Olney Friends School
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| Olney Friends School | |
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| Aerial view of the campus looking from the southwest. | |
| Location | |
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| Barnesville, Ohio | |
| Information | |
| Homepage | olneyfriends.org |
Olney Friends School is a small co-educational boarding high school affiliated with the Society of Friends (Quakers). Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Barnesville, Ohio, the school "challenges students to grow…celebrating intellectual vigor, provoking questions of conscience, and nurturing skills for living in community." (Mission Statement). Students come from around Ohio, around the country, and from around the world to study in the college prep curriculum. In the 2007-2008 school year, there are 60 students from 11 US states and 11 countries.
Graduation requirements include 22 hours in traditional academic subjects plus religion, fine arts and practical skills, and acceptance in to a four-year college. Academic classrooms are in "The Main," and students live in boys' and girls' residence halls. More than half the faculty live on campus in the dorms or in campus housing.
Community is created during orientation and maintained through weekend activities, dorm activities, advisory and class meetings, and through a variety of service activities. Students work daily in The Main and in the residence halls. Sustainability is an ongoing theme for the life of the school, as it is situated on a 350-acre farm which provides food, work and recreational opportunities for students and staff.
Olney Friends School is accredited by and is a member of the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS)[1] and is chartered by the Ohio State Department of Education. Students must pass the Ohio Graduation Tests to graduate from the school. The governing body of Olney Friends School is an independent board of 12 members from the parent, alumni, Quaker and professional communities.
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[edit] History
In 1837 the school was founded by the Ohio Yearly Meeting (OYM) of the Religious Society of Friends. This group of Friends who came from the south because of opposition to slavery, conceived plans for a boarding school as early as 1814, using Quaker boarding schools in Philadelphia as a model. In 1835, building commenced and the first students enrolled two years later. Known at first as "Friends Boarding School," it was initially located at Mount Pleasant, Ohio, northeast of its current location. Louis Taber, a visiting minister, wrote a poem entitled Olney Green, and from this the name "Olney" was informally adopted.[2]
Because of a division in OYM into 'Gurneyite' and 'Wilburite' groups, the Gurneyites were awarded ownership of the original building. The Wilburites then established a new campus at the present Barnesville location.
[edit] Fire
In 1910 a fire started in the belfry tower which burned the building to the ground. Only the walls and porch were left standing. It was completely rebuilt, however after that time only classrooms and offices were in the new building and separate dormitories were constructed.
