Maclay School

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Maclay School
Established 1968
Type Private college preparatory
Principal Bill Jablon
Students ~1000
Grades PreK–12
Location Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Colors Blue and white
Mascot Marauders
Website http://www.maclay.org
An aerial view of most of Maclay School, Tallahassee FL.
An aerial view of most of Maclay School, Tallahassee FL.

Maclay School is a private, not for profit, non-sectarian college preparatory school located on about 100 acres of land in Leon County, Florida, about ten miles north of the state capitol building in Tallahassee, FL.

The school was founded in 1968, by a group of parents, and is named for Alfred B. Maclay, Jr., a World War II veteran who died of polio a few years after the war, and whose mother was a major benefactor of the new school. Maclay is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS), and the Florida Kindergarten Council.

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[edit] Students

Approximately 1,000 students are enrolled annually at the school, which includes all grades from Pre-K through 12. There are about 90 teaching faculty at Maclay School. Eighty-one students graduated from the school in 2007, or 100%.

Essentially all Maclay graduates are accepted at a college: about 85% at four-year institutions and about 15% at 2-year schools.

[edit] Campus

The campus at Maclay is a non-traditional school yard. The three schools on the campus are divided into Lower School (grades K through 5), Middle School (grades 6 through 8), and High School (grades 9 through 12). The preschool program is secluded from all other parts of the campus. All three of the schools on campus use the same library, cafeteria, and gymnasiums. In 2003 a new gymnasium was built on campus to allow for more room for the growing sports programs at Maclay. The original gym was one of the oldest buildings on campus and still functions as a gym for the lower level sports teams and for physical education classes.

[edit] Sports

Maclay offers a wide variety of sports programs: baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, football, lacrosse, softball, swimming, tennis, and track and field. After many years of deliberation, Maclay started its football program in 2007, with a record of 6-1-1 (Middle School) and 4-8 (High School). The boys' varsity basketball program advanced to the 2A State Championship in 2005 and currently holds a four consecutive district title streak from 2005 to 2008.

The boys' and girls' cross-country and track programs have earned 18 state titles since 1997. The boys' track team has won 13 consecutive district titles (1996-2008). Since 1994, every year at least one Maclay track/XC alum has commpeted at the college level.

[edit] Lower School

Lower School students at Maclay School, giving a choral performance of The Wizard of Oz; 2008.
Lower School students at Maclay School, giving a choral performance of The Wizard of Oz; 2008.

The Lower School is a self-contained building that is home to grades K through 5 (as well as the major administrative offices). Lower School students wear uniforms, unlike students in the higher grades. Average class size in Lower School is less than 20 students per teacher.

[edit] Middle School

The classrooms In Middle and High School open directly outside. There are no major indoor hallways. In Middle School the students are no longer required to wear uniforms but do still have to follow a dress code. The school is separated into 3 parts, one for each grade (6-8). In 2001 three new buildings were added to allow for more students to join the school.

[edit] High School

Maclay School, Tallahassee FL, August 2007.
Maclay School, Tallahassee FL, August 2007.

The High School is divided into quads and, unlike the Middle School, each quad is for a different subject, including: math, English, history, social science, and foreign language. The science department is located in a different building. Twelfth graders are allowed access to the "Senior Shack", containing televisions and video game systems, as well as couches and lounge chairs.

In early September 2006, chemistry and physics teacher Richard Saunders was arrested and charged with 300 counts of child pornography. Saunders who reportedly had been collecting more than a million pornographic images for over 20 years had worked for Maclay School for 25 years. Leon Circuit Court Judge Kathleen Dekker sentenced Saunders to 15 years in prison and 40 years of probation. Judge Dekker said, she considered him a “low risk” because as a teacher he had opportunities to act on his pedophilia but he never did.

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