The Winchendon School

The Winchendon School
School Crest
Address
172 Ash St, Winchendon, MA 01475 Winchendon, MA United States
Information
Type	Private, boarding and day
Motto	Achieve Academic Success
Established	1926
Head of School	Laurie Lambert
Faculty	45
Grades	9–12, PG
Enrollment	240
Average class size	7
Student to teacher ratio	6:1
Campus	236 acres (960,000 m2)
Color(s)	Dark green and white
Athletics conference	NEPSAC
Accreditation	NEASC
Endowment	$30.00million (as of August 2017)
Tuition	Boarding: $60,300 Day: $21,900
Website	www.winchendon.org

The Winchendon School is a coeducational, multicultural, private boarding and day school located in Winchendon, Massachusetts just over an hour from Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1926, The Winchendon School has an average classroom size of seven students, an enrollment of approximately 250 students, and a student to teacher ratio of 6:1.^[1]

Campus and Facilities

The Winchendon School's campus is approximately 236 acres. The campus includes three main academic buildings, six dorms, a theater, a two-story arts studio, and a music room. Its athletic facilities feature a Donald Ross-designed golf course, the Ritchie Ice Arena, the LaBelle Athletic Fields, Boomhower Field, six tennis courts, and two basketball and volleyball courts and a fitness center.^[2] The school also has a chicken coop and a greenhouse.^[2]

The campus is 15 miles (24 km) from Mount Monadnock, one of the most-climbed mountains in the world.^[3]

Students

Winchendon students come from all across the world. Numbers change year-to-year, but a typical student body represents over 15 countries and approximately 15 US states. The school community includes students in 9th grade to students in 12th grade, as well as post-graduates (PGs). The Winchendon School offers a total of $3 million in needs-based grants to its students every year.^[1]

Special academic programs

The entire Winchendon student body participates in Service Learning, a year-long program designed to allow students to address what they see as problematic in the global and local communities. Going further than a community service requirement, Service Learning urges students to consider the root causes of an issue such as poverty, hunger, or human rights, rather than simply addressing a symptom. Through Service Learning, students have the opportunity to travel abroad to help communities in other countries. Recent trips include Haiti and Nicaragua.^[4]

Built into The Winchendon School's curriculum are periods of two weeks when students focus on only one subject that they choose. These "Collaborative Laboratory" (ColLab) projects range from internships to fly-fishing to traveling abroad.^[5] ColLABs are offered twice a year.

Athletics

Winchendon Boys' Hockey at NEPSAC Championships

Winchendon's athletic teams are known as the Wapitis, and their colors are dark green and white. The following competitive sports are offered at The Winchendon School:^[6]

Winchendon is a part of New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC).

History

Williams College alumnus Robert Marr's experience at Deerfield Academy, and earlier at Vermont Academy, provided him knowledge to take The Winchendon School into its permanent home. As new headmaster in Newport at The Hatch School in 1959, Marr maintained its tutorial model while introducing his own leadership brand. Finding a new campus emerged as a focus for the new Head. Marr settled on Winchendon's current location. The school moved in the summer 1961 to Winchendon, Massachusetts.

Teachers like Charles Dillaway and Clifford Eriksen provided teaching in the traditional Hatch mold. The seasoned leadership of Bob Marr and his assistant head (and former Vermont Academy colleague) Frederick L. Zins enabled newly arrived students to sense the great traditions of Hatch-Newport – while also experiencing a revitalized school and its own setting.

During the early to mid-1980s, the school faced financial difficulties, which drew attention to the failures of the school. This led to many successful and grateful alumni donating to The Winchendon School. In the late 1980s, a rolling capital campaign was started that led to the addition of new dorms, a gymnasium and additional classrooms. Much of this attention happened during Headmaster LaBelle's tenure and pushed the school onto its feet, and it has been financially healthy ever since.

The Winchendon School has only had six headmasters. Marr's tenure (1959–1973), was followed by Lewis V. Posich, Stephen V.A. Samborski, J. William LaBelle, John A. Kerney, and current Head of School Laurie Lambert.

Notable alumni

• Francisco Garcia, professional basketball player
• Malcolm Grant, professional basketball player
• Marshall Strickland, professional basketball player
• Bruno Šundov, professional basketball player
• Greg Selkoe, American entrepreneur
• Jordan Henriquez, professional basketball player
• Anthony Ireland, professional basketball player
• Adam Kemp, professional basketball player
• Justin Dentmon, professional basketball player
• Mark Concannon, drafted into NHL by the San Jose Sharks in the third round, No. 82 overall, in the 1999 entry draft^[7]

References

External links

• Official website

Coordinates: 42°40′28.0″N 72°2′16.3″W / 42.674444°N 72.037861°W / 42.674444; -72.037861