Tilton School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Motto | Quanti est sapere ("How Valuable Is Wisdom") |
|---|---|
| Established | 1845 |
| Type | Private coeducational secondary |
| Affiliation | Methodist |
| Headmaster | James Clements |
| Students | 243 |
| Grades | 9–12 and PG |
| Location | Tilton, New Hampshire, USA |
| Campus | Rural |
| Mascot | Ram |
| Website | www.tiltonschool.org |
This article is about the college prep school in New Hampshire. For other schools named Tilton, see Tilton School (disambiguation)
Founded in 1845, Tilton School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory school in Tilton, New Hampshire in the United States, serving students from 9th to 12th grade and postgraduates. Tilton's student body of 243 consists of 51 day students and 192 boarding students from 20 states and 16 countries.
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[edit] History
Tilton School was founded in 1845 as a secondary school for boys and girls. Both dormitory students and day students were accepted. About 76 boys and girls formed the first student body. Two buildings, a boarding house and a classroom building, were built for the school in Northfield, New Hampshire, which is just across the Winnipesaukee River from the present campus. In the 1860s a fire burned part of the school and forced relocation across the river, to the present campus. Several brick buildings were erected, to be replaced in the 1880s by Knowles Hall.
In the early days, several different names were used for the school, each describing its function and, at times, its location. First, the school was called the New Hampshire Conference Seminary, because it was founded by Methodists, and its primary purpose was to train boys and girls for work in the church. In 1852, "and Female College" was added to the already long name. College degrees were granted to women until 1903, when the name was changed to "Tilton Seminary". The present name, Tilton School, was adopted in 1923.
Over the years, Tilton School has served many purposes, which were always related to the needs of the times. It has been a co-educational boarding school, a boys' boarding school, a public school, a female college, a junior college, and a secondary school with both college and general courses. In 1939, Tilton ceased serving as the local high school and became strictly an independent boarding and day school for boys. In 1958, the "general diploma" was dropped and only college preparatory courses were offered. In 1970, Tilton once again became co-educational.
[edit] Campus
The school sits on 146 acres (0.6 km²) on a hill overlooking the village of Tilton. The campus comprises more than 15 buildings, including five residential dormitories, a multi-purpose athletics center, an indoor ice hockey arena, several academic buildings, a school chapel, library, and visual arts center.
A new academic building, constructed in 2007, is located just west of Plimpton Hall and connects to that building. It is a 38,000 square-foot, wireless, state-of-the-art building that is four stories high. The lower level houses a 100-seat lecture hall that is SAT certified. The first floor comprises a biology laboratory (complete with two-story greenhouse), a chemistry laboratory and the 9th grade FIRST Program seminar room with a connecting outdoor classroom space. The second floor houses the physics laboratory, math classrooms, integrated math/science faculty work spaces, which enhance cross-discipline collaboration, and the Head and Assistant Head of School offices. The third floor has the world languages classrooms and language laboratory and resource rooms, as well as the Learning Center, which encompasses 10 one-on-one tutorial rooms, computer terminals and common space.
A new dormitory, also constructed in 2007, occupies 15,000 square feet and houses 20 12th-grade and postgraduate girls, as well as three faculty apartments. There is a recreation room and two-story common room with a fireplace and a kitchenette, as well as laundry and storage facilities. Double rooms all share a bathroom, and proctors’ rooms have a private bathroom. The new dormitory marks a shift in housing toward smaller, family-style living and addresses Tilton’s ongoing commitment to high-quality housing.
Knowles Hall is the oldest building and the center of Tilton's campus for over 120 years. It houses over half of the student body.
Beaumont Hall has two functions. The upper floors of Beaumont Dormitory are the main residential rooms for 9th-grade boys. The ground floor houses the school's main dining room. It was built in 1909, when the current dining room replaced a smaller, wooden structure.
Tilton Hall was originally built by Charles Tilton in 1861. Tilton School purchased the building 101 years later. Tilton Hall, or "the Mansion," currently houses the Lucian Hunt Library. In 1980, the attached carriage house was renovated to house the Helene Grant Daly Art Center.
George L. Plimpton Hall, built in 1926, houses the majority of Tilton's classrooms, the admission office and the administrative offices.
Pfeiffer Hall, constructed in 1938 and 1939, presently serves as a dormitory for 11th and 12th grade boys and also houses the school's Learning Center.
Moore Hall, constructed in 1988, serves as a dormitory for 11th and 12th grade girls.
Hamilton Hall is home to Tilton's theater and music departments, and was originally the school gymnasium.
The Fred Andrew Smart Chapel was transported in 1965 to Tilton's campus from its original home in Canterbury, New Hampshire. The building serves as a school meeting place and also houses the World Languages and ESL classrooms.
The Memorial Gymnasium was built shortly after World War II to honor those who had served and died for their country. In 1998, the building was completely renovated and rededicated as the Memorial Athletic and Recreational Center (M.A.R.C.). The building contains three basketball courts, a climbing wall, a weight room, locker rooms, a training room, and a student center including a snack bar.
The John F. MacMorran Field House, originally built in 1978, provided Tilton with its first indoor hockey arena. In 1999, Tilton completed a two million dollar renovation of the facility.
[edit] Notable alumni
- John Charles Daly - Host of the game show What's My Line?, reporter and news executive
- John Discepolo - Sports anchor, New York
- Donald M. Murray - Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, columnist for The Boston Globe and Professor Emeritus of English at the University of New Hampshire
- John Perkins - Author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (Berrett-Koehler, 2004)
- M. Emmet Walsh - Character actor who has appeared in dozens of films, including Slap Shot (1977), The Jerk (1979), Brubaker (1980), Blade Runner (1982), and Blood Simple (1984)
[edit] References
- Didsbury, Kendall. In the Shadow of the Clock Tower. Tilton School, 1988.
