Noble and Greenough School

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Noble and Greenough School
Image:Noble and Greenough Seal.jpg
Motto Spes Sibi Quisque
Established 1866
Type private coeducational
Headmaster Bob Henderson
Dean Erika Guy
Founder Copp Noble
Head of Middle School Jennifer Carlson-Pietraszek (2007-2008 school year: John Gifford)
Faculty 84
Students ~550
Grades 7-12
Location Dedham, Massachusetts, USA
Campus Suburban
Colors Navy Blue and White
Mascot Bulldog
Website www.nobles.edu

The Noble and Greenough School, commonly known as Nobles, is a coeducational, nonsectarian day and boarding school for students in grades seven through twelve. It is located on a 187-acre (0.76 km²) campus in Dedham, Massachusetts. The current enrollment of 550 students includes a balance of boys and girls, of whom 48 are weekly boarders who go home for weekends. The majority of students are from Massachusetts, neighboring states and occasionally from abroad. After graduation, virtually all members of the senior class go on to accredited four-year colleges and universities. The school was ranked the third best secondary school in Massachusetts (public or private) by Boston Magazine.[1] Nobles is also ranked the school with the best looking students in Massachusetts according to Boston Magazine. [2]Nobles' historic rival is Milton Academy.

Contents

[edit] History

Nobles was founded in 1866 by George Washington Copp Noble, in Boston, Massachusetts, as an all-boys preparatory school for Harvard University. It became known as Noble & Greenough in 1892. In 1922, the school moved from Boston to its current location in Dedham. It discontinued its lower school at this time, though the lower school still operates today as the Dexter School. In 1975, Nobles admitted girls for the first time.

Headmaster Tenure Events / Bio
1. George Washington Copp Noble 1866-??? Founder of the school
2. Charles Wiggins II ???-1943
3. Eliot T. Putnam 1943-1971 Son-in-law of Charles Wiggins
4. Edward "Ted" S. Gleason 1971-1987 School begins to admit girls
5. Richard H. Baker 1987-2000
6. Robert P. Henderson 2000-present

[edit] Facts

Noble & Greenough covers grades 7-12. Members of the twelfth grade are known as members of the First Class, on down to seventh grade students who are known as members of the Sixth Class, or more informally as "sixies." Middle schoolers, in 7th and 8th grade, are housed in the Pratt Middle School, while the Upper School (grades 9-12) are housed in the main building, known as the Shattuck Schoolhouse.

The school covers 187 acres (0.76 km²) in Dedham, Massachusetts. The grounds include nine athletic fields, two gyms, and a sizeable length of the Charles River, upon which the school's crew team practices.

Nobles has 84 faculty members, with a student to faculty ratio of approximately 9:1. The average class size is 13. Entering students have SSAT percentile scores averaging in the low 90s.[citation needed].

Nobles alumne have been prominently featured in recent new coverage. Sarah Parsons '05 scored 4 goals in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games for the USA's Olympic women's hockey team. Helen Resor '04 was also on this team. Ayla Brown '06 was on the American television show American Idol as one of the final 13 contestants. Andrea Ross '09 sang in the Concert for Diana and is currently on tour performing in a musical produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

In September of 2006, Nobles completed a state of the art, $20 million dollar, 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m²) Arts Center, which houses theatrical productions as well as musical performances. The theatre was funded by the Viniks; thus the new venue was named the Vinik Theatre. Students also dine in a historic castle, designed by the architect Henry Hobson Richardson, who also designed Trinity Church in Boston.

The ten most popular colleges attended by graduates in the past five years are, in order, Brown, Boston College, Penn, Tufts, Harvard, Georgetown, Bowdoin, Trinity, Duke, and Middlebury.

[edit] Athletics at Nobles

Nobles is a member of the competitive Independent School League. The school has 25 varsity teams. Boys and Girls participate in Soccer, Cross-Country, Hockey, Basketball, Squash, Skiing, Golf, Lacrosse, Tennis, Sailing, and Crew. Boys also participate in Football, Wrestling, and Baseball, while Girls participate in Field Hockey and Softball. Boston College goalie, John Muse, is a Nobles graduate.

Nobles and Milton Academy historically have a Nobles/Milton Day each athletic season. On this day, usually nearing, or on the last game of the season, the two schools compete in almost every sport. Students are known to "get psyched" by face-painting, reciting chants, and wearing team colors.

[edit] Performing Arts

Nobles students populate a variety of performing arts groups. Additionally, Nobles' active theatre program produces four faculty-directed mainstage plays and an average of three student-directed productions each year. Many of these groups rehearse during "M-Block", a period of time twice each week set aside for performing arts groups to rehearse. Others practice outside of regular school hours. Performing arts groups include:

  • The Nobleonians, a male a cappella group,
  • The Greensleeves, a female a cappella group,
  • Imani, a co-ed gospel group,
  • Chamber Singers,
  • Concert Choir, a group regularly numbering more than 80 students,
  • Jazz Band,
  • Blues Band,
  • Drum Ensemble,
  • String Ensemble,
  • Guitar Ensemble,
  • Wind Ensemble,
  • Chamber Music, a winter offering for small ensembles,
  • Middle school equivalents to many of the above groups,

[edit] Visual Arts

All Nobles students take at least one semester of introductory-level visual arts as a graduation requirement. Around 80% of students continue to intermediate-level courses, and approximately 25% take Advanced Placement level arts courses.[citation needed] Students are instructed in Photography (darkroom and digital), Painting, Drawing, Ceramics, and Digital Design.

Students' art can be found on display in the Dawson Gallery, Schmid Gallery, and on Exposure, Nobles' visual arts website. Additionally, the Foster Gallery showcases the work of external, regional artists. Finally, Calliopé, a student-run literary and arts magazine, produces two to three issues each year.

[edit] Publications

There are several publications at the Noble and Greenough School. The most well known is the Nobleman, a student run newspaper that is overseen by a faculty adviser and funded by the school and prints the most often. There is also Calliope, a literary arts magazine that is published every year several times. The Beagle is the school's scientific journal which is less frequently published. La Noblesse is a publication that members of French Club, the Language Department and other language enthusiasts print occasionally. Finally, there is the school yearbook which is produced by a group of students in the upper school every year. There are also several middle school equivalents, such as the MS Press and Chrysalis.

[edit] Clubs and Organizations

During "X-Block", a time dedicated to student-run clubs and organizations, a variety of groups meet. X-Block occurs twice per week, on average. Many other organizations meet outside of school hours. Clubs and organizations at Nobles include:

  • ABC, or the Alexandria Book Club,
  • ACC, or the Asian Culture Club,
  • AMC, or the Anime Manga Club,
  • Brother 2 Brother, a support group for young men of color at Nobles,
  • CAC, or Campuses Against Cancer,
  • CHAMPIONS, or Chin Hair Association for Magnificent People Intent On Nobles Spirit,
  • Chess Club,
  • Community Service Board,
  • Cooking Club,
  • The Dawg Pound, a group to foster school spirit in community events,
  • Debate Club,
  • The Dharma Initiative, a group where die-hard fans of ABC's hit show LOST discuss theories about its many mysteries,
  • EAC, or Environmental Action Committee,
  • Film Club,
  • Fort Club, an all-boys club for encouraging the construction and habitation of elaborate tree lodges,
  • French Club,
  • GSA, or the Gay-Straight Alliance,
  • IAA, or the Irish American Alliance
  • IEC, or the Investment and Entrepreneurship Club,
  • Mathematics Club,
  • Microfinance Club, a club devoted to giving interest free loans to developing nations
  • MSA, or the Multicultural Students Association,
  • Mythbusters Club,
  • The Nobleman, a student-run newspaper,
  • The Nobles Theatre Collective,
  • Outing Club,
  • PHP, or the Peer Help Program,
  • Sister to Sister, a female equivalent to "Brother 2 Brother",
  • SLC, or the Student Life Council, an elected group of student leaders,
  • Vegetarian Club, and of course
  • The Rhymes with Ben Wellington Club, a prestigious club started graduation day '03 by Ben Wellington. The presidency was passed on to then freshman Ben Shellington who elected Mr. Alex Bellanton his vice-president on graduation day of '06. Before Ben Shellington was to graduate in '07 he passed the presidency to Ngina Shillingford since Mr. Alex Bellanton was leaving the academy at the termination of the '06-'07 year as well.

A variety of Middle School equivalent groups also meet regularly.

[edit] Traditions

Morning Assembly: Every morning Nobles students begin the day with an all school assembly. Every other week distinguished speakers or performers visit the school and address the audience, normally followed by an informal meeting with especially interested students. The Nobles Dictionary (1975): "Assembly: daily re-enactment of the Tower of Babel."

Christmas Carol: Every year before the winter break, the sixies (first year middle-schoolers) put on a rendition of Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol. The Nobles Dictionary (1975): "the traditional poem recited by the sixth class for the amusement of the rest of the school, who await eagerly the botched results." It is a cherished tradition, quite looked forward to every year.

Prize Day: At the end of every school year students of the junior and senior class attend an award ceremony where distinguished students receive accolades from the departments and in other various areas. The day used to be held in the gym, but is now held in Lawrence Auditorium every year.

The Nobleman: The Nobleman is the school newspaper, run by members of the senior class. They are notorious for having some of the best assembly announcements, often ridiculous.

Castle Secret Passageways: There are rumored to be many secret passages in the Castle. When the building served as the boys' dormitory, many would sneak out in the night to explore the building. The legend that surrounds this tradition is that there is a passageway that has never been found by anyone, but is supposed to extend from the castle, underground, to the other side of the Charles River. This passage is guarded by hundreds of gnomes, intent on keeping it safe. The gnomes do not fear anything and will not hesitate to kill those who venture into their domain. The student who finds this passage, if he or she survives, is supposed to be granted free tuition to the school until they graduate. The Nobles Dictionary (1975): "Castle: building that serves dumplings downstairs and houses them upstairs."

The Alcoves: The hallway of Shattuck Schoolhouse, the primary building of the upper school, has alcoves on one side that go the length of the building. Every class in the upper school maintains the same territory from year to year (e.g. the freshman are in the northern part of the building every year). In their senior year, students graduate to Gleason Hall which is located in the center of the building and decidedly the best spot. Alcoves also serve the purpose of communal lockers for each class.

Rivalry: The Noble and Greenough School has an ancient rivalry with Milton Academy (also a member of the ISL) which becomes most prominent every fall during Nobles/Milton Weekend. Every athletic team in each school plays each other on the same campus (alternating every year) creating a festive and heated environment. Students make videos every year to psyche up the school before the games. Body paint, drums, and other statements of school spirit are not unlikely. Courtesy of the 1975 Nobles Dictionary, "Milton: Nobles' satanic alter-ego." ... "Milton Game: the fame that determines the success of the season, as well as the fund drive." The Nobles/Milton football game is one of the oldest annual rivalries in the nation, beginning in 1886.

School Picture: The entire school takes a picture every year that is then put on the wall above the alcoves in Shattuck Schoolhouse. These pictures stretch all throughout the building and date back to the beginnings of the school. (Adorning the other side of the hall are graduation photos from every year). The picture is a panoramic style that requires the use of a special rotating camera. During the photo one first year middle school student is selected to run from one side of the photo to the other so that they occur twice (subtly) in the picture. Students are also fond of creating massive jokes for the picture, prompting the need to take two pictures every year. For instance, after the school was ranked by Boston Magazine as the best-looking school in the state students of the senior class concerted an effort to each hold up a letter of their retort. 1975 Nobles Dictionary: "School Picture: annual circus performed by 42 ringmasters, 339 clowns, and one trained dog."

Latin: The school was started as a preparatory school for Harvard University. At the time one of the requirements for admission to Harvard was a thorough knowledge of Latin. Therefore the students at Noble and Greenough studied primarily the classics. This is still reflected in the middle school where it is required to take Latin. During fire drills, it is tradition to save at least one Latin book from the classroom.

Wiggins Papers: Students of the junior class submit a portfolio of writing every year in expository, creative, and personal narrative styles. The most impressive are chosen for the Wiggins Prize.

Senior Projects: In the spring of their senior year, students have the option of dropping classes to provide time for the undertaking of a project of their own design. Projects often include internships, entrepreneurial enterprises, music, visual art, research, etc.

Senior Prank...Senior Skip Day: Every year seniors have been likely to stage pranks on the school and taking the next day off in a concerted effort.

Graduation: After the graduation ceremony the faculty for a single continuous line and shake hands and say goodbye to every individual student.

[edit] Notable Alumni

Notable alumni of Noble and Greenough include:


Members of the Independent School League, New England
Belmont Hill School | Buckingham Browne & Nichols | Brooks School | The Governor's Academy | Groton School | Lawrence Academy at Groton | Middlesex School | Milton Academy | Noble and Greenough School | Rivers School | Roxbury Latin School | St. George's School | St. Mark's School | St. Paul's School | St. Sebastian's School | Thayer Academy