BERKSHIRE
DISCOVER
400 STUDENTS FROM 5 CONTINENTS • 31 COUNTRIES • 35 STATES
28%
90%
17%
STUDENTS OF COLOR
BOARDING 10% DAY
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
87 FACULTY 58% HOLD ADVANCED DEGREES 76% LIVE ON C AMPUS
4:1 STUDENT/
FACULT Y R ATIO
34 CLUBS ON CAMPUS
12
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE
10 PROGR AMS 141 COURSES
SIGNATURE
17 AP COURSES • 36 ADVANCED COURSES • 4 L ANGUAGES OFFERED berkshireschool.org/At-A-Glance
1,125 APPLICANTS 139 ENROLLED $5.2M FINANCIAL AID AVAIL ABLE $44,750 AVERAGE AWARD 114 RECIPIENTS $144M ENDOWMENT AS OF JUNE 30, 2019
30 %
AWARDED FINANCIAL AID
5,926 ALUMNI IN
AN INSPIRED SETTING
62
COUNTRIES AND GROWING!
Berkshire School is located at the base of Mount Everett (2,624 ft.) in Sheffield, Mass., in the heart of the Berkshire Hills. The area is a popular tourist destination for world-renowned arts and culture and its spectacular setting, including the Appalachian Trail, which is a short hike from campus.
ME
VT NH NY
New York City and 1 ½ hours from Albany Nearby Great Barrington (named the 2012
Sheffield
CT
Approximately 2 ½ hours from Boston and and Hartford, Berkshire is centrally located.
MA
Discover more!
IN THE HEART OF THE BERKSHIRES
RI
“Best Small Town in America” by Smithsonian magazine), Lenox, and Salisbury, Conn., are frequent destinations for visiting restaurants, shops, and movie theaters.
Data from 2018-19 school year.
2 3 4 5
Berkshire Hall Bellas/Dixon Math & Science Center Geier Library Dixon Observatory
ARTS 6 7 8 9
Kennard Visual Arts Center Allen Theater Music Center Dance Studio
AT H L E T I C S 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Soffer Athletic Center Jackman L. Stewart Athletic Center Ritt Kellogg Mountain Center Ed Chase ’69 Ski Room Stewart Pitch Thomas H. Young Field Schappert Field Beattie Fields 12 Tennis Courts
RESIDENTIAL 19 Rovensky Student Center 20 Benson Commons (dining hall) 21 Student Health Services OTHER 22 23 24 25 26 27
Buck Valley (lawn) Arthur C. Chase Sugar House James C. Kellogg ’33 Alumni Center Undermountain Child Care Eight-Acre Solar Field (across the street) Mount Everett
DORMS Allen, Buck, Crispin-Gordon-Rose, de Windt, Eipper, Godman, MacMillan, Senior House, Spurr, and Stanley
BE LLA S /D I X ON MATH & S CI ENCE CENTER
ACADEMICS
400
THE PLAY’S THE THING
acre campus
11 9 2
Founded in 1907
10
6
LEAD THE WAY
7
19 20
24
25
14
13 12
5
4
22 3
1
LOCAL INSPIRATION
Start here
16
1
2
As a rite of passage during English class, all seniors stage a production of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, contemporary style. Recent themed renditions have been inspired by The Office, Zoolander, and Monty Python.
Being a Green Key Leader is just one of the many leadership opportunities for our students. They provide campus tours to our prospective families and visitors, and they look forward to welcoming you to campus!
23 8
KENNARD VISUAL ARTS CENTER
Chase House
A look at what’s happening inside (and around) our campus:
BUILD IT
15
21
26
6
PINK OUT
PRO VITA WINTER SESSION
11
Each year, the boys varsity hockey teams from Berkshire and Taft School face off in the annual Lucille D’Arco Memorial Cup—a fundraiser to support a cause dear to both school communities. 20
February’s weeklong, immersion session allows students to explore new or developing passions taught by faculty, alumni, parents, and friends. Recent courses include: Cast Iron Chef, Music and Politics, Writing for the Silver Screen, and Lighting Design.
17
WINTER CARNIVAL
18
3
Equipped with Arduino boards, electronics, 3-D printers, LEDs, woodworking tools, and more, Berkshire’s Makerspace allows students to create, invent, and discover using new technologies and innovative processes.
Living in one of the most culturally vibrant regions in the country, Berkshire students have the unique opportunity to work sideby-side with local artists, both inside and outside the classroom. Below, local potter Ben Evans shared techniques on the pottery wheel with our ceramics students.
JACKMAN L. STEWART ATHLETIC CENTER
1
BENSON COMMONS
STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITIES
ADMISSION
27
16
The entire school eagerly anticipates Winter Carnival which takes place each January. The dorms and day students compete against each other for points in group skits, broomball, figure skating, Trivia Night, and much more.
SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION 26
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS
22
Berkshire’s astronomy class learned to apply multiple, real-world applications of geometry and algebra by building and launching a weather balloon 102,000 feet above Earth. Together, the class then collected and analyzed the live data from the balloon’s flight computer.
Berkshire’s sustainability course has been the driver for student-led initiatives such as bringing both an electric car charging station and an eight-acre solar field—one of the largest of any school or college in New England—to campus.
2 3 4 5
Berkshire Hall Bellas/Dixon Math & Science Center Geier Library Dixon Observatory
ARTS 6 7 8 9
Kennard Visual Arts Center Allen Theater Music Center Dance Studio
AT H L E T I C S 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Soffer Athletic Center Jackman L. Stewart Athletic Center Ritt Kellogg Mountain Center Ed Chase ’69 Ski Room Stewart Pitch Thomas H. Young Field Schappert Field Beattie Fields 12 Tennis Courts
RESIDENTIAL 19 Rovensky Student Center 20 Benson Commons (dining hall) 21 Student Health Services OTHER 22 23 24 25 26 27
Buck Valley (lawn) Arthur C. Chase Sugar House James C. Kellogg ’33 Alumni Center Undermountain Child Care Eight-Acre Solar Field (across the street) Mount Everett
DORMS Allen, Buck, Crispin-Gordon-Rose, de Windt, Eipper, Godman, MacMillan, Senior House, Spurr, and Stanley
BE LLA S /D I X ON MATH & S CI ENCE CENTER
ACADEMICS
400
THE PLAY’S THE THING
acre campus
11 9 2
Founded in 1907
10
6
LEAD THE WAY
7
19 20
24
25
14
13 12
5
4
22 3
1
LOCAL INSPIRATION
Start here
16
1
2
As a rite of passage during English class, all seniors stage a production of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, contemporary style. Recent themed renditions have been inspired by The Office, Zoolander, and Monty Python.
Being a Green Key Leader is just one of the many leadership opportunities for our students. They provide campus tours to our prospective families and visitors, and they look forward to welcoming you to campus!
23 8
KENNARD VISUAL ARTS CENTER
Chase House
A look at what’s happening inside (and around) our campus:
BUILD IT
15
21
26
6
PINK OUT
PRO VITA WINTER SESSION
11
Each year, the boys varsity hockey teams from Berkshire and Taft School face off in the annual Lucille D’Arco Memorial Cup—a fundraiser to support a cause dear to both school communities. 20
February’s weeklong, immersion session allows students to explore new or developing passions taught by faculty, alumni, parents, and friends. Recent courses include: Cast Iron Chef, Music and Politics, Writing for the Silver Screen, and Lighting Design.
17
WINTER CARNIVAL
18
3
Equipped with Arduino boards, electronics, 3-D printers, LEDs, woodworking tools, and more, Berkshire’s Makerspace allows students to create, invent, and discover using new technologies and innovative processes.
Living in one of the most culturally vibrant regions in the country, Berkshire students have the unique opportunity to work sideby-side with local artists, both inside and outside the classroom. Below, local potter Ben Evans shared techniques on the pottery wheel with our ceramics students.
JACKMAN L. STEWART ATHLETIC CENTER
1
BENSON COMMONS
STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITIES
ADMISSION
27
16
The entire school eagerly anticipates Winter Carnival which takes place each January. The dorms and day students compete against each other for points in group skits, broomball, figure skating, Trivia Night, and much more.
SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION 26
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS
22
Berkshire’s astronomy class learned to apply multiple, real-world applications of geometry and algebra by building and launching a weather balloon 102,000 feet above Earth. Together, the class then collected and analyzed the live data from the balloon’s flight computer.
Berkshire’s sustainability course has been the driver for student-led initiatives such as bringing both an electric car charging station and an eight-acre solar field—one of the largest of any school or college in New England—to campus.
A GUIDE TO APPLYING
SEPTE MBE R–JA NU A RY chedule a Visit S Please plan to spend two hours at Berkshire in order to allow time for a campus tour and interview for both student and parents. To schedule a tour (available Monday through Saturday), please contact the Admission Office at 413-229-1003 or email admission@berkshireschool.org. Register for Standardized Tests Students should register for standardized tests. Grades 9 and 10 require SSAT (school code: 1612), while grade 11 requires PSAT or SAT. Grade 12 and postgraduates require ACT or SAT. International students are required to take the TOEFL in addition to SSAT, PSAT or SAT (international school code: 3252).
N OV E MBE R–DE C E MBE R Begin Application & Questionnaire Through your chosen application platform, either the SSAT’s Standard Application Online (SAO) or Gateway to Prep Schools, request your transcript and recommendation from your school principal or counselor, as well as recommendations from your English and math teachers. You are always welcome to submit a supplemental personal reference, though this additional recommendation is not required.
JANUARY Submit Completed Application Ensure that you have completed all required components of the application and submit your materials by January 15.
If you are applying for Financial Aid, please visit sss.nais.org to complete required financial aid forms and directly submit all necessary tax documents by the January 15 deadline. For assistance in submitting these materials, please contact SSS at 800-344-8328. For questions relating to Berkshire’s financial aid policies and practices, please contact Katherine Simmons at ksimmons@berkshireschool.org.
MARCH Decisions Released All applicants will be notified of their admission decisions via their online admission portal on March 10.
APRIL Response Deadline Students are required to formally accept their offer of admission and return the signed contract and deposit to Berkshire School by April 10. In early April, accepted students may return to campus for our revisit program, “A Day at Berkshire.”
Applications to Berkshire School can be submitted using the SSAT Standard Application Online or Gateway to Prep Schools.
245 North Undermountain Road Sheffield, Massachusetts 01257 admission@berkshireschool.org www.berkshireschool.org