New Hampton School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| New Hampton School | |
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Educating young people, differently
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| Location | |
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| New Hampton, New Hampshire, USA | |
| Information | |
| Religion | No religious affiliation |
| Headmaster | Andrew Menke |
| Enrollment |
340 |
| Faculty | 75 |
| Average class size | 11 |
| Student:teacher ratio | 5:1 |
| Type | Independent boarding / day |
| Athletics | Alpine skiing, baseball, basketball, cross country, equestrian, field hockey, football, golf, ice hockey, kayak team, lacrosse, mountain biking, rock climbing, soccer, softball, snowboarding, tennis, women’s volleyball |
| Mascot | Husky |
| Established | 1821 |
| Homepage | www.newhampton.org |
Coordinates: New Hampton School is an independent college preparatory high school located in New Hampton, New Hampshire, in the New England region of the northeastern United States. NHS is a deviation from the stereotype of the traditional New England prep school and does not require a uniform.
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[edit] History
New Hampton School was founded on June 27, 1821 as a Baptist-oriented, coeducational institution.[1] On that day the State of New Hampshire issued a charter to the New Hampton Academy, "having had three several readings," before the House of Representatives. That charter, issued to William B. Kelley, Nathaniel Norris and Joshua Drake, provided the framework for the institution that would become the New Hampton School and emphasized the "promotion of science and the useful arts."[2]
Between the years 1925 and 1970 the school was a nondenominational school for boys. The school returned to coeducation in 1970.[3]
[edit] Academics
New Hampton School (known as NHS by its students) has a modern curriculum based on holistic and comprehensive growth for students. Curriculum elements include required Saturday community service during the fall and spring terms and the Senior Leadership Project.
Unlike most of its competitor schools, NHS has a strong academic support program available to students with learning differences. It has been observed that these students often become the leaders and top scholars of their class.
[edit] Athletics
NHS has a strong football program, which took the New England Prep Championship in 2005. The 2005 championship football team produced players Brendan Smith (Northwestern) and Warren Wilson (Boston College). The team now plays in the Evergreen League.
Both men's and women's basketball teams compete for trophies in their respective divisions each year. The men's basketball team produced Rashad McCants and Wes Miller, both of whom went on to become high profile players at the University of North Carolina.
The school's baseball, ice hockey and lacrosse teams are also competitive. The 2005 baseball team produced three Division 1 baseball players: Scott Szpyrka (Central Michigan), Colin Lynch (St. Johns), and Dylan Berno (Arizona State/Pratt Community College).
NHS has cutting-edge skiing and snowboarding teams, with the ski team boasting prominent racers in the United States Ski and Snowboard Association and FIS divisions. NHS has placed ski racers on top-notch teams such as the US Ski Team (Warner Nickerson), UVM (Craig Leaman), UNH (Alex Ray, Ashley Ladd) and St. Lawrence University (Matt Dodge). Two alum (Allison Lee and Dylan Ferguson) are currently on the US Freestyle Team. The snowboard team excels in both freestyle and boardercross, with riders taking top honors in the NEPSAC championships.
[edit] Arts
NHS has a vibrant and diverse offering of arts programs including an award winning film department.
Recently, NHS brought the popular musical Godspell to their stage, selling out all performances. The music department encourages musicians of all levels, from beginner to maestro. NHS's music classes are known for being able to teach how to play an instrument, rather than requiring a student to already play to participate in the class, as is the case with most schools. The guitar program is renowned for its success, thanks to the instructors, David Gagne and Jeremy Mathison.
In Advanced Art, students are urged to discover the value of disciplined investigations into areas outside their "tried and true" materials and approaches, and ignite inner fire to create new self-understandings.
In the graphic design classes, discovery of the basic principles of design through graduated hands-on exercises before using the computer develops eye-hand coordination and causes the student to develop thinking before clicking, essential to the problem-solving process in communication design.
In 2007 the school temporarily stopped offering its ceramics program while making plans to build an updated modern facility for the discipline.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Nathan Clifford, Justice to the United States Supreme Court
- Roberto Hernandez, pro baseball player
- Rashad McCants, pro basketball player
- Wes Miller, pro basketball player
- Lawrence Moten, pro basketball player
- Richard W. Sears, Vermont politician
- Pete Seibert, founder, Vail Ski Resort
- John Wentworth, newspaper editor, mayor of Chicago and member of Congress
