012 the international law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman joined the plaintiffs on a pro bono basis.[6] On September 19, 2012, new allegations connecting Foglietta and Jerry Sandusky surfaced.[7]

On December 27, 2012, Poly Prep and the plaintiffs announced a settlement of the lawsuit.[8] On February 21, 2014 the school issued what the Wall Street Journal called "a sweeping apology" for the abuse and the school's failure over the decades to respond appropriately when victims revealed their abuse.[9]

Institution

Divisions

Poly Prep consists of three divisions, beginning with the Lower School located at 50 Prospect Park West in Brooklyn.[10] Lower School education commences with the nursery school program, which consists of early childhood learning up until the pre-kindergarten level, and continues on through grade 4. The middle school program begins at grade 5, at which point Poly students enroll at Poly Prep's Middle and Upper School campus located at 9216 Seventh Avenue in Brooklyn,[10] where they continue their education through 8th grade and then into high school.

The Middle and Lower Schools are run by their own division heads: Larry Donovan, Head of the Lower School, and Carol Seeley, Head of the Middle School. The Upper School is led by Lori-Anne Brogdon, Assistant Head of School. Poly's Head of School, Audrius Barzdukas, oversees the entire school.

Academics

Poly Prep is known for its demanding academic requirements and offerings.[11] In its Upper School, Poly currently offers a variety of advanced placement courses. Poly's Upper and Middle Schools offer four world languages/classics (including French, Spanish, Mandarin and Latin and Italian). Spanish is now offered in Poly's Lower School.

Students in the Upper School are expected to complete the following mandatory requirements in the listed concentrations in order to graduate in their senior year:

  • 5 academic courses each semester (Students are required to enroll in a minimum of five academic courses every term, both fall and spring, from Form III through to graduation.)
  • 21 academic credits (Full-year courses earn 1 credit; semester-long courses earn .5 credit.)
  • 4 years of English
  • 4 years of Physical Education
  • 3 years of History
  • 3 years of World Languages or Classics with Level III completion
  • 3 years of Mathematics
  • 3 years of Science
  • 4 semesters of Arts
  • 3 year Health Sequence with required courses in Grades 9 & 10
  • 1 semester of Speech or Debate
  • 1 semester of Digital Life Skills (Computer Science)
  • Senior Plan[12]

Beginning in 11th grade, students are provided with the opportunity to begin shaping their course load around a variety of electives in areas such as forensic science, electromagnetism, short story writing, American politics, American law, psychology, and statistics.

Opportunities for advanced learning abound. Poly Prep maintains a rigorous Advanced Placement (AP) program in each department, offers a multi-year science research course, and also offers independent study (dependent upon faculty expertise and student interest) in subjects as diverse as advanced calculus, Arabic, and the classic French short story (in French).

Finally, in their senior year, Poly Prep students must complete a project known as a senior plan. The projects are viewed as senior theses in which students are paired with faculty advisors to choose subject matters of interest under a given a topic headline. The projects are then researched and presented as 20 minute lectures and 20 minutes of questions and answers to a panel of faculty judges. Only upon completion of the senior plan is a student eligible to graduate.

Visual and performing arts

Poly Prep offers an extensive visual arts[13] and performing arts[14] program. Poly Prep's arts curriculum starts at a young age in the Lower school in which students are taught by their classroom teachers about dance, drama, music and theater production. The Lower School also offers students specialist teachers in music, dance, and the visual arts.

In Poly Prep's Middle School, during grades 5 and 6, all students participate in sections of dance, drama, music, and visual arts classes through an arts core rotation. In grades 7 and 8, students may elect their own arts cores, but they are required to take one semester of visual arts (ceramics, art studio), performing arts (drama, dance), and musical arts (general music, chorus, band).

In the Upper School, students have arts cores as electives for two years. After school, students may choose to become involved with theater productions — both onstage and behind the scenes — to join one of several singing groups, or to be part of the band or smaller instrumental ensembles. In the Upper School, the Performing Arts Department mounts one major play (fall) and musical (spring) every year, along with an accompanying freshman/sophomore play (fall) and smaller senior-directed performances (spring).

Admissions

Poly Prep is a highly selective school and bases its admissions decision[15] upon an applicant's previous grades, student interviews, teacher recommendations and results on the ISEE test.

In the Lower School, Nursery and Pre-K are typically the big entry years. In Poly Prep's Middle School, 5th and 6th grade are the two largest enrollment years. In the Upper School, the 9th grade is the major entry point. After 9th grade, a much smaller number of students may be admitted each year based upon applicant qualifications and available space.

School song

The school song is "Far Down on the Heights Called Dyker", written by Cornelius A. Boocock.[16] It is sung at the beginning of each academic year as a part of Poly Prep's rich tradition.

Athletics

The tennis courts at Poly

Interscholastic Leagues

Poly Prep is part of the Ivy Preparatory School League, a division of the greater New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS), which comprises all the private schools in the state. The school has a number of award-winning programs, most notably football, basketball, and baseball. Hockey was introduced in 2010.

Athletic teams

Fall teams Winter teams Spring teams
Boys' soccer Girls' basketball Softball
Girls' soccer Boys' basketball Baseball
Cross country Girls' swimming Girls' lacrosse
Girls' tennis Boys' swimming Boys' lacrosse
Girls' volleyball Boys' squash Golf
Football Girls' squash Ultimate frisbee
Collegiate wrestling Outdoor track and field
Hockey Boys' tennis
Indoor track and field Crew

Student life

A view of the library

Extracurricular activities comprise a key component of the Poly Prep education. Clubs, caucuses, and organizations provide students with an opportunity to work in a group dynamic, produce publications, participate in activism and develop interests in a wide range of topics.

Clubs and organizations

Headmasters of the Country Day School

In the 101 years since the opening of the Dyker Heights campus in 1917, Poly has had five headmasters: Joseph Dana Allen (1917-1949), J. Folwell Scull (1949-1970), William M. Williams (1970-2000), David Harman (2000–2016), and Audrius Barzdukas (2016-present).

Notable alumni and attendees

References

  1. ↑ "Rich History - About the School of Engineering". NYU Tandon School of Engineering. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  2. ↑ "At Elite Prep School, Abuse Case Won't Go Away," by Ginia Bellafante, New York Times December 12, 2011
  3. ↑ Hollander, Sophia (December 6, 2011). "Abuse Claims Roil School". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  4. ↑ Lewis, Eric (January 12, 2013). "A Pedophile in Plain Sight". The New York Times. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  5. ↑ Bauer, B., Hellenbrand, H., and Stern, K. (November 18, 2011). "A prep school scandal eerily similar to Penn State". Washington Post. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  6. ↑ O'Keefe, Michael (March 26, 2012). "Powerhouse law firm joins N.Y. attorney in sex-abuse lawsuit against Poly Prep Country Day School". New York Daily News. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  7. ↑ Red, Christian (September 19, 2012). "Self-described 'child prostitute' connects Jerry Sandusky to Poly Prep sex abuse scandal and coach Phil Foglietta". New York Daily News. Retrieved September 20, 2012.
  8. ↑ Secret, Mosi (December 27, 2012). "Sexual Abuse Case at Poly Prep in Brooklyn Is Settled". Retrieved March 7, 2018 – via NYTimes.com.
  9. ↑ Hollander, Sophia (February 21, 2014). "Brooklyn's Poly Prep Apologizes in Sexual Abuse Case Acknowledges Abuse by Former Football Coach and Missteps in School's Handling of Allegations". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 22, 2014. Poly Prep Country Day School issued a sweeping apology in a schoolwide email on Friday, acknowledging decades of sexual abuse by a now-deceased former football coach and missteps in the school's subsequent handling of the allegations.
  10. 1 2 "Poly Prep Country Day School - Directions to Poly Prep's Lower School, Middle School, Upper School". www.polyprep.org. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Poly Prep Country Day School - Poly Prep's Academic Program for Middle School & Upper School". polyprep.org. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Poly Prep Country Day School - Graduation Requirements". www.polyprep.org. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Poly Prep Country Day School - Visual Arts". polyprep.org. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Poly Prep Country Day School - Performing Arts". polyprep.org. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Poly Prep Country Day School - Welcome to Poly". polyprep.org. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Class of 2008 Celebrates Commencement", Poly Prep, June 2, 2008 (accessed February 22, 2014).
  17. ↑ "New York Regional Alumni Reception Closed to Further RSVPs". January 18, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Dr. Louis Aronne '73 Receives Poly's Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award at Special Reunion 2013". May 20, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Since 1854, A Track Record of Success". Poly Prep Country Day School. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  20. ↑ Hoffman, Jan (April 7, 1993). "AT THE OFFICE WITH: Bruce Cutler; Even Mob Lawyers Get the Blues". The New York Times. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 6, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Poly Prep grad P.J. Hill prepares for the NFL Draft", New York Daily News, April 21, 2009.
  23. ↑ "Who was Alfred P. Sloan Jr.?". Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Brooklyn Newspaper" (PDF).
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