1 5 0 Y e a r s of E d u catio n al E x c e l l e n c e
KING
K I N G LOW H E Y W O O D T H O M A S
by Troupe Noonan
King is dedicated to preparing its students to thrive in a rapidly changing world. We provide an excellent, progressive education, grounded in the traditional disciplines o f the arts and sciences, committed to the nurturing o f individual potential, and designed to promote critical thinking and reasoned reflection. Using rich and innovative methods, our Teachers facilitate each student’s fullest academic and personal achievement. We champion the development o f character, self-confidence, and talent through challenging intellectual, creative, athletic, leadership, and service opportunities. King believes that individual accomplishment must go hand in hand with respect for others. Our culture o f respect fosters collaboration as well as independence. We embrace human and cultural diversity. We value responsible citizenship. King graduates are well equipped to succeed in college and to pursue lives o f ongoing inquiry, learning, accomplishment, personal fulfillment and social responsibility.
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1 5 0 Y e a r s of E d u c a tio n a l E x c e l l e n c e
Copyright Š 2015 by King Low Heywood Thomas All rights reserved. No part of the content of this book may be reproduced w ithout the written permission of King Low Heywood Thomas 1450 Newfield Avenue Stamford, Connecticut 06905 203.322.3496 ISBN: 978-0-9851585-6-9 First Edition LOC #: 2 0 15 9 18 4 7 5 Printed and Bound in the United States of America 10987654321 Published by Heritage Histories developers and publishers of custom histories for corporations, schools, clubs, institutions, and fam ilies. 1289 Fordham Blvd, Suite 271 Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514 w ww.heritagehistories.com 919 616-5397
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Dedicated to the thousands of students who have graced our hallways for the past 150 years, the students who are in those hallways today, and those who will join us in the decades to come.
150 Years
of
E ducatio nal E x c ellen c e
Acknowledgments A book o f this nature is a team
parent volunteer, Susie Copley, had
effort. Before the author ever puts pen
been working for months before
to paper, many people work to make
the book was ever commissioned to
information available, and continue
organize the School archives, and their
doing so throughout the project, tire
prodigious work made my own task
lessly running down data, checking
much easier. Beyond that, Rick spent
facts, and finding photographs. After
three years digitizing photographs,
the writing is complete, their efforts
running down images at the Stamford
go toward the equally daunting tasks
Historical Society, for example, and
o f photo-editing, design, layout, and
generally performing countless hours
numerous pre-press activities.
o f thankless work, often in the Simon
The whole project began and
House’s occasionally unairconditioned
ended with Ben Hoke, King’s Direc
attic. Both the School and I owe Rick
tor o f Institutional Advancement,
a huge debt o f gratitude, and this
who was on point from beginning to
book is as much as result o f his work
end, facilitating every contact I made,
as it is mine. Jane Flounders ’54 also
running interference, finding sources,
contributed a wealth o f assistance
and serving as the liaison for the book
and materials.
committee. Above and beyond meet
I’m guessing the book committee
ing every need I had, he made the
did not fully realize the task lor which
process fun and enjoyable, and work
they signed up, but they nevertheless
ing with him has been a pleasure every
performed their duties unquestion-
day for the past three years.
ingly, reading and re-reading chapter
Similarly, the team in King’s
after chapter, and offering feedback
Advancement office continually went
on designs for all aspects o f the book.
above and beyond, helping with
Among this group, several need special
everything from setting up email drops
mention. Sue Cesare ’48 demonstrated
for me, to finding paper for the copy
why she is Sue Cesare, providing
machine, to making calls to alumni,
wisdom, counsel, perspective, and
to uncovering long-lost information.
guidance about things that no one
Deserving o f special mention are
but she would know. I was greatly
Cindy Dill, who was always available
comforted by her presence through
to help with a thousand tiny requests
out this process. Head o f School Tom
I made, all o f which tore her away
Main provided the leadership and
from her Annual Fund desk and all
decision-making the process needed.
o f which she handled with grace and
Former Board Chair Ed Cesare ’78
goodwill; Betsy Gell, who ran down
was always available, even to the
countless alumni; Kathleen O ’Rourke,
point o f driving me around Fairfield
who found or produced numerous
County to make sure 1 understood the
images, often under time pressure;
geography. Carrie Salvatore, Director
and Jeanine Haberny, who was always
o f Admission and Financial Aid, was
available to assist.
the copy editor o f the bunch, reading
King’s Archivist, Rick Starr, and
with such care and cleaning up the
manuscript so thoroughly that she
at the Stamford Historical Society was
lessened the burden on the editors and
always willing to dive into the archives
proofers. The Dean o f Community
to meet our varied requests for images
Affairs, Lise Leist, spent time with
or information.
me on diversity issues, as well as other
Finally, I interviewed almost 100
critical but intangible cultural matters.
people, and each and every interview
The other members o f the commit
represented time someone took out
tee —Libby Baker Mattson ’82 and
of his or her schedule to contribute
Dr. Tom Zoubek —worked with me
their knowledge to this book. This
in detail at one time or another, and
project would not have been possible
have left their stamp on this project.
without the foundation o f perspec
And Tom Main’s executive assistant,
tives these interviewees provided, and
Judy Valentine, regularly responded to
I very much hope we all honored the
my requests for information only she
traditions and contributions o f their
could access from the Head of School’s
various constituent institutions, for
office. Head o f Upper School, Marnie
that was the goal.
Sadlowsky, Current Parent Chris
On the production end, Josef Beery
Millerchip, and Kim Leeker, Associ
turned out yet another brilliant design
ate Head o f School for Finance and
and Sheri Heckel worked with incred
Operations, were early members o f
ible speed, efficiency, and good humor
the book committee who contributed
to lay it out. Sheri worked nights
valuable time and assistance.
and weekends and met deadline after
Many faculty, and most notably
deadline, going well above and beyond
Priscilla Pusack, Bill Pusack, Pat
any reasonable expectation, and her
Doering, Karin Wagner, Helen
dedication was a major factor in bring
Kweskin, and Cathy Mishkin,
ing this book to fruition. Without
contributed photographs, identified
either Josef or Sheri, this book would
individuals in images, and provided
be far less than it is.
additional assistance too varied to list.
Publication is taking place in the
Bill Pusack took time out on weekends
fourth year o f this project, which
to record some interviews.
underscores the magnitude o f the
Other groups and individuals also
enterprise. It is subjective and a work
weighed in. Among the Board, imme
o f art, but every effort has been made
diate past Board Chair Lou Paglia and
to include everyone o f significance,
current Board Chair Tom Conheeney
and to check all facts. On behalf o f
provided invaluable guidance and per
everyone mentioned above, 1 want to
spective. Mary Holtz, Liz Fleischman,
thank the entire community, o f which
and Kelly Wheeler served as parent
it has been my honor to be a part, if
volunteers on the 150th Committee,
only for a few years. I am proud o f
which oversaw this project. Outside o f
and enriched by the association.
the school community, Ron Marcus
We hope you enjoy the book. Tim Troupe Noonan Publisher Heritage Histories, L LC
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
P R O L O G U E : B E F O R E T H E F O U N D IN G “ Beside the Long Tidal River” S E C T IO N O N E: L A Y IN G T H E F O U N D A T IO N , 186 5-19 11 CH A PTE R ONE page 5
Mrs. Richardson and Hiram King Open Private Schools S E C T IO N TW O : K IN G , LO W -H EY W O O D , A N D T H O M A S R IS E TO P R O M IN E N C E , 1907-76 C H A P T E R T W O p a g e 19
The Transition Years at King: From Hiram King to Vernon Dwelle, 1907 C H A P T E R T H R E E p a g e 35
The Shippan Years: Low-Heywood, 1911-44 C H A P T E R F O U R p a g e 41
The School o f the “ Special Case” : The Thomas School, 1922-54 C H A P T E R F IV E p a g e 51
A Final Move: The King School, 1945-71 C H A P T E R S I X p a g e 67
The Courtland Years: Low-Heywood, 1944-72 C H A P T E R S E V E N p a g e 85
The Thomas School Thrives Before Suffering a Decline, 1953-76 S E C T IO N T H R E E : C O M IN G T O G E T H E R , 1972-88 C H A P T E R E I G H T p a g e 95
A Simpler Time at King, 1972-81 C H A P T E R N I N E p a g e 103
Low-Heywood Thomas: After the Merger, 1975-80 C H A P T E R T E N p a g e 113
King Becalmed, 1981-88 C H A P T E R E L E V E N p a g e 123
Low-Heywood Thomas Forges Ahead, 1980-88 C H A P T E R T W E L V E p a g e 133
From Coordination to Coeducation, 1972-88 S E C T IO N F O U R : C O M IN G IN T O IT S OW N, 19 8 8 -P R E S E N T C H A P T E R T H I R T E E N p a g e 147
A New Day: King & Low-Heywood Thomas, 1988-96 C H A P T E R F O U R T E E N p a g e 167
A Collision o f Cultures, 1996-2001 C H A P T E R F I F T E E N p a g e 181
A Stake in the Ground, 2001-06 C H A P T E R S I X T E E N p a g e 191
A Culture o f Civility, Respect, and Service, 2006-Present E P IL O G U E Education for a Rapidly Changing World
150 Years
of
E ducatio nal Ex c ellen c e
Foreword
It is an honor for me to introduce this sesquicentennial anniversary history o f King. This book - a deep and rich record of King, and each o f our predecessor schools —serves as a comprehensive and engaging walk through our first 150 years. I am confident that you will know our School better after reading this book, and I am confident that the core values and virtues that serve as the foundation for our School, and have for years, will feel both familiar and vibrant. Our culture —a culture of respect, civility, and service - is a consistent theme throughout these pages. True academic excellence, a deep commitment to comprehensive educational excellence, and an authentic dedication to the individual, have long been hallmarks o f our program and community. The depth o f these qualities is rooted in the proud history recounted here. The stories and the pictures that follow chronicle the development o f a fine institution, the lives of countless de voted educators and Trustees, supportive parents, as well as generations of students who have walked our halls. In this, our 150th year, I can’t think of anything more appropriate than this elegant record of our history, which provides an appreciation o f our legacy, a recognition of our strength, and a celebration of the pride we feel in this exceptional and distinctive place. Enjoy.
Tom Main Head o f School
150 Years
of
E ducatio nal E x c ellen c e
Prologue
“Beside the Long Tidal Rivery> The first historical map o f Stam
Shippan Point, caressed by cooler
ford, drawn in 1837, depicts a down
breezes than inland areas enjoyed, and
town with 169 buildings, including
now just a quick train ride from New
61 stores, 4 iron manufacturers, the
York, emerged as a summer retreat for
Town House (town hall - 1829), and
wealthy New York executives, who be
the Stage House (1830), a popular
gan to build expansive second homes
establishment that served the traffic on
on the water.
the Post Road. By mid century, the opening of
In the second half o f the century,
p a
j
Stamford’s population began to soar,
the railroads in both directions and an
increasing 100% in two decades to
increase in steamship traffic between
7,200 people in i860, immediately
Stamford and New York had led to
before the Civil War, and another 35%,
Stamford’s increasing prominence as
to 10,000, by 1870. Some o f these
a transportation hub. Transportation
residents were executives or managers
brought businesses such the Stamford
with various businesses. Others were
Foundry Company, founded in 1830;
laborers, many o f them immigrants
the Stamford Bank (1834); the Stam
seeking work in the factories and
ford Manufacturing Company (1844);
firms. All o f them, however, regardless
and the Yale Lock Manufacturing
o f their station, would need educa
Company (1862). As industry boomed,
tional opportunities for their children.
Courtesy o f the Stamford Historical Society A one-room schoolhouse from the early days o f Stam ford
S E C T IO N O N E : L A Y IN G T H E F O U N D A T IO N , 18 6 5 -19 11
H iram
K ing
courtesy o j w e Stam ford H istorical Society
Chapter One
A
Stamford became an
And there was no public high
increasingly urban community, its
school until 1873, when
citizens demanded more and more
Stamford High School began
educational opportunities for their
in a single room at the
children. The town’s first schools,
Center School.
typically little one-room affairs, began
This spotty situation was
to pop up in the late 18th century, but
unacceptable to many, so inde
unfortunately, the town fathers had
pendent schools were founded
only the vaguest idea o f what public
to meet the needs o f those who
educational institutions should look
could afford them. The first
like. A century later, all the grades
such private school was likely Betts
were still usually combined in a single
Academy, founded by James Betts in
room, taught by a single teacher.
1838 and moved a few years later to
The Center School (founded 1852) was the only one with multiple grades, and the Green School
Prospect Hill, now
British influence Mrs. Richardson based her school on the boarding schools she had known in her native England.
(1870s), serving the
______________
Irish community, was notoriously overcrowded. Because there was no line item for
Strawberry Hill. Betts not only was the schoolmaster but also supplied the kitchen with fruit, vegetables, and dairy
products from his farm. Betts was soon followed by others.
education in the town budget in the
The Stamford Institute was founded
19th century, teachers were sometimes
in 1850; George B. Glendining’s school
paid in kind or with firewood. Conse
for local boys on the corner of
quently, it was difficult for the town to
Washington Avenue and North Street
find good teachers, and those available
was founded in 1853; Clark’s Hill Insti
were o f inconsistent quality. In addi
tute, a private school for day students
tion, school attendance was irregular
and up to 25 boarders, opened in 1859;
because students had responsibilities
and a Catholic school serving 200
on the farm or in their parents’ store.
children was established on Meadow
Students at M rs. R ’s school, late 19th century
m m
m
* j * r f* ■ l **
Center School, Stamford, late 19th century
Courtesy o f the Stamford Historical Society
Mrs. Richardson and Hiram King Open Private Schools
Courtesy o f the Stamford Historical Society Street in 1862.
R ’s.” Located in downtown Stamford
On the girls’ side. Miss
The K ing School at 19 Bedford Street
in a large house at #4 and #5 Willow
Anna Webb’s School was
Street, Mrs. R ’s was patterned on Brit
established in 1854, and Miss
ish boarding schools Richardson knew
Aikens’ Young Ladies’ Semi
from her childhood back in England.1
nary opened on Henry Street
In the mid-ioth-century renewal
in 1855, about the same time
of downtown, Willow Street became
Miss Kate Scofield and her
Tresser Boulevard, but in the 1860s the
sister Emma started the Misses
area was not the bustling urban center
Scofield’s Day School. In 1855,
it is today. “ This was a time when
another Betts, probably James’
Stamford was a lovely old New Eng
daughter, founded the Stam
land town,” said future Low-Heywood
ford Female Seminary on Glenbrook
School Headmistress M ary Rogers
Road. The Seminary later became
Roper, “when Atlantic Street from the
the Catherine Aiken School for Girls,
Square to the station was a tree-shaded
named after a new Headmistress, and
avenue with spacious, comfortable
moved to Bedford Street in 1880.
residences on both sides.” The Willow Street residences hous
Mrs. Richardsons School An Englishwoman living in
ing Mrs. Richardson’s School were two o f these comfortable homes. Mrs. R ’s
Stamford, Mrs. C. E. Richardson,
eventually “ housed 12 boarders and
who was greatly concerned with the
about 40 day-scholars,” said Roper.
quality o f education available to girls, founded a school for them —Mrs. Richardson’s School. It was known informally around Stamford as “ Mrs.
K\M
,
Tr
m
flgg m V*
U r*
One o f the W illow Street (now Tresser Boulevard) buildings, home o f M rs. R ’s in downtown Stam ford
v
i Very few records exist regarding Mrs. Richardson, other than the fact that her husband bore the initials C. E. and she was from England
VL m r . J i■ <
--- '—'— u * 1
courtesy o j the Stam ford H istorical society
name o f Hiram Udall King was graduating from Dartmouth College and intending to follow his mother, a teacher, into education. King had grown up on a farm in Woodf stock, Vermont, where his father was active in town affairs and imbued young Hiram with a similar civic spirit ... a value that the young man would carry into his profession, and which resonates today through the School. Because o f this civic mindedness, it was fairly certain
H iram K ing as a young teacher
that wherever Hiram King landed, he would be a force far outside any school in which he was employed. Hand
Hiram King Despite all this institution building over the previous half century, only four schools o f any quality survived into the early 1870s. Two, the Cath erine Aiken School and Mrs. Richard son’s, were for girls; the boys’ schools, Betts Academy and Willcox Military Academy, originally founded as the Stamford Institute, had both become military. Some locals, therefore, including businessman T. F. Leighton, began to think about starting a topcaliber private school for boys. About the same time, in 1873, a little over 200 miles away, in Hanover, New Hampshire, a young man by the
some, good-natured, strong o f voice, and impeccably honest, Hiram King was likely to be a success. Instead o f founding a school before he had any experience, King wisely decided to accept a tutorship at Willcox Military Academy, on South Street in Stamford in the fall o f 1883 after his graduation. Soon, however, the ambitious young teacher met T. F. Leighton and other individuals interested in starting a boys’ school, and the planning began. When Willcox Military Academy folded in 1874, King and Leighton founded a school for boys, known briefly as the Collegiate School.
Courtesy o f the Stamford Historical Society Seely’s Block, right, at 123 M ain in Stamford, where the King School moved in the f a ll o f 18 7 6 after a year in Town H all
The King School s First Locations A local advertisement noted that
At some point he renamed it the H. U. King School for Boys.2 Then, in 1878, utilizing plans by
King and Leighton opened the
Gambrill & Richardson architects o f
Collegiate School in rooms 13, 17,
New York, King built a new building
and 18 o f Stamford’s grand new Town
for the school, a one-story house, at
Hall, which had been finished just a
19 Bedford Street, where King himself
few years before. In 1876 the school
also lived.
moved into Seely’s Block, a blocklong, three-story brick building on 123
Low-Heywood
Main Street that was used for most of
In 1883, Louisa Low, a teacher at
Stamford’s large public functions and
the Catherine Aiken School for Girls,
town meetings.
purchased Mrs. Richardson’s School
After one year at Seely’s Block,
on Willow Street, bringing in her
King, apparently without Leighton,
niece, Miss Edith Heywood, as her
moved the Collegiate School to South
assistant and changing the name o f the
Street into the defunct Willcox Acad
school from Mrs. Richardson’s to Mrs.
emy, where he had previously taught and which had moved to New Jersey.
2 There is no account o f exactly when the Collegiate School changed its name to King
Louisa Low Association
A n early dorm room at Mrs. Richardsons School, on W illow Street in the 1860s
Low’s School and later to the Low-
required to walk only in pairs when
Heywood School. Their mission state
o ff campus. To avoid an even greater
ment stated that their purpose was “to
danger than criminal hooligans, they
train pupils to think, to trust in their
were strictly forbidden to even pass
own resources, and to strengthen the
by the King School, just around the
mind by conquering difficulties.”
corner on Bedford Street, when the
Four years later, in 1887, Low-
"Most of the pupils of the school are members, and they, as well as some of the graduates, are generally present at the meetings. "After the meeting has been called to order and the roll has been read, a paper is read to which the girls have contributed articles, grave or gay, poetry or personals, and much merriment or interest is aroused according to the nature of the subject. The personals, especially, which are sometimes decidedly personal, provoke much laughter and sometimes conscious blushes on the face of the victim. After the reading of the paper a motion to adjourn is in order, and the girls all gather in the library to drink chocolate and to eat cake until the limit of their capacity in that direction is reached. "The festive strains of one of Sousa's two-steps then draws the girls back into the school-room, where after clearing away the chairs, they all dance and the fun grows fast and furious until the sound of the study hour bell, when, with sighs and groans the girls all go to work." -The 1897 Yearbook of the Louisa Low Association
boys were out in the yard.
Heywood School was enlarged to accommodate four more boarders, bringing the number to 16. An out door tennis and basketball court was also added. Classes were held Monday through Saturday, and students late to class were charged five cents, which was donated to the poor o f Stamford. In recognition o f the rougher elements in downtown Stamford, Low-Heywood girls o f this era were
Louisa Low ’s drawing room at Low-H eywood
King Expands
had purchased a large meadow just
By 1892, the
a couple of minutes’ walk from the
King School had
main building, where sporting events
undergone renova
could be held. Despite some national
tions of its own,
controversy over the sport, football
enlarging the main
was popular, and the 1890 King School
building to contain
team consisted of 13 dedicated players.
the main school
Young faculty members often joined
room, five recita tion rooms, and an apartment for Chemistry students. King was over twice the size o f
K ing School baseball team, 1904
Low-Hey wood,
boasting eight instructors and 90 stu dents, including several boarders from the greater New York area. Tuition was $100, plus an extra $25 for French and
their charges on the playing fields in this era. Students played baseball in the spring, but unfortunately no records exist o f which other sports King may have offered or o f how they fared against the other schools they played. The school found some local competition at Stamford High, where by 1892, football, baseball, tennis, and other outdoor sports were being offered.
German instruction. The school was doing well in spite
King also offered extracurricular
o f Hiram K ing’s aversion to promo
activities such as the yearbook, a thin
tion. King’s son wrote to Headmaster
volume then called the Review.
Robert Jackson in the 1960s, saying that because his father carefully prepared all calendars for the school, and “objected highly to
Perhaps its advertisers were drawn, like those o f today, by sports, or perhaps they were just offering civic support, but in the 1895 edition, 25
.. public relations techniques
companies, such as Faucett’s Sporting
... it was with difficulty that
Goods and Goulden’s Pharmacy, took
he was persuaded to include
out advertisements.
certain facts favorable to the school.” One o f them he did include: in 1892 all King graduates passed their college entrance examinations and entered college. Like many educators, King held sports in high regard as character building, and hence he
Bedford Street in Stamford, where King School had two locations, early 1900s
Courtesy o f the Stamford Historical Society
Turn-of-the-Century Life at Low-Hey wood Kate Strong, a Low-Heywood
End along the dike, where we could scramble around on the shore and pick flowers in the fields.
graduate o f 1898, recounted that, just
Occasionally, as a great event, we
like King, the Low-Heywood o f 1895
came to Shippan for a picnic
had sports, including basketball. “And
... Our walks were formal
we used boys’ rules,” she noted. The
affairs, however - two and
venue - the old piazza running along
two in stately procession.”
the side o f the house —was a little sus
Regardless o f the restric
pect. “ The glass piazza was enclosed in
tions on the Low-Heywood
jl
girls regarding passing by King, the boys from King seemed to enjoy tempting or taunting them, as Strong recounted. “ One day in early Spring when the roads out that way were deep in mud,” she wrote, “our procession wound its way toward Strawberry Hill.” King students should have been safely in school at that time, but suddenly the leaders discovered
Miss Louisa Low, a teacher at the Catherine Aiken School fo r Girls, purchased Mrs. Richardsons School in 1883.
that the boys were out in full force. They never hesitated - through the
Low-H eywood basketball at W illow Street, 190 5
mud they plunged, the procession [of Low-Heywood girls] obediently following until the danger was
wire and was broken only once when
passed. “ How those boys yelled,”
Jennette Vorce, one o f our captains,
recalled Strong.
struck her elbow hard enough to
According to Miss Strong, Miss
crack one o f the panes. The space was
Heywood and Miss Low took their
small so we continually piled up at one
turns in front o f the classroom. “As
end or the other in one grand heap.
for lessons, I always enjoyed History
The baskets had solid net bottoms
and Literature with Miss Heywood.
and the tallest among us had to jump
She made us see living people, not
and push the ball out when we made
phantoms o f the past. Miss Low made
a basket.”
a very good teacher, too, but she never
Strong also reported on healthful
asked leading questions. We always
outings. “ For exercise we walked ...
had to be able to go through a whole
through Stamford’s streets, rejoic
History lesson with simply, ‘What is
ing sometimes in going to the South
the next paragraph?’
M iss Edith Heywood, Louisa Low's niece, came as her aunt's assistant when Miss Low bought M rs. Richardson's.
“ I remem
Low-Heywood offered extracur
ber, too, the
ricular activities in addition to drama.
jolly times we
The Louisa Low Association, named
had when Miss
in honor o f Low-Heywood’s longtime
Heywood gave
owner and Headmistress, was a
us memory
favorite pastime o f the more literary
work as a whole
students in the late 19th century, and
school, and
involved students sharing and critiqu
we rollicked
ing their creative writing talents over
through the
tea and cookies.
Pied Piper and many other things. As to
W illow Street Athletic Field, 19 of
Hiram King Succumbs In 1900 the King School moved
the meals, 1
from #19 to #33 Bedford Street, a
remember best
much larger and more handsome
the huge quantities of milk we drank
manse. At some point, most likely at
and the towering piles o f hot brown
the time of the move, King himself
bread we had lor Saturday luncheon.”
moved out of the school proper
Some treats were to be had in
and into a residence about a block
town. “ We were allowed to spend ten
away, at 45 Prospect Street, where,
cents a week on eats. It went further
according to his daughter, Francesca
spent on peanuts or molasses candy,
King, there was a grass tennis court in
but sometimes we chipped in together
the backyard.
for a feast. A teacher went downtown
In discussing the house, Francesca
Saturday morning taking two o f the
also provided some insight into her
girls with her and did the shopping.
father’s hiring and management
Some job, as we wanted many things
policies and preferences. “ It was his
and marked them each on an envelope
custom to select young college gradu
with the money inside.”
ates, usually from Yale, as the masters,
Drama was clearly a popular
and three o f these usually lived in the
activity at Low-Heywood. “ We had a
residence where some 10 to 14 boys,
wonderful property closet from which
boarding pupils, and the three masters
we drew all manner o f clothes for our
occupied the third floor. The family
Saturday night plays and charades.
and the maids occupied the second
We were very short on men’s clothes,
floor, and on the first floor the fam
however, especially trousers. We were
ily, the boarding pupils, and resident
very proud o f one o f our coats as it
teachers shared the dining room. On
had belonged to President Dwight
the left front wing was the boys’ and
o f Yale.”
my father’s study, the family having
“ both as a teaching force and as a man
Carving
separate sitting rooms on the right side
whose character was beyond reproach,
o f the long hall.”
whose discipline was stern but just,
Hiram King's daughter Francesca noted that during Sunday dinner all the family, teachers, and boarding pupils who shared living quarters shared a standing rib roast, which the teachers were expected to take turns carving. Francesca remembered wondering whether her father, in hiring a teacher, asked him if he could carve. Francesca said her father enjoyed telling the story of a student who, when asked by King whether he liked his meat rare or well done, answered, "Really, Mr. King, it's the guantity, not the quality that is important."
In 1907, Hiram King was on his
and whose lovable qualities were such,
way to the funeral o f a friend and
that men as well as boys, willingly
waiting for a trolley on Main Street
succumbed to his personal influence.”
near Borg’s Drug Store when he was
The Stamford Advocate, in its issue
stricken with what was most likely a
o f May 13, 1907, said, “ His equipment
heart attack. As the train pulled up
o f intellectual resources and true
and he reached for the bar to step up,
manliness o f character have
he pitched forward, dead before he hit
exemplified for so many years the
the ground.
best qualities o f good citizenship.” The paper went on to say,
Eulogies
“ hundreds o f his present and former
“ Mr. King ... made a lasting
students, many now white-haired,
impression,” eulogized the Review,
followed their old teacher’s funeral bier as it was drawn down the boulevard in Stamford.” Francesca King said it was her father’s “warmth, responsiveness, and quick understanding which gave him such a strong hold on both the students and the community.”
Hiram King and his fam ily lived on Prospect Street a block north o f the School.
H iram King as Headmaster
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The Ferguson mansion, also known as Gothic House, home to Low-H eywood from ju st after the turn o f the century until 19 11
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Courtesy o f the Stamford Historical Society Low-Heywood Moves to Shippan Point Also during the first decade o f
Ferguson place was festooned with wraparound porches marked by arches and latticework that looked like lace,
the 20th century, Low-Heywood,
and with ornate, icicle-like designs
like the King School, needed more
on the roof trim. The surrounding
space, and in the early 1900s rented
property was equally expansive, with a
the Ferguson mansion, known as the
wide lawn and massive gnarled trees.
Gothic House, on Atlantic Street, as
The boarding section, accommodating
an adjunct building. This was just
only 16 on Willow Street, even after
around the corner from Willow Street.
the expansion in the 1890s, now could
A great wedding cake o f a house, the
house 30 students.
“ For a time,” noted Miss
school made the move, Miss Low
Heywood’s niece, scholar and educa
retired, moving to her home in
tor M ary Rogers Roper, in 1933, “ it
Pelham, New York, and Miss
seemed as though the increasing needs
Heywood took over.
o f the school, both in respect to the
A decade into the 20th century,
educational and to the physical side,
both King and Low-Heywood had
had been met, but very shortly after
survived the closings and consolida
it became apparent that Stamford
tions to which most other Stamford
was growing by leaps and bounds
private schools had succumbed
and business blocks were encroach
since the Civil War. They had both
ing. The beautiful elms lining both
expanded and then moved into grand
sides o f Atlantic Street were cut down
new quarters, which would serve each
and the street itself was widened; the
as a home for decades to come. Each
Y M C A was built very close to the
was recognized as a premier indepen
Atlantic Street houses; brick flats and
dent school in the region, and despite
stores were put up at the entrance to
the retirement o f Low-Heywood’s
W illow Street, and it became increas
legendary Headmistress and the loss of
ingly evident that the whole character
King’s founder, the future for both in
o f the neighborhood was changing
1911 was bright indeed.
rapidly. For some time, Miss Low and
3 Stamford Advocate, Tercenerary Edition, 1941, page 83.
Miss Heywood had realized that a radical change was necessary and they had been looking about for the ideal location. But when the rumor grew that the United States Government was about to commandeer the Atlantic Street property for the new Stamford post office, it became time to make the decision at once.” In 1911, after just a few years on
Courtesy o f the Stamford Historical Society
Atlantic Street, Low and Heywood found some property in the breezy summer environs o f Shippan Point, purchased the property, and im mediately started building.3 “ Now it felt like we had all the room that we wanted,” Roper said, noting particu larly the gymnasium and field for field hockey. “When we started playing hockey in 1911,” she continued, “very few schools had even heard o f it.” The Shippan Point building was even larger than the Ferguson man sion, and it ended any space problems for many years to come. After the
Alice H errick and Alice Smith, two Low-H eywood pupils in 190 $
S E C T IO N T W O : K IN G , L O W H E Y W O O D , A N D T H O M A S R IS E T O P R O M IN E N C E , 19 0 7 -7 6
M abel
Thomas
Chapter Two
The Transition Years a t King: From Hiram King to Vernon Dwelle, 1907-45 Stamford
Springdale and Glenbrook, which the
As the first decades o f the 20th
King School would call home between
century progressed, the industry
1927 and 1961, and Shippan, home
that had originally fueled Stamford’s
o f Low-Heywood from 1911 to 1944,
growth continued to boom, propel
would grow as well into sub
ling Stamford from a population o f
communities o f their own. Courtland
about 10,000 in 1890 to upwards of
Avenue, east o f the downtown, and
28,000 in 1910, with more than 7,500
home o f Low-Heywood from 1944
o f those citizens foreign born. By
to 1969, was central enough in the
1930, Stamford was one o f the fastest
20th century to serve as the location for the local
growing and most diverse cities in
Special Offering
the state, with a population in excess o f 48,000, at which it would hover through the Depression and
From about 1912, a Mr. Hobart Jacobs, "a graduate of the Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris," offered "weekly ta lk s. .. on Art and kindred subjects." Jacobs had taught drawing as early as the late 19th century under Hiram King, and continued this offering as well, for a slight additional charge to tuition.
train station.
The PostHiram King Years The end o f the Hiram King era,
into World War II.
characterized
“Two-family houses, frame bungalows, and Queen
by rock-solid stability for more than
Anne —style houses lined the residen
30 years, ushered in a period of
tial streets within walking distance
considerable transition for the King
o f the city center,” wrote Stamford
School at 33 Bedford Street. Upon
historian Herbert F. Sherwood o f
King’s death in 1907, his wife sold the
the neighborhoods where King had
school to Alfred C. Robjent, Harvard
already moved. These homes, he said,
’05, who also became its Headmaster.
“reflected the taste and increasing
Robjent left in 1910 to found his own
prosperity o f an expanding middle
school, the Stamford Preparatory
class.” Further out, suburbs such as
School, which, like King, purported
H iram K ing at the height o f his career
to specialize in preparing boys
Kindergarten Candidates for entering the Junior Department in the first form were not to be older than 10 years, while other entering students were slotted into forms based on a combination of age and educational background, with the first three weeks of the academic year serving as a probationary period to determine if students were in fact in the correct form. Rearick was available to consult with parents after the school day and by appointment on Saturdays. According to a brochure, "One of the sunniest and best rooms on the first floor of the school building is devoted to the department, and its members have separate recess periods during which they may have the freedom of the school playground. Where any disadvantage could accrue to them from association with larger boys, they are separated from them. Consequently, they may derive all the advantages of membership in a larger school and yet lose none of the careful treatment due a small boy." When the school expanded in 1913, the Junior Department received a new lavatory "with the tiniest fixtures obtainable."
for college. Upon Robjent’s departure, 27-yearold Ralph Rearick, Princeton 03 and once a master at Lawrenceville, be came K ing’s third Headmaster. He was also Secretary/Treasurer o f the Board, on which Mrs. King continued to serve. Rearick, who had been at King since 1907, maintained the prepara tory focus. “The purpose o f the school is two-fold,” according to a brochure from the time, “ ... to provide a train ing broad enough to prepare boys for any American College or Scientific School. Second, to give every boy a thorough mental training with the hope o f securing for him a generous
pupils as well as
and liberalizing development, what
their school work,” helped meet the
ever his ultimate course may be.”
needs of the student body.
This mission was buttressed by
Am ong this number were a few
encouraging students to take college
boarders living in Rearick’s house,
entrance examinations and by the
“where they receive the individual
School’s approval as a college-
attention which each boy requires in
preparatory school by the New York
both his home and his school life.
and Connecticut Boards o f Education.
Such pupils take their meals at the
In addition to Rearick, six teachers,
Head Master’s table, study under his
“all college graduates who have had
supervision, and become as far as
successful teaching experience and
possible an integral part o f his house
enter into the sports and life o f the
hold.” Boarding was expensive —$800
Dorm room at K ing on Bedford Street, early 20th century
per year, compared to $200 for the
appliances that make for the comfort
Upper Form day students and $150
and convenience o f the pupils.”
for the Intermediate Department, which is roughly analogous to todays Middle School. Almost immediately upon taking
Curriculum The curriculum under Rearick was impressive in its scope and varied
the position, Rearick expanded King,
among forms, although two principles
establishing the Junior Department -
resonated at all levels: every student
essentially a primary school —“because
was required to have a good diction
o f the growing conviction that boys
ary in his desk, and every student
in kindergarten should be placed in
undertook daily spelling exercises until
a boys’ school; and because it is o f
graduation day.
great advantage to a boy to choose his
Some of the favorite books and poems used throughout the curriculum included the works of Shakespeare, Coleridge's TheRime oftheAncient Mariner, Bunyan's ThePilgrim's Progress, Cooper's Last oftheMohicans, Longfellow's Talesofa Waysideinn and TheCourtship ofMiles Standish, Sir Walter Scott's LadyoftheLake and Ivanhoe, and Hawthorne's TheScarlet Letterand TheHouseoftheSeven Gables.
The Junior Department, for which
school early and complete his course
homework was generally not required,
without interruptions, and with
focused on reading, spelling, arith
out the nervous strain o f too many
metic, penmanship, and something
changes.” The $i25-per-year tuition for
called “simple occupations,” which
the Junior Department was meant to
was an early form o f technical training
pay for a first-rate experience.
in subjects such as object drawing and
Three years later, in 1913, Rearick
Books
weaving. French, at a $20-per-year
incorporated the school for the first
surcharge, was an elective even for the
time and Mrs. King left the Board.
youngest students.
Rearick also made some additions
Into this mix the Intermediate
that were much-needed, given the
Department inserted History and
expansion o f the student body. The
Geography. Upper Schoolers enjoyed
centerpiece o f this expansion involved
Latin, German, Greek, Civil Govern
four spacious classrooms and new
ment, General Science, Chemistry,
plumbing, heating, ventilation, and
and, by the sixth form, Physics. Lab
“artificial lighting ... thus making the
work involved a $15 annual fee.
The King School Schedule, c. 1913 Classes held at what was called the "new Recitation Hall"began at 8:55 for everyone.The Junior Department, which included three forms, was dismissed at noon. The Intermediate Department, also including three forms, let out at 2:10, and the Upper School, consisting of five forms, at 2:45. Intermediates and Uppers who did not have a satisfactory day academically were subject to a 45-minute after-school study hall.
school thoroughly up to date in all o f its appointments.” All the ancillary improvements —new desks and seats, blackboards, drinking fountains, and indirect lighting - were advertised as “modern
9 9
I
M ain schoolroom at King at 33 Bedford
Feeding Yale The 1916-17 brochure lists where students had matriculated over a number of years, with Yale counting nearly 100 students, Princeton and Columbia next at about 20, and Dartmouth and Harvard boasting about 10. A smattering of students attended other area schools: Syracuse, NYU, Brown, Trinity, and the University of New Hampshire. The Universities of Wisconsin and Virginia represented the only schools to which students had traveled out of the area in the first part of the 20th century.
Detention! Harold Carpenter '21 remembered running afoul of one of the basic rules for every student at the King School. "One time I had a detention for not having a dictionary!"
Part o f the Boys’ Study on Bedford Street To pass, and avoid the dreaded summer school or after-school study
and $5 for lower forms. Ultimately, college was the primary
hall, students needed a grade o f 70.
goal, and virtually every graduate went
For those who excelled, end-of-the-
on to the college o f his choice. Despite
year awards were handed out in all
Robjent’s and Rearick’s Harvard and
forms for scholarship, elocution,
Princeton pedigrees, respectively,
attendance and conduct, and
Hiram King’s Yale connections and,
general excellence.
presumably, Yale’s proximity had flavored King School as a feeder for
Extracurriculars
New Haven.
The K ing School Review was published “periodically,” and all boys were encour
The War Years Harold Carpenter ’21 remembered
aged to participate. A nearby
the second decade o f the 20th century
field, several acres in extent,
at King vividly:
provided for athletics activi
School was located on the east
ties, which were even more
side o f Bedford Street about halfway
strongly encouraged for
between Forest and Broad Streets.
all students. Football
On the first floor on the left side
and baseball were
was the office o f the Headmaster,
primary sports, with teams
Mr. Ralph Rearick. On the right
fielded for each, although “out-of-
side were the elementary classes to
town games were limited in number.”
Grade 5. A large main room in the
The emphasis was not on achievement
back was a homeroom and study
but sportsmanship and fair play.
hall. This large study hall and home
Various clubs and organizations
room was also where the pupils
included fees o f $10 for upper forms
reported at the end o f the day to
hear the detention list read. On the
had been raging in Europe. Although
second floor o f the building were
the United States did not enter the
the Upper School classes.
fray until 1917, the year before the
Classes were small with six to
armistice, the conflict made itself felt
eight pupils per class. Small classes
on the campuses o f schools across
allowed teachers to help students
the country, including King. A new
individually. Some o f my teachers
“cadet corps” was formed in support
were Mr. Palmer, Mr. Lyman, who
o f the war effort and to train students
taught French, and Mr. Stevenson,
for likely service after graduation by
who taught Latin and Civics.
teaching them the basics o f military
Carpenter also remembered time
life and duty. Younger boys were often
between classes when students could
bemused by the sight o f their older
wander o ff campus to patronize some
colleagues marching about in uniform,
o f the businesses on Bedford Street.
assembling guns and saluting, all to
“ One o f the privileges the top three grades enjoyed was the chance to go out during a io- to 15-minute recess. We would go to a nearby store for chocolate eclairs or candy.” Clearly this was critical for the boys, for, according to Carpenter, “we had no break for lunch then as classes ended for the day
the bark o f a drill instructor who had been discharged from active duty to train prospective soldiers. Despite the 1913 renovations to
King's Ersatz Officers The company that manufactured the army caps for King's cadet corps mistakenly affixed an officer's, rather than an enlisted man's, braid to King's caps. During the war a number of soldiers worked at a local chemical plant. Instructed, like all soldiers, to salute officers, these soldiers, to everyone's great amusement, often mistook King students in uniform for officers because of the braid on their caps, and saluted them. The King cadets were instructed not to embarrass the soldiers by informing them of their error, but to simply return the salute. Privately, however, they competed to see who received the most salutes every day.
Recitation Hall and the addition of the Junior Department, and despite the expansive curriculum, the World War I years took their toll, and dur ing the 1918-19 school year, the King
around 1:30 p.m.” Since 1914, and during most of Carpenters years at King, World War I
School suffered its all-time lowest enrollment, 33 students.
King cadet Wharton H. Ford ’18, during W orld War I
Student body in fro n t o f33 Bedford Street
New Leadership
in fact, one o f two sources from whicl
That year, H. Mason Brent ’76, who had been teaching at King for
we can obtain
several years, took over as Headmas
revenue. Season
ter for Mr. Rearick. The following
tickets have been
school year, 1919-20, Vernon Dwelle,
printed, and can
a Princeton graduate and History and English teacher who had recently plied his trade at the Y M C A and the Army Artillery School, arrived on campus to teach Physics, Ancient History, and
M r. H. Mason Brent moved the school to Deeptvell on Strawberry H ill, an d d ied while Headmaster in 1933.
English. Over the next 40 years, these
be secured from the treasurer of the Association.” In 1927, King, presum ably a victim o f its own recent
two men, Brent and Dwelle, would revive the school and build it into the
success, was forced out of the increasingly tight
20th-century institution it became, tripling the student body and finding new and more suitable campuses. The physical plant, to which
quarters at 33 Bedford Street and into the Francis Dean estate, known as Deepwell, at 100 Strawberry Hill. Unlike the clean and simple architec
Rearick had added, had been built out on its present location
ture of the Bedford Street building, the mansion at Strawberry Hill was a
at 33 Bedford Street, so
1957, the second-longestsurrounded by massive pines so close serving Head they seemed to wrap the house in an o f School after evergreen cloak. The location was suitable not only because o f its size but Sue Cesare. rambling, multi-gabled Tudor home
Mason Brent’s immediate tasks fell more in the direc tion o f expanding programs. As the enrollment gradually increased after World War
also because it included a large, slop
I, athletic teams enjoyed
ing playing field across the road.
renewed success; in 1925,
In that same year, 1927, Brent
King formed its first ath letic association, which was
M r. Vernon Dwelle, who arrived in 1918, became Headmaster in 1933, and stayed until
named Dwelle Assistant Headmaster.
designed to support these teams with more equipment and better competition, and to extend to every boy the opportunity to play on a team. Most immediately, the basketball team was fitted out with new uniforms and its schedule was beefed up. The Varsity baseball team was next for an infusion o f funds, followed by the second and third teams. “ To do this,” implored the King School Review o f 1925, “we need the help o f the student body. It is,
Collection o f K ing athletes in the 1920s
D eepwell Estate, K in gâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home from i9 2 y to 1933
The student body at Colonial Road
Mr. Micawber While Vernon Dwelle's vision and management carried the school successfully into the future, he was, at least in the eyes of one student, "a figure out of previous era, a 'Mr. Micawber' whose "clothes were tweedy and in the manner of cut favored in the last century. ... He wore a pince-nez on a black ribbon," which he would "drop . .. where it swung idly to and fro across his vest while he fixed you with piercing eyes beneath beatling, bushy eyebrows."
The Eckhart Mansion on Colonial Road The late 1920s were good times in America, but a dark cloud hung just over the horizon, and in late October o f 1929, two years after King moved, the cloud burst when the financial markets crashed, sending the U.S. into nearly a decade of depression. The school soldiered on, however, with a graduating class o f only eight students in 1931. Nevertheless, the front page o f that year’s edition o f the yearbook, now titled the Kingsmen, bravely trumpeted the school’s attributes and values, namely: • l ime-honored traditions of study, sports, and discipline • Sound educational methods and principles that have brought
• Instruction in small classes, which gives unusual opportunities for each boy • Steady progress is promoted by a flexible program adapted to the individual needs o f the boy For Headmaster Brent, perhaps the challenge o f running a private school in the most dire o f financial times in the nation’s history became too much. Or perhaps he was facing more personal issues. Whatever the case, in 1933, for the second time in a quarter century, the transition to new leader ship at King was shockingly sudden, and in this case, distressingly dark and unsettling, for sometime during the evening of November 13, shortly prior to Thanksgiving break, Brent either jumped or fell to his death out o f a
success to King boys in boarding
third-floor window above the school’s
schools and colleges
inner courtyard. Frank Haines ’37,
memories o f recent events, Dwelle moved the school to the Eckhart estate around the corner, on a steep hill on Colonial Road at the edge o f Stamford’s city limits. It was, said Jerry Daly ’42, “a huge Victorian house with creaky wooden floors.” Another gradu ate referred to it as “spooky.” Dwelle and his family moved into an apart ment on the top floor. The Eckhart mansion had quite a history. The new house had once been the home to the general who headed the Signal Corps for Abraham Lincoln. Later, when she was named
Vernon D welle us Heudmuster
a member of the Paris Astronomical
then a third former, remembered arriv-
Society, the mistress o f the house,
ing at the school to a cordon o f police
Gabrielle Eckhart, constructed a field-
officers attending the scene.
stone Astronomical Observatory in the
Fortunately, Dwelle, with 14 years
barn. The barn was also rumored to
at King and six as Assistant Head, was
have garaged one o f the first electric
well equipped to take over, and almost
automobiles in Connecticut. Due to
immediately purchased the school.
the fact that the home’s owner headed
Then, perhaps to dispel the tragic
one o f the world’s largest cable and
Promotion Dwelle Style Vernon Dwelle was not above a little self-promotion, necessary in tight financial times. "The advantage of a thorough preparation for college and life i s ... within the reach of all," noted a brochure. "Having your boy educated at King School is not a luxury; it is often virtually a necessity. To have one's general health and well-being guarded and to study in an atmosphere of refinement constitute invaluable advantages during the formative years. Supplementing these advantages, at King School the classes are large enough to ensure keen competition and a high quality of work, but they are small enough to guarantee individual attention."
Vernon Dwelle, Baseball Coach Mr. Dwelle in the spring piled high his faithful Model T each afternoon, and with gloves, bats, masks, and noisy youth proceeded to the athletic field. There, after a very full school day of teaching much of everything, he pitched batting practice with his trusty left arm for goodness only knows how long, and then proceeded to don the mask and help out behind the boil. This was the program every afternoon, and Mr. Dwelle was in the thick of it all. - Merritt Sawyer
King Grade 7 baseball team in 19 37
Events Listed in School Paper, 1937
telegraph companies, the garage was
a larger library and a gym. Students
also, according to the Stamford A d
were not immune from his analysis:
• Second-form views of Washington, D.C., to benefit Washington's boyhood home
vocate, supposed to have housed “the
they needed “discipline, concentration,
first radio in operation in Stamford.”
and neatness.” Dwelle would spend
Equal in size to Deepwell, the
the next quarter century overlaying
• Yale boys visit school
Eckhart mansion also had two large
these virtues onto Hiram King’s
• Visit to Conde Nast plant by the second form
fields covering seven acres, thereby
original vision.
• Humane Society visit
baseball, and other sports. A tennis
during the Depression, tuition was
court and the now-decrepit barn were
only $400 for sixth formers, although
included in the sale.
there were additional fees for lan
providing plenty of room for football,
Like Robjent a quarter century
Likely in response to lack o f growth
guages, books, and labs. Some parents
before, Dwelle adopted the original
might have balked at the lab fees had
philosophy o f college preparation,
they known that the “ labs” were in fact
saying, “At King School we must first
the laundry sink in the cellar, which
meet the demands of the College and
was, according to students of the era,
Secondary School Entrance Boards.”
usually cold, dark, and damp.
The school’s brochure stated that “the
Dwelle’s formula and promotion
broad objective o f the school’s philoso
worked, and King remained solvent
phy is to assist its students to develop
through the Depression and eventu
a wide and balanced understanding so
ally flourished. Throughout the late
that they may become effective citizens
1930s, the total enrollment in Grades
... and the development o f intellectual
1-12 hovered just shy o f ioo boys, with
curiosity, initiative, and the ability
the Upper School classes having about
to master ideas as well as skills are
ten students each. O f the seven full
definite parts o f the total curriculum
time teachers, five were men. The two
and teaching pattern.”
women taught Grades 1-4. Two other
Dwelle also stated his opinion that the school in its new home still needed
women taught part-time: Mrs. Cooper taught Art and Mechanical Drawing and Mrs. Lyman, Music. There was no administrative staff - Dwelle handled it all, and also served as the athletic coach.
A M anual Training class in 19 3 7
Dwelle’s Curriculum
Academics and Daily Life in the 1930s
SATs Begin
Academics were central, o f course,
At the request of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia, the College Entrance Examination Board inaugurated a new type of examination for competitors for freshman scholarships in these institutions. The examinations were held . . . in one hundred and fifty cities and towns geographically distributed over the United States. They consisted of the Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test and an achievement test. The purpose of this new service, which is to be tried as an experiment for at least a two-year period, is to enable the Scholarship Committees of the participating universities and colleges to sift and classify their scholarship candidates at an earlier date than has heretofore been possible. The results of these examinations, together with other records, will serve as a basis for awarding freshman scholarships.
and focused on “personal attention,
Efforts were naturally made to make King easy to attend, so transpor
learning to study, and the college
tation was generally available to those
preparatory curriculum according
who did not have their own. “ Only
to recs o f College Entrance
a handful o f boys had a car after
Examination Board.” Dwelle had made changes and
turning 16,” said Jerry Daly. “A lot o f us lived on Shippan Point.
additions to Brent’s curriculum.
Mr. Bradley [a faculty member] used
French was begun in Grade 1,
to pick us up and deliver us back
elementary Science in Grade 3, and
home in the school bus.”
Latin in Grade 7. Drawing, Music, and Carpentry were taught in the
There was no cafeteria, so students were encouraged to bring their own
Lower School; advanced Math and
lunches. Daly noted that most in his
two years o f Mechanical Drawing were
transportation group carried “ lunch
electives in the Upper School. Dwelle also introduced two special
bags and thermos bottles o f soup or milk.” Those who didn’t bring lunch
features: an emphasis on Public Speak
could avail themselves o f a “variety of
ing, with each student speaking three
both hot and cold sandwiches, soups,
times to the entire student body over
desserts, and beverages,” according to
the course o f the year, and Spelling,
the school catalogue. At lunchtime, as
which was addressed daily.
-19 37 King School Review
well as at the changing o f the classes, students from all forms mingled together in the downstairs foyer. Students above Grade 6 were required to wear jackets and ties; lower grades had greater latitude, but dungarees, sneakers, and T-shirts
iT|u. ©raSnatims t£lass
were forbidden.
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wtuinm
School began with an assembly at
EtTu, Brute? Students have played pranks since time immemorial, and King students are no exception. Frank Haines '37 related the story about the time he and some of his friends attached a smoke machine to the starter of the car owned by Latin teacher Monroe Whitney. By adolescent standards, the effort was a resounding success: "We scared him so badly," remembered Haines, "that he broke the handle off the door in his haste to get out!"
inspirations for me to become an
sat on the grand staircase leading up
architect; Mr. Kidd, who taught
from the great hall while the rest
English, and who I believe had written
remained at their desks in two
several books; and Mr. Whitney, who
adjoining rooms,” remembered
taught Latin - a required part of
Daly. “To silence students as he
the curriculum.”
opened assembly, Mr. Dwelle intoned
One afternoon the janitor drew Mr. Dwelle's attention to a number of black smudges on a school wall. Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be the hand marks of one Robert Ungvary'38, who was one of two students managing The Chronicle's mimeograph.
Don Russell ’38, who later became
in his nasal voice, ‘ May I have your
a columnist for the Stamford Advocate,
undivided attention, please?’
recalls having to write weekly essays
He got it.”
for Kidd. “ Every Monday morning
Assembly was also the venue for
we needed to deliver a thousand-word
students to deliver their thrice-annual
essay to the English master, subject of
speeches to their colleagues. “ M y first
our choice,” he said.
exposure to public speaking,” noted
Mystery at The C h ro n icle
and who was one of the major
8:45 each morning. “ Most of the boys
Radley Daly ’43, Jerry’s brother,
Frank Haines. “At least one o f the
remembered that H. Monroe
periods each day was study hall,” he
Whitney, who taught Latin and
continued, “which enabled us to
Ancient History at King in the
get started on our very extensive
1930s and 1940s, “was a character ...
daily homework.”
sometimes quite flamboyant ... and
Haines remembered his teachers
taught classes with great flair. One
well. “The faculty during my time
of his most regular, and therefore
there consisted o f Mr. Dwelle, who
memorable, gestures was to pull his
taught Physics; Mr. Kenneth Cooper,
handkerchief from his breast pocket
who taught French, and who was also
with a great sweep o f his arm and wipe
coach for all the athletic teams; Mrs.
his forehead.
Cooper, who taught Drawing and Art,
King faculty in 1935 Front row, left to right: Mrs. Wanamaker, M rs. Schwebel, M rs. Coventry, Mrs. Cooper, M iss Derby, and M r. Grant. Second row: M r. Dwelle, M r. Scribner, M r. Dixon, and Mr. Cooper
“ The teaching was fabulous,” continued Daly. “ Classes were very small. The teachers knew you and you knew them ... and we were friends. Everybody had homework, even on Friday night, and you took it for granted you would go to college. You usually applied to only one college and were accepted.” Indeed, 97% of King seniors in the late 1930s passed
printing the ReviewL Students also
the College Entrance Board examina
enjoyed field trips off campus, usually
tion, and attended a wider array o f
taken by bus, to places such as the
colleges than 30 years before, includ
Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Planetarium,
ing Notre Dame, the University of
the Bronx Zoo, the Museum o f
North Carolina, and Duke. Quite
Natural History in New York, the
a few students also chose to leave
Metropolitan Museum o f Art, and
King to finish their high school years,
Radio City. On weekends interested
boarding at Andover, Hotchkiss, Hill,
students had the opportunity to attend
Lawrenceville, Loomis, Choate,
football games at Princeton, Yale, and
Deerfield, Pomfret, Kent, The
West Point.
Gunnery, and St. Paul’s.
Some trips were daily. Don Russell remembered that he and close
Beyond the Classroom King boys were busy outside the
friends Dick Kahle ’39 and Bill Thurston ’39 “would go to the
classroom. For instance, in 1937,
Anderson Brothers Deli for a sandwich
inspired by an editorial effort o f a few
or Jones Pharmacy.” Other trips were
years before called The King School
clearly not sanctioned. One member
Log, students began a new fortnightly
o f the football team in the early 1940s
publication, called The Chronicle.
reported slipping down with team
The Log had failed because o f the high
mates to the Colonial Pool Hall in
cost o f printing in tight times, so
Greenwich, “where we were sure to
The Chronicle relied on a mimeograph
meet others o f the team practicing
machine, and hence “succeeded so well
their reverse spins, bank shots, and
that it contributed 25% o f the cost of
nrher rricks ol the trade.”
A King School play, with men playing the womens roles
K ing basketball team, 19 4 1
K ing Grade 7 football team, 19 37
The hilly terrain was a factor, because the football field ran uphill to Strawberry Hill Avenue. If the King 11 won the coin toss, they always chose to go downhill —literally —in the fourth quarter. Baseball also suffered from the vagaries o f the land, for the baseball field, below the building and to the east, was also on a slant for
Athletics for All
many years until the diamond was
In the mid-i930s, King operated
leveled. There were no funds to level
under an oft-stated policy o f “Athlet
the outfield, so from home plate the
ics for All.” Sports began at 3:00 p.m.,
batter could see only the head and
as soon as classes let out, with students
shoulders o f the right fielder.
changing into athletic clothes in the
The basketball team practiced
cellar next to the furnace. Varsity
on the concrete floor o f the
sports were available in football, base
unheated barn.
ball, hockey, and tennis, and intramu
Hockey was played only when
ral participation was available in soccer
the weather was cold enough for the
and track. Beyond Varsity, the student
ponds to freeze, and a couple o f rocks
body was now big enough to field
were used to mark each goal. In 1937
football and baseball teams for four
the winter was so mild there was only
separate age groups. In 1937 there were
about a week for practices and two
too few boys to make up a regular first
games on Rockrimmon Lake. Despite
team in football, so boys from lower
the mild winter and general lack
teams were often drafted for the
o f snow, Stamford resident Charles
Varsity games.
Howes started a skiing class that year.
King’s First Student of Color Records are not complete, but it is
like all private schools, anticipated the
Daily Life, 1937
loss once again o f students and young
Mr. Dwelle's Saturday morning classes were well received by the student body. There was a large attendance, especially Grades 8,9, and ro.
believed that the road to diversity
teachers to military service. Dwelle,
began in the fall o f 1943, when a
therefore, developed in his materi
young Asian student from Stamford,
als an argument for a young man
Paul Lee, entered King.
continuing his education. “There is
“ I wanted to play sports,” said Lee, a retired chemist who still lives in Stamford, “ but I was too small to play at Stamford High. So my parents let me come to King.” Neither Lee nor his classmates seemed to notice his ethnicity. “Nobody made anything o f it,” he said. “ People were nice to me.” Occasionally there would be a comment from a player on another team, he said, but it was essentially a non-issue. “ I wasn’t a star, but I got to play,” he said, which is what he
still a further reason,” he wrote, “for the continuation of schooling beyond the junior grades, a reason possibly less specific than those previously mentioned but equally essential. It is in charge o f the post-war world. The American boys who are now reaching manhood will, when World War II has reached its termination, be faced not only with the problem o f running their own country, bound to be in the unsettled condition that always follows a world conflict, but also
unaware, as were those around him,
that o f constructing a lasting peace
that he was a pioneer.
in a world even more disarranged. A generation lacking in education will
In late 1941, when the attack on
Wm. (Oh Yeah) Wakeman and Wm. (Wee Willie) Frickerhave incorporated and purchased for immediate turn-over (both actually and financially) several snappy (?) model "T"s * * * *
the fact that the youth o f today will be
wanted. Lee graduated with his class,
World War II
* * * *
certainly be unfitted for such a task.” Dwelle’s marketing succeeded, as
Pearl Harbor brought World War II
King remained healthy throughout the
to America’s shores, the King School,
trying times o f World War II.
We understand that if the golf and bowling scores of our esteemed faculty members could be reversed, they would be champions in each sport. * * * *
Every time Mr. Dwelle tries to persuade the electric lawnmower over a little grass, he bemoans the fact that Bill Bartram, master mechanic, was graduated last June. * * * *
Mai Pitt, the King School Bob Feller, approached that star's strike-out record of seventeen men in nine innings, by striking out fifteen opponents in seven innings.
Chapter Three
The Shippan Years: Low-Heywood, 1911-44 I he Shippan Point property that
building and served as important
had been home to the Low-Heywood
annexes. Miss Merrill taught Grade 7
School since its construction in 1911
in the back o f the school, in an annex
was truly splendid. The main building
accessed through the gym, stage, and
was three stories, with twin gables on
long draperies at the back o f the stage.
the front sepa
“ It was an odd, isolated
rated by a central section. The size made it suitable for boarding students, who represented as much as one-third o f the student body. The depth in the back accom modated both a gym and a stage. Outside, there was a playground on the side o f the main building, and tennis courts and playing fields in the
location,” said one stu
Morning Prayers
dent, “ but welcome,”
An essay in the Halo, Low-Heywood's annual yearbook, revealed some of the underpinnings of the morning prayer service: "We listen while she reads a collect and then say'Amen'and join in the Lord's Prayer. Or do we? It is doubtful whether more than a fifth of us read the psalm ... A number of us like to use this time every morning as a kind of study period in which to finish our home-work. Now the time that is taken up by opening exercises is so short that we can hardly expect to do any lesson in it, thoroughly and correctly. And then there are some with exhibitionist tendencies who think it is 'smart' to have a bored look and to seem to disregard all rules and customs."
back. Out front a
because elsewhere two or three o f the lower grades were taught in one room, which was “confusing because of recitations at the front [of the classroom].” In 1916, Miss Edith Heywood hired her niece, Miss Mary Rogers Roper ’92, as an assistant. Miss Roper had received graduate training in education at Oxford and hence was well-equipped to
circular driveway curved gracefully by
assume a senior post at the school. In
the front door. “The southern area at
deed, eight years later, in 1924, Roper
the front o f the main building had a
became Academic Head, and three
beautiful large lawn with mature pine
years after that, at Miss Heywood’s
trees that gave a feeling o f complete
death in 1927, Headmistress. In 1929,
seclusion,” remarked one student.
Miss Roper named Miss Marjorie
Two cottages, the brown and the
Tilley, who had long been associated
white, sat on either side o f the main
with the School, Associate Principal.
Low-H eywood's Shippan Point home from 19 11 to 1944
Study hall at Shippan Point
A statement from a brochure at the
wood floor. A few years later, in the
time said:
mid-i920s, just before Miss Heywoods
Miss Roper and Miss Tilley un derstand fully that in the selection
to make it more suitable for a library;
ot a school more than a catalogue
books were a gift o f alumnae. More
is needed. The principals desire
books were subsequently given, first
not a very large, but a very thor
by the class o f 1930, and then by
ough school, in which each girl
other classes.
may receive individual attention.
In the 1920s, a tiny Gothic chapel,
The school accommodates sixty-
built in a pocket o f woods near the
five boarding pupils. This number
other three structures, was given by
provides the girls with plenty o f
the Mellon family o f Pittsburgh,
competition in work and agreeable
whose daughter Margaret graduated
companionship in play; at the same
in 1921. “The chapel was the focus
time, the teaching staff is able to
o f campus and had many speakers,”
know and guide them in a friendly
said Barbara Thamer Milligan ’45,
personal way. This mutual under
“and many girls were married there. It
standing between teacher and pupil
was also the site o f prayers held every
makes the household congenial
morning before classes. Every school-
and united. The class o f students is
day morning before classes we ... read
such that many formal rules have
a psalm responsively with Miss Roper.”
not been found necessary.
Additions In 1922 the gym in the back o f the building was enlarged and baskets hung over either end o f a state-of-the-art
S ta ff o f the Halo, 1934
death, the senior study was paneled
The chapi given by th Mellon famil in the 1920
f
m
■M ■
j
fV a ' ■ f ■
IIP
* a 1
i ■ H
t i
1 w
f v t f c
The Reverence for Riches, D ay Scholar play, 1938. Despite appearances, these are a ll girls! Special Events
Traditions in the 1930s During the 1930s, as in previous de cades, the girls at Low-Heywood wore
Each carried a single red rose, a tradition that continues today. In terms o f extracurricular ac
traditional uniforms, which former
tivities, Forster remembered “ lots of
student and long-time faculty member
Shakespearean plays,” particularly
Boo Forster ’34 remembers as “navy
Romeo and Ju liet and The Taming o f
blue V-necked jumpers, long-sleeved
the Shrew, performed on the stage in
white oxford shirt, a wide-striped
the back o f the house. She cited as
black and blue tie, beige stockings,
particularly significant the inception
and brown shoes.” Athletics similarly
o f one o f the great Low-Heywood
required uniforms, and Forster
traditions, when “ Miss Roper,
remembered the “ hockey team in
the Headmistress and Senior
1933 playing in front o f Miss Roper’s
Latin teacher, introduced our
white golden trellis walk wearing a
first Club. Lambda Delta Pi,
black pleated tunic, blue blouse, long
[which] stood for Low-Hey
black stockings, shin guards, and
wood Day Pupils. Its purpose
black sneakers.”
was to have parties —that is,
Commencement, o f course, was
Barbara Thamer Milligan '45 remembered the plays as well, particularly an exciting production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, with Joan Tinker as a regal Oberon. There was also a plethora of other special events: Miss Eyster leading "dancing around the Maypole one Easter, a Japanese tea ceremony complete with parasols and kimonos, folk dancing. Posture Week, demerits, and other activities and events that spiced up the school year."
until I became president - and
a special, formal tradition. Forster re
then we put on plays.” Later,
membered graduating seniors wearing
o f course, many o f Low-
formal long white dresses and process
Heywood’s community service
ing through the property’s rose garden
activities were conducted
on the way to the actual ceremony.
under the LD P mantle.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 192 5
Shippan Point The Shippan Point campus was lovely, even when you could smell Miss Roper's collie, Peter, blocks away on a rainy day. The south lawn was particularly beautiful, used for Shakespearean productions in the spring, the large pines acting as the wings of the stage. Once, it must have been about 1937, there was a May Court with a senior, Barbara Pitt Fricker, as May Queen. The gem of our campus was our little Gothic chapel, surrounded by daffodils and grape hyacinths in April... and designed by my husband's uncle. Miss Roper's garden made the perfect backdrop for commencement. - Barbara Milligan '45
Horseback riding at Shippan Point in the 1940s
Sports and Outdoor Life Sports were as much a part of life
and sleigh rides. Basketball, hockey, and tennis all
at Low-Heywood as at King. “ When
picked up again in the spring, with an
the girls arrive, in October,” stated a
other tennis tournament for doubles.
brochure entirely devoted to Outdoor
“The big athletic event for the school
Life at Miss Low and Miss Lleywood’s
year is Field Day, when the school
School, “they begin practicing for the
divides into two teams —the Blues and
tennis tournament in singles, and all
the Blacks - that compete in archery
try to win the silver cup offered by the
and all sorts o f games and races.”
Athletic Association. After the tourna
Many spring afternoons were devoted
ment every girl goes out for hockey.”
to preparing for Field Day, and for the
Those who made the team carried the
accompanying entertainment, which
school pride in the “great game of the
included folk dancing. Finally, the
season” against a visiting side from
girls in the 1930s enjoyed once-a-week
Rosemary Hall. “After Thanksgiv
riding lessons from a Mrs. Thompson,
ing, basketball practice begins,” both
who owned a riding school in Rye,
outdoors and in the gym, with the
New York, and who took students on
strongest players making up a team to
rides in the countryside. For those
play an outside game against another
unable for some reason to compete in
school. Winter was less competitive,
active athletics, walks in the forest or
featuring skating on a nearby pond
by the sea were encouraged.
A New Era of Leadership and the War In 1939, Miss Roper died, but the
However, as the war years descended upon the nation, it was “ Mrs. Tilley who kept everyone together, not Mrs.
school still did not pass out o f family
Fox,” said one unattributed note in
hands, as it was taken over by her
the school archives.
sister, Elizabeth Heywood Fox, and
During World War II, boarders
Marjorie Tilley, both excellent admin
increased because wartime gasoline
istrators who would run the school
rationing made it difficult, particu
jointly lor another five years.
larly for those driving into New York, to add the extra miles to and from school. “ If kids in my class, the class o f ’54,” said Jane Flounders, “ lived up in north Stamford, they boarded Monday through Thursday nights and then on Fridays their parents would come and pick them up and take them home. Many were little kids. For instance, one o f my classmates’ fathers had a dental office in New York City, so he needed the gas to get to the rail road station to get into New York, and that extra bit was just too much. Eight or ten miles were a lot in those days.” Barbara Milligan and her sister Janet ’43 both boarded for a short time. “ I felt the boarding community was the real Low-Heywood,” wrote
M ary Rogers Roper, Edith Heytvood’s niece and Headmistress from 19 2 7 until her death in 1939
Barbara, “even though it comprised less than a third o f the student body. We boarders looked at the day scholars as transients. The big benefit o f board ing was becoming better acquainted with my boarding classmates.”
A Stark Intrusion While a girls'school did not suffer the same loss of students or faculty experienced by a boys'school such as King, and while there was no cadet corps or other reminder of European hostilities on campus, the war did make itself felt at the Shippan Point campus. In early December 1941, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the police arrived and took away a young Japanese kitchen worker in handcuffs. The students were, not surprisingly, appalled and even frightened by the young woman's abduction. She was likely bound for the shameful Japanese internment camp program, but no one of course knew that at the time. "We viewed this proceeding from Miss Corkran's English classroom that overlooked the inner service courtyard," said Barbara Milligan."ln making us aware of world events, this incident is rated right up there with seeing the Hindenburg fly over Low-Heywood in 1937 before crashing."
M S if;. lfe\ 0
"1
Chapter Four
The School o f the “Special Case”: The Thomas School, 1922-54 A Visionary’s Early Career While King and Low-Heywood
Winsor School in Boston, the latter two jobs absorbing 20 years. During
were truly coming into their own
this time she became more and more
in the first part o f the 20th century,
interested in what she termed “pro
another school was just starting
gressive education,” and as president
what would prove to be a very
o f the Private School Association in
distinguished history.
Boston, she took particular interest
In 1893, a progres sive, free-thinking young woman named Mabel Thomas graduated from Bos ton University with a degree in Philosophy and the intention to become a writer. To make an immediate living and learn about character and mo tivation, she taught Science at the public high school in C on cord, Massachusetts. Though she would
in studying the six
The Thomas School's First Moments The first day of school began with Assembly in the tiny living room of Graycote, with, according to History teacher Catherine Taussig, "an almost reverent opening ceremony" in which introductions were made. The assembly began with a chorale, then Miss Thomas lit a candle - the Light of Learning - which was passed around the little group from oldest to youngest, starting with Miss Bonney and ending with the smallest child. Miss Thomas talked briefly, perhaps about the reason the children were there - to learn and enjoy learning. This was her subject on the first morning of Thomas' second year. Then the little group broke up to go to classes.
experimental schools started in Cambridge during her tenure. She also worked with the Boston Juvenile Court, where she noted that they asked why the child failed and what could be done about it.
Founding a Progressive School At the age o f 50, Thomas reflected, “ I felt that if I had
write voluminously all her life, writing as a career was left
ten years o f active teaching left, I had
behind as she stayed at the high school
better spend that ten years in carrying
in Concord for eight years before
out the ideas which were now boiling
moving to St. Agnes School in Albany,
in my mind.”
New York, and finally to the renowned
These ideas were democratic rather
N ew Building, built in 1924, two years after the Thomas School was fou n ded
The Fullest Opportunity According to a story in the Norwalk Hour written in June of 1922, four months in advance of the school's launch, the Thomas School "would offer lessons in the morning and after a wholesome hot dinner, there will be games and sports in the afternoons, both indoor and outdoor, under the supervision of a physical director. Each pupil will be studied as an individual, and will be developed according to her own abilities. Many children, often indeed those of unusual gifts and possibilities, did not excel in the usual large school, and fail to develop naturally or to be happy and successful in the conventional environment. For these, Miss Thomas'school will offerthe fullest opportunity under the guidance of experienced teachers and trained psychologists."
than elitist in nature, and revolved around a student’s personal growth and fulfillment rather than achieve ment. “The ultimate goal, both o f individual striving and of pedagogical coercion,” she wrote, “ is the happy and successful life.” Her interest, in other words, did not center on the primary goal o f many, if not most, preparatory schools and a staple of the vision o f Hiram King, Vernon Dwelle, Louisa Low, and Edith Heywood college preparation. Instead, Thomas trumpeted the idea o f preparing a student to lead a fulfilling life, with the theme o f college preparation more of a secondary mission. When Thomas' father died in the very early 1920s and left her the family estate on the shore o f Wilson Cove in Rowayton, Thomas decided to turn the estate into a school based on these simple precepts. The property on Highland Avenue included a family house, two small summer cottages — Graycote and Little House —a small
White House boathouse, and a barn. It also included a large piece o f property, just up the hill on Highland Avenue, known as the Farm. This parcel boasted a house, a barn, a tennis court, and a very large field suitable for team sports and other athletic activities. In the summer o f 1922, Thomas equipped the main house, known as the White House, with both class rooms and dormitories; adapted Gray cote and Little House for year-round use as classrooms; and circulated a brochure that expressed her vision. “The school differs from other schools in its attitude toward the individual child. Its conscious aim is that which has oftenest been only incidental to the educational program, namely, to determine as accurately as possible the native equipment and the qualities o f personality o f each pupil, and on a basis o f this definite knowledge to fit the curriculum to the individual. It is the school in which each pupil is taken as a individual case.” Here, in 1922, there could be no clearer echo o f King’s current focus on personalized education. Thomas engaged a faculty o f nine, including herself, a disproportionately
Tennis was a popular sport at Thomas in both the spring and the fa ll.
large number o f teachers for a school that was to be small, so as to be able to provide the individual attention that
was at the heart o f her philosophy. In addition to expertise in a par
enterprise to serve as a laboratory for the honing o f her educational theories.
ticular academic discipline, Thomas
To accomplish these goals o f passing
sought faculty members who also pos
on the accumulated knowledge and
sessed some psychological training that
culture o f civilization and developing
would provide them an edge in under
each child to his/her fullest potential
standing each individual student. The
as an individual, she constructed a
original faculty included one future
core curriculum designed to cultivate
Headmistress, Mrs. Catherine Opie
an understanding o f what she called
(then Miss Taussig and the youngest
“the human tradition.”
member o f the faculty), who taught History and Geography.
History was at the center o f the core curriculum. Western Civiliza tion, the foundation o f the History
An Innovative Core Curriculum Centered Around “ The Human Tradition” Fortunately, Mabel Thomas had
program, involved courses in Ancient,
Clubs There was a great deal of good creative writing done at Thomas, especially in the "clubs" - weekly writing assignments that were read aloud by the author and discussed by teacher and class. The name "club," recounts one history, came during "the early days of the school [when] a group of girls proposed that they read to each other and cooperatively criticize stories and poems that they had written. They allowed themselves twenty unused minutes and called themselves a'dub."'
Classical, Medieval, Renaissance, and modern History, both English and American. The English
the administrative skills to translate
program paralleled that o f
her clear vision into a practical suc
History, and included classical
cess. Miss Thomas’ School opened on
mythology, Latin, medieval ro
October 3, 1922, with 11 boys and girls,
mances, the Canterbury Tales,
including four boarders, extending
Shakespeare, and modern
from Grade 1 through high school.
and American literature. The
By November, the student body
program also included a heavy
would grow to 20. She used the entire
emphasis on writing.
Thomasfaculty, 19 2 6 Outdoor performances were regular occurrences at Thomas.
Mabel Thomas’ Educational Philosophy The most vibrant recognizable threads o f Mabel Thom as’ progressive educational philosophy - service to society along with personal growth through knowledge and self-awareness —are still tightly woven through the pedagogical tapestry that underlies a King education early in the 21st century. Thomas was interested in reaching students who needed individual attention and encouragement to develop their own skills so they “could escape from living lives o f mediocrity and become contributing individuals." She sought not to reinforce social mores, customs, barriers, and echelons, but rather to encourage a creativity that would celebrate the individual independent o f them. N ot surprisingly, Thomas made creativity and selfexpression, rather than rote learning, a linchpin o f her academic methodology. “The progressive school,” she wrote, “ believes happiness to belong to the child who is a self-directed entity, at home in his world. He is to be kept in health and to be given freedom, and the desire to make things is to be nurtured and equipped with skills.” Consequently, the goal o f progressive education did not
M abel Thomas
preclude college in the slightest, and in fact almost all o f its graduates headed there. And it did not preclude success. It was not, however, defined by either, but by a more personal paradigm o f happiness that had to be clearly forged through the activities o f creation, self-expression, and ultimately self-knowledge. Miss Thomas’ concern with bringing out the highest potential o f each student led to a great emphasis on individualism. Every child was respected and taught to respect himself, no matter how great or small his ability and interest in any area. This early-20th-century commitment to personalized education designed around the strengths o f each child foreshad owed K ing’s present-day pedagogy o f understanding the educational needs o f each child.
A m odem dance presentation
Alice in Wonderland As creativity represented for
Science and
Thomas a critical element in the
Mathematics were
development o f the individual,
part o f the curricuÂ
Drama, Music, and Crafts were all
lum, but they were
central to the academic program, and
de-emphasized,
no one was exempted from them.
partly crowded
Drama, understood to be an outÂ
out by History,
growth o f both History and English,
English, and the
addressed all aspects o f a subject in
arts, and partly for
class, then put on a pageant or a play,
the lack o f a good
with each class producing at least one
laboratory.
play a year. These included French
The emphasis on individuality
plays, English plays, and class plays.
would suggest that students could
Sometimes plays were staged in the
enjoy a great number o f electives, but
outdoor theater.
in fact the opposite was true. The
One o f many modem dance presentations
curriculum was rich, varied,
fhornas students, generously under
and expansive, and Miss
wrote the cost o f the building.
Thomas demanded each
New Building, as it came to be
student take every course
called, was perched on a rocky slope
because no one could know
overlooking the cove, with two levels
his/her full potential until
on the street side and four on the
he/she had attempted every
water side. It had a stone foundation
form o f self-expression.
and a dark wooden frame reminiscent
Unlike at King and Low-
Studying in New Building in 19 2 7
Heywood, grades had no part
blend into the neighborhood. Its large
in the system, because Miss
windows overlooking the water and
Thomas felt they distracted
the woods, and the couple o f stories
the student from the central
o f comfortable porches, all served as
focus of developing his or her
spaces that could provide warm and
own potential. As a replace
natural ambience for the creative
ment, she favored working
endeavors o f both classes and indi
closely with the parents,
viduals seeking inspiration from the
scheduling a meeting every
natural environment.
six weeks so progress could be carefully monitored. Not surprisingly, the founder’s creative vision was accompanied by a liberal ap proach to daily school life, as reflected in a school circular. “There are no written rules; an honor system governs student conduct.”
New Building In 1924, just two years after its founding, the growth o f the school required the addition o f four rooms to the cottages. Two years later, in 1926, the Thomas School had outgrown these modified facilities and embarked on
Dorm room in the 1920s
o f a rustic hunting lodge that would
the construction o f a fourstory school building on the farm just above her family’s estate. Mr. Julius Goldman, whose granddaughters were
I he interior o f the building was very functional, and took full advantage o f the beautiful setting. Outdoor stairs led to the Assembly Hall on the top floor. The library, on the floor below, had a lovely view o f the cove and the seasons passing from its huge window. Befit ting a progressive awareness o f health and safety, perhaps in direct response to the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York just 15 years before, every classroom had
Complete Thomas faculty an d student body,
an outside exit. A state fire
m
inspector, seeing all those exits,
5
was reported to have com mented that he had never seen such a safe school. Despite the expansiveness o f New Building, some classes continued to be taught in Graycote and Little House on the
Diana Barrymore Makes Debut in Christmas Play According to the local paper in 1935, the Thomas School received some
notoriety from a brush with celebrity. "Diana Barrymore, fourteenyear-old daughter of John Barrymore and his second wife, who is now Mrs. Harrison Tweed, made her debut on the boards here this afternoon in a Christmas play, was one of the Three Wise Men. The play was produced by the Thomas School, where Miss Barrymore has been a pupil since her family took on a country place in Norwalk a few weeks ago. The great-granddaughter of Mrs. Louisa Drew, granddaughter of Maurice and Georgianna Drew Barrymore, great-niece of John Drew and niece of Ethel and Lionel Barrymore, made an excellent impression in her rather small part. She is tall for her age, and slender, with features like her father's. She walked well, spoke musically, and wore her green robe and turban with grace."
original property. New Building was dedi cated with a ceremony and a concert in which the students sang the “ Hallelujah” chorus, arranged for women’s voices by the music teacher, Miss Burn ham. As there were not yet very many girls in the Upper School, some o f the teachers also sang, among them Miss Elisabeth Searles, who had “a lovely soprano voice.”
D iana Barrymore, center, in a Christmas p lay in 1935
Finishing touches were put on New Building over the summer, and in the fall the Upper School moved in.
A view o f Wilson Cove at sunsetfrom New Building
Scary Movie! "From the beginning I recall being mesmerized by the buildings on Wilson Cove,"said Gay Kinney Larsen '67. "The setting was so unlike any school I'd ever seen. In retrospect, it resembled a set from a scary movie, but we all loved the old buildings spread out over a beautiful piece of waterfront property."
Early Thomas Years
leadership and her ‘this is the way we
I he warm personal nature
think.’ It made the school an entity.
of Miss Thomas’ School, not to
She knew everyone inside and out,
mention Miss Thomas herself
and she was always there to bring out
and her highly qualified and
the best. If there was any grain o f value
attentive faculty, engendered
in anyone, she would find it and make
the warmest o f feelings
the most o f it. She always knew ex
among her students and
actly what was going on in her school,
alumnae, although for students
Boating in Wilson Cove
it was often mixed with pressure about
teacher, and pupil and teacher. And
reaching their potential.
she was not afraid o f discipline.”
“ I remember Miss Thomas striding
Thomas swimmers, 19 2 6
between pupil and pupil, teacher and
Another alumna, Barbara Quintard
along the seawall, great cape flowing,
Robison ’36, said, “Those teachers
small dog following,” reported one
knew me absolutely inside and out,
anonymous remembrance. “ I remem
and they made sure they did under
ber climbing tbe outside steps in
stand and know what I was about,
Graycote to sing Bach Chorales; lunch
where I needed help, where I was
boxes lined up on the stone stairs in
going to get tripped up, too. And
the cloister; the gong outside Miss
every single solitary thing they said
Wallace’s room ... I remember walk
about me in those report cards has
ing forever to the sports field; solemn
borne out.”
conferences with my mother in M .T.’s study - (no grades, much discussion
The 1938 Hurricane
about potential) ... and finally, more
In 1938, hurricanes had no names
words about potential at graduation.”
like they do today, but the hurricane that came ashore on Long Island in
Barbara Aymar ^
September o f that year would have
Earle ’41
been a Category 3 today. It moved into
said
New England, earning names such
o f the Headmistress,
as the Yankee Clipper and the Long
“When something
Island Express.
was done, she did it. We were always
Arriving after five days o f rain, and the first major hurricane to strike New England since 1869, the 1938 hurricane killed between 682 and 800 people, dam aged or destroyed over 57,000 homes,
A Thomas outing: early Vikings!
and caused property losses estimated
3 but boys were only in lower
at $306 million ($4.7 billion in 2015
grades. The tuition ranged
dollars): Wilson’s Cove was as exposed
from $200 in nursery school to
as anywhere on Long Island Sound,
$550 in Grades 8-12. Boarders
and the storm pummeled its shores
paid $1,550.
just days before Miss Thom as’ School
Religiously speaking, the
was expecting students and faculty to
school was nondenomina-
report for the year. Thomas’ report o f
tional, although most students
the storm details a school that was just
were Episcopalian. There were
about washed away.
16 Catholic and four Jewish
We saw the water reach the top
students. There was no religious
o f the sea wall and spread up the
training, but the Old Testament
theatre lawn like milk, in the dusk.
was studied as both history and
As we entered the flower room we
literature.
saw a green wall o f water up against
In 1953, Mabel Thomas,
the outside o f the glass doors.
approaching 80, finally chose
Suddenly the east windows burst
to retire, although she would
in, glass, frames, and all, and the
remain a presence at the school
water rushed in, waist deep.
for many years. With her strong
The whole south and east sides
personality removed from
o f the room (dining hall) broke
day-to-day management, it
and just washed away.
was determined a more formal
After a Herculean cleanup effort, Miss Thomas wrote, “Not until I stood in the hall on Tuesday morning and faced the warm friendly teachers and children and parents did the nightmare o f chaos vanish, the nightmare o f frustration, o f destruction, o f the uncircumscribed, o f the unpredictable.”
structure would serve the school better. A Board was formed and the school incorporated for the first time. Harvey MacArthur became interim
Boathouse with deck washed away after 1938 nor’easter
Head until Catherine Opie, nee Taussig, a teacher at Thomas since the beginning, more than 30 years before, became the school’s second Headmistress.
The hurricane did not destroy the school, which survived and continued to grow after 1938. Miss Thomas kept close to her vision, and throughout the war years and beyond, students enjoyed extremely personal attention from a dedicated faculty, classical education in the liberal arts, and a wealth o f activities in Drama and the Arts. A letter in 1946, presumably to the parent o f a prospective boarder in Pittsburgh, outlined the school’s de mographics in that year, reporting 200 children, 17 o f whom were boarders, and 26 teachers. Nursery started at age
Thomas graduation, 19 4 7 ; M abel Thomas, Headmistress, at left
p s -r
§ r* r
H -
11 .~ g~
EEL pur fcr~ ■
!« , wH
Chapter Five
A F in a l M ove: The K in g School 1945-71 Rebounding After the War
Math than any other
The Thomas School wasn’t the only institution deciding to incorporate
course, by Mr. Evald Olson, who was also
after the war. In 1949, Vernon Dwelle
the football coach.
decided that the King School, after
We got lots o f
almost three-quarters o f a century of
personal attention.
ownership by various Headmasters,
King prepared me
should be a nonprofit corporation. A
well for college.”
group o f alumni and parents served
Sarner noted that
as the incorporators, and a Board o f
Dwelle personally
Trustees was elected, naming William
handled college appli
S. Haines as the first President. Dwelle
cations. “ He decided where you would
remained as Headmaster.
go,and he got you
“ Dwelle ruled the whole thing,” said George Sarner ’49. “ He was
King Varsity baseball team, 1948
in,” he said. “ He
Presidents of the King Board of Trustees to 1988
a character.” The postwar years were good ones for King. Classes had been some what depleted during the war, but King, like many schools, saw some
William H. Haines Arthur A. Tinker Richard H. Smith Harold E. Rider J. Bryan Williams James L.Turrentine Dr. R. Bowling Barnes Philip C.Varnum
sent three o f us to Dartmouth. One went to Hamilton.” Athletics at the Eckhart mansion on the corner of Straw berry Hill and Colonial Road
veterans enroll after the
were a bit
armistice. The academics,
compromised
Sarner added, were excellent. “ Dwelle
as the football field was only 90
taught History, but he could ... and
yards long and, like the one at
sometimes did ... teach anything.
Deepwell, severely sloped. As a
He was a brilliant guy with a brilliant
result, Coach Olson wouldn’t let any
way o f speaking. Mr. Cooper taught
running back over 200 pounds play
French, and Mr. Scribner taught
—it would be too easy for that heavy
English. And we all took mechanical
running back to injure someone if he
drawing because Mr. Cooper’s wife
was running downhill. The baseball
taught it. I was better prepared in
field was on a lower field below the
19 4 6 editorial board o f the Bull Sheet, a student paper
The Simon House, originally home to legendary publisher Richard L. Simon, and purchased in 1962, has been the Headmaster's home or adm inistrative offices at King since 1964.
and Tide
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main house, and there was no gym, so the basketball team played in the basement o f a church in nearby Glenbrook. There was also no cafeteria, so, as
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Trial by Fire Thomas had hurricanes, but King had fires. On January 24, 1957, the beauti ful old Eckhart mansion on Colonial
before, most students brought their
Road, home to the King School for 24
own lunch. “A few had cars,”
years, was destroyed by fire. Within a
remembered Sarner, “and they might
week the Trustees decided to rebuild,
go down to Glenbrook, but most just
sending a letter to all parents in
ate at school.”
early February.
taft,
„ ,,,
"T h e new a d d . ™ « " < rtuititor'um seadn s he divided l«tn «“ * in w a s coniptele<l la >
1„
IW dorin8mma rraehed Uten
1 S o n u ld M *
“ When the main building at King
Robert K. Jackson, a graduate of
School burned ten days ago, one of
Princeton, succeeded him as
our first thoughts, after seeing that our
Headmaster.
classes were adequately housed for the rest o f the year, was to arrange a meet ing o f all parents,” stated the letter.
A Fresh Start When the replacement building,
After weighing a multitude o f factors,
as it was often unpoetically called,
the trustees wrote that “we decided,
was finished by April o f 1958, Mr.
finally, that we should rebuild ...
James Turrentine, the Chairman
on the property we now own, at
o f the Board, wrote an apology of
Strawberry Hill and Colonial Road,
sorts. “ Fifteen months will have
for two reasons:
passed since the fire when we will
1. We can have our new school much sooner if we do this; and, 2. We can get more school for
finally occupy the new King School. This is a longer time than many o f us might have wished.” After a
our money because we can
long list of thanks, he wrote, “ I have
utilize the auditorium-study
intentionally omitted the King School
hall building, which was
Mothers Association ... to give them
undamaged by fire, and which
the special praise they deserve. They
would be worthless to most
made the first gift to the building
buyers, were we to sell the
fund, and one o f the largest ... bought
land.”
three sets o f encyclopedias for the
Fortunately, the school had good insurance coverage, but the Board still
Robert K Jackson
school, and ... pledged to furnish the reception area and teachers’ lounge.”
felt “pressed to build a modern wellequipped school within the range of our financial means.” The architectural firm o f Sherwood, Mills and Smith was chosen with the imperative to “get our school functioning again in its own quarters at the earliest possible moment.” They quickly designed a modern brick structure unlike any of the previous houses, and construc tion began almost immediately. In the interim, King students attended classes in other locations. The Lower School, for instance, was housed in vacant classrooms at the old Springdale Elementary School. After the fire, Dwelle resigned as Headmaster, though he stayed on to teach for two years and remained on the Board ofTrustees beyond that.
H arold E. Rider, Board Chair Jam es Turrentine, and architect Lester W. Smith discuss building plans in 1957.
Architect’s rendering o f K ing’s plan n ed new building on Colonial Road In all, more than $50,000 was raised for the new building, and plans
History, Geography, and Dramat
were made for a Science lecture room
ics —the faculty largely consisted o f
and laboratory, which was anticipated
middle-aged, and older, males. The
to cost another $35,000.
longest holdover from the old days
“ When my father became Head
Evald Olson
lian Fish —who taught Latin, Ancient
was Kenneth Cooper, who had been
master in 1957,” said Dick Jackson
teaching French for decades. Evald
’66, “ King School did not even have
Olson, Math and Physics teacher and
a home o f its own. The school moved
also the football coach, was already
into its new building on the Colonial
a legend, but he still had the role o f
Road property the following year.”
Upper School Head ahead o f him.
In addition to the move, for the j 958-59
school year, the Board ap
proved a 25% budget increase, largely
History and English teacher and base ball Coach Jim Coyle was one o f the younger faculty, and a future Head
to allow for two new faculty members.
master. The Lower School, conversely,
Tuition was increased by $100 for all
was dominated by older women, such
grades, which still left King the lowest
as Lee Schwebel and Evelyn Kochan-
among all day schools in the area.
sky, each o f whom taught decades of
In 1961, even in the relatively mod ern replacement building, there was
little Kingsmen. “They were great, great teachers,”
still a quaint feel to the King School.
said Patrick Donahue ’70. “ It takes a
In the Upper School, except for Lil
great teacher to grab your interest
Vernon Dwelle Vernon Averell Dwelle, Princeton class of 1914, came to teach at the King School in Stamford, Connecticut, at the age of 26 and spent his entire career there. At 24 years, he had a longer tenure as Headmaster than even Hiram King, and was a teacher for 16 additional years, both before and after his tenure as Headmaster. In stabilizing the school after the sudden death, in
1933, of Headmaster H. Mason Brent, Dwelle moved the school from Strawberry Hill to Colonial Road and helped start the rebuilding process after the disastrous fire in 1957. "He could teach anything," said one student. "The first course I had under him was beginner's Latin. As the years went by, Mr. Dwelle - at one time or other - taught me all the English I know, American History, and Physics. In addition, this learned man took charge of classes in Ancient History and advanced Mathematics." Dwelle also coached numerous sports, and took the field in baseball practice, hitting fungoes to infielders, pitching batting practice, and settling in behind the plate to catch a pitcher. While some were intimidated by an austere and demanding attitude, most benefited from the skills of a true master teacher. "His classes were a delight," wrote Merritt Sawyer in a memorial essay in the 1967 Kingsmen. "This outstanding educator rarely lost the avid attention of the young men who sat before him. With a thorough - strikingly thorough - knowledge of the subject matter at hand, he would often bring books and novels to life by his earnest portrayal of a character, scene, or setting that happened to be the subject of the moment. The frightened Macbeth returning to his ambitious wife after committing his dastardly deed; from The Lady o f the Lake, the dogs in mad pursuit of the wily stag while rendering hideous yowls to the heavens; the antics of Launcelot mimicking the blind and confused father in The Merchant o f Venice - these and countless other scenes and character portrayals were presented with exquisite good taste and charm by our distinguished teacher. And when any course
Vernon Dwelle came to its conclusion, we knew our subject. "Always able and willing to help, our Headmaster gave unsparingly of his time and effort. We youngsters had a faith, a trust, a confidence in him that have proven, to say the least, lasting and reassuring."
Vernon Dwelle was, for most of his tenure, not only a teacher and coach, but the sole administrator and college counselor. It was Vernon Dwelle who, with aggressive courses, high demands, and expanding extracurricular offerings, positioned the King School at midcentury for the success it would have over the next 60 years.
when you’re 17,
top there because of what I
and a lot of
learned here.”
teachers were good that way.” “They were [great],” added Patrick’s brother J
1990s, said the same thing,” said Patrick. “ He said that after King, Syracuse was a piece o f cake.” The graduating class that year,
Donnie ’66.
1961, numbered 18. Despite fires, new
“Jim Coyle,
buildings, and retiring legends, they
” . Evald Olson, Tom
Basketball at the new campus
“ M y son, who graduated in the late
had enjoyed a rich career o f academics,
[uliusburger, and
sports, and extracurriculars. Among
Gardiner Dodd.
the latter were various publications,
Jim Coyle in par
such as the Review and the Kingsmen
ticular was a great teacher. He could
yearbook; the Chess Club; Student
make History come alive. I was not at
Council; Camera Club; and
the top of the class at King, so when it
Dramatics. That year the Dramatics
came to the College Board tests, Jim
Club had performed a successful
Coyle schooled me personally, and I
rendition o f the classic The M an Who
was the first guy to get into college.”
Came to Dinner, while the Science
“We had vocabulary tests every
Club had held lectures in the lab on
single day,” Donnie continued, “and
telescope making, mining, crystal
woe to you if you missed your vocabu
growing, nuclear physics, and
lary words. They also made you read
rocket development.
here. When I got to college I was on
History of Drama at King The modern Dramatics Club at King was purportedly founded by Mr. Cook, and taken over after his departure in 1960 by Mr. Peters and Mrs. Fish. The first production, in December of 1958, TheCaineMutiny, was followed in May by Mr. Roberts and in 1960 by TwelveAngryMen. Inadequate staging and seating at Colonial Road, combined with the promise of better facilities on Newfield Avenue, brought a brief hiatus, but after the move, the club premiered TheMan WhoCame toDinner, starring four of King's most gifted thespians: James Mack, Ian Kopchanski, John Galassi, and Spike Rothman. Following the athletics department's lead with multiple levels of offerings, dramatics broke, for the fall of 1962, into both a senior and junior division. Mrs. Fish handled the younger group, while Mr. Peters oversaw production of a melodrama called The Traitorand then a comedy, TheGolden Fleecing. A more well-known offering by playwright Nikolai Gogol, The InspectorGeneral, was also produced. In this production, Larry Duckman and Paul King, Jr., introduced King's first playbill, and Phil Gordon won the school's first award for Best Actor.
||
D ram a Club on the Sim on House steps
and Brunswick. It could not
KIN G SCHOOL CALENDAR
sustain that level, dropping back near .500, but sports at King could still rely on its feeder system o f JV, Junior League, and Intermediate teams, which always held promise for the future. Basketball had a similar season at 7-8, coming in third in the Tri-County League, of
The King Schoolfaculty teaching science in the 60s.
football legend Commander Otto
NOVEMBER 2
Olier'Tm not going to count this test. But this is the first and last time. You Seniors had better shape up.”
5
Rongoe goes to French Class forgetting that he doesn't take it anymore.
7
Stonington and Cuscuna go to the Bank for the Yearbook.
9
Gordon, Tackman, and Cuscuna compete for highest number of days absent.
which King sports teams were a part.
Students also enjoyed the annual
Father and Son Dinner. That year pro
One of the many staples of the Kinqsmen yearbook at midcentury was a satirical calendar of events. Below activities listed for November 1966:
The New School By the early 1960s, King
Graham, athletics director at the Coast
was facing good news and
Guard Academy, spoke and answered
bad. The good news was that
1 2 Hoffecker: "Uh, that's a joke, son."
16 Rabin talks! 17 Rabin's secret identity as "Rock Radium" the "Super-hero" is discovered.
questions about his career as quarter
the school under Jackson was
1 9 Cuscuna and Stonington casually go to the Bank.
back o f the Cleveland Browns.
doing well and enrollment
22 Cuscuna asks Seniors to write Biographies for the Yearbook: Rongoe: "What's a Biography?"
Football had actually hit a high
was up. Unfortunately, this
note in 1959, when the team went
meant that the replacement
undefeated, turning back traditional
building, constructed in
rivals such as St. Luke’s
such haste a mere three years before, was already inadequate.
29 Bridgewater: "We have our rights?" 30 Donahue elected Class President: Wood and Cleary plan his impeachment.
“ It was always one ol my father s major goals to increase the school’s enrollment,” Dick Jackson said, “and therefore, in the early 1960s, it was determined that a new, larger facility was needed.” When Agudath Shalom Synagogue, perhaps having heard that the school might need to relocate, approached the Board with an offer to buy the building, the King Trustees chose to accept the offer. With funds from the sale, the Board purchased a 53-acre estate a little less than three miles due north. The property was owned by the wellknown publisher Richard L. Simon, cofounder o f the famed Simon & Schuster Publishing Com pany in New York. The administrative offices would fit nicely in the Simon main house, and the school would be built as a sprawling, one-story affair on an orchard west o f and behind the house. A circular driveway, encompassing a few remaining trees from the orchard, would run in front of the new building. The windmill just behind the house, and predating it, became a landmark. Built in the 1890s, it was originally designed to pump water, and its water tower, surrounded by a walkway, sat atop a wooden obelisk, painted red, with windows on two sides.
B u ilt in the 1890s, the colorful w indm ill behind the Simon House was an iconic symbol o f the new campus from the outset.
separate laboratories for Biology,
The Simon House
facility includ
Chemistry, and Physics. A new library
The Simon House, the center of King's new campus on the NewfTeld Avenue campus, was the summer home of Richard L. and Andrea Simon. Richard was the well-known cofounder of Simon & Schuster Publishers, and Andrea was a civil rights activist. They had four children, and they lived in Riverdale during the winter. In the summer of 1954, baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson and his wife, Rachel, were building a home in Stamford, but it would not be ready in time for school. Andrea, who had become friends with Rachel, offered to lease their home to the Robinson family for the fall until their house was completed the following winter. In August, the young Robinson family moved in. Decades later, the Robinsons' grandson, Jesse Simms, graduated in 1997. One of the other residents of the house was the Simons'daughter, famed singer-songwriter Carly Simon, whose ballads graced the American pop charts for 20 years. Cariy's sister Lucy was also a singer and Broadway producer.
The new ed, said Dick
provided for an expansion o f literary
Jackson, “ both
resources, and the new gym created
an Upper and
the opportunity, for the first time, for
Lower School,
intramurals. It also contained larger
a separate
coaches’ rooms and lockers, rooms for
library facility, a
clubs and publications, and a dark
separate Science
room. Six additional classrooms were
building, and
planned but not built.
a large gymna
Working in the lab in 19 57
The 53-acre grounds were perhaps
sium.” This was
the biggest plus, as they provided
the first gym in King School
soccer field, and as many as four
history. The
baseball diamonds.
new building and expansive new
room for four football fields, one
Curiously the Varsity football field
grounds were seen as platforms for
continued a strange King legacy of
future growth and expansion. “With
odd fields. Situated beside and on the
the great increase in room,” trumpeted
south side o f the main house, the field
the yearbook, “the enrollment o f the
would run 100 yards, unlike the field
school will also rise. By next fall [1963]
on Colonial Road, but it too would
the total number o f students will be
slope toward the end zone farthest
about two hundred. This number
from the house, the third straight
will gradually increase each year.
sloping football field in King history.
Headmaster Jackson has announced that by 1967 the enrollment will be approximately three-hundred-twenty students. In order to maintain the low student-teacher ratio, the number o f faculty members will also increase. Next fall there will be at least three new teachers at King Lower School.” “This new facility opened in Septem ber o f 1962, my ninth grade year,” said Dick Jackson. “The school’s enroll ment continued to expand. M y class, the class o f 1966, was the largest in King School history at 22.” The Lower School enjoyed seven classrooms, and the Upper School ten, two o f which were seminar rooms. Science gained a leg up with the Kristopher Science Building, contain ing a lecture-demonstration room for all the Science classes, plus three
Athletic fie ld space was abundant on the 53-acre grounds at Newfield.
Thanks to quick work by firem en, the blaze was not as devastating as it could have been.
“ We never wanted to go running
flyer, “the emphasis is on all phases o f
toward Simon House in the fourth
English and Arithmetic. In the High
quarter!” said Peter Zaccagnino ’71,
School years a full complement o f sub
in a strange echo of players decades
jects is offered. Some individual help is
before speaking of a previous field.
offered in certain specific areas.”
“That was uphill; I don’t know how many other coaches knew that.” “ Fourteen feet difference in
Another Fire It seems that in addition to sloping
height from one end zone to the
football fields and Headmasters
other,” said Donnie Donahue ’66.
passing suddenly and without warn
“And early in the season and
ing, King continued to be chronically
before some practices we had to
plagued with fires. On the evening
pick up stones o ff the field,” said
o f April 2, 1964, for the second time
Ted Shaker ’68.
in six years, the main school building
With the new campus, a new source o f revenue —a summer
caught fire. “ We were on vacation at the time,
program for students from any
skiing in Vermont,” said Dick Jackson,
school, including King, who
“when we first became aware o f the
needed additional work in a par
fire. Needless to say, my father packed
ticular subject - was established.
us up immediately for an unexpected
The cost was $250 per student. “ In
early return to Stamford.”
the elementary grades,” noted a
The damage, according to Jackson
for extension o f a water main out to
and the President o f the Board of
the Newfield area to protect both the
Trustees, Curtis B. Watrouse, “was
school and surrounding homes.
estimated to be around $250,000,”
Watrouse and Jackson both praised
revealed an article in the Stamford
the quick and efficient work o f both
Advocate. “ Undamaged by fire,” elabo
volunteers and firemen, and particu
rated the story, “were Dwelle Hall, a
larly Fire C h ief William E. Hadden,
two-story structure containing a large
Sr., o f the Springdale Fire Company.
study hall, boiler room and locker
Three volunteer companies —
rooms, the gymnasium, the Richard
Belltown, Turn-of-River, and
Simon Memorial Library, and the
Glenbrook —and units from New
Andrei Kristopher Science Building.”
Canaan and Stamford Central helped
Most o f the contents of the office and
fight the fire. Among those on hand
eleven classrooms were saved by the
and helping: G riff Titus, who would
quick action o f volunteer firemen:
soon begin decades-long service on
only six classrooms were not cleared
King’s maintenance staff, and who is
o f desks, books, etc.
still at King today.
“The building was thought to have
Demolition o f the damaged
been fireproof, and met all state and
building began immediately.
local requirements when built,” con
Announcements were made that the
tinued the Advocate. The devastation
school would be rebuilt in time for
was therefore a result o f something of
September’s classes, with insurance
a perfect storm. “ It did not have fire
covering most, if not all, o f the cost.
barriers in the area between the rooms’
DeLuca Construction Company,
ceilings and the roof,” and there was
which had built the school three years before, was engaged once again as the
with which to fight the blaze. This
general contractor. Most immediately,
latter problem led to local pressure
classes were held in the gym, the
A student from the 1960s remembered a bit of fun in the halls. "One of our classmates, Jay, was one of the football managers. At that time we used to have a phone booth - a real, old-fashioned, wooden phone booth in the middle of the hall. That was the only way that you could dial out. If you had to call home, you used the phone booth. "I can remember several of these guys took poor Jay, they put him in the phone booth, and they turned the phone booth around so that the door was against the wall. He could see out, but he couldn't get out. To his credit, quick-thinking Jay called the office and said, 'Could somebody please come get me out of the phone booth?'"
\V
\
also an inadequate supply o f water
Prank
Coach Bob Jackson goes over the game plan with his players.
Senior Room Antics "You could go to the senior room any time we had free period, or in between classes,''said Peter Zaccagnino. "It was a little room off the shed where they once kept the lawn mowers and stuff. "We had decorated it with all kinds of crazy things, and one night some of the guys liberated the Low-Heywood sign, and we had it hanging over the door of the senior room, on the inside. "We were all sitting around when Jim Coyle opened the door, and - you can't script this - said, 'Guys, the sign from Low-Heywood is missing. None of you guys would know anything about that, right?'Of course, it was hanging right over his head above the door. "We said, 'no, Coach'- because he was the baseball coach at the time 'we don't know anything about it.' "He said, 'I didn't think so, but if you know who did it, you might recommend that it might be a good idea to put it back.'And he turned and left, closing the door behind him. "We burst out laughing. We were hysterical. It was like a scene from a Marx Brothers movie. I don't know whether he knew it or not. I don't think he did, but obviously, the sign went back."
locker rooms, and Temple Sinai on
The community was still fairly
Newfield and Lakeside. Sports would
homogenous, and largely male. It was,
continue as usual, and graduation
however, skewing toward younger
was delayed one week. “ While the
faculty who were in touch with the
classrooms were being rebuilt,” said
students. Masters such as Chemistry
Dick Jackson, “students attended
teacher Wesley Doctorman, English
classes in other undamaged portions
teacher Aaron bless, and future Head
o f the school. I can remember my
master J. Gardiner Dodd were very
English class being relocated to the
popular young educators. “ Doc was very friendly,” said
locker room.”
Zaccagnino o f Doctorman. “A ve ry
Change and Growth in the 1960s
Rill-Nye-science-guy kind o f person. I’ll never forget my class with him
Peter Zaccagnino entered Grade 6
when he said, ‘I don’t want you to ever
at King in 1964 in the rebuilt build
think about doing this.’ Then he lit a
ing. Grade 6 was normally the start
ball o f flame from the Bunsen burner
o f three years o f junior high in those
valve in front
days, with high school starting in
o f the class.
Grade 9. As a boy with a wide variety
Mr. Hess was
o f interests, Zaccagnino was ideally
very, very
suited to take advantage of King’s
animated;
expanding offerings in academics,
very, very
athletics, and extracurriculars. “ I just
intense, but
thrived. 1 loved it,” he said. “ I had
he was cool
a great experience. I was in music,
because he
sports, theater; I had my fingers in a
drove a BM W
lot o f pies.”
motorcycle to
Peter Zaccagnino ’y i
N ew field Avenue was decidedly more rural in the 1960s when King arrived than it is today.
In the m id-1960s, coats and ties were still the order o f the day.
school. And then Gardiner Dodd had a ’ 59 Corvette. These were cool guys.” Sports also continued to be a major
Hair length was another con tested front. “ Mr. Jackson would walk around and he’d give you one o f these
part not only o f a King education but
flips on the back o f the neck,” said
o f King student life. “ We had two
Zaccagnino. “They even solicited
major rivals: Brunswick and St.
the seniors to be hair monitors.”
Luke’s,” said Zaccagnino. “ If you beat
By 1971, the administration was
St. Luke’s, it was a winning season,
trying to embrace
and if you beat Brunswick, it was a
change with
great season. But as far as school pride,
what was
you really wanted to beat St. Luke’s.”
called an
The mid-1960s was also a time
“experi
not only o f expansion at King but of
ment in
social change throughout the country.
Senior
Dress policies were established at
Govern
schools everywhere, including King, as
ment, a day
early battlegrounds where progressive
during
outside trends and rebellious students
Student Week
first started to intrude on decades-old
where you could come
conservative traditions, such as the
in and wear anything you
wearing o f coats and ties. “ Everyone
wanted,” said Zaccagnino. “And it was
pushed it as far as they could,” said
an experiment. And nothing radical
Zaccagnino, “ but as long as you had a
happened but we all enjoyed a whole
jacket and a tie on, you were okay.”
day not wearing a jacket and tie.”
The football team went undefeated in 1959, including victories over rivals St. Luke’s and
Rebuilt after the fire
More Building
and was senior class advisor, and he
In 1968 the Board authorized
decided we’d convert this old chicken
an addition to the gymnasium and
coop behind the Simon House into a
library learning center built into
senior room,” said Donnie Donahue.
the plans after the 1964 fire. Parents
“We converted it on weekends.”
donated $138,000 toward the improve
“ By the time 1970 arrived the
ments. There had been another, more
senior room was pretty much in
informal building project, however,
shambles, so we decided to renovate it
two years before, in 1966, that was o f
to make it livable again,” said Zac-
probably greater interest to seniors.
cagnino. “We sheetrocked the space,
The senior room, a place for seniors
taped and painted and even fixed some
only, was a favorite privilege for
wiring, many o f us having worked in
those in their last year. On Newfield
the trades during the summers,” said
Avenue, it was originally in the Simon
Zaccagnino. “ Dave Peltz, Dave
House, but it was soon apparent that
Winnick, Jim Kozlinski, future faculty
this presented an inconvenience to the
member G ary Caputi, Bruce Orr, and
Jackson household.
Wes Wubbenhorst were among the
“ Gerald Peters was a language instructor who spoke eight languages,
restoration brigade.” In the end the rule was that seniors could go to the
The new campus on Newfield was roomier than the 1 old Colonial 1 Road l location.
the students, and I think that that might have even been a problem when he took over because he had personal relationships with students. Jim Coyle was very, very popular.” Robert Jackson could look back on success fully steering the school through a second devastating fire in six years, the rebuilding senior room and relax instead o f attending study hall. “The significance o f the room goes
o f the main school building, and the further construction o f an addition to the gym and the library learning
farther than a new Senior Privilege,”
center. In addition, he had grown
noted the Kingsmen at the end o f the
the student body significantly and
year. “ It made the school aware o f the
expanded both the curriculum and
many neglected areas on our campus
extracurricular programs. Clubs that
that can be put to good use.”
were not in existence seven or eight years before included the Stamp and
Changes in 1971 In 1971, after 14 years, Robert
Coin, Psychology, Anthropology, German, Aeronautics, World War I
Jackson retired, and Jim Coyle was
and II, Ski, and Dramatics Clubs.
named interim Headmaster. It was
Wrestling and track and field had been
a popular, if temporary choice. “ Mr.
added as sports teams. Jackson had
Jackson was kind o f the father figure,”
kept the school in a strong position.
said one student. “Coyle was more like an uncle. I think that came from the fact that Jim Coyle taught, so he had a totally different relationship with
Headmaster Bob Jackson confers with seniors in his office.
Chapter Six
The CourtlandYears: Low-Heywood, 1944-'/2 A New Beginning
Point campus was gone, and there
In 1944, Marjorie Tilley left Low-
was no time to build another if school
Heywood to become Headmistress
was to open in the fall - which they
at the Ellis School in Pittsburgh, and
intended to do so that the students
Miss Fox retired. To that point, man
would not have to find a new school.
agement o f the school had been
With unbelievable speed they reorga
carried on by three generations o f the
nized Low-Heywood as a nonprofit
same family since Louisa Low had
corporation and began a fundraising
bought the school in 1883. With Fox’s
campaign, with lead gifts from parents
departure, for the first
Dr. Edouard Muller
First Board
time in 61 years, there would be no member o f the Low-Heywood family to take over. The remaining mem bers o f that family subsequently made the rather sudden and
■ Ralph J. Cordiner, assistant to the president of General Electric, Chair • Carl Knobloch, finance officer • Stuart H. Pringle, local attorney • Gibb Lyon, president of Stamford National Bank • Mrs. J. King Hoyt, an alumna
startling - at least to
and Mr. Gustave Huguenin, executives at the Nestle Com pany, and numerous other contributors. Fortunately, Stamford Judge Charles Lockwood, then 67 years o f age, had put his
the faculty and students - decision
spacious estate at the southern end of
to close the school. In July, therefore,
Courtland Avenue, between the Post
300 families received a letter saying
Road and Hamilton Avenue, on the
the school had closed and would not
market, and the new Low-Heywood
reopen in September; the Shippan
was able to purchase it in late summer.
property was immediately put up for
Vernon Dwelle, Headmaster of
sale and quickly purchased by a boys’
the King School and a Low-Heywood
military school.
parent, was also instrumental in saving
Regardless o f the family’s decision,
the school. “ Mr. Dwelle was very in
some faculty, namely Math teacher
terested and wanted to see the school
M ary Horne, and a group o f parents
succeed even though it wasn’t his
had other ideas. The first problem,
school,” said Jane Consolino Floun
o f course, was a facility. The Shippan
ders ’54, who then mentioned in
In 19 4 s Low-H eywood moved into theform er home o f Judge Charles Lockwood on Courtland Avenue.
First graduating class at Courtland Avenue, 1945
Echoes "One day a group of us hid under the stage," remembered Jane Flounders, "and as the Glee Club was doing their warm ups, we echoed them. We got detention for that. That's the kind of thing we got into trouble for back in those days."
passing a milestone in King history
the first senior class to graduate from
—the first girl known to attend. “ His
Courtland Avenue. “The scramble to
daughter had started at King. She
reorganize, the end result much to the
was there for kindergarten and first
thanks o f Jean Cordiner’s father ... our
grade and then moved over to Low-
final year in a new Low-Heywood,
Heywood.”
maintaining many o f the same tradi
The Fox family - heirs to Miss
tions, but the regret that many of
Low, Miss Heywood, and Miss Roper
our classmates were not with us on
- allowed the new school to retain the
Courtland Avenue. What a miracle
Low-Heywood name; Ms. Horne
the Board o f Trustees accomplished,
became acting Headmistress; and
completely founding and opening an
faculty members Gertrude Merrill,
independent school in approximately
Augusta Williams, and Alice Waldo
eight weeks.
continued in the new school. Many
“ It was up to our class to retain
o f the boarding students, particularly
the community o f traditions which
seniors, moved in with families in the
were interwoven into our education,
area so they could graduate from
and to start some new ones. Some
Low-Heywood.
times, though, we had to remind
“ I still can’t forget the pain we all felt on receiving the letter in mid-July
Headmistress M ary Horne o f the way things were.”
o f our senior year that Low-Heywood had been sold,” said Barbara
Courtland Avenue Layout Judge Lockwood’s grand Federal
Thamer
design house, built in 1900 and sur
Milligan ’45,
rounded by porches, was a beautiful
a member of
home, and included on the grounds
Preparing fo r a big excursion
Graduation
a nine-hole golf course, tennis courts,
The Middle School all met
greenhouses, gardens, and even a
upstairs on the second and third
windmill. The home itself was smaller
floors. Art, History, English,
than the Shippan building, but that
Science, Spanish, and French were
was immaterial at the time, as people
also on the second floor. The His
were simply grateful the school was
tory teacher taught both Upper and
rescued in just a matter o f months.
Middle School.
Flounders remembered the layout clearly: We had a study hall as you came in the building, and on the right, that was where ninth, tenth, and eleventh grades had desks. O ff o f the study hall was a sunroom where the seniors had their desks ... bigger desks. It was sort o f private.
stables, a long building set well away from the main house. “ For sixth and seventh grades, we were in a new addition to the Main Building, Miss Merrill’s room,” said Milligan. “ It had its own entrance from the outside, but, when we needed to go from our classroom to another part o f the building, we had stage, and the gym to reach the other schoolroom halls.” “ The library was on the porch,” added Judy Kleinhans Holding '58, “and the Art room was up on the up per deck porch. That was just lovely.” Headmistress Horne wrote about some o f the hardships o f a new school during the war years: In 1944, this country was at war, and the desks and chairs for the study hall didn’t come from the manufacturer for weeks and weeks. So we had to put the broad-arm chairs from the classrooms into Study Hall and use folding chairs (which squeaked) in the classrooms. About February the desks came, and one was set up in triumph by the front door. Every girl in the Upper School insisted on sitting in it and stroking the beautiful smooth wood before school could open that day!
Study H all in the 1940s
"We did a lot of singing with beautiful, soft-spoken, at times stern, white-haired Miss Merrill at the piano," remembered Barbara Milligan '45. "I cannot hear Santa Lucia without remembering her."
The Lower School was in the old
to trudge through the backstage, the
The library on Courtland Avenue
Singing with Miss Merrill
Fire Drills The Kindergarten was in the second story, a nice sunny room with a sun porch, where they worked in the morning and took their nap on the floor, wrapped in their own blankets. Fire drills were something of a problem, since the three- and four-year-olds had to hold on to the banisters of the stairs and plant both feet on the same step, then reach for the next banister for all twenty-four steps. So the seniors, whose classroom was just opposite the Kindergarten, were told to go across the hall and each pick up a child and carry her down, no matter how much the youngster kicked and screamed. Well, the little kids loved it, and each bragged for days about"her"senior. I think the seniors liked the fire drills, too. And the faculty and the fire department liked them because we could empty the building in fifty-nine seconds. -Mary Horne
Remembering the Teachers Barbara Thamer Milligan '45 attended Low-Heywood from Kindergarten through Grade 12."I remember the red lacquer drums in the first grade orchestra; Mrs. Robertson in second and third grades attempting to shape our pliable personalities with such words as 'courtesy,' 'cooperation,' and 'responsibility'; Mrs. Hall nibbling chalk while teaching us fractions and long division; Miss Merrill's beautiful white hair and her spelling bees; Miss Horne's romance with Latin; Miss Waldo's instruction in the making of outlines, probably the single most useful skill learned at Low-Heywood; Miss Eyster's sheepskin coat and sporty Ford convertible."
Vernon Dwelle, Headmaster at the King School, was of great help. He shared his paper supplies with us and persuaded many of the textbook compa nies to send us the books we so badly needed, including a copy o f Webster’s Dictionary and the Encyclopedia Britannica. Meals were prepared in the cement
The Quonset hut behind the main building was iconic architecture and a home to Low-H eywood athletics.
brick kitchen. Younger students ate in an adjoining room, but many juniors took their lunches to the basement where there were two rooms that were
Instilling Values
also used as changing rooms for gym.
As second graders, we became part of the Main Building in a room overseen by Mrs. Robertson and Mrs. Williams and shared with the third grade. I'll never forget the three words Mrs. Robertson had prominently tacked to the front wall: Courtesy, Self-Control, Cooperation. But the big event of the room was a Japanese tea, during which we donned kimonos, held traditional oil paper parasols, and tried eating very dry, paper-thin rice wafers.
Seniors had the option of
-Barbara Milligan '45
eating in the senior room on the third floor, “where they could have their lunch in private,” said Jane Flounders. “ That was what everyone looked forward to.” No lunch was served to the girls on Friday because school ended at 1:00 p.m., when everyone,
Perfect Weather Only once in 13 years were we rained out or in [of graduation]! How did our mothers ever find totally white (no colored trim, please!) dresses year after year? -Barbara Milligan'45
except for the hockey and bas ketball teams, which sometimes had a special practice, left for community service in Stamford. On Fridays, then faculty took over the kitchen, accord ing to M ary Horne,
Trophies were regularly presented fo r School competitions.
“supplementing the big kettle o f soup,
safe return o f those girls that I thought
started by whatever teachers were free
I could never live until we raised the
in the last period, with any leftover
money for our own gym.”
tidbits from the refrigerator.” Outdoor life and sports were
In 1952, a Quonset hut —infamous to years o f Low-Heywood athletes -
different than at Shippan because
was built between the Upper School
the facilities were somewhat limited.
main building and the Lower School.
There was no tennis court, so the
The hut served as the gym and also
emphasis fell on field hockey, which
had a stage where the Glee and Drama
was mandatory. Each girl joined
Clubs would rehearse.
either the blue team or the black team,
The important point was that the
Dancing and Demerits I remember Posture Week and Miss Borg and her folkdances and "demerits" and "disorders"; but just what the difference was, I don't remember. -Barbara Milligan '45
Kindergarten
originally there was no gym, so
and determination to make this school
I can still remember the taste of orange juice and cookies from the Little House where we went to Kindergarten and first grade. I remember being in tears one day because I forgot my bloomers.
basketball initially required travel.
a success. And every one of our twelve
-Susan Corning Whitla '45
“ Every afternoon in the winter after
seniors was accepted at the college o f
the hockey season,” said Horne, “girls
her choice,” said Horne.
changing into sports tunics in the
school not only survived but thrived.
basement o f the main building every
“Through all this upheaval the spirit
day after classes.
o f the faculty and the girls was an
As it had been a private residence,
went in school buses to the YW C A , to a community house in Glenbrook, to a skating rink for their athletics. M y anxiety was so great waiting for the
outstanding combination o f loyalty
their space to make room for the Herricks’ apartment. Flounders, who entered as a sophomore in the fall o f 1951 with 12 other girls, was in one o f Herrick’s early classes. “Ms. Herrick always referred to us as the ‘Terrible 13,’” she said. They got their nickname after a series o f hijinks, one o f which involved hanging a red lantern, signifying a house o f ill repute, on the Low-Heywood sign out front. “ Ms. Herrick just knew it was us,” she said.
Ann H errick
The academics the Terrible 13 encountered at the new LowHeywood were the equal o f those
Sue Rockwell (later Cesare)
o f the original version o f the school, and delivered by a faculty of all women and one man. Ms. Horne
Board of Trustees 1949-50 Stuart H. Pringle John N. Gilbert Walter M. Cramp Vernon A. Dwelle Howard R. Goerke Ralph J. Cordiner Richard Everett, Jr. Mrs. Henry J. Mactavish Mrs. N. Lawrence Merrick
taught Algebra and Geometry, which
Ann Herrick and Sue Cesare In 1947 Ann Ayres Herrick was
students took simultaneously instead o f consecutively. Ms. Scott taught
named Head o f Low-Heywood
Spanish and Latin to the lower grades.
School, which began a long run of
There were two French classes, and
sustained growth with her tenure.
once a year students traveled to
“ Ms. Herrick was from a family o f
New York to see a French theatrical
educators,” said Flounders. “ She really
group run by a man named Jean-
cared about academics and excellence.”
Louis Barrault. In Science, seniors
Housing for the new Headmistress and her family was a problem. “ It was impossible in those post-war years to
could choose between Chemistry and Biology. One special faculty member arrived
find a house for sale or rent in Stam
in 1952 to teach Ethics and coach: Sue
ford,” noted Herrick. The only logical
Rockwell ’48, recently graduated from
spot for a living space for her family
Connecticut College. “ I liked the idea
was over the Lower School, occupied
o f the girls’ school,” she said, “and it
at the time by the senior room, which
was a good job. I was attached to
had at some point moved from its
Low-Heywood.” She soon became one
original locale o f the third floor o f the
o f the most popular faculty members
main house. The seniors gladly vacated
in the School.
Community
Benny Goodman
Center, and the day care center,” said Flounders. Sue Cesare also made a massive impact on sports at Low-Heywood, coaching the field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse teams. “ I loved having the same students in
"At the class of'53 graduation, the incoming seniors served as ushers, getting people seated," said Jane Flounders '54. "As only a bunch of teenage girls can be, we were very emotional. The seniors were leaving, and I stood there sobbing in the aisle looking up with tears coming down and sniffing, when this gentleman seated next to me reaches into his pocket and handed me his handkerchief. I dabbed my eyes and blew my nose and handed it back to him. It was Benny Goodman."
the classroom and on the fields, and that jargon about ‘knowing the
The Glee Club in 19 6 6
Extracurriculars In terms o f extracurriculars in
whole child’ really did make sense,” she said. Despite a wealth o f financial and
those days, the Glee Club, which had
facility challenges, Low-Heywood
exchanges with some similar organiza
not only survived the early years after
tions from boys’ schools, was a major
being re-chartered in 1944 but also
outlet. Students could also participate
continued to fulfill its college pre
in student government, yearbook, and
paratory mission. Barbara Thamer
the literary magazine.
Milligan’s classmates from the Class
Drama got a boost when Boo Forster
o f 1945 all got into college. Twelve o f
’34 was invited to join the faculty in
the Terrible 13 went to college, but
1955. To that point, plays had been put
curiously “none o f us went to a coed
on informally, usually at Christmas.
school,” said Flounders. “ It just never
From Forster’s arrival forward, Drama
occurred to us.”
at Low-Fieywood would present
I can't imagine, now that I think of it, with only 13 in a class, that we actually had a Junior/Senior Prom with 26 couples. But they had a prom. In 1953 Sophia Duckworth, who was a year ahead of us and the stepdaughter of Benny Goodman, asked him if he could recommend a band for our prom. He did and he sent a professional band to play for a prom of 26 couples. It was in the Quonset hut gym. -An alumna remembers the prom
“Our reputation as a good
students the opportunity to partici
school increased in the larger
pate in high-powered Broadway-type
world,” said M ary Horne, the
productions ranging from The Glass
new Low-Heywood’s first Head
Menagerie to Romeo and Ju liet, which
mistress. “Just as in the 1890s
Forster liked to produce.
letters were received from Vassar,
Comm unity service remained a
Prom
Barnard, Smith, and Wellesley
keystone o f school life, and Lambda
granting admission to our students
Delta Pi had, by the 1960s, become
without examination; so were letters
the community service organization.
received commending the faculty on
Every Friday afternoon the girls would
the fine performance o f our graduates
leave at 1:00 p.m. to volunteer around
in the 1940s and ’50s - for girls who
Stamford. “We sent kids to the Stam
had taken examinations nearly every
ford Hospital, to the West Main Street
month o f the school year!”
The i960 Senior Prom in the Quonset hut had a Parisian theme.
Drama with Boo Boo Forster was a source of stories about Drama through the years at Low-Heywood. "I remember one student years ago who came to tryouts, the last day after everyone had left. She was a complete monotone. And when she wasn't a monotone, she stumbled. She read every part. "There was no way I could cast her but I marveled at the girl and her courage. I gave her a small part - very small. The next year something magical had happened. She played leads for the next two years. "There was another girl who read exceedingly well and I gave her a nice part. "However, she kept missing rehearsals - constantly. She was more interested in seeing the boys at King School on Colonial Road. I was at my wit's end, and so was my cast. Ten days before the performance I replaced her. The cast all rallied around the new girl, and the play was a great success. "What happened to the recalcitrant one? For the next two years she came to every rehearsal. After college she went to Hollywood and was in the movies. Today she is a well-known TV actress."
Do it Yourself Cash flow was still tight, but maintenance on an old property was necessary. "We did all sorts of things to keep the place in good condition," said Headmistress Ann Herrick. "Mr. Herrick put a new roof on the Lower School because the leaks were so bad that rain came cascading down the walls into our apartment. He did this tremendous job on weekends, once to the accompaniment of the World Series on a radio perched on the roof with him, to the pleasure of some neighbors and the distinct annoyance of others."
In a centennial reminiscence, Mary Horne noted, “Times change, competition becomes greater, but a school with eager students, an earnest alumnae body, a dedicated faculty, and an excellent headmistress goes on forever and ever, even into the next great century.”
Strong Academics and Traditions Continue Once the school was back on its feet after its near-closing in 1944, Miss Horne, an “amazing teacher” according to Holding, remained even after stepping down as Headmistress. Silvana Sonnino taught Chemistry, Mr. Barnard taught Music, and Judy Holding joined the faculty and picked
Silvana Sonnino
up the Ethics course from Cesare. Boo Forster continued to expand the offer ings in Dramatics. “ She was open to anything anyone wanted to do,” said Nancy Bowling Cramps ’70. “And she was very supportive and encouraging for people who had absolutely zero talent, as well as those who had a lot o f talent, and you never felt that anybody was better than somebody else.”
Ju d y Kleinhans Holding with unidentified luncheon partner.
Ezio Pinza "One day a bunch of us were waiting in the study hall after school, waiting to be picked up,"said Jane Flounders,"watching out the window for the car to come. Biffy [Dwelle] was banging away on the piano and we were all howling, Some Enchanted Evening, because we all thought we were so great. Suddenly, in walked a gentleman who looked at us and said, 'Oh no no no.' Biffy started playing and he started singing. It was Ezio Pinza, the great Metropolitan Opera singer, but better known to the girls as the lead from the Broadway production of South Pacific. Pinza's daughter Clelia was a Low-Heywood student."
The Halo board, year undetermined, but probably 1950s
An Administrative Shift
Traditions Midcentury
Friday Afternoon Advising
made two decisions that would shift
old traditions and creating new ones
the mission o f the school slightly,
were well realized. One o f the great
and improve its financial health: they
traditions at Low-Heywood involved
closed the boarding division and
the junior class party. “ The Junior
eliminated the Lower School. The first
Party was huge,” remembered Nancy
change eliminated one o f the costliest
Gramps, who entered in the 1960s.
aspects o f the school, and the second
“ Each class had to do something to
Faculty advisors were available on Friday afternoons. That's when you could go to a teacher for extra help. You really could anytime, but Friday afternoon was always set aside, and teachers were mandated to stay in their office and be there. Oh, it was a great idea. Mrs. Sonnino saw me every Friday for two years for Science. She was really tough, but boy was she good.
not only eliminated students paying
honor the seniors. The sophomores
-Nancy Bowling Gramps'70
a lower tuition but also tightened the
usually sang a song for the seniors, and
focus on college preparation. “ It was
the freshmen always read a poem or
a sad but sensible day,” said Herrick.
something. Juniors did skits or songs.
In the 1950s the administration
“ We missed our little children very
Milligan’s hope o f continuing the
“ Our year we did a takeoff of
much, but we were able to increase
The W izard o fO z, and the whole gym
the size o f the upper classes and so be
was decorated with a yellow brick
more useful to the community as a
road and the Emerald City. We had
college preparatory school.”
a committee that did props, another
“The school had changed a lot,”
committee would do scripts; we had a
said Forster when she arrived in 1955,
producer. It was really lavish. And that
“but what had continued was the
was on junior night. It was in honor
wonderful school spirit —the sense
o f the seniors.”
o f belonging, involvement, and commitment.”
Nancy Bow ling Gramps
The Unusual Mrs. Bauer "I'll never forget Mrs. Bauer, my English teacher,"said Nancy Gramps. "She was a Hubert Humphrey fan. "We had to write all these papers on politics and she had me write one on Nixon; I knew she absolutely detested Nixon, so the last line in my paper was,'ls Nixon really the one?' "She thought that was a great way to end my paper. By using that, I got an A; if I had said 'Nixon is the one,'she would have flunked me. But I loved her. She was this tiny, tiny little woman. She had red hair, up in a bun, and she used to lift her skirt when she got petti-pants, because that was the new rage; her daughter had given them to her. "She was arrested on the steps in Washington for protesting something or other. But Mrs. Bauer, I remember, had to keep checking in with her parole officer. Yeah, this tiny little old lady. It was very funny. Or at least that's what she told us."
Every year the seniors would have
ing about Stamford looking like trol
a new mascot, so junior night was also
lops,” she pronounced. Charcoal blue
the occasion when the mascot for the
was finally selected.
next year would be revealed. “ Our
“ I also loved Senior Court,” said
older sister class had Winnie the Pooh,
Gramps. “ Senior Court was a din
and so we all got little Poohs. We used
ner in the gym at the end o f the year
to steal the Pooh and hide him, so
where the seniors could get back at all
they wouldn’t have him at games. Our
the undergraduates that had caused
mascots were Raggedy Ann and Andy.
problems for whatever reason. Belinda
They were life-size. It was all fun.”
(Nancy’s twin sister) and I had to go
Juniors also chose the color of their
wash somebody’s car, or we had to
blazers for senior year on junior night.
stand up and do a little dance, or —
“The choice o f the color was a big
little things. The seniors would say,
deal,” said Holding. Unfortunately,
‘Your crime is this, and this is what we
her class’ choice did not go smoothly.
want you to do,’ and then you’d have
“We wanted red.” Mrs. Herrick felt
to do something to help the seniors.
differently. “ I will not have you walk
Class 0 /19 48. Sue Rockwell (later Cesare) is thirdfrom left.
seniors, and they were unpopular. Students often switched shoes the I,
moment they walked o ff campus. There were sometimes a lot o f other clothing rules. “ While Miss Bonney was there, we were only allowed to wear black, navy, or white ribbons in our hair,” remembered Gramps. “ We could only wear studs if we had pierced ears. We couldn’t wear any jewelry except for plain
A student-parentfunction in the 1940s
watches with black bands, and our skirt had to
A Courtland Avenue graduation, complete with roses and white dresses “And it was just fun; it just endeared everybody. “We also had a little sister/big sister tradition. When you came in as a freshman, youd be assigned a junior and they stayed through to your sophomore year. Your big sister really functioned like a big sister, was a great role model. She would show you the ropes. “ M y big sister taught me how to
be just below your knee.” Graduation, o f course, was a special occasion, dress-wise. Holding remembered it exactly as Forster had years before. “ [Graduation] was always held outside,” she remem bered. “We all had white gowns, and would walk down a stone path through the rose garden, each o f us carrying one red rose.”
drive a car. Her name was Lindsay, and I just loved her. M y twin sister’s big sister’s name was Tracy. And we all used to do overnights together, and go into the city, go to museums, go to lunch. And then when they graduated, you became the big sister to somebody else.”
Uniforms Low-Heywood students wore a spring uniform and a summer uni form, which in the 1960s were gray skirts with white blouses and navy blue sweaters, a gray blazer (except for seniors, who had their own color), and navy blue knee socks. Oxford shoes were mandatory for everyone but
Blazers were p a rt o f the uniform at Courtland Avenue.
A Bold New Vision for the Second Century In 1963 Esther Nichols became Low-Heywood’s Headmistress. Perhaps more significantly, in the mid1960s, the School survived a two-year absence o f Sue Cesare, who went to teach at the Masters School. It was no small thing, as Cesare was not only the most popular teacher o f numer ous subjects but coach ot almost all the athletic teams as well. Fortunately, she returned as Dean o f Students and
Katherine Bonney
Director of Admission. In 1965 Katherine Bonney became Headmistress. A 1933 graduate of Connecticut College for Women, and a Religion professor on the college
Beautiful Home
level, her appointment coincided with
Courtland Avenue was a beautiful, beautiful old building; I just loved it. Our classrooms were all the old bedrooms; the library was on the porch. ... The gym looked like something out of World War II. It functioned just fine. -Nancy Gramps
Low-Heywood’s centennial year. It was an auspicious anniversary to look ahead, for Low-Heywood was now on solid financial ground with a student body of 175 and well established as a college preparatory school for girls in Grades 7-12. In an address to the parents in April o f 1965, Dr. Bonney restated some basic principles for the next century: We are a school that offers a sound college preparatory course. We put attention on the individual and her development as an allaround person, through an excellent faculty, working in small classes. We graduate girls who have developed not only in mind but in body and spirit as well. We believe in making the most of every girl, seeing that each one develops her own talents and abilities, and her own person ality, with the goal of making her a happy, useful, and responsible citizen in a complex society. In a prospectus entitled “ Building
Excellence at Low-Heywood School, the Trustees elaborated on Bonney s sentiments about the basic mission, speaking o f “the best and highest de velopment o f human potentialities ... sound methods o f study and research ... the ability to think critically ... a curriculum o f flexibility and depth ... athletic activities ... moral and ethical values ... leadership qualities, compassion, concern for humanity, and the desire to serve ... a sense o f community.” Inspired perhaps by the centennial milestone, they then set some tremen dous goals, including “the construc tion on a new site and a larger school with a full range o f modern facilities to serve its students and the Stamford community even more effectively.” It was not just a pipe dream. “A seventeen-acre site has been acquired in North Stamford, adjacent to King School,” they announced. Sherwood, Mills and Smith, the same architects who had designed the King School, had been retained to design the new physical plant for Low-Heywood. The new building would represent the fruits o f the “first phase o f LowHeywood’s Development Program and o f its Development Fund.” This phase was set at $1.2 million, but most immediately they would seek $400,000 “ in public subscriptions.” The second phase involved increasing the endowment. “ In the subsequent long-range phase, the project involves funds that will make possible an Endowment Program. The income from a realistic Endowment Fund can be o f immeasurable value in strengthening the school’s financial re sources.” Among the priorities would be increasing both faculty salaries and
scholarship funds designed to increase
rights and increasing multiculturalism.
diversity, a growing initiative at ethniÂ
It was the first explicitly stated
cally homogeneous private schools
intention to increase diversity in
across the country in an era o f civil
school history.
Frank Rich Despite the booming economy, the community had changed physically as well, and not for the better. By the 1960s the bucolic neighborhoods along the Sound and the woodsy communities to the north remained populous and for the most part lovely, but the Stamford center had become a victim of urban blight. Buildings and lots stood vacant, once elegant facades were rotting, sidewalks and bridges were crumbling, and streets were empty and crimeridden. Stamford's Urban Redevelopment Commission hired a subsidiary of the F. D. Rich Company to rebuild a 130-acre section of the central downtown area known as the Southeast Quadrant, with more than $100 million in federal, state, and city funds that had become available for the purpose. Under the leadership of Frank Rich, a Low-Heywood parent and future Board Chair, 100 families and 400 businesses would be relocated, and over many years, the entire downtown would be redeveloped with millions of sguare feet of new office and retail space, a mall, department stores, thousands of units of housing, scores of restaurants, and numerous entertainment venues such as movie theaters and parks. At the same time, historic properties such as the Hoyt Barnum House (1699), the old Yale and Towne building (1869), and the Old Town Hall (1905) were preserved and renovated, ensuring that Stamford's history would still be evident in its stunning new urban landscape. Low-Heywood's debt to Frank Rich extends beyond his direct contributions to the school, for he helped ensure that the community in which it is placed would continue to draw the parents of future students.
A Poignant Good-Bye Despite the boldness of the vision, there were some bittersweet feelings about leaving Courtland Avenue. “ I loved the Courtland campus. It was so nurturing, and the classes were so small,” said Holding. “And because we were sort o f brought together in a house all the time - except for the study hall - I knew every kid’s name, and I knew most of the Lower School.” “ I loved my schedule when I was on Courtland,” said Nancy Gramps, “because it was the exact same schedule day in and day out. You had English at the same time every day five days a week; you had Math five days a week at the same time, you had French - it was very easy, and you had to have the consistency, which I found so beneficial.” In the last years at Courtland, life continued as before, even while the sound o f construction echoed from Newfield Avenue. Boo Forster con tinued in dramatics. Mr. Barnard ran the choir. Sue Cesare, after her return from the Masters School, taught her usual range o f courses. Latin, unfortu nately, was dropped in 1967 due to a lack o f student interest. Students still fanned out into the community on Friday afternoons, working at St. Joseph’s Hospital, the Stamford Hospital, or the Boys and Girls Club. “ It kind o f turned out that there eventually were more girls than there were assignments,” said Gramps. “A hospital didn’t want 19 girls coming in on a Friday afternoon, so we ended up doing alternate weeks.” Naturally girls would try to get on the same biweekly rotation as their friends, which would leave the o ff
so
weeks as an opportunity to leave early for skiing or some other weekend adventure. “ It was kind o f a freebie,’ said Gramps. The alternate weekends did not undermine the teaching. “ M any o f the girls in my class went on to continue with volunteering after they gradu ated. I was astounded —I don’t know what the number is now, but a lot o f us went into social services. It made a huge impact on every single girl in my class —in all the classes.” It also represented the founda tion for the emphasis on community service at King.
The Move to Newfield In 1969 it was finally time to make the move into the Walker estate adjacent to the King School on Newfield Avenue. The new building was three levels in height, with 20 classrooms, an Art room, Science rooms, and an academic room on the top two tiers for the Upper and Lower School. The gymnasium, with seating at each end and a large stage, dominated the lowest level, which also held lock ers, seminar and faculty rooms, a
A lab at the new N ew field school
boiler room, restrooms, and an
some o f the culture and the
unfinished space for future cafeteria
traditions that we originally had over
and kitchen facilities.
on Courtland.”
Frank Rich, the well-known Stam
The physical plant was bigger and
ford builder, a Low-Heywood parent,
more spread out on Newfield, and that
and Chair o f the Board, had spear
would affect the dynamics o f com
headed the move from the beginning.
munity. “ I knew the names o f almost
“ I think Frank and others felt that
every single person in the school when
being next to a boys’ school would be
I was on Courtland. And when I
better,” said Cesare. “And I’m sure he
graduated, I knew the kids in my little
dreamt ultimately about being coed.
sister’s class, in the class below me,
He was, really, wonderfully responsible
and other than that I really didn’t
for that. He was a pinnacle o f Stam
know anybody. It felt very cold and
ford, Connecticut: a builder, Chair
stark somehow.”
man o f the Board at the time, and he pulled that off, which was great.” Not everyone was happy. “ I hated
New Leadership In 1970, Dr. Bonney retired. A full
the move,” said Gramps. “Not the
search process was held, but it con
commute so much as the new school.”
cluded with the nearly inevitable ap
She, like many others, felt that the
pointment o f Sue Cesare as the tenth
same effort was not made to retain
Headmistress o f Low-Heywood. It
the traditions as had been made in
would be Cesare who would steer the
the previous move, from Shippan to
ship through the vast changes o f the
Courtland in 1944. “ I think we lost
next two-plus decades. “ I was dying to
The new school was certainly more modem than Courtland Avenue, but lacked some o f the old-world charm.
Who Else Would It Possibly Be? On June 7, at a general assembly of students and faculty, Frank D. Rich, Jr„ President of the Board of Trustees, announced the appointment of Elizabeth Rockwell Cesare as Headmistress of the Low-Heywood School of Stamford. "She will succeed Dr. Katherine A. Bonney, who is retiring June 30,1971. "She graduated from Low-Heywood School in 1948; received her B.A. degree from Connecticut College in 1952, and her M.A. degree from Union Theological Seminary-Columbia University in 1962."
Lie Head,” Cesare admitted.
sioned, but as single-sex. Subsequently,
On Parents Night in October of
it Pilled in the Grade 4-5 gaps, so none
1971, the new Headmistress, who was
o f the students who went to the Low-
already known by everyone, spoke to
Heywood Lower School ever needed
the parents, laying out a few critical
to shift over to King.
principles they could expect from her
Above the Lower and Middle
administration, starting with the belief
Schools, King and Low-Heywood
that Low-Heywood students “should
agreed, as Cesare had described, to
go on to higher education. In a survey
establish the beginnings o f a formal
taken of alumnae from the years 1948
coordinate educational program. “ We
to 1965, it was found that over 90%
had a single-sex Lower School, single
of them received college degrees. The
sex Middle School, and the students
national percentage o f women who
in the Upper Schools o f both Schools
started college and finished was nearer
could take courses in each other’s
47%. ... Secondly, we believe these
school,” said Cesare. “ So, financially,
girls should become a formative
we had teachers who would teach
element in their communities.
all the APs, for instance. But we had
In other words, we want them to
different faculties, different boards,
make a difference. We do not want
different rules, different everything.
them to be members o f the silent ma
“Jim Coyle and I worked things
jority. ... Thirdly, we believe our girls
out for the coordinate program. And
should bring to their future families
it worked very well, actually; the boys
at least an awareness of the traditional
came to us for some things and we
responsibilities o f wife and mother.
went over there for some things.
“Our goal,” she said, “ is to have
“ The value o f the program, from
a school where parents, teachers,
my view as Head o f the girls’ school,
Trustees, alumnae, administration,
was that it improved the student ex
and staff can work together to develop
perience. It provided a broader range
the students into competent, compas
o f courses and activities from which
sionate, contributing human beings.
students could choose, and because
IXwas about to become law, I
We are after the 3 ‘Cs,’ not simply the
Title
3 ‘Rs. ”’ She had articulated a vision
wanted the girls to find their voices in
beyond the standard mission o f college
a more diverse, broader setting.”
preparation that she would carry into the future. Some reorganization was necessary, though, as LowHeywood started in Grade 6 and King in Grade 4, with neither having a Lower School. Low-Heywood therefore lower grades, as Cesare envi
Left to right: Ann Herrick, Sue Cesare, and Katherine Bonney
1
reinstituted kindergarten and
“M y Board said to me, ‘Nobody will understand that, and besides, we couldn’t pos \
n
I
4▼
-
l - U l
sibly market that.’ They finally sold me.”
A Commitment to Diversity 1 he intention to increase the Endowment Fund when
Coordinate Schools
the school moved to New-
In the A nnual Report at the end o f the
field Avenue included a priority on
1971-72 school year, Cesare outlined a
devoting a portion o f the new funds
bold idea. “ We intend to accomplish
to scholarships, which would increase
our goal in a coordinate setting where
diversity. The new Head o f School
we can interchange classes and activi
was committed to seeing that prior
ties with King School. This year we
ity realized. “ When I had said at my
have close to 25 boys and 25 girls going
installation that I wanted the school
back and forth for academic causes.
to be more things to
In extracurricular activities boys and
more people, I did not
girls are in the mixed singing group,
only have numbers o f
in plays, and this year they are doing
students on my mind.
volunteer work together at the hospi
I was also thinking o f
tal. King and Low-Heywood expect to
a more diversified
offer trips to Europe on a co-ed basis
population in the
this spring vacation.”
school, so I was excited
She described some academic
when the financial
bolstering. “This year we have added
committee’s goal in 1972
seven courses, and there are more than
was to increase the minor
a dozen courses offered to our girls by
ity group population by five
King. ...
students. I was eager to help with
“ We intend to accomplish our goal with a nonacademic program that now
the implementation.” With the help o f the Parents Asso
offers a choice from thirteen activities.
ciation, 60 letters were sent out telling
The newest are swimming, typing,
o f Low-Heywood’s interest in granting
public speaking, gourmet cooking.”
scholarships and asking for qualified
Coordinate education really started. “M y best idea,” she said later,
students. Twenty-five candidates took the entrance exams. After a series
“was, now that we were next to King,
o f interviews, the top five minority
to have a coed lower school, single-sex
students were offered scholarships. “ It
middle school, and a coordinate upper
was the beginning o f a mission-driven
school. The idea was that a girl could
effort,” said Cesare, “to build a popu
go attend Low-Heywood without
lation o f students with different racial
interruption throughout her
backgrounds, different learning styles,
academic career.
and different financial needs.”
Boys and girls started going back and forth between schoolsfo r classes as early as 1971.
Chapter Seven
The Thomas School Thrives Before Suffering a Decline, 1953-76 Though the Thomas School was
knowledge base that teachers brought
newly incorporated in 1953, and
to the school made it unique,”
though Mabel Thomas was no longer
remembered Larsen. English teacher
at the helm day-to-day, the Thomas
Leslie Latham was just one example.
School would retain its distinctive,
“ Leslie Latham was brilliant but very
progressive approach to education for
different. She wore unusual dresses
the next two decades.
out o f the Middle Ages. She was six feet tall, intimidat
“The school was so small in 1962 when I got there,” said Gay Larsen ’67, “with about 20 in my class. Maybe a couple o f hundred kids total. But the edu cation was outstanding. Mabel Thomas had a strong sense o f mission, and the school drove that mission home.
An Air of Gentility "There was an air of gentility at Thomas,"said Laura Lasker'70. "We stood up when a teacher entered the room. The living room was hung with tapestries, the grand staircase was carpeted with oriental rugs. As a junior, I couldn't wait for the senior privilege of standing on the staircase, looking down on the lower classmen, in the mornings before assembly. I was very disappointed when Mr. Harper changed this and had everyone wait in line."
ing physically. And demanding. But she loved literature, the Bible, and mythol ogy. She taught the Bible extensively, but as historical, not religious, literature.” Unlike probably any other school in the nation, Thomas
It was intense
students started
academically.
assembly each morn
“Latin, Greek mythology, and
ing with a Bach Chorale, a cantata,
Shakespeare remained central to the
or similar classical piece, and tradi
curriculum, meaning that it remained
tionally closed with a verse from the
classical, and heavily weighted toward
Bible, usually Micah 6:8: “ What doth
the social rather than the physical sci
the Lord require o f thee but to do
ences. And there were still no grades.”
justly and to love mercy, and to walk
The faculty was extraordinary,
humbly with thy God?” And every
and certainly not without characters.
year until her death, students made a
“The passion and commitment and
birthday book for Mabel Thomas.
The Farrell estate, known as Rock Ledge, served as a warm and elegant home fo r the Thomas Schoolfrom 1964 until 1976.
The legendary M abel Thomas with a young student
That is not to say there weren’t similarities to Low-Eleywood. The girls enjoyed the occasional dance with Worcester Academy, and their uniforms included blazers. They wore “plaidish bloomers" for PE, and in the winter bused to the X
Crystal Ice
Skating Rink in South Norwalk. Because o f their facilities, or lack thereof, physical education at Thomas had an extra step: in : spring they hiked up High land Avenue to an available field for field hockey. “ We started and ended PE with a twentyminute walk,” said Larsen. “ It was a good warm-up and warm-down.” The emphasis at Thomas was on physi cal activity and intramurals rather than interscholastic competition.
A Move and Then a Downturn In 1964, the Thomas School left its original Wilson Cove location and moved across the street to the Farrell Estate, known as Rock Ledge. Larsen missed “the old and dank and cobbled-together classrooms” o f Wilson Cove. “ M y seventh grade homeroom was a boat house outfitted as a classroom, but on the water. We used to throw chairs out the window and watch them float.”
Where the Wilson Cove campus
For the next several years Thomas
was funky, Rock Ledge was grand.
sailed along well enough with a couple
Built in 1912 by James A. Farrell, the
o f hundred students at Rock Ledge.
chairman o f U.S. Steel, it was an
In its 50th year, the Thomas School
impressive, even austere, edifice of
named Jean Harris as its Headmistress,
fieldstone and granite at 40 Highland
replacing Harper. Unfortunately, said
Avenue, and the second-largest
Peterson, “a conflict arose with one of
home in the area, after the
the teachers” and, as such conflicts can
Lockwood estate.
do, began to eat away at the com munity from the inside. “We stopped growing,” said Peterson. Indeed, in the early 1970s, the school dropped to about 96 students. “Thomas was failing pretty fast,” said Cesare, watching from LowHeywood. “ They were not going to survive. At least not by themselves anyway. There had been an attempt by them to merge with St. Luke’s in New Canaan, but that never happened.”
Catherine Opie, the School’s second Headmistress, served from 1953 until 196$. Favorite teachers who made the move were Mme. Froelicher, Mrs. Towart, Mrs. Farwell, Mr. Lape, and Mrs. Mutrux. Also in 1964, Miss Thomas died, at age 93. The next year Dr. David Barnett succeeded Catherine Opie as Headmaster, a position he would hold for two years. He was followed by Arthur Harper in 1967. In 1968 Harper hired a former college athlete as a PE teacher. Karen Peterson had been working in the
Uneasy Bedfellows Low-Heywood was having no
New York, and a year after coming to
such troubles. In 1972, it enjoyed 225
Thomas she was Director o f Athlet
students in grades 6-12, 25 King boys
ics. “ By this time the kids didn’t wear
a term coming across the wall for
uniforms,” Peterson said. “They were
coordinate education, and 67
bright kids and hardworking girls and
public school children who were
it was a much more progressive educa
coming for tutoring.
and Shakespeare, etc.”
Mornings rising and throwing back the covers to air during breakfast (a "disorder" if forgotten), lining up for meals, seniors in the middle, rest of the older girls by class on the right and the younger girls on the left. Looking back on the after-breakfast walk to the sea wall, all I can remember are the wonderful days of early spring when the daffodils would bloom in the yards of the still-abandoned summer cottages, but I'm sure, at the time it [the walk] was a nuisance because we'had to.'The rest of the day, we [the boarders] were all just a part of the whole school. I believe there were over 200 day girls to our 45 boarders_ _ We always felt we had an egual share because we were there all the time, and the day girls had an egual share because there were more of them. I remember the day girls disliked traveling to and from school in their uniforms and no lipstick, but for me, it was just a part of the routine. Fortunately, it was wartime and the long-stocking rule had been relaxed except when we went off campus and for evening dinner. I still hate them, but, at least we have nylons now .... Then it was cotton lisle or baggy rayon. The best part of the uniform and one part enjoyed by all was the senior blazer. -Laura Lasker ’70
Jean Harris, appointed in 1972, was Thomas’fifth and fin a l Headmistress.
accounting division at Humble Oil in
tion on a lot o f levels —Bach Chorales
Spring Days
The faculty numbered 33, 12 of whom had advanced degrees and all o f
The Excellent Faculty at Thomas
J F r t S iA l f L 'j \ i
"I spent hours with Mr. Lape in the Art building,"said Laura Lasker '70. "Mrs. Woolf was the best Art History teacher I ever had, and I am comparing her with my professors at Skidmore College, Colgate University, and Columbia University, where I received my master's in Art Education. Mr. Cherny introduced me to existentialism and Dostoyevsky. Mrs. Sia taught me Algebra - no small feat. Thomas School had excellent teachers. I appreciate just how dedicated and special my teachers at Thomas were."
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Classes at Rock Ledge were frequently held outside on the beautiful grounds. whom were serving as student advisors. The faculty-student ratio,
sense. Culturally it was more o f a chal
therefore, stood at six to one, far better
lenge. The schools used to play one
than the national independent school
another in basketball and field hockey,
figure o f ten to one.
and hence a rivalry o f sorts existed.
I
Academically, the curriculum contained 36 courses in the Upper
r
-
k. /
Happy days
Administratively it made some
More importantly, they represented significantly different approaches
School —seven
to education. Finally, Rowayton
more than the
and Stamford were different com
year before - 13
munities, so “some people were kind
extracurricular
o f surprised” by the idea, said one
activities, and
Low-Heywood student. And Newfield
a novel intern
Avenue would be a long commute for
ship program
some o f the former Thomas students.
allowing seniors
In addition to all o f this, opposi
to spend one
tion arose primarily in the Thomas
trimester off
community over the threat o f their
campus as an
beloved school disappearing into a
apprentice to a
much larger one. A group o f self-
professional person or organization in
proclaimed “ interested friends” calling
a field o f her interest.
themselves the “ Friends ofT h om as”
Naturally, people began to contem plate a merger between the healthy
spearheaded an alternative plan. “ We have developed a specific
Low-Heywood and the ailing Thomas.
plan which we believe will enable the
“ Wisely,” said Cesare, “our Trustees
school to continue its operation,” they
said, ‘Look, were both girls’ schools,
wrote to the Thomas community.
why don’t we set up together?” ’
“ 1 his plan requires your support. Part
misunderstanding. You have noth ing to lose by this and should they succeed, you can look back on your stewardship without a sense o f failure. Alas, the hill was too steep. On the last day o f January in 1975, Edward Goodnow, Chair of the Thomas Trustees, accepted the inevitable with the following letter: It is contemplated that the o f the plan is a Parent-Sponsored Revolving Endowment. Another part is Continuation o f the Thomas School. “The success o f this plan requires the support o f a large percentage o f parents with children at the school. Under the existing circumstances, inadequate support will undoubtedly result in the termination of the school.” Former longtime Thomas Head Catherine Opie supported the group in another letter. The older alumnae o f the Thomas School are ... horrified at the idea that their school should merge with one whose criteria of excellence is success in admission to
actual consummation of the merger will depend on the number o f students transfer ring to Low-Heywood, and on the net assets available to Low-Heywood after sale o f the property and satis faction o f all Thomas’ ob ligations. The agreement states that if the number ofThom as students transferring and the net assets available are deemed significant by the Low-Heywood Board, then the merger will be consummated and the name of the merged school will become Low-Heywood Thomas School. Should they be deemed not
The teach-in held nationally in 1968
college. The school is now in the position o f a ship without a compass. To mix Thomas and LowHeywood would be like insist ing that Harvard and Yale football players form a common alumni club, or expecting Democrats and Republicans to share organizational headquarters. ... I hope very much that the Board will allow Friends o f Thomas to try to rebuild the school. I should hate to see what was Miss Thom as’ life work and what has been my life’s work die through a
TEACH
IN
The Protect Your Environment Club at Thomas
significant, then
Thomas' P.Y.E. (for Protect Your Environment) Club was formed by a group of concerned students who began as a "Save the Wetlands" group. The action was triggered by the filling of a marsh near the Thomas School that had been used for biological studies. The entire school became involved in saving the marsh and other such areas. They spent much time working, distributing pamphlets, and writing letters in order to get a bill passed to protect wetlands. Because of their efforts this bill was passed by Congress.
and the Thomas
the name would not be changed, Board o f Trustees would be free to dispose o f its net assets as it saw fit. This has been a traumatic experi ence for the whole Thomas commu nity. The decision
One o f the last Thomas graduations, this one in 1972
was reached only after months o f
when it actually happened, Thomas
intensive study o f all alternatives,
girls scattered to public schools, Sacred
and substantial effort last spring and
Heart in Noroton, New Canaan
fall to raise additional funds for
Country Day, Greens Farms Acad
the school.
emy, and elsewhere. In the end, the
“We had no choice,” said Goodnow. “ 'T h e market had been going
absorbed only 17 girls from Thomas.
down for two years, 1973 and 1974. It
Five faculty also came to Newfield
was the worst bear market since ’29.
Avenue: Karen Peterson —Physical
We had ten percent inflation, inter
Education; Priscilla Pusack - Sciences;
est rates were sky high, and we had
Rollie Powell —Latin and History;
dropping enrollment because people
Anna Sia - Mathematics; and Jeremy
were cutting back. We had a bank
Reiskind - Science and Mathematics.
loan to get us through the end o f the
A P. Y.E. reclamation project
Low-Heywood student body of 225
“ It was a sparse group, and the
fiscal year. We tried to attract more
students were very unhappy,” said
students, and we went to the alumnae,
Cesare. “The alums were very unhappy.”
but didn’t get any substantial response,
She tried to address the concerns o f
so we decided the best option was a
those from Thomas who resisted the
merger. We were able to sell the prop
merger. “ When this originally hap
erty, and that allowed us to pay off
pened, my husband and I went over
the bank and contribute $25oK to the
to their property and got all the things
Low-Heywood endowment.”
we possibly could, and a group came
“Jean Harris was running a fan
to the school and I showed them the
tastic school,” said Cesare. “ She was
birthday books, and showed them
probably the brightest educator I’ve
that we had everything there that they
ever met. We got along beautifully and
wanted. ... There was a lot o f artwork,
were able to support the Trustees in
which we brought. But they were
bringing the two schools together.”
inconsolable, really. There was nothing
Despite Friends ofThom as’
we could do.”
insistence that the Thomas name be
As one o f the teachers who mi
retained in the merger - whether the
grated over, Peterson felt some things
action was a merger or a takeover is to
got lost in the merger, as people had
some extent a matter o f semantics —
feared they would. “ I think that there
were some wonderful things that the
to the individual and brought a pas
Thomas School could have brought
sion for meeting the students wherever
and could have made more of, but it
they were into the newly combined
never could get off the ground. We
school.”
had a ‘Protect Your Environment’
By 1975, the new Low-Heywood
Club which was very ahead o f its time.
Thomas and the King School sat
We were one o f the first Earth Day
cheek by jowl in beautiful new facili
people back in the early ’70s. That
ties on Newfield Avenue, several miles
didn’t really go anywhere when we
north o f Stamford Town Center.
came to Low-Heywood Thomas. Sing
Despite a 1970s trend in which the
ing Bach Chorales, I don’t think the
vast majority o f independent schools
girls at Low-Heywood ever sang Bach
merged or went coed, for the next 16
Chorales. When the numbers don’t
years, the two schools would remain
come, then obviously what Low-Hey
happily independent and in a self-
wood had been doing just continued.”
described “coordinate” relationship,
“There were simply not enough
sharing their separate facilities, faculty,
Thomas kids to really care about the
and students while maintaining their
traditions,” agreed Cesare. “And yet,
own budgets, physical plants,
teachers like Karen Peterson, Anna Sia,
administrations, and Boards.
and Priscilla Pusack brought Mabel Thomas’ vision o f tailoring education
“ It was the best o f all worlds,” said Cesare.
Meetings abounded as the Board and others weighed thefate o f the school.
SEC TIO N THREE: CO M IN G TO G ETH ER, 1972-88
S ue C e s a r e
Chapter Eight
A Simpler Time a t King, 1972-81 For King, after the relative turmoil
Dodd’s student in Grade
o f the mid-20th century —fires and
7 in the late 1960s.
moves and new Headmasters —the
In 1975, during
next 13 years on Newfield Avenue were
Dodd’s first year, a visit
relatively tranquil. Modest renovations
ing committee from the
were made to the campus, and one
New England Associa
Headmaster would serve for almost a
tion o f Schools
decade and a half.
recommended the
In June o f 1972, Bob Jackson, who
King School address
had returned for one year as President,
its financial situation
and interim Headmaster James Coyle
by quickly establishing
both left. N o President was named,
a development office
but John Vance succeeded Coyle; J.
and a traditional annual
Gardiner Dodd, Chair o f the History
giving program. By King’s own admis
Department and Dean o f Students,
sion, the alumni lists were “ incomplete
was elevated to Assistant Headmaster.
and outdated,” so that initiative would
Two years later, prior to the 1974-75
dovetail with already existing plans to
school year, the same year King was
reach out more to alumni and friends
granted an official membership in the
with newsletters. A new annual giving
Cum Laude Society, Vance left and
campaign, run by the business office,
Dodd was named Headmaster. Dodd,
was summarily begun in 1976, and
who had joined King in 1965 as a
buttressed by events like the King’s
master in the Middle School and had
Ransom, a dinner and silent
become head o f the History Depart
auction that raised $12,000 in 1977.
ment before being named Assistant
The matter of a full development
Head in 1972, was “a well-liked guy”
office was explored but not
according to future Board Chair
immediately implemented.
George Reilly, who had enjoyed being
John Vance succeeded Jam es Coyle as Headmaster in 1972 and was instrumental in working with Sue Cesare at Low-Heywood on some o f the first coordinate activities.
Malcolm Wilmott Malcolm Wilmott was one of the most colorful members of the faculty, and one of the most versatile. A popular, chain-smoking Englishman who rebuilt classic cars in his spare time, Wilmott lent an air of the erudition to the classroom. "I loved Mr. Wilmott,"said Donnie Donahue '69. "He would come twice a week and tutor me in our home in Shippan." "He was a great guy,"said Ted Shaker '68 . "And he was unflappable. One time we all decided we would move our desks imperceptibly closer and closer to his until we surrounded his desk, and then move back, all during class. He never said a word. He just kept teaching." He taught Biology, served as Head of the Middle School, and oversaw the compilation of the School's self-evaluation prior to the 1983 accreditation.
Beloved faculty member M alcolm W ilmott in discussion with a student
Traditional School in Turbulent Times Paul C. Draper also arrived in 1975
such a network, the admission officer is primarily a passive participant. 1 felt that we had to find ways to broaden
as King’s Director o f Admission. “ It
the base o f King’s exposure. Admission
was a time o f recovery,” he remem
people weren’t using the term ‘market
bered. “The Vietnam War was over,
ing’ then, but that’s what it was.”
the economy was improving, and the
Draper organized King’s first
anti-establishment thinking of the ’60s
Admission Committee so that alumni
and early ’70s was being reevaluated. I
could play a role in the shaping o f the
sensed a nationwide disenchantment
student body by contributing more
with an educational philosophy that
proactively to the word o f mouth
had moved away from the basics. Thus
naturally occurring. With encourage
King —which had held to traditional
ment from the administration and
values through those years of turmoil
the Board ofTrustees, he also
—could be presented as an excellent
explored ways to expand the school’s
alternative to families who valued a
minority and foreign student popula
structured education which provided
tion —King’s first proactive efforts
individual attention, and which was
toward diversity.
conducted in an environment that, while structured, was not restrictive. “ Our admission strategy then was
Indeed, the foundation for diversity was already in place in the late 1970s for a more formal commitment. “ One
based almost exclusively on a word-of-
o f the reasons I came, and one o f the
mouth network o f parents, students,
things I liked was that compared to
and alumni - still the core o f all suc
some o f the other schools in the area,
cessful recruitment programs. But in
there was more diversity here, with
African American and Jewish stu
soccer team, and I was also the lead in
dents,” said Tim Tully ’82, later a
the musical, not because I could kick
Trustee and parent.
or sing, but because there was nobody else to do it. But that’s one o f the great
A Low-Key, Yankee School At the time, in the mid- to late 1970s, King still possessed a small
things about the school in that era: you really did get to sort o f do it all.” As in all groups, Cesare acknowl
physical plant, with the main building
edged, “some people were closer than
sitting behind the Simon House, and
others, but I can’t think o f someone
both surrounded by playing fields.
who wasn’t included in some way or
The Middle School was just a wing,
another. We would have parties on
jutting out into what is today the
the weekend at someone’s house, and
garden. The student body consisted
I don’t think there was a guy in the
o f approximately 300 students, with
class who would have felt uncom
perhaps 20 boys in each Upper
fortable coming.” Except for Evald
School class.
Olson, Head o f the Upper School and
“We had a very low-key, kind o f
the Math Department, most o f the
a Yankee approach to things,” said
old-timers from the Vernon Dwelle
future Board President Ed Cesare
era had been replaced by younger
’78. “There were only 18 guys in my
faculty appointed over the previous
class. So I think that contributed to it.
decade —people such as Gardiner; the
For instance, I was the captain o f the
immediately popular Paul Draper; the
A study hall in Vernon Dwelle Hall, early 1970 s ... and jackets were not to be removed, despite it being warm enough to keep the window open.
The Old Windmill The windmill was built in the 1890s. Until it burned in 1977, it had proved rugged and durable, with a working weathervane and self-governing device still in perfect order at the time of its demise. In 1976, David Pollack '77, Harrison Cookenboo '77, and Jim Wilson '76 sought to restore it by building a 10-foot -diameter propeller, which was shaped, sanded, fiberglassed, painted, and balanced before mounting. Instead of pumping water, as it did originally, the students retrofitted it to produce electricity by driving a modified automobile alternator.
Unfortunately, it burned down a year after refurbishing, depriving King of one of its historic landmarks.
intellectual and slightly eccentric Eng
I was used to” in the public system.
lish teacher Ben Van Vechten; English
And, he added, there were “a lot o f
teacher Johann Anderson, who was
people very dedicated, a lot o f people
very involved in joint student-faculty
really interested in the education and
productions; and Malcolm Wilmott,
not just ‘what does the contract say
an Englishman and Biology teacher
you have to do. ”
renowned for his sidearm delivery
Part of that dedication and com
in bouncing a piece o f chalk off the
munity, Cesare believed, was due
noggin o f any inattentive student.
to simpler times and a smaller city.
Bill Wallace, a Math teacher who
Fairfield County “simply didn’t have
came in the 1970s, noted that despite
many people, and many o f the people
a plethora o f characters, “the tone of
who taught at the school lived in the
the school was much better than what
community.”
Athletics King offered, as it always had, a full complement o f sports in all three sea sons, but staying competitive on the
winning season. 1 he tide began to turn, athletically, in Cesare’s opinion, when coaches
playing field was always a challenge for
such as Steve Dietrich, who came from
a small school. Sports were conducted
Williams College to teach English and
differently then: students often drove
coach lacrosse, began to arrive. “ Steve
themselves to away games, and coach
was fabulous,” said Cesare. “ I think he
es had no compunction about giving
was the first modern coach to come
a football or lacrosse player a clout
to King, in terms o f performance
across the helmet to make a point -
expectations and coaching skills and
a firing offense in the 21st century.
knowledge o f the game. He was an
But King teams were generally less
All-American at Williams. We’d do
competitive in the Fairfield and West
anything for him.”
chester a. k. a. Fairchester area. The
Athletics continued to be a big p a rt o f the King experience.
Some change was not as welcome.
1976 varsity football team was typical:
On Halloween night in 1977, in an
2-4, one win coming over the Hackley
event unprecedented in school history,
JV, another over Rye, to whom it had
vandals defaced the new King School
lost previously in the season. Even the
sign, which had just been erected that
home-field advantage o f a field which
summer, with black spray paint. It was
still sloped over a dozen feet from one
determined it was unlikely to be King
end zone to the other did not provide
students, but it would not be the last
enough o f an edge to guarantee a
time vandals would strike.
,
.
The King sign on New field Road
The traditional dress code,
Graduation in 19 7 7
which had been a point of
students sought to increase their
contention for almost all
power at the expense of the adminis
private schools between about
tration. “ Some rules and regulations
1965 and 1980, was under fire
must be left to the discretion o f the
in the 1970s. “ The dress code
administration,” continued the paper,
at King is an old tradition,”
“ but concerning something such as
bemoaned the School paper,
the dress code, which directly affects
“ but, just like any other facet
the students every day, 1 believe the
of the School (or any other
policy ought to be open to democratic
school), it needs constant
processes and not totally autocratic.”
re-evaluation, consideration,
Eventually, o f course, the students
and adjustment.” Then the
would prevail: the coat and tie would
gauntlet was thrown down.
disappear and students would gain
“A n y rule’ requirement, or tra
more say in school activities, but in
dition must have a reason to justify its
the late 1970s, they had not yet won
continued existence. In my opinion,
the battle.
there is no such logical justification or reason behind the present King.” The argument, o f course, was that
King Lower Schoolers learn about the world beyond campus.
a bit o f a Trojan horse issue in which
The passing o f an era also occurred quietly with the retirement o f Evald Olson in 1980. Olson was the last
a coat and tie made no difference in
teacher on faculty from the Dwelle
a student’s performance. It also was
era, meaning that there was no longer
anyone on staff who had known any
era in America
campus other than the Simon estate
represented
on Newfield Avenue.
the begin ning o f the
Planning In 1978, under the leadership o f
end o f the last provincial
parent and Trustee Robert L. Green,
era in King
Jr., a “planning and development
School his
committee began the process o f needs
tory, if such
consultation with the Headmaster.”
a description
The report gave priority to those needs
entailed small
that would improve (a) the quality o f
classes, a student body under one roof,
education offered and (b) the quality
and everybody going to the Saturday
and effectiveness o f services to parents
afternoon football games, despite the
and faculty. It was determined that
team starting to post a modest record
major additions to the physical plant
o f success. “We didn’t take ourselves
would require a capital fund drive, but
that seriously,” said Ed Cesare. “That
that the annual giving needed to be
was one o f the hallmarks o f the
better established first. Unfortunately,
school. We took our work seriously,
therefore, no major capital initiatives
we absolutely took the playing field
were immediately implemented.
seriously, and we took our performing
The post-Watergate, Jim m y Carter
arts productions seriously.”
King students enjoyed brushing shoulders with the occasional visiting celebrity. Here, legendary broadcaster Howard Cosell, an d Cosell’s grandsons, Justin Cosell ’8y, left, and Ja re d Cohane, right, with H ead o f School Gardiner Dodd. Television executive and alumnus G rant Tinker ’4 8 enjoys a visit on campus.
Lower School students engaged in a Rube Goldberg-esque project
Chapter N in e
Low-Heyivoocl Thomas: After the Merger, 1975-80 For Low-Heywood Thomas, the
Record, the
first order o f business in the mid-1970s
new admin
involved absorbing the Thomas School
istration
as seamlessly as possible. Though only
declared the
17 students made the transition to
merger a
Low-Heywood, the rest heading to
success. “ Our
other schools, a tidal wave o f emotion
objective in
laden alumnae sentiment, expecta
bringing the
tions, and traditions rolled onto the
two schools
Newfield Avenue campus with the
together was
new arrangement. Most importantly,
to create an
in fact, some o f Mabel Thomas’ values
educational
about personalized education, the
institution
uniqueness o f each individual student,
which would be stronger than either
and the primacy o f the arts would
ot the two schools could be separately.
eventually prove to drive their way
I believe this objective has been ac
into the Low-Heywood culture as
complished. The fresh viewpoints, the
well. But that took a while to germi
innovations in the program, and the
nate. For the time being, merging the
positive personal qualities provided by
cultures was a much more immediate,
the full-time faculty members from
day-to-day exercise.
Thomas are tangible evidence o f new
“ We tried our best. Karen Peterson,
strength. The enthusiastic participa
whom I hired from Thomas, was a key
tion —and particularly the open, direct
person in helping us,” said Sue Cesare,
spirit o f the 17 Thomas students - has
Head o f the newly merged School. “ So
been a strengthening force for the
were Anna Sia and Priscilla Pusack,
school this year. Financially the new
and Rollie Powell. But there was a
institution is sounder. These signs
disappointment among the Thomas
are the obvious ones o f the success of
people in losing their culture.”
the merger.” The merged School also
Said Peterson, “ In the end, the
produced either School’s first National
more conservative Low-Heywood
Merit Finalist “ in many years” : Ginger
brand prevailed.”
Aron ’76, whose award added to the
Officially, in the end-of-year
A n eager student has the answer.
sense o f achievement and well-being.
White dresses and roses were one o f many traditions Low-Heywood broughtfrom CourtlandAvenue and continued after its merger with the Thomas School.
First Low-Heywood Thomas School Statement of School Philosophy After the Merger Low-Heywood Handbook, Fall 1975 Low-Heywood Thom as. .. has a policy of open enrollment, admitting to the capacity of each grade all qualified students regardless of race, color, or creed. Low-Heywood Thomas recognizes itself as a part of the larger community it serves. It accepts its responsibility to that community and recognizes the opportunities that community affords for education outside the classroom. The school is also a community in which administrators, alumnae, parents, staff members, students, and Trustees work together evaluating old ideas and trying new ones. The principal purpose of Low-Heywood Thomas is to help students help themselves develop into competent, compassionate, creative, contributing human beings. The school is committed to the 4 Cs, not simply the 3 Rs. LowHeywood Thomas values each student not only for what she is but for what she may become. The school intends to accomplish its purpose, first, with a faculty whose members are themselves competent, compassionate, creative, contributing people - people who in addition to their
teaching duties advise students, serve on committees, and are concerned with their own professional growth. We intend to accomplish our purpose through two programs. The first is an academic program with the goal of preparing every student to go on to higher education. This program has two levels - one a standard college preparatory level and the other a level of advanced courses. The second is an extracurricular program that offers a wide choice of activities in which nonacademic talents and interests of students can be discovered and developed. We intend to accomplish our purpose in a coordinate setting where we can achieve the academic and social benefits inherent in a sharing of classes and activities with King School. Finally, the school intends to accomplish its purpose in an atmosphere that is informal but not disrespectful, demanding but not stifling, flexible but not unstructured, student-centered but not student-controlled.
Traditions While there simply wasn’t enough momentum - with so few girls and teachers - for the Thomas traditions to survive, Low-Heywood traditions continued after the merger, as Peterson implied, and were for many o f the girls the most cherished part o f their school experience. The concept o f big sisters Upper School girls serving as big sisters to girls two years younger remained an important part o f the social fabric o f the school on a dayto-day basis. M any events, such as the Blue-Black competition, in which the losing team had to provide a picnic supper for the winning team; W illing Night, in which graduating seniors “willed” important things to
Ju d y Kleinhans Holding ’$ 8 and Ann Herrick, Headmistress from 19 4 7 to 196 5
underclassmen and faculty; the Pops party, where students displayed their
traditions. Head o f School Sue Cesare
theatrical or musical talents; awards
was already a legend, and Judy
night before commencement; the
Holding, who had taken over Cesare’s
Lower School Christmas party; and the
Ethics class, was very popular. Former
Father-Daughter Dinner, all continued.
Head Ann Herrick remained on the
The Junior Party was one o f the
staff, the beloved Drama teacher Boo
most revered programs, and as the
Forster remained the impresario o f
1970s wore on, the juniors continued
Low-Heywood Thomas productions,
to have the opportunity, one night
and Silvana Sonnino had taught Sci
each year, to decorate the gym and
ence to generations o f students. Cathy
write a play. Sophomores and fresh
Mishkin and Helen Kweskin also
men also contributed skits before the
arrived to begin long tenures, and for
juniors again took the stage to present
mer Thomas teachers Priscilla Pusack,
their colors, mascot, and motto, and
Anna Sia, and Karen Peterson were
to sing their class song. “ It is an
quickly becoming an integral part o f
evening o f nostalgia, hysterical
the school in the classroom and, in
laughter, sentimentality - incredible
Peterson’s case, on the athletic fields.
fun,” said one student.
Pusack’s husband, Bill, a Math and Science teacher, also joined the faculty
Teachers Alumnae from the era remember the teachers even more than the
in 1978. “ For the first year I was the only man besides the janitor in this building,” he remembered.
Hands-On Learning in the Middle School Experiential learning and site visits were not only a function of the Upper School. As stated in the 1975-76 Record, the students in Grade 6 visited locales as varied as the Stamford city dump and the Metropolitan Museum in New York, while the Grade 7 students enjoyed opportunities such as an extended weekend trip to the Cape Cod Coast Guard headquarters to enliven content in a course on the Cape with hands-on experience. History classes in Grade 8 took trips to Pennsylvania. According to the Low-HeywoodRecord. "In the Amish country they saw an example of the farm and immigrant experience. In Hershey, industrialization. In Gettysburg they refought the Civil War, and at the Hillandale Museum and in Philadelphia, they became explorers and colonists."
In 1979, the School lost Miss Mary Horne, who helped save LowHeywood School from closing in 1944, and who was “for many years the moving spirit and the most important teacher in this school,” as she was memorialized in school literature.
Curriculum The additional faculty that came with the merger allowed for increased curricular offerings that “reflect our college preparatory emphasis” across the board departmentally, said a bro chure. This is, o f course, a reminder far more of Low-Heywood than Thomas. But with college preparedness in mind, the Science
B ill Pusack was fo r a long time the only man on the faculty.
Department, for instance, offered Microbiology, Topics in Biological Research, and Marine Ecology. The Middle School was au courant with a creative new course entitled I ’m O .K., You’re O .K. based on the pop psychol ogy books o f the time, I ’m O.K. — You’re O.K. and Games People Play. Cathy Mishkin, who arrived in 1976, the second year after the merger, and who would become one o f the longest-tenured teachers over the next almost 40 years, became an example o f these broader emphases. “Sue hired me to teach Music for the fourth grade through twelfth. It involved choir, the musicals, music class, and music appreciation in the Middle School and basically whatever there was to be done. I started an instrumental pro
Boo Forster led the D ram a program at Low -H eyw oodfor decades.
gram while I was in that position.” Almost immediately her responsibilities grew. “Two years after 1
that is offered at Harvard by Dr.
got here I inherited a course in the
Robert Coles. I still teach it.” By 1979
Sociology Department called Litera
Mishkin added the Dean o f Students
ture o f Social Reflections. It is a course
role to her teaching in Music.
The 1980 Christmas Pageant
Experiential and Off-Campus Learning The ongoing internship program
Special Events and Extracurriculars The first year after the merger
for seniors represented the flagship o f
brought the first o f a series o f cultural
the efforts to extend learning beyond
exchanges. Twelve English students
the classroom. About a third o f the
and one teacher from the Grey Coat
seniors regularly participated in
Hospital School for Girls in London
electives ranging from working in
visited for a month in the spring
social service organizations to other
semester, while eleven Low-Heywood
schools to banks, or undertaking
Thomas students traveled to London.
special research projects related to an
The next year Grey Coat was undergo
academic or career interest.
ing administrative restructuring, so
Underclassmen prepared for future
Low-Heywood Thomas joined with
internships with more structured
the John Ruskin High School in
experiences that often led to new
Croydon, England, in exchanging
opportunities back on campus. One
about eight girls each way.
year, for instance, the freshman class
Media and publications continued
spent a long weekend at the Pocono
to be a strength, and the Hey-Day with
Environmental Center, taking
Geri-Lee Davidson as editor and Mrs.
exercises in survival techniques,
Kweskin as advisor was awarded a first
wilderness training, and physical
place in the girls’ independent school
fitness. Similar efforts were under
category o f the Columbia Scholastic
taken in the Middle School.
Press Association Annual Competition
Low-Heywood Thomas Selected Assemblies, Productions, and Social Functions
1975-76 Mrs. Cesare's luncheon for Seniors and Faculty All-school Field Day Grade 6 tea for seniors Grade 5 tea for mothers Upper School picnic with King School Juniors and Seniors telephone conversation with Senator Lowell Weicker Parents Night All-school Music Assembly Grade 10 Mothers Luncheon Alliance Francaise meeting Project CML Day in woods Alumnae Telethon Grade 7 Mothers Luncheon Grade 8 Mothers Luncheon Grade 12 Mothers Luncheon DinnerTheater Drama and Glee Club production of Godspell Daytime performance for students and Clinton Avenue senior citizens Grade 6 - Thanksgiving Dinner in Residence Grade 7 and 8 Hockey Party Grade 5 Mothers Luncheon Grade 11 Mothers Luncheon Middle and Lower School King Low-Heywood Thomas band performance at King Student-directed one-act plays All-school Christmas party Christmas Program Grade 9 Mothers Luncheon Martin Luther King all-school assembly Parents Theater Party for Gypsy at Darien DinnerTheater Alumnae-Student Hockey Game Used Book Sale Grade 6 Mothers Luncheon
in 1977. The Hey-Day also received a certificate of merit for achieving first place in its classification in the annual design and layout contest conducted by the Press Association and the New York School o f Printing. The Drama and Glee Clubs were equally dynamic. Stage productions, under the watchful eye o f Boo Forster, were a natural for coordina tion with King, and together they undertook ambitious productions. Each year students built the Ann
Dram a, under the watchful eyes o f Boo Forster, Cathy M ishkin, an d others, represented a natural activity fo r the students from the two schools to get to know one another better.
Ayres Herrick Stage outdoors where the PAC is
not in leadership positions in decision
today, erected towers for lights, and
making processes. To this end, student
put on a Shakespearean drama or
convocations were held addressing
presentations, such as Ah, Wilderness.
such topics as the Academic Climate
Sometimes the Glee Club would
o f the School, Student-Faculty Rela
join the Drama Club on musicals
tions, College Preparation, Enforcing
such as Kiss M e Kate. One group en
School Regulations, Involvement in
titled a “troupe o f strolling players”
School Activities, and Low-Heywood
included those in Grade 6 through
Thomas - King Coordination. To
faculty members. Interest groups
ensure relevance, School Head Sue
also put on special performances,
Cesare regularly met with the student
such the one the African American
legislature to discuss ways o f imple
students produced in paying tribute
menting the best suggestions arising
to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with
from these discussions.
what was reviewed as a “very mov
There was also a concerted
ing” presentation o f poems, music,
effort to foster independence among
and readings.
Middle School students under a “ Help
Student government also
Students Help Themselves” theme.
witnessed change after the merger
Students were given more meaningful
with Thomas, developing a new
responsibilities and also set up bank
constitution seeking to involve more
accounts for each class with the class
students in leadership positions, while
treasurer responsible for all monies.
the Middle School added a judicial
Middle School students participated in
board, mirroring the one in the Upper
community service. Each class, for in
School. Efforts were also undertaken
stance, filled a box o f food for a needy
to involve more students who were
family in Stamford at Christmas.
Victoria Wenzel, a student in Grade 8, initiated a program in which each class sent greetings to the hostages in Iran; Grades 4 and 5 visited the Clinton Center; and Grade 8 visited senior citizens at Smith House. Former Thomas teacher and volleyball coach Karen Peterson was named the Director o f Athletics in her second year, and she led a strong effort on the playing fields. “ We continue to field athletic teams which compete with other schools,” noted the year-end Report, citing a rare field hockey victory over Convent o f the Sacred Heart in Greenwich and an undefeated volleyball team. Coaches included Karen Aarts and Bill Pusack in the Middle School and Rob Hunt, Ju m p b a ll! S p o r t s
Stewart Moss, and Gina Nolan in the Upper School.
Adm inistrative Restructuring The school itself made drastic
Ir 1 1. .1n quality or the teaching, said Cesare. «-r, . j 1 1 .I , 1 I he girls themselves added much to
r e m a in e d in t e g r a l * a t th e n e w ly m e r g e d
the Middle School with their dramatic
s c h o o l.
performances, descriptions o f their
changes to its own structure in the
various projects, and contagious grins
1970s, adding Grades 4 and 5, and a
and giggles that come most often
section to Grade 6 to accommodate
when you know you’re a little special.”
new students entering at that point.
A second important administra
“We started out with the two
tive initiative involved efforts to add
grades together in a homeroom,”
more separation to the extracurricular
reported Sue Cesare o f the new grades.
experiences o f the Upper and Middle
“School hadn’t been in session a
Schools, on the theory that the
month when the group had additional
needs o f each would be better served
students and outgrew their room.
with more individualized attention
... The fours and fives moved into
and programs.
more spacious quarters.” In an effort
Low-Heywood Thomas also ex
to accommodate the numbers, Carol
panded the number o f administrative
Bashford joined the staff as a
positions, and by 1980 boasted Heads
teaching assistant.
o f both Middle and Upper Schools, a
The changes were successful. “The
Dean o f Students, and a Development
results o f the spring testing bore out
Office separate from the office of
the strength o f the program and the
Business Manager.
J
The Rising Cost of Education The cost of educating a student at Low-Heywood between 1970 and 1975 increased 5 0 % . Fees increased 4 0 % during the same five-year period. The resultant financial gap, noted Business Manager Keith Horner, was bridged by gifts that in 1975-76 totaled $39,640, an increase of 5 0 % from 1971 to 1972.
The Board, meanwhile, at the be
and merged with the I homas School,
hest of Cesare, became more and more
but established a coordinate
involved, initiating an ongoing long-
relationship with King, selected a
range planning process; supporting the
new Head, and engaged in a
annual giving program, both in time
successful evaluation. He was
and dollars; broadening the scope of
succeeded by Elouise Knowlton.
the Nominating Committee; revising the bylaws; making major financial decisions; paying o ff the mortgage;
Long-Range Planning A 1975 long-range plan for the
and addressing plans with King. “All
newly merged school had called for
these activities,” said Cesare, “gave a
not only the creation o f Grades 4 and
vitality to the school that ... gave the
5 but also the development of prelimi
faculty and administration a sense that
nary plans for a 20,000-square-foot
what they were doing was part of an
Arts wing and the investigation o f the
exciting larger plan.”
feasibility o f establishing a coed Lower
In September o f 1977, Frank Rich,
School. Also, exploration o f coeduca
Jr., one o f the most effective leaders
tion continued in discussions at the
in school history, retired as Chairman
Board, administration, and faculty
o f the Board ofTrustees. Under his
levels until, in 1979, new two-, five-,
six-year leadership, the school not only
and ten-year plans were developed to
moved its campus to Newfield Avenue
address “those matters which seemed
the most pressing.” These were identi fied as: 1. Mission o f the school and the statement o f its philosophy z. Size and grade distribution o f the school 3. Low-Heywood Thomas’ relationship with King School 4. Physical facilities needed in the next decade 5. Financial resources needed in the next decade Increasing enrollment was noted as the highest priority, as it would not only add financial strength but “make the academic and social experiences more stimulating.” Faculty salaries
The study hall at New field Avenue
needed to be maintained in order to
including sharing o f new spaces,
attract the best teachers, scholarship
curriculum expansion to further mix
funds had to be increased to maintain
Upper School students, and sharing of
a diverse student body, and attention
faculty. The idea o f creating a coedu
had to be given to the physical plant
cational lower school remained under
to support envisioned programs. Most
consideration. A summer language
immediately the plan called for
program was also envisioned.
additional classroom space, a secondfloor addition containing an Art room
Financially between 1975 and 1980, the school was holding its own, finish
and Science lab, a new gym, and more
ing in the black each year, starting
space for drama rehearsals for Middle
with a $5,070 surplus in 1975-76. Still,
and Upper Schools. The wish list
the need to increase both endowment
hadn’t changed significantly since 1975.
and capital funds was obvious, and
All opportunities would continue
a capital campaign was envisioned
to be sought to increase coordination,
beginning in 1982.
Ill
Chapter Ten
King Becalmed, 1981-88 Future Head o f School Tom Main
although girls would have to start at
arrived at the King School in 1983,
King and then switch to Low-
fresh out o f college, to teach English
Heywood Thomas in Grade 4.
and coach football. While King had a
The first three female students
smaller enrollment and physical plant,
were enrolled in the fall o f 1980, and,
and fewer academic or extracurricular
according to Mrs. Ann Huntoon,
offerings than its neighbor, Low-
Head o f the Lower School, they “fit
Heywood Thomas, “That school,”
in beautifully, provided a humanizing
Main said, “ had many o f the charac
influence, are treated extremely well by
teristics o f soul, or the characteristics
the 69 boys in the Lower School, and
o f essence, that this school has today
are a positive addition to the school.”
... the deep commitment to the indi
In the early 1980s King enjoyed
vidual, the passionate focus on getting
a student body in the low 300s, 100
to know each student extremely well.
o f whom were in the Upper School.
Doing the very best for them was
These numbers remained steady, or in
central to what the School was about.”
a very slight decline, until 1985, when,
Following a study conducted by a
according to Admission Director
committee set up in 1978 to consider
Ronald Monroe, “there was a large
the feasibility o f coeducation at King,
climb in enrollment in the Lower
King began admitting girls in Grades 1
School, 15 more students than in 1984-
through 3 in 1980. Thanks to Low-
85, 19 students in the first grade, and
Heywood Thomas’ earlier decision to
two separate classes in the fifth grade.”
add Grades 4 and 5, the two schools
All o f which Monroe attributed to the
were able for the first time to offer a
baby boom after World War II. “The
complete package o f Grades 1-12 to
people born then have grown up and
both girls and boys. Parents o f both
are now having their own kids,” he
genders could now send their children
explained at the time.
to Newfield Avenue for all grades,
The Class o f 19 8 1 by the Simon House.
Tom M ain arrived fo r his first stint at King to teach English and coach football.
Why Call It The W in d m ill ? Why did we choose The Windmill for our title [of our new alumni bulletin]? As many of you know, the windmill on the Simon estate, the site of King School for over twenty years now, was both a Stamford and a King School landmark, and was restored to working condition by Physics classes in the early 1970s. Several years ago, it was destroyed by a fire "of suspicious origin." In that endeavor, the windmill serves as a reminder of a past in which we take pride and a future of great promise. -J. Gardiner Dodd
The boom may have also been the
a more proactive approach, expand
result o f more aggressive marketing
ing its use of newspaper advertising,
begun a few years before by Paul
increasing the number of admission
Draper. Prior to this spurt, King had
tests, holding more open houses, pro
enjoyed “a decade o f growth and
ducing a catalogue, and disseminating
stability” in admission, to quote the
a wider range of promotional material,
Chronicle, the biggest change being
all designed to broaden and inform
a slight increase in the percentage of
the public’s perception of King.
minority and foreign students. There
Said Monroe, “ Interscholastic
was writing on the wall, however.
sports, broad-based computer offer
“ Because we were no longer unique
ings, coordination with Low-Heywood
in our structure or approach,” said
Thomas, the Graphic and Performing
Admission Director John B.
Arts, the academic and professional
Houghton, who had succeeded
accomplishments o f our alumni, all
Draper in 1982 and preceded Monroe,
were highlighted in our promotional
“competition for students had become
materials. ... We had not changed, but
keener. The task o f the Admission
different questions were being asked
Office was now both to redefine the
o f us.”
overall image o f King and to differ
By 1984, admissions were on the
entiate King from other traditional
upswing, moving toward a plateau of
private schools in the area. The best
350 students, “although if the growth
way to do that, 1 believed, was to say
o f the past decade is any measure, this
more about all the special things we
may be a conservative estimate,” said
have to offer, and to do this without
Monroe, then in his first year on
affecting King’s basic educational
the job.
thrust.” Under Houghton, therefore, the Admission Office began to take
The King Players' perform ance o f the popular p lay 1776
Prospective parents were not the only audience with whom the
Teachers Focus on the Individual A philosophy is one thing, but implementation is another, and it takes a special faculty to embrace an ambitious educational enterprise. People like Gary Caputi ’71, Chair o f the Science Department and a senior advisor, who became popular for decades; Eric Pauli, called “the often soft-spoken, sometimes ferocious Chemistry teacher” when the students dedicated the yearbook to him in 1987; Patrick Doering, the understated Math administration wished to increase communication. As advised by the N E A SC visiting committee the previous year, alumni needed to contribute more to an annual fund, which required more communication to foster their interest and involve ment. Consequently, in 1983, the somewhat dry K ing School Bulletin was replaced by the livelier W indmill,
teacher and student council advisor; Math teacher Bill Wallace, already a senior faculty member in the early 1980s; and o f course the fiery Daniel Hudson, History teacher and coach, debate coach, and erstwhile floor hockey advisor, were just a few among many who delivered a special brand o f education. In 1986, King made another step
to be published four times a year,
in the direction o f personalized educa
two issues o f which would include an
tion by beginning the Student Support
alumni section.
Services program, run by Cindy Hermanson and Andrea Hand, to focus on study skills, diagnostics, and extra
High and Low Points of the Early 1980s At the end of the 1980-81 school year, one of King's most cherished traditions, Field Day, was expanded and improved. The Lower and Middle Schools all enjoyed their usual track and field competitions and ball games, although this year the Mothers Association, the usual sponsor, added booths with games and food and other diversions. Special banners were made and, after the event, hung in Dwelle Hall until next year's Field Day. Three months later, a much sadder note: vandals struck again. Many thought the fires that destroyed the barn and the windmill were not accidental, and the destruction of the new school sign was clearly intentional. Now, in the summer of 1981, two weeks before school was to open, vandals struck again, spray painting multiple campus buildings with insults and profanity, and obscene pictures. Though "Class of '81" was painted alongside, suggesting that members of that recently graduated group had been responsible, everyone realized that members of that class may or may not have been involved. It could easily have been the work of an outsider attempting to lay blame elsewhere. In either case, the crime, a felony due to the extent of the damage, was never solved.
The dress code was much more casual in the 1980s.
1
help. One six-week course
Chronicle that “we need to emphasize
covered areas such as time
facts in connection with their signifi
management, listening,
cance.” To that end, he introduced
note taking, reading,
debate, to stimulate critical thinking,
reviewing, test taking, and
and essay questions, to avoid parrot
research. The program
ing back simple answers. Along the
also set up short-term
same lines, he led the Model U N
programs for students
program in which, he felt, students
experiencing difficulty in
“gained some knowledge o f how the
specific subjects or skills
U N works and what it can, and par
or in the areas o f organiza
ticularly what it cannot do, as well as
tion or motivation.
knowledge o f world affairs. ... It also teaches the skills o f public speaking,
Curriculum The curriculum this faculty delivered was
A computer room. The first computer rooms arrived on campus in 1979, and math teacher B ill Pusack oversaw K ing’s earliestforays into computer technology.
New football coach Tom M ain turned around the football program in 1983.
not the intellectual
particularly in caucusing, or smallgroup discussion.” Technology, under the guidance o f mathematician Bill Wallace, was
smorgasbord it is today. “ Most of
another necessarily progressive cur
the instructional pedagogy was really
ricular area. “ The tech program took
quite traditional,” remembered Main.
o ff in the 1980s, because the Apple IIs
“And it did not go far beyond English,
we got in 1979 were programmable.
History, Math, Language, and basic
You could actually write code for the
Science courses.” Teachers like
Apple.” Once the computers were on
Hudson, however, were forward-
campus, Wallace became a technology
thinking in both their methods and
evangelist. “Over the years I finally
their outlook. Decrying most His
talked them into dedicating a small
tory courses as the “memorization of
office space to a computer room. We
facts,” Hudson said in an article in the
had a good program, I thought.”
my experience in this school. The school has always been so full o f promise and potential and true excellence. It has just needed a little direction to allow that very organic and substantive quality to shine through.” Unfortunate ly, King’s athletic fortunes did not materially improve as the decade progressed. In
Athletics Athletics at King continued to offer
the 1987-88 school year, for example, football struck another 5-3 campaign, but soccer was 2-14, cross-country was
a full range o f sports and lower-level
5-3, the wrestlers were 0-7, hockey
teams down into the Middle School,
2-7, and basketball 7-11. It would be a
but the fortunes on the athletic fields
decade before King would emerge as
remained modest. “ Our options were
an athletic power.
limited,” said Main, who faced an uphill battle on the gridiron when he arrived. “ The football team was com ing o ff an awful season, an 0-8 season. I thought if we won one game, we’d be good. We had nowhere to go but up.” Under Main, they won five games in 1983. “ It was very clear that we had a lot o f talent. That talent just needed some shape and direction. With that you just let them run. They were a good football team. To some degree that has been a metaphor for
King Soccer in England As with most things King, the emphasis in athletics was on the opportunity to learn rather than the immediate result. In 1984, Soccer Coach David Cooper dreamed up the idea of the team playing a series of games in England over the 1985 spring break, which "seemed a bit far-fetched back in October of 1984 when it was hesitantly suggested," wrote team member David Horowitz '85 in the Chronicle. Five months of walk-athons, swim-a-thons, and bake sales brought in over $2,000, and the team headed off for an enjoyable, if not necessarily victorious, series against the Brits. "We soon realized that the soccer matches - the reason for making the trip - were, in the Coach's words, 'unimportant to the success of the trip.'" The team stayed with English families, saw the sights, and ultimately deemed King's first-ever international athletic foray a success.
The bam was rebuilt in 1981.
Building Over the summer o f 1980 King
Unfortunately, reported Dodd in
completely overhauled the hopelessly
The W indm ill, “ Over the seven-year
outdated locker room and shower
span between the first report and the
facilities. “The new setup provides
decision to proceed ... the cost o f
383 lockers and more space for more
construction had risen dramatically
varsity' lockers, and also has a special
—to the point where the estimate for
section for the coaches,” reported
meeting the full range o f needs was
Headmaster Dodd.
$2-2.5 million - a price tag that placed
The following spring, 1981, King
the total program out o f reach. Yet, at
rebuilt the barn that had burned a few
the same time, it was recognized that
years earlier, but across the road from
some needs —particularly in admis
the previous barn. Dedicated primarily
sion and development and in building
to storage, it included a concrete lower
maintenance - had become so acute
level, a wood frame upper level, and a
that it was clear that the quality and
workshop to house all o f the custodi
appearance o f the School was be
ans’ tools.
ing adversely affected. The Board o f
A little over four years later, in the
Trustees therefore decided to phase the
fall o f 1985, the Trustees picked up the
accomplishment o f its needs, tackling
idea o f a major building campaign.
the most urgent ones first.”
The subsequent $250,000 building
regulations were concerned. Whatever
and renovation program targeted
its tax status, the request for funds,
the following:
positioned as a rider on the tuition
• Extension o f the Upper School wing to provide two conference rooms
bill, never produced enough funds,
• Redesign and expansion o f the reception area
mittee in 1975.
• Renovation o f the two-story west wing o f the Headmaster’s house to incorporate and expand the Admission and Alumni offices • Relocation o f the Business Offices from the administration building • Creation o f a secure permanent records room from a space used by the Mothers Association • Shoring up o f other areas around the campus, including rebuilding the two main tennis courts and replacing gutters in all buildings “ It is important for the alumni,
and hence was one o f the shortcom ings highlighted by the visiting com By 1982-83 King had finally hired a Director o f Development, Judy Becker, and the new Annual Fund had reached $65,000 under Board President Frank C. Hess - hence the decision to reassess the idea o f a capital campaign —but the percentage o f the budget it was meeting had dropped from 5% to 4.5%. Board support was admirable, how ever. “The Board gave or pledged nearly $20,000 before any other sup port was solicited, an increase o f nearly 50% over 1982,” said
parents, and friends o f King to real
Becker. “The Trustees
ize,” Dodd further observed, “that the
demonstrated their
number o f graduates since moving to
determination not to
the present campus roughly twenty
ask o f others what
years ago has more than doubled the
they have not first
size o f our total alumni body —and
asked o f themselves.”
that goes back to 1875! This growth
Unfortunately, despite the Trustee
has been accomplished with little
leadership, the Annual Fund was start
faculty change or addition to the
ing to appear to be too little too late,
physical plant.”
as demonstrated by the fact that the campaign - and its attendant upgrades
Financial Challenges King School alumni and friends
—was deferred yet again. Repairing the tennis courts and adding new gutters
had never been solicited for annual
did not begin to address the extent
gifts until the 1976-77 school year,
o f the maintenance that had been
when the $37,000 raised represented
deferred for years. A barn and some
5% o f that year’s $727,000 budget. Be
extensions to the administration
fore 1976, the School had simply asked
building similarly did not keep pace
parents for a fixed “voluntary con
with the needs o f the school if the
tribution” with each tuition invoice.
school was to keep pace with its
Parents accepted it as tax-deductible,
competition in the area, or even its
although attaching it to tuition in fact
own tradition o f excellence.
clouded that designation, as far as IRS
J. Gardiner Dodd In the words of History teacher Daniel Hudson, "Dodd was a very bright guy. Princeton graduate. He gave you the impression he was the kind of guy who was destined to be Head of the School, although he had some hesitation about taking the position initially, but then he changed his mind. He was respected. Popular with the high school kids, he could bring it off as a headmaster type."
teaching career, had arrived at King in 1985 as the Director o f Admission and Chairman of the Enrollment, Planning, and Management Com m it tee, the Associate Director o f College Counseling, and a Latin teacher. “ Problems that currently exist at King will now become my challenge,” Ryan said, and immediately made two minor but symbolic changes. First, in an effort to make the Headmaster more visible and facilitate communi cations among the faculty, students, and staff, he moved his office into the
A day at the library
Upper School hallway. Second, he
The Last Year
instituted a needed cleaning o f King’s
In the latter part o f his tenure,
facilities from the bathrooms to the
Dodd seemed to some to become
lunchroom. “All areas of King have
somewhat less visible on a day-to-day
shown the effects o f the improvement
basis. “The physical plant was
program,” reported the Chronicle.
deteriorating on this side o f the wall,
In the fallout o f the administration
and there wasn’t much communication
change, King also added seven new
between the two schools except for
faculty members; meanwhile, four who
logistical issues.” Said Board member
were returning assumed new roles.
Bob Phillips. In 1987 Dodd resigned. The Board
In addition to a new Headmaster, there was a new Head o f the Upper
of Trustees acted quickly and deci
School, Daniel Hudson; a new Head
sively in appointing Russell J. Ryan as
o f the Science Department, Eric Pauli;
his successor. Ryan held a bachelor’s
and a new Head o f the Lower School,
and master’s in Philosophy and also a
Steven Cutts. Ryan was quoted as
counseling certificate, and, after a long
saying that he had sought “versatile teachers with strong academic back grounds and good teaching ability.”
Symbolic moves made, Ryan
Student Support Services program and
outlined his immediate goals as
the construction o f a faculty salary and
“student participation, the stabiliza
benefits program in the upper range
tion o f enrollment, the quality o f the
o f independent day schools ... That’s
King faculty, and the reputation o f the
helped us bring many excellent teach
School in the community as a whole.”
ers to King over the years. In the areas
These objectives were good as far as
o f development and alumni relations,
they went, but enrollment had fallen
there was progress ... annual giving,
in the last couple o f years, and with
and homecoming and The W indmill
only 87 students in the Upper School,
didn’t exist at King School a few short
the financial shortfall was not going to
years ago. The creation o f the Kings
be covered by addressing enrollment
Journal for parents, the King School
alone. This was one fire that was about
Handbook, the admission brochure,
to demand attention.
the school profile for colleges, and
Retiring Headmaster Gardiner
other publications have made a dif
Dodd could point to some real accom
ference.” All true, and yet in the end,
plishments over his 12-year tenure. In
these achievements were starting to be
a closing interview, he pointed to “the
overshadowed by King’s increasingly
expansion o f computer facilities and
troubled financial situation.
courses and the inauguration o f the
Chapter Eleven
Low-Heywood Thomas Forges Ahead, 1980-88 Planning for Growth
philosophy and practically enhances
As the 1980s dawned, LowHeywood Thomas was allowing itself
our total program,” Sue Cesare told the gathering. “To build a wing that
to be guided by the 1979 Long Range
includes new facilities for academics,
Plan. “The Long Range Planning
for the arts, and for athletics is
Committee has been very active the
to demonstrate the breadth o f an
past two years planning for continued
L H T education.”
growth and, in all probability, a school consisting o f Kindergarten through
The pace o f the construction was dramatic, and the building was com
Grade 12,” offered the
pleted the following
1980-81 end-of-year
Physical Education at LHT
spring, 1984, freeing
Report. W ith an eye
Karen Peterson, Kathy DeVinne, and Sue Cesare taught the Middle School students four times a week, and the Upper School students three times a week. The curriculum for Physical Education classes encompassed individual and group activities, including field hockey, soccer, basketball, volleyball, softball, gymnastics, lacrosse, and track and field.
the old gym for more
to “ identifying the economic variables and rethinking some o f the assumptions we’ve had about them,” the committee identified tuition, annual giving, and more space for the
frequent use for music and drama ac tivities. “We’ll be able to teach the Upper and Middle School classes at the same time,” stated Cathy Mishkin. “That will
Physical Education,
make scheduling
Music, and Drama departments.
easier. The basketball
The plan bore fruit in 1982 with
team, for example, will not have to
the granting o f a million-dollar gift
compete with the drama and music
by the New York Comm unity Trust
programs for practice time. Everyone
through a fund with which a school
will benefit.”
family was identified. The gift was to
Three years later, in 1986, with the
be used toward construction o f a new
new gym built, substantial increases
8,ooo-square-foot gymnasium and
in faculty and administrative salaries
Science/Art wing. Ground was broken
assumed the highest priority. Beyond
on Thursday, July 21, 1983. “ One o f
finance, a study was undertaken o f the
the most exciting things about this
wooded land owned by the school to
addition is the extent to which it
determine its best future use. Addi
symbolically reinforces the school
tional points to be addressed included
The Halo was a long-running an d popular yearbook at Low-H eywood and then at Low -H eyw ood Thomas.
The New Gym The new gym boasted a soundproof divider to allow for two physical education classes or simultaneous practices, fold-up bleachers seating 150 people, a locker room, lobby, and 1,200-square-foot Science and Art rooms.
closely examining the coordinate relationship with King and deciding whether or not to add its own Lower School. In December of 1986, one o f these issues was addressed: while no plans were made to add Grades 1-3, as King had offered them since 1980, the Board of Trustees approved a recom mendation from the Long Range Plan ning Committee that Low-Heywood I homas open a Kindergarten program in September of 1987. Carol Holland, Head o f Lower School, and Nancy Bloom, Director of Admission, were responsible for setting up the program, which began with a faculty child, age four, drawing the picture for the cover o f the flyer announcing the program. On opening day, 20 children walked in the door. King and Low-Heywood Thomas together were finally K-12.
Sue Cesare an d Board Chair Elouise Knowlton, at the groundbreaking fo r the new gym
Student Life/School Structure Despite growth, Low-Heywood retained its close, familial nature. In
Enrollment In contrast to King, in which, except for a jump in 1985, enrollment was flat throughout the mid-1980s and declining thereafter, enrollment at Low-Heywood Thomas climbed steadily, from 230 students in 1979-80 to 297 in 1984-85, after which point it
addition to the annual traditions, dayto-day life was rich with activity. Each student, said a 1980s handbook, had to be involved in one activity per tri mester “to ensure ... the opportunity outside the classroom to develop poise and self-confidence and to interact with students in other classes.” Music,
stabilized. “ The great majority o f our new families made the move to LowHeywood Thomas from the public school system,” said Sue Cesare, and “the Middle School is where most o f the increase has come. ... The student population is drawn from a wide geographic area, from Katonah and Bedford in New York, Stratford and Westport, to Riverside and Greenwich, with an ever-growing contingent from Wilton. Ultimately attention would have to be paid to transportation, and the desire to keep the commute for each student under one hour.”
Carol H olland was the long-time H ead o f Low er School.
Drama, and Athletics were listed as the
extracurricular activities threaten to
three major areas o f interest. Athlet
take over every waking minute o f the
ics sported over ioo girls on its teams,
days and nights except those minutes
the Glee Club and band trumpeted
that we spend in class. The visiting
50 in their various programs, and the
committee asked the right question.”
Drama Club cast approximately 60 students in its productions. “ Our goal is to assist in the very vital and delicate process o f adolescent growth and development.”
Nurturing, Empowerment, and Self-Esteem The growth and development that represented the raison d’etre behind
These rich extracurricular offer
all the activity began with fostering
ings continued to expand with the
a particularly tight-knit community
enrollment. Musica Ligni, a recorder
in the Middle School. Each morning
and madrigal ensemble, was cre
school began with faculty and students
ated and opened to both faculty
gathering to hear faculty, parents,
and students; AFS, the international
students, and other guest speakers.
student exchange organization, came
Activities ranged from readings of
to campus; arts festivals cropped up;
essays and poems to sing-a-longs
W LH T, a new cable T V station under
to puppet shows to dramatizations.
the guidance o f faculty member Bill
“When all the Grades, 4 through 8,
Pusack, made its debut at Parents
gather for our brief assembly each
Night one year with an in-house news
morning,” said Middle School Direc
program; cheerleaders and a Pep Club
tor Rollie Powell, “we get a sense
appeared in 1984-85; students planned,
o f being together that otherwise we
wrote, compiled, edited, and produced
would not have. We become aware
various publications; Spectrum, the
o f common and diverse interests to
Middle School literary collection,
provide opportunities for an exchange
offered younger students opportuni ties for nurturing their creative writing abilities. Ultimately, over 90% o f the Upper School student body partici pated in something. Extracurriculars were so busy that, in advance o f the upcoming evalua
Awards Policies at LHT • • •
tion in 1985, the visiting committee “wanted to know how much longer
•
we could provide such a full program without diminishing the effectiveness o f both students and faculty,” wrote Sue Cesare in the Report after 1983-84.
• •
“We will have a look at our priorities here in the upcoming year —without losing sight o f the proven benefits for individual growth that this full program has provided.” She under stood the concern, as she added, “ Our
•
Middle School faculty continue to seek ways to reinforce positive student behavior and achievement and to strengthen self-esteem. The Honor Roll and High Honor Roll recognize high academic achievement and the Laurels List, good citizenship. Laurels List students are those who have made an outstanding contribution to the community and who have "gone the extra mile." Commendations are sent to students from the faculty to recognize leadership, effort, community service, giving of self, and other outstanding contributions. Outstanding athletes are recognized at the spring Sports Dinner when awards are presented. Middle School students regularly capture awards and prizes in Math and English, and at outside events such as the Stamford Festival of the Arts writing contest, the Stamford/Darien Bar Association essay contest, the Literacy Volunteers of Stamford writing contest, and the New England Math League Contest Superior Achievement. Art awards recognize exceptional artistic talent.
Early Technology "We had an Apple II and we thought we were big-time,"said Bill Pusack of King's earliest forays into computer technology. "We had 48K of memory! We taught programming and BASIC and PASCAL and even robot wars. We started an AP program, and I eventually had two or three boys come over from King."
o f ideas on subjects.”
getting, influenced her greatly on how
Karin Wagner, who arrived as a
she perceived this particular subject.
parent and soon after joined the fac
Not too much later her mother was
ulty, had a particular appreciation for
diagnosed with breast cancer, and she
this nurturing environment. “ My child
died quickly after that. The support
had undergone open-heart surgery. We
o f the school, both as an institution
needed the family and the warmth of
and as a community, was wonderful.”
the atmosphere, and that is still here.
Thanks to teachers like Pusack, Kathy
That’s absolutely Low-Heywood.”
Knox ’87 stayed in school, and despite
Fiona Muir Fine ’90,
the challenges she faced, went on to
P ’21, P ’23, found the
be an honors student and an active
same thing when she
member o f the Drama Club.
arrived in the early 1980s.
Knox and Fine weren’t isolated
“ None o f those teachers
instances. “ Bill and Priscilla Pusack
ever said to me 1 could
saved my whole academic career,” said
not do it. It was self
Bruce Fallon-Long ’90, who went on
esteem. They all knew
to a distinguished career in business.
that if you feel good about
“ Priscilla Pusack was a homeroom
yourself, you will do that
teacher. She
much better. So I feel like
was also my
I was always supported
Grade 7 Biol
here. 1 felt like someone
ogy teacher. A
had my back. “The all-girls part showed me that
bunch of us were falling
I could be successful; it fostered my
behind, and
self-esteem. I was busy from sports to
she knew we
work, and I needed that. They cared
weren’t getting
and they got to know my personality.”
it. She put
Not unlike Karin Wagner, par
her foot down
ent Barry Knox had a unique, but
and told Ms.
heartbreaking situation. “We had a
FFolland that
special experience at the school. When
what they were
my daughter was in Grade 8, she lost
teaching was
her sight. One teacher, Bill Pusack,
not working,
figured out a way to get her a com
and said, ‘We
puter that would speak to her. They got
need to figure
a local foundation, the Matilda Ziegler
this out.’
Foundation, to put up the money
“Then she
ln 19 8 6 B arry Knox gave the D oris W ard Knox Aw ard in honor o f his late wife a n d to benefit a student who showed “extraordinary determ ination and strength o f character, academic achievement, an d need. ”
for it. Bill taught her how to use this
dug in deep.
machine and worked with her on that.
She closed the
One time he did a Braille map o f all
books and developed an entirely new
the tectonic plates o f the world so she
strategy for us to understand what we
could study it for an exam.
were supposed to be learning. It was
“The empowerment she received at
revolutionary because she pulled the
an all-girls school, the message she was
material apart and taught it a differ
ent way. We called it SQ 3R: skim,
Mishkin taught the music component,
question, reread, review, recite. She
Boo Forster added Art History, and
was the first person in a group-setting
Elaine Waters taught Political and
classroom to do something like that.
Cultural History. “At one point
She redesigned the learning systems
we even had someone teaching the
for all o f us.
philosophy o f the time,” remembered
“Then Bill Pusack is the one who taught me how to use the computer. He really went above and beyond.” “These kids were the leaders o f the
Mishkin. “ It was quite exciting.” Predictably, and as at King, Com puter Science was the fastest-growing subject in the 1980s. “ The concept
School,” said Bill. “ Captain o f this,
here is to have all students in Grades
head o f that. And great kids. But we
4-12 become acquainted with the com
realized they learned differently, so we
puter as an instructional tool,” said
had to take different approaches to
Cesare. “ Our students in Grades 4, 5,
the way they processed information.”
and 6 are exposed to programming,
Every one o f those students turned
word processing, and computer-
around with a different pedagogy.
assisted learning in various subjects.
This was a whole other step toward
Our students in Grades 7 and 8
personalized education.
continue having computer-assisted
Combining Community Service and Learning Often, in an effort to combine personal growth with learning, community service was combined with experiential learning, such as when Grade 4 students created Halloween pumpkins and a holiday cookie house for the pediatric ward of St. Joseph's Hospital, Grade 5 students planned programs for senior citizens at the Stamford Rehabilitation Center, and Grade 6 students tutored first graders at Greenwich Catholic Elementary School.
instruction in their subjects and do
Curriculum Head o f School Sue Cesare kept
more word processing. In the Upper School there is an elective
looking for more ways to add to the
minor course in uses o f the computer,
curriculum and to use the existing
including programming.”
resources. One goal involved making
The new Science laboratory had
more use o f the physical plant in the
a positive impact on the Biology
summer. Consequently, a one-week
curriculum, according to
foreign language program for teach
Science Department Head
ers and a six-week intensive course in
Silvana Sonnino. “ With
German for all ages were organized.
the new classroom/lab
A particularly challenging new
setup, I can make Biology
course in Communications was also
more meaningful and can
created. “ It is a course in semiotics,
put more emphasis on
perhaps the newest o f the academic
the methods o f science.”
disciplines,” said Cesare. “ The basic
Before the new facilities,
axiom is that we perceive, understand,
the entire Science Depart
and communicate nothing directly;
ment shared one lab,
we do these things by means o f signs.”
which was limiting in
This was essentially a college course
terms o f the number of
taught by Robert Cook.
lab periods a week.
Ann Ostrow and Melody Libonati
Whatever the course,
joined the faculty as Music teachers.
Low-Heywood, like King,
Cathy Mishkin started team teaching
maintained a strong focus
the European History course, which
on the individual student.
they called the “ humanities course.”
Fiona Fine ’90 appreciated
Ann Ostrow
the extra help and the day-to-day at
Centers, and the Arboretum.
tention from the King faculty. “ I came
Students in Grades 4 and 5
here because, although I worked super
attended the Cinderella ballet and
hard to get results, I needed a little bit
journeyed to Mystic Seaport.
more help from a teacher,” she said. “ I
Students in Grade 5 visited the
needed to be taught how to study.”
Metropolitan Museum o f Art as a culminating activity for a unit
Experiential Learning Low-Heywood Thomas’ basic
on Japan. Grade 6 students spent time at Nature’s Classroom;
curriculum was complemented, as
tripped through the pages o f their
always, by experiential learning in
junior novel, The Witch o f
which “students were encouraged to
Blackbird Pond at Wethersfield;
become sell-directed and to develop an
and viewed the Egyptian exhibit
interdisciplinary approach to intellec
at the Metropolitan Museum o f Art
tual inquiry and learning. Accordingly,
in conjunction with their studies of
through success experiences, teachers
Ancient History.
help students build independence, autonomy, and self-esteem.” The opportunities, even starting in Middle School, were varied: • The Grade 5 Math lab provided “ hands-on” Math experiences where students “ learn by doing.” • The Grade 6 combined an outdoor science museum experience with creative writing. • The Grade 7 Math classes selected a stock, obtained a copy o f its A nnual Report, graphed it weekly, and played a stock exchange game on the computer. The culmination o f the unit was a visit to the New York Stock Exchange. • The Grade 7 girls studied the steps that go into building a home and compared the cost o f building a home today to that of 25 years ago. They also studied banking and the services offered in home financing. Field trips extended the learning experiences beyond the classroom environment. Grade 4 students enjoyed memorable voyages in New York Harbor to view the Statue o f Liberty, visited Westport and New Canaan Nature
Exchanges also represented exciting learning opportunities. During the 1986-87 school year, for example, 13 students traveled to Russia with three faculty members. Meanwhile, for the third successive year, 14 students o f French partici pated in an exchange with Ecole Estampes, a school in France, which sent nine boys and seven girls to Low-Heywood Thomas. “The nine boys were particularly welcome in our school,” said Cesare. Another year, students and teachers were exchanged with a school in Montreal.
Athletics Soccer was added in the 1980s, and participation generally increased. Six teams were fielded in the Upper School and typically involved over 100 students. The Middle School sup ported both a field hockey and a bas ketball team. The field hockey team started the 1980s with a 9-1 record, and volleyball was undefeated in 1984-85. The curriculum for Physical Edu cation classes, which stressed physical fitness, encompassed individual
and group activities, including field
“ Our objective,” said Cathy
hockey, soccer, basketball, volleyball,
Mishkin in 1985, “ is to help
softball, gymnastics, lacrosse, and
develop an attitude toward
track and field. Athletic achievement
service in our students now
was also honored in the annual Ware
that they will carry on in their
Award, which recognized valuable
own lives and initiate in others.
contributions in athletics, academic
They also planned events such
achievement, thoughtfulness for oth
as Big Sister-Little Sister holiday
ers, and a sense o f responsibility for
luncheon, dances with King
the School.
School, spring egg hunts, and sponsored the St. Jude’s Math-
Community Service Historically, community service at Low-Heywood Thomas had always
athon, which raised a substan tial amount of money to benefit children with cancer.
occurred regularly on Friday after noons. By the 1980s, community service activities had become more
Administrative Changes I he Low-Heywood Thomas
diverse, spreading into class projects
Board and administration made
and throughout many other facets o f
a number o f critical changes in the
school life. Each student had to have
1980s, perhaps the most important be
at least one unit o f service to the com
ing a commitment to increasing facul
munity, to be fulfilled either in school
ty pay and benefits. This priority had
or outside in the community at large,
ascended to the highest priority once
in order to graduate.
the gym/Art room/Science lab was
Opportunities to fulfill the require
built. The pay scale had been weaken
ment were more than plentiful. The
ing in the early part of the decade in
Student Councils o f both the Upper
comparison with other schools in the
and Middle Schools held food drives
Fairchester area, so the Board raised
every Thanksgiving; a toy drive at
salaries into the top quarter o f all the
Christmas; and prepared bags o f soap,
independent schools in the area, and
washcloths, and shampoo for the
significantly enhanced benefits as well.
homeless in Grand Central Termi
Finally, Annual Giving Chairman Alan
nal. Both Councils sponsored special
Safir set aside $1,000 to be awarded
events such as candy sales and theater
to individual faculty members for pro
promotions and used the proceeds for
fessional development. Over the past
school needs. One year proceeds were
two decades the school has become
used to furnish a new student lounge.
a leader in supporting professional
Individual classes developed “service
development through the financing
links” with organizations such as
o f professional workshops, graduate
Courtland Gardens, the Smith House
study, and sabbaticals.
Rehabilitation Center, St. Joseph’s
The faculty itself was busy, starting
Hospital, the Y M C A Daycare Center,
in 1981, with the self-evaluation in
and even far-reaching entities such as
preparation for the 1983 reaccredita
the Rosebud Indian Reservation in
tion o f the school. Dubbed the
South Dakota.
“ In-House Professional Development
Students from schools on both teams regularly supported one another.
Project,"the faculty’s focus ended up centering around the overall sub
aim for that ideal. Parent Barry Knox, by then Chair
ject o f “ learning how to learn.” This
man o f the Development Committee
general topic was broken down into
o f the Board ofTrustees, explained
subcategories: writing across the cur
that the search for matching funds
riculum, cooperative versus com
would not cannibalize the Annual
petitive learning, right brain/left brain
Fund, but instead come from indi
learning, computer-assisted learning
viduals “capable o f giving beyond their
and teaching, and the influence of
generosity.” In other words, the Ford
developmental factors on individual
gift spurred an incipient but impor
learning patterns. Incorporating the
tant focus on major gifts.
latest research in each area, the faculty
Several years later the Culpeper
subsequently sought to develop new
Foundation gave another $15,000,
teaching strategies in each area, all
“earmarked for professional develop
in aid o f providing students tools to
ment and funding a program enabling
learn more efficiently both at Low-
each faculty member to have four days
Heywood Thomas and in college.
during the next year to participate in professional development activities.”
Development The million-dollar gift from the
In 1986, Knox himself took the lead in the effort to raise scholarship
New York Community Trust was
monies by giving the school its first
certainly the fiscal highlight o f the
full scholarship in honor o f his late
decade, but it was still part of an
wife. The Doris Ward Knox Memorial
overall development program. Prior to
Scholarship was to be presented to a
the Community Trust gift, a $10,000
student who showed “extraordinary
gift from the Culpeper Foundation in
determination and strength o f charac
the summer o f 1981 “spurred us on
ter, academic achievement, and need.”
to apply to the Edward E. Ford Foun
“ I wanted to do something good
dation for Scholarship Funds,” said
for the school,” said Knox. “ Some
Sue Cesare.
thing that perhaps would give my wife
The application was successful,
a memorial but also, a way for her to
and Ford made a matching $25,000
be at my daughter’s graduation, so we
grant, stipulating that the funds had
founded the Doris Ward Knox M emo
to be used to endow scholarship sup
rial Scholarship. We encourage special
port for Upper School students, only
consideration to people who have
about 14% o f whom were on aid at the
overcome difficulties.”
beginning o f the decade. “ The Board ofTrustees is currently in the midst o f a program to raise endowment funds
Capital Campaign Faith Shepard ’57 had started in
for scholarship and faculty salary sup
1981 as Coordinator o f Develop
port,” said Cesare. “ These resources
ment and Alumnae Affairs. She was
will enable us to help needy and
succeeded by Jane Egbert a couple
worthy students in their educational
o f years later. Egbert was assisted by
pursuits.” Diversity had already been
Cathy Biewen and former teacher
a critical value, but these resources
Judy Holding.
represented a substantial boost in the
A fully staffed development
office was a prerequisite for one o f
the full Board, a campaign committee,
the recommendations o f the Long
numerous volunteer solicitors, and
Range Plan o f the late 1970s, which
hired consultants all put their shoul
had strongly advised considering a
ders to the wheel. “The procedure was
capital campaign. The Board, however,
that I would go with the Board Chair
recognized another prerequisite: the
or with the development person,”
tradition o f annual giving had to be
said Cesare. “ We did a lot o f going to
firmly and successfully established
different people’s homes, and I would
within Low-Heywood Thomas’ parent
talk about the school and the person
and alumnae constituencies.
I was with would ask for the money.
The Annual Fund had exceeded
And I was happy to do that.”
its $65,000 goal in 1980-81. By 1985,
By the following summer, 1987,
under Annual Fund Chair Charles
the committee had raised $376,163 —
Fennel ’34, it crossed the $125,000
a long way from the goal but still a
mark with $19,000 from the Parents
considerable amount o f money.
Association. Fennel also later gave a scholarship, like Knox, in memory of his late wife. With this kind o f development
In comparison to its neighbor, Low-Heywood Thomas had a much more sophisticated development pro gram in the 1980s, snaring seven-figure
success, a capital campaign was quietly
gifts, launching a capital campaign,
initiated in 1985 and then publicly an
and dramatically expanding the physi
nounced the following year at a “ Hats
cal plant. On that front - and it was
O ff” parry in November o f 1986. The
a front that would change the history
goal o f $1.5 million would go toward
o f both schools - King and Low-
increasing general endowment and/
Heywood Thomas were two schools
or capital fund needs. The party was
headed in different
followed up by a capital campaign
directions.
newsletter to share the goals with those who did not attend. With Cesare leading the charge,
Coordinate education became more and more a p a rt o f daily life at King and Low-H eywood Thomas in the late 1980s.
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Chapter Twelve
From Coordination to Coeducation 1972-88 ,
Earliest Efforts The underlying theme and unique
At the student level coordination continues to go well,” noted Cesare in
ness o f both King and Low-Heywood
the Low-Heywood Record for 1972-
Thomas in the 1970s and 1980s
73. “ Boys and girls continue to take
centered to some extent on their coor
courses in each others schools, choos
dinate relationship. Each maintained
ing them no longer for the novelty of
a separate corporate identity, Board,
going next door but rather for course
administration, mission, educational
content and style o f instruction.” On
philosophy, and set o f traditions, but
an extracurricular front, “the Low-
shared - in a limited fashion - facul
Heywood Lower School produced
ties, facilities, and course and extracur
cheerleaders for the King Middle
ricular offerings. Leadership, therefore,
School teams —and the two younger
in each case had only the responsibility
groups produced a newspaper.” Vari
for its own school and for managing
ous individual events such as field trips
the relationship with, but not the busi
involved students from both schools.
ness of, the other. Students had access
In 1974-75 the first joint faculty
to both schools, “crossing the wall” for
meeting was considered so important
classes, extracurriculars, special events,
that school was cut short to accom
and socialization.
modate it. Faculties o f both schools
The first coordinate activities
socialized over lunch, broke into small
occurred well before Low-Heywood
groups to discuss different aspects o f
and Thomas merged. Shortly after
coordination, and then reconvened
he took office in 1972, King Head
to discuss their findings. One typical
master John Vance and Sue Cesare at
idea: a student booklet listing courses
Low-Heywood worked not only on
by department rather than by school
coordinating the education between
to encourage attendance on the
the students at the two schools, but on bringing a number o f aspects o f the schools together. In February 1973 they established a joint faculty coordination committee, with four faculty members elected from each school, and charged it with finding ways for the faculties to work together.
opposite campus. As Chronicle writer Je ff Blomberg ’89 wrote in the 1980s, coordination “enables King students to meet and socialize with students o f different countries and cultures. It also affords them the opportunity to make new friends and provides a coordinate
A fter decades separating contiguous schools, the w all was no longer a divider after 1988.
Early Coordination In 1975-76 more students in Grades 9-12 elected to take courses and participate in activities in each other's school than ever before. According to Sue Cesare, “Approximately 30 girls and 30 boys have taken this opportunity each trimester.... The Drama and Music Clubs now have a well-developed method of working together. Coffee houses, after-game parties, the prom, and hiking trips make up the main social events which are supported together."
atmosphere of both boys and girls
coordination to date and see how
[and] a variety of teachers.”
we might implement the
When Vance left in 1974, Cesare continued the efforts with King’s next
In summary, let me report that
Head o f School, Gardiner Dodd, as
Low-Heywood Thomas and King
described in her Report at the end of
continue to implement the concept
the 1975-76 school year:
o f coordination in mutually benefi
This year Mr. Dodd and I,
cial ways because we believe it is
believing that the coordinate image
the best educational format we can
is a very attractive one to
offer our boys and girls.
prospective students and parents, have stressed to the public the related programs o f the two schools. We have appeared
Small Steps in the Curriculum Initially Upper School students could only choose an elective on
together before realtors and
the other campus, but this was soon
guidance counselors. We have had
expanded to any course, but still only
a joint open house and have called
one. No one wanted the situation in
attention to the coordinate
which a King student took the major
relationship in our advertisements.
ity of his courses at Low-Heywood
We have been encouraged in this
Thomas or vice versa.
effort by the educational
Low-H eywood Thomas cheerleaders supporting the K ing football team
concept further. ...
This restriction eventually loos
consultants working with King
ened, and by 1983-84 a record number
who tell 11s that in their talks
o f students were attending classes at
with families they have found them
the other school, and the overall num
more interested in private schools
bers in each class had risen as well.
that provide opportunities for boys
For instance, Environmental Geology,
and girls to mix. This summer Mr.
one o f the senior Science courses at
Dodd and I will make a study o f
Low-Heywood Thomas, enrolled an almost equal number of boys and girls. Similarly, many sophomore girls traveled to take the sophomore English course at King, and many freshman boys from King attended the freshman English course at Low-Heywood Thomas. An increased number o f coor dinate social functions were also being held. In the Upper School, Low-Heywood Thomas girls were cheerleaders at King games; students served jointly on community service initiatives and shared the stage in dramatic productions. The Middle School shared picnics, Halloween and pizza parties, day ski trips, and dances.
My name? John Rumplestiltskin. When charged with being too noisy in the hallways or other violations on the Low-Heywood Thomas campus, where they were largely unknown by the faculty, some King students apparently took to giving aliases. One said hewas"John Rumplestiltskin." Daniel Hudson, as head of the King Upper School, was on top of this, according to the Chronicle. "Mr. Hudson has also warned that he will not hesitate to take action against any King student who gives a false name when asked by a member of LHT's faculty. Apparently several such instances have occurred, but will not be tolerated."
D ram a was a big focus o f coeducational activities during the coordinate years. O f course, much o f the contact
that he has received word from LH T
between schools was unofficial. “The
that King students have been too noisy
boys came over for lunch because they
in L H T ’s halls during ninth period,
had no lunch period,” said Low-
a period in which King boys are free
Heywood Thomas teacher Bill Pusack.
while Low-Heywood Thomas students
“All they had were vending machines,
are still in class.”
so the girls would get the boys lunch and give them a tray.” The administration even got into
A dedicated lounge in the new gym at Low-Heywood Thomas alleviated the problem o f noisy boys roaming
the act when they started holding joint
the Low-Heywood Thomas halls, and
fundraisers together. One auction in
Mr. Hudson presumably managed
the 1984-85 school year raised $45,000.
additional behavioral issues, which
Other times they held joint open
were usually problematic at the time,
houses, but staggered the hours for
but never, in 15 years, went beyond
visiting one school or the other.
disruptive or incidental. There were logistical challenges
Challenges There were numerous logistical
as well, one o f the biggest being the Schools’ differing calendars, which
challenges. One time some minor
greatly affected academic coordination
construction made access over the wall
and testing. Low-Heywood Thomas
difficult. During another period, the
operated on a semester system while
Chronicle reported that King boys on
King used trimesters. In 1986, there
the Low-Heywood Thomas campus
fore, the administrations agreed to
had to be restricted to the cafeteria
coordinate their academic calendars.
on the lower level so as not to disrupt
As coordination became more rou
the girls’ classes. “Mr. Hudson on two
tine, the joint faculty committee was
occasions has told the student body
disbanded. Meanwhile, the
Strange Transcript
Low-Heywood Thomas Report in 1984
provides more
King and Low-Heywood Thomas graded differently, and “it made for a strange transcript,"said Karin Wagner. "On my daughter's transcript, for example, the grades that she got from Low-Heywood were letters, and then mixed in there are one or two number grades she got from King. So she had a 93 in French, but she had an A- in English. The mixture of letter grades and number grades was strange."
expressed continued enthusiasm for
in-depth facilities
the ongoing experiment. “ The coordi
than King,”
nation program with King continues
reported the
to give broader educational opportuni
Chronicle. “The
ties to our students. Social contacts
K ing/LH T
between the boys and girls seem to
band room and
come easily, and they obviously enjoy
auditorium are
being together at the free times during
both located at
the day. The two faculties have gotten
Low- Heywood
together at two social gatherings this
Thom as.” King
past year and have conferred on an
was not without
individual basis in some departments.”
offerings, the
Despite the enthusiasm o f most
paper continued
B ill Wallace welcomed the addition o f fem ale students in his classes at King.
faculty and students for the arrange
somewhat defensively “ King also
ment, and despite the importance
provides things, such as sports, that
o f the practice and implications for
differ from those which are offered at
the future, in reality coordination
Low-Heywood Thomas.”
remained a secondary aspect o f each student's academic and overall experi ence. According to Tom Main, “ We were separated from Low-Heywood, which was like another world,” in the
The Relationship Begins to Fray Despite many positives, particu larly from the students’ standpoint,
mid-1980s. “ If King was offering AP
the relationship between the two
Bio and only had three kids, but there
schools began to fray on certain fronts,
were four girls who needed to take AP
particularly from the Low-Heywood
Bio, they would come over here. If
Thomas side. “ I continue to think
Low-Heywood Thomas was offering
that the future o f these two schools
B C Calculus and they had three girls
is together —in some configuration
for it, and we had two boys, we
that is educationally and economi
would send the two boys over there,
cally sound,” wrote Sue Cesare in 1986
so you had a class o f five instead o f
to members o f a new Low-Heywood
one or two.”
Thomas coordinating committee.
Bill Wallace confirmed this view.
“ Presently the relationship is strained
“There weren’t enough kids because
partly because differences in operating
the schools were both too small to
styles and educational philosophy are
warrant having two high-level Physics
surfacing more frequently”
courses ... one over here and one over
Peter Browne, Chair o f Low-
there. I also had girls in my AP Calcu
Heywood Thomas, felt a certain
lus class that used to traipse over.”
indifference coming from some King
As time went on and Low-
Board members, whom he felt “per
Heywood Thomas expanded its
ceived girls not to be as strong when
physical plant, the access to additional
in classes o f men,” and “just kind of
facilities was increasingly important
looked the other way” when problems
for King students. “ In some areas,
arose between the Schools.
such as Drama and Music, L H T
Faculty members certainly felt a
sense o f alienation between the two
see how it went, and then [for high
Schools. Said King Math teacher Bill
school] send them to public school
Wallace, “ The King vision o f Low-
or private boarding schools. We were
Heywood Thomas was very narrow
getting a drop-off. We were losing ten
and very masculine, and the Low-
a year in the Upper School.”
Heywood Thomas version o f King was very narrow and very feminine.”
The consequences o f the attrition affected the classes and led to a vicious
“The philosophies o f the teach
downward cycle. Continued Phillips,
ing were very different,” said Low-
“ The Upper School was not robust at
Heywood Thomas teacher Bill Pusack,
King. We had great difficulties with
whose wife, Priscilla, also taught at the
not having enough boys. ... It was not
School. “ I think because o f Priscilla, I
a sustainable model. We had the whole
had a different point o f view. I think
dilemma o f academic classes where
that progressive is probably a better
we would have two, three kids and
thing, but progressive from the outside
a teacher. ... We just couldn’t figure
looks different. In the extreme views,
out how to have more bodies. And
some thought Low-Heywood Thomas
you knew you had to have an AP class
was touchy-feely, and we thought
or you wouldn’t get the right kind o f
everyone at King lectured, and there
students here.”
was no variation.” The Boards were the most separate
Daniel Hudson felt part o f the problem had to do with King’s
bodies in the entire arrangement. “ The
educational philosophy. “ I think that
two Boards really never got together,”
[the combination of] single-minded
said Low-Heywood Thomas Chair
athletic requirements and high
Peter Browne.
academics were very rigorous and demanding o f the kids’ energy and
The Inevitable: A Merger Considered In the fall o f 1987, King’s Board ofTrustees, perhaps through the of fices o f an alarmed new Headmaster, Russell Ryan, taking a hard look at King’s finances and condition o f the physical plant, finally appeared to realize the true gravity o f the School s long-building and very soon to be untenable financial, enrollment, and facilities situations. “We would have financial meetings,” said Bob Phillips, Vice Chair at King, “and were finding out it wasn’t a healthy situation. Part o f the problem, he noted, was declining enrollment. “A lot o f people in Stamford, distrusted the middle schools in Stamford, and so they would send their kids to King and
time, and there just wasn’t a big enough pool as you got to the end of the 1980s to keep admission up.”
1 he
Board also had to come to
George Stevens, former Headmaster
terms witli a lack o f endowment, a still
o f New Canaan Country Day School,
relatively weak annual giving program,
was hired to advise the committee.
and 20 years of deferred maintenance.
Like many at Low-Heywood
And yet, while these issues had been
Thomas, Peter Browne was taken by
apparent for years, no capital cam
surprise. “ Suddenly it became appar
paign or other strategy had been
ent that a merger was in the offing.
implemented to address them. King
I realized that from King’s side it
was not at the end o f the road, but it
was financial. Low-Heywood
was visible.
Thomas certainly did not have any
Hudson assessed the situation many years later. “ In my view, most of
financial issues.” Students were not oblivious to
these issues were hidden on a day-to-
what was going on. “ By the 1987-88
day basis. It was fine internally. Kids
school year,” said Daniel Leppo ’89,
liked and respected Gardiner Dodd,
“the march toward consolidation had
but unfortunately, money wasn’t
felt inevitable.”
coming in.” Something had to be done quickly,
Though rumors abounded, King’s tenuous situation was never openly
and some kind o f merger with their
disclosed to the public or even to
coordinate school, the more financially
the two faculties, and representatives
sound Low-Heywood Thomas, natu
from both schools went to great pains
rally presented itself as the first among
to make it clear that the committee
a number o f possible solutions. In Oc
was not solely addressing a merger at
tober o f that year, therefore, a “steering
that time. “M any options” remained,
committee” made up o f the Heads
announced King Head Russell Ryan,
o f School and Boards o f Trustees of
such as sharing academic and extra
both schools was convened for the
curricular offerings more completely
purpose of “discussing the possibility
without actually merging schools or
o f further coordination” between the
repurposing the physical plant to use
two schools. A consultant,
Low-Heywood Thomas facilities for the Upper School and King facilities for the Middle and Lower Schools.
What would not become apparent except in retrospect is that a merger, or consolidation, as it was later termed, would not have been possible with out some major upheaval in one or the other o f the Boards, because the cultures were so different and the opinions o f some so intransigent about maintaining single-sex educa tion. In retrospect, it appears that for some, the entire 15-year coordination exercise must have been viewed as a necessary evil to be tolerated but not encouraged. “We went through the whole pro
Peter Browne and Bob Phillips, Chairs o f LowHeywood Thomas and King, respectively, were instrumental in bringing the two schools together.
cess and worked out a lot o f issues,” said Peter Browne o f the committee,
classrooms would take the focus off
until a merger o f some sort seemed
academics and put it on the social
the best solution. “ We had lots of
dimension. Being right next to each
meetings to sort out headmistress,
other, there was already plenty o f
headmaster, etc., and we carved out
opportunity for social interaction It
that we would do the merger.”
wasn’t an easy decision. The idea that
This “decision” did not dispel the
we needed to merge to attract students
great hesitation on both sides. With
and grow had a bearing on the discus
all King’s cards on the table, the
sion, but it was also about providing
Low-Heywood Thomas Board was, if
the best educational opportunity for
anything, even more reticent to take
the students.”
on the problems it now knew King
Phillips was not in the separatist
had. “M y preference would be a coed
camp; in fact he was a strong voice in
Lower School for Pre-Kindergarten-
favor o f a merger. “ I’ve been through
Grade 5, single-sex Middle Schools for
all the boys’ and girls’ schools, and my
Grades 6-8, and a coordinate Upper
wife is certainly very strong in terms
School for Grades 9-12,” Sue Cesare
o f empowerment for women and girls.
had written in 1986, and her opinion
I began to understand and appreciate
had changed little.
the values. And I had a daughter at
On King’s side, “There were many
Low-Heywood. I understood the value
individuals, including the Chair,
leadership-wise there. I just didn’t un
George Harvey, C E O o f Stamford-
derstand those points o f view that the
based Pitney Bowes, and a parent, who
schools had to forever be separate. I
believed in a boys’ school and a girls’
was never convinced that King would
school,” said Bob Phillips. “ They felt
survive economically, but I was con
that this was the right way to educate
vinced that Low-Heywood Thomas
young people.”
would survive.”
“The single-sex school had
Browne and Phillips and others
been around for a long time,” said
who supported a merger went to work
Harvey. “ M any people felt that mixed
on their respective Boards. “ We got
the Boards to talk to one another,”
“ 1 had been slightly irrational to
said Browne. “ I can remember the
get to the point of forming a new
day it all happened,” he continued.
Board, but that’s what we did. The
“ We [the Low-Heywood Thomas
plan didn’t change as much as the
Board] met and agreed to do the
Board did at that point.”
merger, and King was meeting and, I
Phillips, now the new King Board
thought, agreeing to do the merger. I
Chair, got back to Browne and said,
went home, and I got a call from Bob
“ 1 think we can possibly make this
Phillips, and he said, 'The King Board
happen in a different format.” Leading
turned us down.’ I said, ‘What?’”
a Board now more friendly to merger,
Phillips had been as stunned as Browne. “The issue wasn’t really
Phillips said later that “ in a matter o f weeks we had it all figured out.”
coeducation or the merger, but when it came down to it, it turned out that
Logistics
there were some significant disagree
Even after the major concerns had
ments as to the details: the composi
been addressed, there were still many,
tion and leadership o f the proposed
many issues to iron out, and numer
new school.
ous hesitations to overcome. “ I had
“ It also turned out that Harvey
taken over companies and knew that
really believed that King should con
if I couldn’t get the right people in the
tinue to be a boys-only school. I just
right job with the right philosophy,
felt he was wrong; he really believed
then it wasn’t going to work,” said
that he was right. 1 guess I hadn’t
Phillips. “And 1 really didn’t believe
realized the depth to which he held
in mergers: there was always a
that opinion.”
surviving culture.
On the phone that night, Phillips
“ Peter talked about two entities
said to Browne, “1 don’t think this is
coming together and surviving, and
a dead issue. Let’s get together
I deferred to him because he had the
immediately.”
heart and soul o f that side o f the
“ Bob and 1 had a good working re lationship,” said Browne, “and we got together the next day and slowly began
campus. This side o f the campus needed attention.” “ 1 could see all o f it develop
tweaking it a little bit, to try to figure
ing,” said Browne. “As it emerged, I
out how to salvage the situation.”
became President, the Board over here
After Browne and Phillips ham
met, and we agreed [again] to do the
mered out a plan, the next King Board
merger. I knew King wouldn’t want a
meeting was tumultuous, to say the
headmistress, but it wouldn’t happen
least. “ Normally we were very polite
if Sue wasn’t the Head. So Sue would
and said rational things,” said Phil
be the Head and Ryan would be the
lips. “ I probably got into areas and
Associate Head.”
conversations in that meeting that an gered the Chair.” In the end, Phillips
Consolidation
continued, “ he just drew a line in the
In January o f 1988, new Board
sand and essentially said, ‘This is how
President Peter Browne, Russell Ryan
I look at this.’ He resigned from the
o f King, and Sue Cesare o f Low-Hey-
Board, and others followed him.
wood Thomas announced that the
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awkwardly, the King & Low-Heywood
remain coordinate.
Thomas School. There would be one
Subsequent to the announcement,
Board o f Trustees, headed by Browne,
the steering committee met through
with 32 members, 16 from each school.
out the winter and spring to iron out
As Browne was from LHT, a repre
the legions o f details. At an adminis
sentative from King, Phillips, would
trative level, leadership decisions still
be Vice President. The student body
needed to be made, and, as Russell
would approach 500, and the pooled
Ryan stated publicly, “student coun
financial resources would amount to
cils, school papers, yearbooks, com
nearly $1.5 million in assets, according
mencements, and many, many other
to Browne. To push the deal through,
aspects o f the schools will be affected
concessions had been made to the ob
by the decision.” Exactly how was up
jections to consolidation o f the Middle
to the steering committee.
Schools, so for the 1988-89 school year,
km
that
“The real problems begin now,”
the new arrangement applied to only
said Browne, “ but I prefer to call them
the Upper and Lower Schools. The
opportunities.”
^'hu -V
Reactions and Clarifications As Leppo had suggested, the an
to the Chronicle. Perhaps it was just a youthful reticence about change,
nouncement was “not a shocking rev
but there was a somewhat troubling
elation,” reported the Chronicle. “The
caveat: “many of the present students
idea of the two schools becoming one
o f both schools expressed the wish that
has been pondered by school officials
the consolidation would happen after
for many years.”
they have graduated.”
Given the strong feelings by every
A couple of weeks after the an
one, reaction by those most affected,
nouncement, Sue Cesare elaborated
students and faculty, was hopeful,
on some o f the issues and thinking to
but ranged, in a sort of man-on-the-
a roundtable o f alums. “ Most school
street survey by the school paper, from
mergers involve one school absorbing
enthusiastic to hesitant.
another,” she explained. “ We are two
“We started coordinating quite a while ago,” said Low-Heywood Thomas Language teacher Madame
fine schools coming together to form an even better one. “The corporate consolidation
Barbarite. “ I have always enjoyed
will take effect immediately. We will
having boys in my class.”
have one Board, one faculty and
“ 1 think that the schools each have
administration, one business office,
their own strengths that they can
one admission office, and one
bring to it and that the whole would
development office.
certainly be greater than the sum o f its
“ On the secondary level, we are
parts,” said Bill Wallace diplomatically.
following most closely in the tradition
Jessica Zara, a senior at Low-
o f Northfield-Mt. Hermon School.
Heywood Thomas, was wary. “ I think
These two schools had a coordinate
it will be beneficial for both schools so
relationship and joined to become
that they can keep growing. However,
coed some years ago. Our advantage
if it is not done right, I think the
is that we are doing this in 1988 when
students would lose a lot.”
consciousness about girls is raised to
Julian Judge, a junior at King, was
such an extent that we have a better
equally guarded. “ I guess there could
chance o f making this model
be some advantages to the consolida
really unique.”
tion, but some undesirable changes may occur.” Kyle Stewart, a senior at King,
On the student level, she said, “ There will be separate student coun cils and class officers. In the future, we
said, “The reason I am in favor is that
may want to think about mandating
it would be a more efficient use o f
coed presidents (one male, one female)
school resources, and it will attract
as Groton School has. It is something
more students.”
to consider, anyway.”
Overall, students seemed to anticipate a “bigger, better facility: a
Having weathered the Thomas merger, she was sensitive to the
bigger faculty, and a greater course
issue o f tradition. “We must preserve
selection in the future,” according
certain [traditions], such as the L H T
Junior Party. I assume King will want
Despite the concerns, logistical
to preserve theirs, too. If the leader
issues, and often turbulent negotia
ship and the mission statement o f the
tions, and despite existing trepidation
new school believe in preserving the
about the voyage ahead, both schools
best o f both schools, that is what will
had sailed through troubled waters
happen. ... Named scholarships, o f
and now generally faced the future
course, will remain separate.”
as one institution with a guarded
Regarding sticking points in the
optimism. All acknowledged that it
negotiation surrounding the Middle
was critical now to look ahead and
School, she explained that “the
maintain a focus not on the myriad
only slight mandate was to keep the
logistics to be worked out, but on the
Middle School at L H T single sex. I
fundamental issues and larger truths,
understand that there are a number
so King & Low-Heywood Thomas
o f families at King who have said they
presented itself to the world with a
prefer coeducation. Ironically, I have
confident announcement: “A great
heard from both faculty and students
education just became twice as good.”
at L H T who told me that they almost didn’t come to the school because it was single sex. Now, they tell me they love it that way.” And o f course, no one, least o f all Cesare, was naive enough to think that different cultures, particularly ones with different temperaments, philosophies o f education, and an occasionally strained relationship, would sail smoothly into a sunlit, untroubled future. Everyone knew the possible areas o f conflict were in fact too numerous to mention or even anticipate, but Cesare focused on an obvious one: tradition in regard to discipline for different genders. “ King has traditionally had a more direct, authoritarian response to discipline, while L H T has had a Judicial Board system. Girls and boys may need a different system. The faculty and administration will have to study the two approaches and decide on a mutually supportive system.” In other words, a great deal o f trial and error and work still lay ahead.
w
SE C T IO N FOUR: C O M IN G IN T O ITS OWN, 1988-PRESEN T
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Chapter Thirteen
A New Day: King Low-Heywood Thomas, 1988-96 Once the decision was made, there was no going back. The 1988-89
made, and the future seemed bright. All that being said, the consolida
school year would welcome an entirely
tion, as the mingling o f the schools
new entity —King & Low-Heywood
was very consciously called, initially
Thomas School, arguably the fifth in
presented as many problems as solu
the history o f this collection o f august
tions, starting with terminology. Bruce
educational institutions. The previ
Hubbard, a Board member, parent,
ous schools —King, Low-Heywood,
attorney, and consultant to K L H T ’s
Thomas, and Low-Heywood Thomas
new administration, came up with
—all had their distinct philosophies
the term “consolidation,” because “a
and Zeitgeists. Now, K LH T, as it
merger does not connote a gathering
would become known colloquially,
o f equals,” said George Reilly, who
would be the fifth and final incarna
would serve as K L H T ’s second Board
tion o f these schools.
Chair after Peter Browne. “A consoli
Though the earlier versions were
dation involves bringing two entities
generally single sex, they had not been
together and creating something dif
exclusively so: there had been coedu
ferent without one being superior over
cational programs from time to time
the other.”
in the lower grades. K LH T, however,
George Reilly ’73 was K L H T ’sfirst new Board Chair after Peter Browne.
And while equality was unques
would be the first fully K -iz coeduca
tionably the intention, few labored
tional school in the history o f all these
under the illusion that the two schools
institutions. In the hopes o f everyone,
had been on equal footing. King was
it would have the most complete
in fact not growing, and people knew
physical plant, the best faculty, and
it. As Bill Wallace pointed out, “When
the most secure financial foundation
the schools merged we had just nine
o f any o f its predecessors. Certainly it
freshmen. I was worried.” Conversely,
would be the largest. Because o f those
Bill Pusack saw the L H T side o f the
aspirations, anticipation and excite
equation. “At Low-Heywood Thomas
ment ran high on all fronts. After
we were just growing as fast as we
experimenting with coordinate educa
could ... 15% a year after I got there.”
tion for years, the leap had finally been
In short, according to Reilly, “the
K ing & Low-H eywood Thomas students enjoyed being one schoolfo r thefirst time since M rs. R ’s was fou n ded 12 3 years before.
consolidation was a financial neces
• Social development
sity” for King.
• College placement results
In addition to declining enroll
• Physical facility and location
ment, K ing’s biggest problem centered
• Size and quality o f student body
on its physical plant, where mainte
• Financial strength
nance had been deferred for too long.
Curiously, three additional, softer
“ The buildings at Low-Heywood
criteria were handwritten into one o f
Thomas were standing the test o f
the working drafts:
time,” said Reilly. “ But at King, there
• A supportive parent body
was real concern. The building needed
• An atmosphere o f caring about
a lot o f money. The Simon House needed work, and the roofs on the school buildings needed a lot o f help.
the individual student • As much autonomy as possible for administration
There were just a lot o f expenses that had to be incurred.” “They had some very, very strong
Administrative Adjustments Combining institutions always
teachers, no question about it,” said
necessitates a plethora o f administra
Karin Wagner, “ but the backlog of
tive decisions and actions, but the
maintenance was phenomenal.”
biggest decision had been the easiest —
“There was so much to do over
Head o f School. “That was part o f the
there,” agreed Sue Cesare, who ap
deal,” said Peter Browne. “Sue would
proached it all with her usual can-do
be Head o f School.”
attitude. “We would just kind of have to keep pecking away at it.”
Preliminary Goals and Objectives The assumption, which history has borne out, is that these start-up issues, as daunting as some o f them were, would eventually be ironed out and that the combined school would be one o f the strongest in the region. Indeed, that was the primary goal in the 1988 Long-Range Plan for KLHT, which stated unequivocally that the intention was to “establish K L H T as the premiere form o f private education in lower Fairfield County.” According to an internal document, some o f the most basic elements for success would have to include: • Academic excellence • Best teachers and best programs • Extracurricular programs (variety and quality)
“ It was a no-brainer,” said Libby Baker Mattson ‘82, and future Presi dent o f the Alumni Association Board, then teaching at her alma mater. There was in fact no disagreement on this issue from anyone. That was nothing against Ryan, but he had only been on campus several years, and Headmaster less than that, while Cesare was an alum and already a legend. Once she had been officially installed, it was up to Cesare to implement everything according to the blueprint devised by the newly combined Board. Some were not difficult decisions, and others simply required patience and/or process. This was all new territory for everyone, and it was acknowledged that it would be impossible to anticipate everything, so there were many cases o f not crossing a bridge until it was reached. A docu ment Cesare circulated early in the first fall answering some questions and
The King & Low-Heywood Thomas School Key Elements of Merger Proposal (From a Document Developed by King Board Chair Bob Phillips) Structure/Mission
The combined schools will be structured on the model of Hobart-William Smith, a model designed to retain the best of the traditions, history, and identity of each individual school while maximizing the educational program for all students. The mission of the combined coed school will be defined by the new Board of Trustees. By September 1988, a substantial increase in the coeducational program in the Upper School will be implemented as a first step toward full coeducation in the Upper School. By June 1988, a study by the administration, faculty, and Board of Trustees on the educational mix of the Middle School for implementation by 1989 will be completed.
LHT and a Vice President from King to the new Board. The Board will select a Treasurer and Secretary. All officers will be elected by the combined Board of Trustees of the new entity at its initial meeting. Terms for Trustees and officers to be determined by the combined Board of Trustees. Trustees
Chairmanship of the various committees of the new Board to be shared equally between Trustees from existing schools. S. Cesare will be an ex-officio nonvoting member of the Board as well as R. Ryan and some others in the administration. Administration
Officers
S. Cesare will be the senior executive of the combined schools with the title Head of School; R. Ryan will be the next most senior officer of the combined schools with the title of Associate Head of School and Dean of King School; R. Ryan will report to S. Cesare. Their contracts will be of two years duration and be from the Board of Trustees.
Shall consist of a President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Representation will be proportional between the two schools. The Steering Committee will recommend a slate of officers including a President from
Senior administration and educational positions in the combined school will be shared equally between the staffs of the existing schools with no increase in staff.
Board of Trustees (at inception)
Composed equally of Trustees from the two existing schools and consisting of 16 members from each Board.
leaving others up in the air reflected
girls will remain the same. I am
all this:
in receipt o f a petition from a
• The K L H T colors will be blue
group o f LH T Upper School
and maroon, and the Vikings
girls asking that we consider
will remain as the mascot. No
a dress code for all K L H T
“green gators” here!
students in the future. Any
• For the next year, there will be
decision on this subject will
one student newspaper with
include parent opinion.
coeditors, an editor from the
• In 1988-89 there will be a
King campus and an editor from
student council elected by the
the L H T campus. There will be
King Upper School students,
a joint staff.
and a student council elected
• Shortly the two junior classes
by the L H T Upper School
will meet and decide whether
students, and each will function
they want one or two yearbooks
on its own campus. The two
for next year.
councils will meet together
• Other matters, including
regularly with the charge to
privileges pertaining to next
present plans for the
year’s senior classes, will be
organization o f a single council
discussed also at that time.
the following year, and a plan
• In 1988-89 the dress code for the boys will remain the same, and the uniform regulations for
for preserving the traditions that are important to each campus.
The most ticklish decisions did not
Ultimately,
involve nicknames or newspapers, but
though, all the
personnel: picking one person over
department
another to serve in the combined
heads had to
position in the new school. " The con
be parceled
ditions set forth by the Board,” said
out, usually
Cesare, “were that the administrative
leaving one
positions had to be divided, [so there
person in
would be the] same number o f admin
place and
istrators from King as from Low-
demoting the
Heywood Thomas. There were no
other.
obvious decisions, and all assign
In the Business O f
ments required creative solutions.” For instance, the heads o f the three
P D , lice, Ryan, the
Karen Peterson became the Business M anager at KLH T. *
divisions - Upper, Middle, and Lower
former King Head o f School, had been
—were for the first year each shared by
named the first business manager, but
two people, one from each campus,
he left shortly after the consolidation.
thereby avoiding a sticky decision at
Cesare then brought her trusted long
the second-highest rung on the admin istrative ladder.
time aide, Karen Peterson, to fill the position and then Bill Pusack to help Peterson. “ Sue just said, ‘They need help in the business office with the computers,’” said Pusack. ‘Just go over there and solve the problem.’ So I got to help the development office merge, set up the student billing, accounts payable, P & L, and general ledger. I had an office up there and a classroom. I was doing all these jobs because Sue asked me, and that’s what you did.”
Culture Clash Administrative restructur ing represented only the tangible part o f the puzzle; marrying the cultures was a much more sub jective business, just as it had been when LowHeywood and Thomas merged, and success was far murkier to measure. In addition to
some continued gender stereotyping,
years to work itself out,” said Cesare.
there were some hard feelings about
And while remaining King and LH T
the consolidation itself. Some rued the
faculty would never stop identifying
loss o f single-sex education. “That was
themselves in terms o f their original
a big sadness for a lot o f people,” said
school, they would also begin, under
Pusack. “ M any felt that we had been,
Cesare’s leadership, to form a bond as
in each o f our ways, two o f the few
K L H T faculty.
single-sex schools left.” The faculty also had some reserva tions. “ I don’t think the consolidation
Boys and Girls From the standpoint solely o f the
went down well with some o f the
students, consolidating a boys’ school
veteran King male faculty,” opined
and a girls’ school, each with its own
one King faculty member. On the
cultures and traditions, is nothing if
other side, noted another, “ Some o f
not a massive sociology experiment.
the Low-Heywood Thomas faculty felt
Everyone had hopes and everyone
that they had this thrust upon them.”
had concerns. For the most part, the
Some o f the resistance was born from
students were generally okay with, and
the fact that many teachers were used
even enthusiastic about, the new situa
to teaching one gender. “ Some people
tion. Everyone was used to a few class
struggled because they were suddenly
mates o f the opposite gender in the
teaching in a different situation.
classroom, but now every class was,
And there was a difference in style.
as Cesare put it, “richly coed.” Rory
The philosophies o f the teaching
Donahue ’97, then in Lower School,
were very different,” said yet a third
expressed a common sentiment. “ I was
faculty member.
just excited to be in school with girls,”
The challenge brought, as challenges often do, a useful introspection, and even growth. “There was a lot o f effort and group building,” said Pusack. “ [A] lot o f ‘what does it mean to be a teacher, and what does it mean to have girls or boys in your class?’ That’s going to happen when you have two different philosophies merging together.” Over time, and as the identity o f the new school emerged, teachers who felt less comfortable with that new identity chose to move on. “ It was inevi table, and it took several
he said. “ It was the best o f both worlds,”
Breaking the Ice To encourage community, the administration held Friday afternoon faculty and staff drop-in gatherings that included wine and hors d'oeuvres at the Simon House. These, among other events, proved to be effective icebreakers, "getting people out of the classroom and talking about fly fishing or an upcoming trip or whatever," said Administrative Assistant Cornelia Jones.
Coed classes became the rule rather than the exception starting in 1988.
said Dan Leppo ’89.
like student council presidents, class
“ There were lots of
presidents. They had been very active
advantages.” From the student standpoint, English teacher Helen
a backseat to the boys,” said Wagner. As it turned out, at least initially,
Kweskin noticed
the concerns were justified. “ Indeed
both drawbacks and
the girls did take a backseat. In the
benefits. “ In coed
first election for Head o f Student
classes, everyone
Council a boy won,” said Cesare,
takes work more
“even though there were fewer boy
seriously, while in
voters! After all our work trying to get
single-sex classes
these girls to be strong ... it happened
there is a feeling of
anyway.” Six full years after consolida
openness and lack
tion, the girls themselves were still
o f inhibition.”
dealing with the issue, as evidenced
There were also
Andrew Gautrau ’90 rolls out. Gautrau was also the first student government president after the consolidation.
in community service. And we were very worried that now they would take
by an editorial in the Chronicle titled
concerns about
“The Male Ego at K LH T .” The article
power struggles
said, “ Our school as a whole fosters
within the student
the idea o f a strong male ego. We are
body. Karin Wagner
not saying that it is a bad thing to
remembers that the
encourage males to take pride in their
holdover L H T fac
education and athletics, but it does
ulty were very wor
become a problem when it interferes
ried about whether
with the growth o f female self-esteem.”
the girls’ voices
would be drowned out in the class room. “The research that was available
Developing Polarities T hese same gender issues also
at the time suggested that in class the
began to align themselves along a
boys are typically the ones who get
different fault line - athletics, a King
called on more, because they are more
priority, and the arts, a hallmark o f
rambunctious about showing that they
Low-Heywood Thomas. O f course
want to be heard, but the girls take a
the arts existed at King and athletics
subservient role readily, and particu
at LH T, but not as flagship programs
larly after puberty. Consequently, we
as they were with the other school,
did extensive training in order to make
and the different emphases began to
sure that the girls were heard equally
emerge as a point o f contention.
with the boys in a classroom setting.
Unaccustomed to the arts compet
We had workshops, role-playing, and
ing for time with athletics and even
speakers, so that we would not fall
academics, with a period set aside
into that trap, so that we would be
in the middle o f the day for Drama,
very conscious that we were mixing
some King faculty found they resented
them.”
the new priority. “ We reached a point
The same concerns existed for
after the consolidation,” said one King
school life outside the classroom.
faculty member, “where the Drama
“The girls had had leadership roles
program was running K L H T the way
the athletic program had run King.” Some, however, held the opposite opinion. “ It was always a question of resources,” said George Reilly. “ We
boys. Girls have met that requirement by participating in either team sports, aerobics, or cheerleading.” Later, in an article, “The New
always felt we had a very strong Arts
Sports Policy: Is It Working?” The
Department, but the athletics were
paper examined the program’s efficacy.
more expensive, so it appeared to some
“The new sports program that was put
that more money was going into ath
into operation at the beginning o f the
letics than the arts. We tried to be fair
school year has sparked many dissent
about it, but technically that was true.
ing opinions: some students profess
But they coexisted.”
anger, others admiration. While it is
“The athletic people and the arts
felt that the new program is succeed
people often clashed,” said Cesare. “ It
ing in strengthening the sports pro
was difficult at first.”
gram and obviously increasing team
Ultimately the administration
Charles Osgood Speaks at Commencement Popular newsman Charles Osgood was the speaker for King's last commencement, in 1988, before consolidation. Shortly before the ceremony was to begin, Osgood's assistant called Cornelia Jones in the Business Office and asked for the name of every senior because Osgood planned to compose a poem as his address using all their names. He succeeded, and every senior heard his name mentioned by the celebrated reporter.
participation, many students also have
fashioned a program that required
a long list o f concerns. Among these
sports participation in two seasons,
are that academics are being sacrificed,
which represented a decrease for boys
that it is actually detrimental to a team
but an increase for girls. The Chronicle
to force students who don’t enjoy
outlined the policy: “ Participation in
competitive sports to participate, and
the athletic program has [previously]
that the original program is not being
been required for three seasons for
adhered to.”
Charles Osgood The first King dr Low-Heywood Thomas graduating class, 1990, held separate ceremonies but jo in ed fo r a picture.
Eventually, the program took hold
would be identified, likely
as originally implemented. “ It was
including enclosing the Lower
one ol the more difficult problems to
School walkway and improving
work out," said Cesare, “ but we did.
the Science facilities.
There were some hard feelings, but we worked it out. And eventually, the kids were fine!”
Coping with Change
Near the end o f the first year, the Chronicle expressed a concern about school spirit. “As we look at our newly merged school, we could begin to get frustrated because o f what we perceive
As the first year unfolded, some o f those decisions that had been deferred at the start of the year were addressed. In response to inquiries and requests from different constituencies in the community, the community was notified that in 1989-90: 1. The Lower and the Middle Schools (Grades 1-8) would be located on the King Campus and the Upper School on the L H T Campus. 2. Minor renovations would
Andrew Sia 90 speaking at commencement
begin across campus. 3. A second round o f renovations
as a lack o f ‘K L H T ’ spirit. However, we must remind ourselves o f the inherent complexities involved in our merger and try to be patient. What we need in our school is more teamwork on all levels.” The article then continued before reminding the student body o f all the opportunities the consolidated K L H T offered: The teamwork will emerge when we are capable o f trust ing each other. How does this trust come about? T his trust is nurtured through our living together daily. Opportunities have occurred throughout the year: Big Brother/Big Sister roles, Homecoming Day/ Dance, Talent Show, Art Show, athletic teams, Indelible Ink, Chronicle, yearbook, Art Club, Amnesty, Drama Club, one-act plays, three-act plays, pep rallies, Walkathon, Liftathon, class trips, Student Council, Environmental Club, Leadership Club, admission guides, tutoring, holiday
programs, Instrumental
campus, and it was a blending o f
Ensemble, Thanksgiving
traditions. The girls wore white dresses
assembly, food drive, Honor Roll,
and carried bouquets o f red roses, and
Jum p Rope for Heart, spring
the boys were garbed in black cap
sports, the musical, hosting a
and gown.”
French student in April, and
Vice President o f the Board Bob
Earth Week. Spring Breakfast,
Phillips described it as a historic oc
daily preparation for class,
casion. “ Segregation by gender is now
striving for the Honor Roll,
behind us,” he said, “and I congratu
attendance at the play, and
late these seniors because it was they
attendance at games.
who led the way to this change.” Two
There was no better example o f the community acknowledging a challenge and responding positively than the students’ decision to set a theme o f “ Spirit” for 1989-90, K L H T ’s second year. N o one was about to make believe there were no problems, but everyone, from the administration to the faculty to the Chronicle to the students, was exhibiting resilience, resolve, and a determination to look past the problems to the extraordinary opportunities that consolidation provided.
Class D ay and Commencement When the first year o f K L H T finally drew to a close in June o f 1989, both schools held to their graduation traditions with separate commence ments. It was simply too soon and too administratively complex amid other priorities to break with old commencement traditions. A year later, though, in 1990, two years into consolidation, the closing exercises were combined. According to the Chronicle, “The ceremony took place at the courtyard o f the Upper School
years in, despite the intermittent tur bulence, there was much to celebrate. Wrote Sue Cesare in that summer o f 1990, “ K L H T attracted more new students in the 1989-1990 school year than any other independent school in the Fairchester group. The school as a whole participated in the United Way Fund Drive and was accountable for half o f the goal for all private schools in our area! Our athletic teams could always use more victories, but they are supported by determined participants and cheering parents.” Two years before, no one expected the schools could consolidate without growing pains or merging pains. But it is probable that if the Board could have seen into the future and read that spot report from Cesare, they would have cheered. K L H T was finding its sea legs. Football coach and English teacher Tom Main, departing after the 1989-90 school year, said, “ I remained a faculty member at K LH F for two years beyond the consolidation and saw clearly the first steps o f our transition into a truly superb PreK-12, independent, secular day school.”
A Strategic Plan By year three, K L H T had devel oped a new strategic plan, building on the goals and objectives of 1988. The Plan had ten goals to be accomplished by the end of the ’90s: 1. Growth • The size of the school was targeted for 565 students, about 25% growth. Ideal distribution was considered to be Lower School (PreK-5) 250, Middle School (Grades 6-8) 135, Upper School (Grades 9-12) 180. Small class size remained a priority. 2. Faculty compensation • K L H T planned to compensate its faculty, administration, and staff at a level that would place them in the top quarter o f the Fairchester Schools. 3. Space utilization • 1 he increased space needs o f the Lower and Middle School grades would be met in the most educationally and cost-efficient
7. Increase financial strength • Methods would include: tuition growth commensurate with infla tion; increased non-tuition in come, i.e., the Annual Fund and property rentals; initiation of a capital campaign; and maximum use o f the school’s land assets. 8. Science and computer programs and facilities to be upgraded • Strategies would include a new Science curriculum, a Lower School computer room, a C D -R O M for each library, and 12-14 new computers in the Upper School. 9. Coordination o f Academics across divisions • The educational program would be coordinated fully among the three divisions. 10. Planning for Sue Cesare’s future retirement • Planning would begin for a transition to new leadership in the Head’s position, whenever
way. Strategies to be used would
Cesare retired, with a goal toward
include relocation o f certain
accomplishing the change in a
grades and/or renovation of
well-planned, effective manner.
current space. 4. Administrative offices consolidation
A Burgeoning Campus Work began in 1991 on one o f the
• Lite admission, business, and
earliest objectives in the consolidation
development offices would be
era —general renovation. The small
consolidated in the Simon House.
gym and the weight room on the old
5. Faculty housing
King campus were turned into an Arts
• Faculty housing would be
center with two Art rooms, one Music
increased with the house on the
room, and a Ceramics room.
old Low-Heywood campus. The
In 1993-94 a second round o f work
red house on the King campus
was undertaken. The Simon House
will be used for a faculty couple.
was given new siding and fresh paint
6. Capital Expenditure Plan
from pillars to shutters to porches and
• The four-year Capital
railings. The Walker House, the venue
Expenditure Plan would be
for commencement activities, was also
finalized, adopted, and
refurbished, with a new roof, a new
implemented.
porch, and new paint. The Upper
School hallways were given new
it was okay to give away money to fill
carpeting and painted, the hallway
the seats because we needed the
was brightened, and volunteers built
critical mass.
a state-of-the-art playground for the Lower School campus.
“ That became a mantra o f ours for a long time, back in our weak days in
Finally, in 1995-96, the Middle
the late ’80s, early ’90s. And it worked!
School was provided its own entrance
It worked! The critical mass just helps
and an addition. The Lower School
the success o f the students. We got
enjoyed expanded classrooms, includ
teachers who saw that things are going
ing a new computer and Science lab.
well and the reputation grew, and the
The Upper School saw the addition
success just kind o f fed on itself.”
o f an up-to-date, fully equipped com puter lab, which was located adjacent to the fully automated library.
Thanks to leadership from people like Bahna, in the 1992 Annual Report Board President George Reilly reported that “the school remains financially
Advancement/Finances In 1988, K L H T was hardly a well-
sound with a strong endowment but is under some stress as a result of
oiled financial machine. “ The focus of
continuing mandatory capital im
the school at the time was never major
provements, the increasing cost o f
fundraising or friend-raising,” said
employee benefits, and a soft market
Libby Mattson. “ I think there was so
in certain
much going on that it was more o f a
grades. A
social thing ... go to a few events, have
$150,000 gift
a few meetings . . . ”
establishing
Social or not, the Annual Fund was
the Joan
showing solid support, exceeding the
Gillespie
goal for 1990-91 with a record 77%
Scholarship
o f parents making a gift, the high
Fund was
est in either King or Low-Heywood
an especially
Thomas history. In recognition o f the
welcome ad
need to get serious about fundraising,
dition to the
a million-dollar campaign, chaired by
endowment.
Trustees Ann Thom and Steve
® y June
Stavrides, was begun.
3 0 ,1995. $913,000 had been raised. This fund
Part o f the reason for both the success and the ambition lay with
raising effort is truly remarkable since
committed and able volunteers, people
it has been accomplished strictly by
like parent Ralph Bahna and King
volunteers . . . ”
Trustee Dom Gautrau. “ I had so much
Much o f the giving in 1994-95
confidence in them that I just left it
was centered around designating the
in their hands,” said Cesare. ‘ Ralph
school year “the Year o f the Faculty.”
especially was a very creative presence.
Numerous professional development
For instance, he was an airline execu
workshops and activities were offered,
tive, and he said, ‘Look, the airlines
and the school received a $50,000
discount tickets to fill the seats. We
matching grant from the E. E. Ford
need to do the same thing.’ He said
Foundation to be used to advance the
Karin Wagner teaching French
Manna fro m ... a Cell Tower Immediately after the consolidation there were more rather than fewer financial stresses, because some of the physical plant issues at King could no longer be deferred. "Financially we were struggling,"said Board Chair Peter Browne. "There is only so much you can get in from tuition, and we had to stay competitive. It wasn't covering our costs, so we were at the point where we were using deposits to take care of existing debts. That caused a lot of sleepless nights. "We were looking for some angel, and we didn't have any. We even went to Carly Simon to see if she would put money into the school." Another problem involved a low-lying area on the northernmost part of the Low-Heywood part of the property. The only thing on it was an old tower. "That area of the school had been a problem," said former Low-Heywood Chair and KLHT Vice Chair Bob Phillips, "We had potential lawsuits with neighbors because of water runoff." "We couldn't build anything down there or do anything else because it was all declared wetlands," said Browne. Amazingly, thanks to Board member Ralph Bahna, each problem became the solution for the other. "Ralph called me,"said Browne, "and said,'Peter, I don't know if you are reading the paper, but Southern New England Telephone (SNET) is planning
to put a radio tower in up here along the parkway, and it is striking fear into Greenwich. "So I said, 'W hoa. .. we've got a tower. It's sitting right there. If you go down the Merritt Parkway, you can see the thing. "'Exactly,'said Bahna. "So the two of us went to SNET headquarters in New York and said, 'We have your problem solved. We have a tower sitting here.' They wouldn't have to go through any zoning or anything. They could just put their equipment on top of the tower. "We knew huge sums of money were being spent on cells up and down - in this area particularly, where you aren't going to get anybody to do anything, as evidenced by Greenwich - so Ralph and I told them we wanted a million dollars for the property. Three weeks later it was done. "Seven acres we sold. I'll never forget this. I have the closing statements on this, and all we had there was some debt, and there were a couple of bankers lined up and wanting to get paid, and it was all done." "It was a saving grace for the school," said George Reilly, Browne's successor as Board Chair. "We paid off the debt we had with one fell swoop. It was a brilliant strategy, and a complete fluke."
technological education o f the Upper
format in Grade 6 and sought to
School faculty.
expand it.
By 1995, alumni involvement had
• A third section o f Kindergarten
been revived to the point that the
and beginning program for
Alumni Association, languishing in
three-year-olds was instituted
recent years at both schools, was
in 1991.
reborn under the leadership of
• In the Language Department,
co-presidents Tina Hatchl, L H T ’84
Spanish began to experience
and Richard A. Sarner, King ’73.
some growth while French began
The worry about low enrollments
to decline, mirroring national
and empty coffers was receding
demographic trends. German,
quickly.
Italian, and Mandarin Chinese also enjoyed some modest
Core Tasks: School Life and Academic Focus on the Individual The post-consolidation curriculum was largely unchanged, a function primarily of energy and resources going into other things. Still, there were notable milestones: • In 1990-91 the Middle School staff implemented a very successful interdisciplinary
popularity. The deep commitment to the individual that Tom Main noticed upon his arrival in 1983 was not an accident, but the result o f both programs and dedicated teachers. After the consolidation, “the School made a big effort to accommodate learn ing differences, partly as an economic exercise, to fill some seats, partly because it was consistent with our
sophisticated view o f education,” said
teams were undefeated; the Upper
Ed Cesare. “ Learning differences were
School basketball team qualified for
emerging as a field and a phenome
the playoffs; and the Upper School
non. We could do something for these
girls volleyball teams placed first in the
kids, who were very able, very bright
Fairchester League. In 1994-95 the girls
but needed additional assistance.”
won their fourth straight Fairchester
As a result, the School set up the 02
Athletic Association softball champi
Program, which targeted kids who
onship. Most noticeably, in 1992 the
needed a different approach. “ I bought
Upper School boys football team had
into the philosophy that there were
a 7-1 record, improving from 1-7 just
kids with learning disabilities who had
three years before, and the next fall,
every bit as strong an aptitude as other
1993, they beat Brunswick for the first
kids, but you had to approach them
time in 25 years. Clearly, K L H T was
with different techniques,” said
starting to gain the athletic reputation
Daniel Hudson.
to which King had aspired for so long.
These programs were soon discon
A new honor code made a stir in
tinued in service to a general and more
1995 when it was distributed among
far-reaching philosophy o f recognizing
students for their signature. It was not
that every student in every division o f
met with universal approval from the
the School and in all areas o f academic
surprised students, and months later
performance had a special makeup, a
an editorial appeared in the Chronicle
preferred way o f learning, and other
titled “The Honor Code Is Dead.”
unique characteristics. “What kind o f
“The honor code,” the article said,
came out o f that,” said faculty member
“created much discussion among the
Libby Mattson, “was the idea that
student body. The perception o f the
everybody has a different brain and
honor code seems to be that it is an
sees things differently, so we were
extension o f the disciplinary system.”
really serving every child.” Over the
The primary complaint was that it had
next 30 years it became the hallmark
been fashioned by a small committee
o f K L H T to seek to personalize educa
o f students and administrators over
tion in increasingly sophisticated ways.
the summer. “ It should be decided by the students,” wrote the editorialist.
School Life There was, o f course, a great deal
“ Not the administration. Not the fac ulty. Not a small part o f the Student
going on at K L H T independent of
Council. But the whole student body.
consolidation and curriculum. While
After all, the whole student body was
trying to find its proper place at
asked to sign the code, and it is they
K LH T, athletic fortunes, at least on
who must abide by it.”
the competitive front, made some strides in the years after consolidation. Ice hockey was reinstated as a varsity
This was a dialogue that would continue. The dress code was another point
sport in the winter o f 1991. Two years
o f discussion between the students
later, 1992-93 represented a particularly
and the administration. “ K L H T is a
stellar year in athletics: the Middle
place where one can express his or her
School boys football and basketball
‘identity,’” opined another article in
Students enjoyed the new branding.
the 1992 Chronicle. “At least so it says
For instance, the Earth Day celebra
in the brochures that K L H T gives to
tion was an extension o f the old P.Y.E.
prospective parents. The only problem
Club at Thomas, and represented the
is that it is not so. At K LH T, students
clear foundation to the themes o f envi
are required to abide by a dress code
ronmental responsibility, conservation,
on a daily basis and a uniform on cer
and sustainability present at King in
tain days deemed appropriate. Is there
2015. The Chronicle reported,
a problem with this? I say there is. By
Students from Thomas School
having a dress code, K L H T is simply
in Rowayton played a major role in
endorsing conformity and dependence
the first Earth Day through their
upon regulations, not diversity and
participation in the P.Y.E. (Protect
independence.”
Your Environment) Club. The
Three years later, in 1995, the argu
P.Y.E. Club networked with many
ment had not changed. “The results of
others across the nation in prepara
an informal poll of ten males and ten
tion for Earth Day 1970.
females, both teachers and students,
Twenty years later, the Thomas
revealed that all 20 thought that the
School’s P.Y.E. Club’s modern
dress code favored girls. They also feel
counterpart, the K L H T Environ
that in the past two years the problem
mental Club, has helped the school
has not been solved. Therefore, one
remain true to its heritage through
must wonder if the dress code is too
its involvement in Earth Day 1990
strict for the boys.” This was another discussion that wotdd continue. Extracurricular activities abounded. Despite some blowback from athlet ics coaches, Drama and Music, still buttressed by faculty like Boo Forster, Cathy Mishkin, and Ann Ostrow, re mained particularly strong, with major productions such as The Wizard o f Oz and Little Shop o f Horrors. Daniel Hudson thought the activity was at least, in part, a function o f the consoli dated schools. “When the consolida tion came, the good thing from my point o f view was that things opened
Longtime faculty member D an iel Hudson assumed the role o f H ead o f Upper School after consolidation.
up for activities other than athlet ics, particularly Drama and Music.
and Earth Week. In fact, the Envi
The boys wanted that, too.” Hudson
ronmental Club has been working
implied, in other words, that much
since the beginning o f the year
o f the early “competition” between
on various projects to increase the
athletics and the arts happened more
awareness o f students in matters
on the faculty than the student level.
such as wildlife preservation, pollu
There were many special events.
tion, and recycling. Throughout
the hallways o f K LH T, many o f
early 1990s. As
their posters hang as constant
the new
reminders o f our duty towards our
K L H T gained
planet. They have sold T-shirts
its footing,
with the original Earth Day logo
initiatives to
created by the Thomas School
foster further
students in 1970. The efforts o f the
economic,
Environmental Club highlighted
racial, and
Earth Week. However, involve
ethnic diver
ment in Earth Week celebration at
sity began to
the school was not limited to the
multiply. For
Environmental Club. All students
instance, in
attended lectures by speakers from
1996, the Mark
organizations such as the Long
D. Spitzer
Island Sound Task Force, Sierra
Family Foundation gave a $30,000
Club, and the recycling authority,
gift “to preserve and foster racial
among others.
and cultural diversity at K L H T and
The Renaissance Festival, held in November o f 1995, was another example o f a special schoolwide event. This one “brought the entire school community together for a day-long celebration o f arts and entertainment. Having expressed her desire to visit the tiny hamlet o f Newfield, Queen Elizabeth I (aka Sue Cesare) led a colorful procession to the North Campus gymnasium to open the festival. Faculty and students from all divisions portrayed royalty, bishops, townspeople, artists, poets, jesters, jousters, and entertainers.”
Looking Ahead: A Growing Focus on Diversity A diverse student body, something that Sue Cesare identified as a primary initiative for her administration at Low-Heywood in 1972 and that Admission Director Paul C. Draper at King made a focus o f his admis sion policies, became one o f the great themes beginning to emerge in the
especially in the Lower School. ... The mission o f the Friends Scholarship is to provide scholarship funds for academically qualified, need-based minority children in the first, second, and third grades o f King and LowHeywood Thomas School.” In a report that underscored the wisdom o f creating one school out o f two, four years after the consolidation, an outside evaluation committee com mended K L H T for its diversity. It also recognized with favor the initiation o f Spanish, and praised Art, Ethics, Interdisciplinary Studies, Athletics and Physical Education, and college counseling. (Both Arts and Athletics made the grade!) Kudos aside, the committee pro posed K L H T pay continued attention to increasing the use o f state-of-the-art technology throughout the school, clarifying and communicating the school’s mission to all constituents, and building community among its “very heterogeneous population.”
Cathy M ishkin
Sue Cesare Says Goodbye
Growing Enrollment at KLHT
Some of the faculty de
1991-92:465
partures during the era came
• from 14 countries
not through discomfort with
1993 - 94 : 517 1994 - 95:561 1995 96:605
coeducation but simply a de sire to retire or pursue other professional opportunities. For instance, Judy Holding,
• 334 boys and 271 girls • 18 foreign countries • 23 New York and Connecticut towns
the beloved teacher who had picked up Sue Cesare’s Ethics class, departed in the mid-
The last graduates in the Sue Cesare administration
1970s for other pursuits. Inside the administra tion, Daniel Hudson assumed the title
said, “there was a nice relationship - a
of Head o f the entire Upper School
culture that was okay. A lot o f the
a year after consolidation, while his
people that I had hired and the faculty
colleague, Cathy Mishkin, who had
that stayed got along and merged
been Upper School Head o f the Low-
beautifully together.”
Heywood Thomas campus, shifted to Dean o f Students. The next year Hud
career and decades o f wise leadership,
son happily stepped down to return to
on June 1, 1996, K L H T hosted “ Super
teaching, relinquishing his administra
Suesday,” the name taken o f course
tive duties to Bill Simon.
from the Super Tuesday presidential
The biggest change would come
7
In celebration o f her distinguished
primary elections held nationally a
at the end o f the 1995-96 school year,
couple o f months before. “Amazing
when Sue Cesare announced, not un
Sue” was sung to the tune o f “Amazing
expectedly, that she would be retiring.
Grace,” and other, similar musical
It would be the second major transi
adaptations were performed in a
tion in a decade for the school. The
tribute to Cesare’s life and career.
Search Committee, headed by Board
Farewells, presentations, honors,
member Karen Casey, engaged the
and awards filled an emotional,
ik.
services o f Educational Directions Incorporated to run a national jr ,
search to find her successor. As her retirement neared,
bittersweet evening. “ Sue Cesare was fabulous,” said Hudson. “ She knew how to handle the Board, knew how to handle the
I Sue Cesare could look back
community and the school. It was a
| on two worlds successfully
far better school when I left than when
J and artfully merged. Much
I came.”
else had transpired with advancement and the physical plant, athletic achievements, and hundreds o f students successfully
Similar accolades came, and would come from virtually everyone associated with the K L H T community. With them, however, came the startling
educated, but negotiating a tricky
realization that, from the autumn o f
consolidation was perhaps Cesare’s
1996 on, K L H T would have to steer
greatest legacy. “ By the time I left,” she
its course without Sue Cesare.
The In co m para ble Su e Cesare A Reluctant New Student During the early 1940s, a wiry little tomboy, Sue Rockwell, the daughter o f a N ew York businessman, was showing up all the boys in her public school classroom, on the football field, and even on weekends at the Broad River Bowling Alley. As she approached the end o f her fifth grade year in 1939, she anticipated attending Center Junior High in Norwalk, but her father, an outdoor advertising executive who wanted
'Ptr
her to be challenged by a more ambitious peer group, had other ideas. Harold Rockwell took little Sue-Sue, as she was known, to see the proper, white-haired Headmistress, Gertrude Merrill, o f the highly regarded day-boarding school, Low-Heywood, on Shippan Point. “ I had absolutely no part in the decision except to protest it,” Cesare remembered much later. “ It was an idea I considered socially life-threatening.
Sue Cesare was adm ired as a good administrator an d an inspiring leader.
By this time, I was making those faces and signs an 11-year-old girl is best at when she is disgusted with her parent, and Miss Merrill was clearly trying to take charge o f the interview. Finally, she got Daddy to stop reciting my attributes by saying that Low-Heywood didn’t have a football team in its physical culture
You weren't allowed to smoke at all, but they wanted
program, but perhaps, if I should be accepted, I’d like field hockey. “ I was impossible, just impossible, in the interview,” said Cesare. “ While it was one o f the most traumatic experiences o f my life, I would not trade it, for I know it has enabled me to empathize with every young child
“Dad said, ‘You will get an excellent education,’
who has gone through the admission interview with an
which was a subject that wasn’t even on my mind. M y
exceptionally doting parent. I was accepted, but little
father proceeded to tell Miss Merrill what a wonderful
did I know what a family affair was on the way.”
daughter he had, spread out my elementary school
Sue Rockwell, later to be known as Sue Cesare, had
report cards all over the desk, and then - mind you,
begun the Low-Heywood odyssey she would continue
neither Miss Merrill nor I had said a word yet - he
her entire working life, and then some.
pulled a newspaper headline from the N orwalk Hour out o f his pocket and proudly opened it up for Miss Merrill to read. It was describing the fact that I, as a
Teacher After graduating from Connecticut College, Rock
Brownie, had played on the local Cub Scout football
well, a member o f the “Great 8 o f ’48” class, returned
team and had happened to catch a game-winning pass.
to Low-Heywood to teach in 1952. “Ann Herrick and I
started the Ethics course,” she said. “ I was very
next 17 years, she would drive that program, occasion
interested in it. It was a required course.”
ally against the headwinds o f some stubborn faculty or
Judy Kleinhans Holding ’ 58 loved the course. “ Sue’s
parents who did not share her vision.
Ethics class was fabulous. She was going to Union
In 1975, with her good friend Jean Harris, Headmis
Theological Seminary while she was teaching, and she
tress o f the Thomas School, Cesare crafted a merger
would try out her ideas on us. C. S. Lewis’ book
between the two institutions and then worked
M ere Christianity made a big impression on me.”
diligently to merge the differing cultures.
“ I think Sue was the most outstanding teacher I
In addition to these activities, for the next two
had,” said Jane Flounders ’ 54. But there was “a slight
decades she worked with visionary leaders o f the Board
challenge for her in that half o f my class remembered
to set long-range plans, craft master plans for the
her as Sue-Sue, when they were in Lower and Middle
physical plant, bolster the Annual Fund, and initiate
School and she was in the Upper School. But she
ambitious capital campaigns.
was wonderful.”
Those administrative functions were essentially sidelines, as Cesare’s primary focus was always on the
Head o f School In 1971, after 19 years o f teaching numerous classes,
day-to-day management o f the school and ensuring the most effective academic experience for the students.
coaching most sports, and holding about every admin
“Anything that was going on in the world o f education
istrative position in the school, from department head
for women in those years, ’75 to ’95,” said her longtime
to Dean o f Students, Sue Cesare, also by that time a
lieutenant, Karen Peterson, “ Sue had her finger on the
King parent, was named Headmistress o f Low-
pulse o f it.”
Heywood. Although a national search had been held, it was one o f the most foregone conclusions o f any deci sion in school history, as she was universally respected, admired, and liked, and seemed perfect for the posi tion. “ I really wanted it,” she said with characteristic honesty and straightforwardness. At her installation she laid out more o f a vision than a set o f objectives that described her wish to produce students who would attend college, serve as “formative elements” in their communities, and maintain a currency with women’s “traditional roles” as wives and mothers. For the School, she outlined a vision o f diversity that was ahead o f its time and served as a stake in the ground for that all-important aspect o f the
Sue (Rockwell) Cesare's Ethics Course "I used C. S. Lewis' Mere Christianity as a primary text," said Cesare. "The Bible and comparative religions were part of my course, but we named it Ethics, not religion, to be politically safe. Freshmen also had a course in the Bible, and the juniors had a course in comparative religions. "I was not hugely successful when I first started," she opined - a modest assessment with which many would disagree. "The Bible was stolen from the library as soon as I gave some assignments in it. You'd think they'd have had one at home!" In her first 11 years, before a two-year hiatus, Cesare also taught English and Latin, and coached field hockey, basketball, and softball.
School’s future. i
Very soon after she became Head, Cesare set to work with John Vance and Gardiner Dodd, the heads
The inevitable consolidation o f King and Low-
o f King, to essentially invent the concept o f coordina
Heywood Thomas occurred in 1988, in the 17th year
tion, and then to oversee its execution. “The value
o f her administration, and, just as when she was made
o f the program from my view as Head o f the girls’
head o f LH T, it was a foregone conclusion that Cesare
school,” she said, “was that it improved the student
would serve as head o f the combined schools. “ It
experience. It provided a broader range o f courses and
wouldn’t happen if Sue wasn’t the Head,” said L H T
activities from which students could choose.” For the
Board Chair Peter Browne.
The feeling was mutual from the other side o f the wall. “ I had personally thought that Sue was a superior manager and educator,” said King Chair Bob Phillips. “This was well before you had women as Heads o f
^
_
schools, but it was self-evident that Sue should be Head o f School.” When the consolidation finally happened, the Board legislated larger policies and
— _ ^ «■— •
guidelines, but it was Cesare who made the hard decisions as to personnel and other matters o f great day-to-day import to students. Phillips voiced the confidence o f everyone. “This
Sue Cesare was lbeloved as a frie n d to both students Sue Cesare was a nddfaculty. faculty. an
thing is going to work because we have somebody who is going to stand up and say,
Board through the administration, acknowledges
‘Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it. And that is just
the inestimable value o f her quiet, behind-the-scenes
what she did.”
counsel and advice, which is always available, but never
“As a result primarily because o f Sue, King & LowHeywood Thomas was a greater educational program [than either one individually],” said Peter Browne. When Sue Cesare retired in 1996, she was honored with a special day, “ Super Suesday, that was recognized
offered unless it has been requested. “ I adore that woman,” said former Academic Dean Karin Wagner, echoing virtually every person connected with the School. An “extraordinary coach and teacher, skilled
far beyond the confines o f the campus. And it is no
administrator, diplomat o f all diplomats, in the
coincidence that the School went through its darkest
words o f Peterson.
days - perhaps its only seriously dark days in recent
An educator through and through, a person o f
history —in the years after her departure. But Cesare
integrity, and a wise and trusted friend to many, Sue
has remained a presence on campus for two decades
Cesare is as much a founder as Mrs. Richardson,
since her retirement, and current leadership, from the
Hiram King, or Mabel Thomas.
Chapter Fourteen
A C ollision ofCulturesy 1996-2001 In the fall o f 1995, King & Low-
decided on Paul Beresford-Hill, we
Heywood Thomas had every reason
knew we were taking a chance.
to be optimistic. Though Sue Cesare
It would be a whole different
would be departing at the end o f the
style: British.”
school year, the lion’s share o f the
An Oxford-educated member
challenges related to the consolida
o f Order o f the British Empire,
tion was in the past. The School was
Beresford-Hill had had a long back
financially healthy, and top students
ground in education, including a
were flocking to get in. The physi
14-year tenure as Head of the Anglo-
cal plant was in the process o f being
American International School in New
restored and improved, and a stellar
York City. He was also pursuing his
group o f savvy, skilled, and connected
PhD in Education at Columbia
volunteers was developing ambitious
University, a degree he would earn
long-range plans. And the athletic
about the same time he began his
teams were winning.
work at KLHT. In his greeting to the community,
New Leadership Ever since Sue Cesare had an
Beresford-Hill hit all the right notes, noting first the “ethnic and cultural
nounced her intention to retire at the
diversity o f our city o f Stamford and
end o f the 1995-96 school year, the
its surrounding communities.” Next
search committee had been hard at
he began to detail his commitments,
work looking for her replacement. “ I
starting with, “ I pledge myself to sup
think they wanted someone entirely
porting an already outstanding athletic
different, as is often the case following
program and to ensuring that our
a long-tenured leader,” she observed.
performing and fine arts opportunities
If they did, they succeeded. “We
reflect the needs and the talents o f our
had a long and excellent process run
student body - all o f whom are gifted
by our Trusteeship Committee, said
and talented. I pledge myself,” the new
George Reilly. “ We were not all that
Head went on, “to continue and build
solid, but we were out o f economic
on the exciting technology programs
trouble and doing fine.
bringing K L H T into the wider com
“ We had a number o f good candi dates, and 1 recall that when we finally
munity o f global education.” Finally, Beresford-Hill pledged himself “to
H ead o f School Barbara Smith provided a steady, calm ing hand after a brief, turbulent period.
providing our students
educational and informational
with the knowledge
opportunities.”
and capacity to
Plans also called lor the laptop
accept, understand,
program to “encompass all students
and deal with the
in Grades 3-12,” by the year 2000.
greater cultural and
“The classroom, therefore, can move
economic diversity
with the children; their work and
of our planet, and
assignments, on disks or C D -R O M s,
. . .t o preserving and
can be completed at school, at home,
enhancing our sense
on trips, even under the shade of the
ol total community.”
trees that ring the Simon House.”
A tall order, and
The plan also included, o f course,
one that, unfortu
access to the Internet, a new intranet,
nately, fate would
and a website —all of which came to
not allow him time
fruition around the turn of the cen
to realize.
tury as planned. Like the rest o f the world, K L H T was online and digital.
Technology Intent on bring
Im proving technology in the classroom was the new Headm aster’sfirst priority,
“ Hill turned us into a laptop school,” said Bill Pusack. “ I think we were in
ing K L H T into the
the second wave of being a laptop
soon-to-dawn 21st
school. We went to lots o f conferences
century, Beresford-Hill
and got every kid a laptop.”
immediately, in the fall o f 1997, formed a
Communications Council that visited
KLHT: Athletic Power Beresford-Hill’s arrival roughly
other schools, researched the literature
coincided with K L H T ’s rise to athletic
on new technologies in education, and
prominence. While there had been
watched informative videos. In a pilot
high points, sustained athletic glory
project in the spring o f 1997, Grade 6
had in fact been scarce in King’s 100-
students were given the latest Apple
plus years. Low-Heywood Thomas
laptop technology, the eMate 300, to
had fielded some decent basketball
use in the classroom. According to the
and field hockey teams early on, the
K L H T News, the students “put the
1959 King football team had been
computers through their paces, taking
undefeated, and Evald Olson once
notes, doing homework, transfer
coached King’s baseball team to 19
ring notes to classmates, and making
straight wins, but there had never been
pictures, shapes, and stamps.”
a period o f sustained dominance or a
As the Grade 6 students were
dynasty o f any kind. Now, however,
trying out the computers, the Com
a strong sports program held its own
munications Council was working on
on a number o f fields and courts,
a more extensive strategic technology
including a girls' softball team that was
plan. One insight, as presented in the
putting together a string o f unde
K L H T News, involved “turning the
feated seasons. The football team in
locus away from technology as an end
particular had showed its promise in
and realigning it as a means to better
1993 when it beat Brunswick for the
The'96 Football Champions The 1996 football team that won two titles quickly achieved legendary status in King sports annals. Future NFL player Billy Dee Greenwood was a mainstay of the team. "They would go, man in motion, Billy up the middle," said one fan. "Every play was Billy up the middle, behind this 300-pound guy. They were the sweetest kids and polite, but boy, put them in a football situation and put a helmet on them, and they would just go after people."
Thefootball team was a powerhouse in 199$, steaming to an undefeated season and two different championships. first time since 1969, a team on which
Pete Orio, Mike Wright, Bob
Je ff Donahue, uncle o f Rory ’97, had
Edwards, and Mike Blackston. We
been the fullback. Before that 1993
were well coached.” The team also had
win, members o f Je ff’s 1969 team had
immense talent in future N FL player
written a letter o f encouragement that
Billy Dee Greenwood, who played
Coach Orio had read in the locker
at Northwestern; Jesse Simms, Jackie
room prior to the game.
Robinson’s grandson, who went to
“We were the same core group
U CLA ; and Peter Karayiannis, who
that had played together since Middle
played at Wesleyan; and others who
School,” said Rory. “ In our junior year,
went on to play at college. These
1995, we were very talented, but we
four were supported by a cadre of top
had a few injuries, and we ended up
athletes like Donahue, who went on to
losing the championship to Bruns
play Division I lacrosse at Syracuse.
wick. They rolled over us. “ Going into our senior year, we’d
Though he benefitted from a group with outstanding talent, Orio was
only graduated two seniors. We were
clearly the author o f the success. “ He
basically the same team, and we had a
made a lot o f kids want to do the right
chip on our shoulder, because Bruns
thing,” said Donahue. “ He understood
wick had embarrassed us the year be
the kids. He walked the fine line be
fore. The ’96 team beat Brunswick to
tween firm and fair. People looked up
win the league title, and then Concord
to him. He was almost a father figure.
Academy for the New England private
A great guy.” Indeed, Orio inspired
school title. King was a powerhouse
almost cult-like admiration from his
for the first time.
team and others in the community - a
“ Our coaches were tremendous,” said Rory Donahue. “ Coach Al Orio,
circumstance that would turn out to be a mixed blessing.
The International Baccalaureate Proposed at K LH T Back in the classroom, while every one understood and appreciated the need for new technologies, the vision for an International Baccalaureate Bereslord-Hill brought to King was less widely understood or supported. The IB, as it is known colloquially, is advertised as an especially rigorous program, international in its out look, run by a private organization in hundreds o f schools throughout the world. IB ’s own literature says it “works with schools, governments, and international organizations to develop challenging programmes ol international education and rigor ous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate, and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.” The International Baccalaureate would have been innovative at KLHT, and a case could easily have been made —indeed, Beresford-Hill made it re peatedly —that it represented “the next level” to which Reilly and many others aspired for the school as a whole when they hired Beresford-Hill. The new Head tried not to move
too fast. “ I have ... requested the faculty to explore the option o f introducing the Baccalaureate at a later stage if, in their opinion, it has value and merit within the context o f K LH T ,” he announced shortly after taking office. Calling it an “ increased opportunity for all students to be challenged by academic excellence,” he went on to explain his rationale for encouraging its introduction at K LH T: By setting ourselves a higher standard o f excellence, we make a statement about what and who we are, and ensure that when college admission officers look at a K L H T transcript they will see that our students rise to the challenge and avail themselves o f an enriched curriculum. The iB program represents but one option to expand our curricular horizons, and while it may differ in some ways from other enrich ment programs, it has something in common with all o f them — it provides an opportunity for students to be stretched a little further, push themselves intel lectually, and reach for the gold o f academic excellence. Isn’t that the hallmark o f a great school?
The International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate involved a variety of academic and social programs based on the understanding that students would increasingly need a global perspective. Developed by a private foundation in England in 1968, the IB, as it was popularly known, was offered through schools that applied to deliver its programs. In addition to independent study, the curriculum involved subjects such as theory of knowledge; language and literature; language acquisition; individuals and societies; Sciences; Mathematics; the Arts; and community service. Often taught with an international perspective, the IB to some extent supplanted a school's original curriculum and was understood by some, as a result of its rigor, to potentially overwhelm other aspects of a school such as athletics. "The IB program represents. .. one option to expand our curricular horizons," said Beresford-Hill.
3
leu
The ADVOCATE TUESDAY, APRIL 3 0 .1 9 9 6
SERVING THE C OM M UNITY SINCE 1829
New KLHT head plans to accent diversity By Stacy Shelton Staff Writer Don’t be surprised if one day soon cricket is played on the grounds of King & LowHeywood Thomas School on Ncwfield Avenue. Paul Bcrcsford-Hill, the school’s new head master, is an Oxford-educated Irishman who loves the centuries-old British sport. But at a visit to the school yesterday, Bcrcsford-Hill. in his proper English accent, talked more about the academic pursuits of the school’s 610 students than their athletic futures. Beresford-Hill, whose name is a combina tion of his mother’s and father’s family names, was chosen by the school’s board of trustees last December. On July 1, he will officially succeed Elizabeth “Sue” Cesarc, who has headed the school for 25 years and is a 1948 graduate of Low-Hcywood
The new headmaster was chosen after a six month national search that included more than 100 candidates. Beresford-Hill, 46, is currently working on a doctorate at Columbia University, and is also teaching a course on comparative educational reform in conjunction with the London University Institute of Education. George Reilly, the president of KLHT’s board of trustees, said, "I think the most important thing we see in Paul is a breadth of experience in both education and business, both in our region and internationally, that are quite unique. We have a student body that has great diversity of ethnic origin, and we’re very interested in a global perspective.” Beresford-Hill said he hopes to increase that perspective and attract students from Fairfield County’s international community. Students need to leam about other perspectives, he said, “so they don’t have the feeling of insulated
KLHT
superiority." Beresford-Hill has his own considerable international experiences to draw from. In 1992, while working on a research fel lowship at Oxford University in England, Beresford-Hill was on a European Union com mission that tackled the issue of preparing schools in Eastern Europe for their new-found democracy. The commission focused on train ing teachers and developed a blueprint of ideas and contacts. As part of the commission, Beresford-Hill traveled to Hungary, Poland and the former Czechoslovakia, and is writing a book on his experiences with colleagues at Oxford. He is also finishing a book on partnerships in American public education, the subject of his doctoral dissertation. KLHT will be Beresford-Hill’s second headmastership. He first served, at age 25, at the Please turn to KLHT, Page A5
Continued from Page A3 Anglo-American School in New York City, where he stayed for 15 years. “When 1 think about it now, I get goosebumps,” said BeresfordHill, who 20 years later still car ries a youthful air and boyish fea tures. “It was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life, to be so young and to be given so much responsibility." He got a chance to view life from the other side of academia when he returned to New York several years ago to work for an outplacem ent company that retrained downsized employees.
No one would argue with the latter question, but not all were willing to pay a price they began to feel, rightly or wrongly, would fall on the Athletic Department in the form of a loss of emphasis on sports, just at the time that athletics were enjoying their first real success in the history o f the school. “ I can remember Paul giving his
initial dissertation/speech to the faculty, which I attended,” said Reilly. “ I can remember one teacher walk ing with me out o f the meeting and saying, ‘Are you buying all this?’ He was hearing something different than what 1 was hearing, or hearing it more explicitly. He was hearing that athlet ics was going to take a backseat. 1 he thinking among some people was that the IB would take the place o f or diminish athletics.
Tom Ryan/Staff photo Paul Beresford-Hill, the Incoming headmaster of King & LowHeywood Thomas School, pauses on the school grounds in Stamford yesterday.
“It taught me an awful lot He plans to move to Stamford about what it takes to survive in with his wife, Kathryn, who runs the economy of the . . . 21st cen a home-based financial manage ment business, and their two tury,” Beresford-Hill said. He also considered posts in the sons, a sophomore at Rye Far East, Switzerland and Atlanta Country Day School and a before accepting the headmaster- kindergartner Both boys will ship at KLHT in December. He enroll at KLHT in the fall. Beresford-Hill’s plans for the said he was persuaded on a trip to the school last fall, when the future do not include a massive grounds were “a glorious New push to increase enrollm ent, since there is a waiting list at England color.” level, even with “I fell in love with the place," every grade tuitions ranging from Beresford-Hill said. “Everyone I annual $6,890 in the lower grades to met was so incredibly welcom $13,200 in the high school. ing.”
Instead, he said he wants to focus his efforts on giving teach ers the opportunity to develop their interests and' talents. Beresford-Hill said he also would "like to see the arts grow" and increase KLHT’s involvement in the Stamford community, includ ing the public schools.
In response to a question about this very issue - and he was asked many Beresford-Hill stated, “ [The IB] may mean that more students will go for college credit and will have to balance the demands o f the school’s academic well, as so many already do. Others
D uring the controversy, academics never wavered as everyone's prim ary focus.
will have to make choices. I cannot see anything wrong with that.” Throughout 1997, spring, summer,
The animosity was further stoked because both Beresford-Hill and Orio, as symbols of these competing
and fall, a spirited discussion over the
philosophies, were polarizing figures in
IB, particularly in terms o f the effect it
terms o f personality and style. Many,
would have on the athletics program,
like Libby Mattson, thought the new
evolved into a disagreement, and then
Head o f School was “a brilliant guy”
a heated argument. When popular
while others felt he did not have as
Athletic Director and football coach
good a rapport with the kids as they
A 1 Orio
became the face and leader o f
had hoped he would. Orio, on the
the opposition to the IB, people lined
other hand, inspired admiration, but
up behind one administrator or the
at the same time many felt frustration
other, and battle lines were unfortu
toward him for some o f his previous
nately drawn.
clashes with the Arts program. “The faculty was split [according to] which side o f the issue they were on,” said Karin Wagner. “ I sided with the Head o f School, and as a result there were some faculty members who would not talk to me anymore.” The divide cleaved deep into all areas o f the school, creating conflicts and divisions where none had existed before. Hard feelings abounded. “ It was brutal - literally brutal when it all blew up,” said Reilly. “A terrible, terrible time the school went through,” agreed Karin Wagner.
A sm iling Paul Beresford-H ill shortly after his appointment as H ead o f School
In truth, the conflict was not about
After months o f crippling disagree
individuals as much as it was about
ment and escalating hostility, a highly
competing educational philosophies.
charged meeting was held at the Ital
As such, it may have been inevitable,
ian Center, a club with a big banquet
a collision of institutional values that
hall next to the campus that K L H T
had been hardwired into the consoli
occasionally used for major functions.
dation in terms o f athletics versus the
“ It was packed,” said Libby Mattson,
Performing Arts. It might have been a
“and people were getting up and just
controversy that would have burned
protesting. It was bad. Was I worried
itself out, but there was a perfect
that the school would go under? No.
storm as Beresford-HilTs IB raised
Was I worried about the health o f the
the stakes on the academic side o f the
School? Absolutely.”
equation just as the athletics side was
As the argument bled into the
gaining prominence for the first time.
whole community, including students
But for the timing o f those two
and parents, the story eventually made
developments, the conflict o f 1997
its way into the local media, where
might have remained a simmering
headlines such as “ K LH T: Dysfunc
but manageable tension.
tional School” began to run, exposing
K L H T ’s dirty laundry beyond the
concerned about Beresford-
campus.
Hill’s leadership. “ He was a
At that point, there was a logi cal concern that the bad press would discourage applicants. Some people
nice guy, but a victim o f the situation,” said Mattson, “ He was a good educator,
may have stayed away, but others saw
a good man,” agreed
through the smoke. “ We were quite
Barbara Smith. “ It was just
aware o f how significant the damage
not the right time, and he
was that was taking place,” said pro
was not the right person for
spective parent Peter Reinemann, who
the transition.”
was looking at K L H T for his kids.
Over the holiday break
“ But it wasn’t affecting the kids on a
the Board reached that same
day-to-day basis. The teachers were
conclusion, and Smith was the
still terrific.” The concern o f many was
first to learn the news. “ One
that not everyone would be as clear
Sunday [Board President] John
eyed as the Reinemanns.
Raffaeli called me and said he and a
In the fall o f 1997, Beresford-Hill
couple o f the Board members wanted
did not renew Orio’s contract, effective
to come over to my house that after
at the end o f the school year. Because o f
noon. They proceeded to tell me that
Orio’s huge following, many families
Paul and the Board had discussed it,
made it clear they planned to leave.
and they wanted to know if I would
It became obvious at that point that
be Interim Head.
the enrollment, at least in the Up
“The first words out o f my mouth
per School, was about to take a hit.
were, ‘No, I won’t do it.’ I was happy
In short, Orio’s firing did not resolve
in and out o f classrooms. I didn’t want
anything. It only deepened the divides
the headache over what was happen
and the bitterness. At this point many
Like many faculty, Libby Mattson was distressed by the philosophical divide, but never worried about the health o f the School.
ing. After consideration and discus sion with my husband, I changed my mind, but I said the Board would have to support me on any decision I make about A 1 Orio. I told them that in all probability I would not rescind Paul’s decision not to renew Al’s contract. If Paul was going to go, A 1 needed to go.
Resignation and New Leadership In January Raffaeli wrote the alumni, parents o f alumni, and friends. “ I am saddened to inform
School life continued unabated through the discussions about the School’sfuture athletic and academic direction.
you,” he said, “that Dr. Paul
... the Head’s office was in the Upper
Beresford-Hill has resigned as
School building, and I could enter my
Headmaster o|- King & Low-Heywood
office through the hallway because it
Thomas School.” In a simultaneous statement to
used to be a classroom. I simply left the door open. O r I would leave my
the press, Dr. Beresford-Hill wrote, “ 1
office and walk through the school, sit
have always believed that schools are
in on classrooms, talk to people, and
about education and not individuals,
learn what was going on. I continued
and must have, as their primary focus,
to do that the second year after we
the process of learning and the welfare
moved my office to the Simon House,
of children. 1 hope my departure will
because we needed classroom space.”
permit the Board to focus on the goals
Five months later, John Raffaeli’s
o f the School, seek inspiration from
report at the end o f that year showed
the mission statement, and provide
a ship that was righting after a storm.
for stability and healing during this
He detailed:
difficult time.” Smith, a two-decade veteran of the school, was announced as Interim Head. Daniel Hudson, once again, took over her previous position as Head o f Upper School. Karin Wagner was appointed to run the day-to-day operation.
• A good year in college acceptances • Five National Merit Scholars in the senior class • A large number o f Johns Hopkins Scholars in the Middle School • Growth of the Board ofTrustees with the addition of K L H T parents Addie Jones, Bob Smith,
Calming the Waters Smith was a popular choice in a
Bob Slater, Am y Shelton; former Board Presidents Peter Browne
divided atmosphere, but not popular
and Bob Phillips; and former
enough to avoid some uncomfortable
Headmaster o f King and Greens
confrontations with people who did
Farms Academy Jim Coyle
not like the fact that she was following
• Annual Fund giving o f $440,634,
through on her predecessor’s decision
which exceeded the aggressive
to fire Orio. “ 1 received some rude
goal o f $400,000 and established
messages on my answering machine,”
a new record for the School
she reported. “That didn’t worry me
• The girls’ softball team, which
too much. We need to have the best
won its fourth consecutive
environment for the kids. I f some
Fairchester Girls’ Athletic
parents are unhappy, I can deal with
Association championship and
that. If the kids are unhappy, then
recorded its 42nd consecutive
I’m unhappy.”
win
Such incidents were the exception,
• Fhe hundreds who came to
not the rule, and by a wide margin.
express their love and support for
“ People saw that things were calm
the School at the January 9
ing down,” Smith said o f her first
meeting o f the Parents
months on the job. “ I had a good relationship with both the kids and the faculty. One o f the things I did
Association • A surge in random acts o f kindness throughout the school,
resulting in such important
been a good pairing in that
enhancements as more funding
situation, then the Board - and
for diversity scholarship and
Beresford-Hill h im self- had
needed improvements to our
acted quickly to rectify the
classrooms and fields
problem, and courageously in
That wasn’t even all the good news, as the A nnual Report trumpeted that Annual Fund and other monies would go toward: • Science equipment for labs • K L H T endowment • Multimedia equipment for Lower/Middle School libraries • The Friends Scholarship • Financial aid • Printers for the Middle School • Upper School library enhancements • A feasibility study prior to a capital campaign Karen Peterson put it in perspec
doing so in the very middle of the academic year. Some ani mosity from the schism would linger, but by June K L H T was on a healthy, positive course.
The Long-Range Plan At the end o f 1998-99, the term “ interim” was removed from Smith’s title. She was Head o f School without qualification. “ Hats o ff to Barbara,” said Cornelia Jones. “ She was a peacemaker. She brought us back to normal. That was a huge feather in her cap.” With Barbara Smith the official
tive. “ During those difficult years
Head o f School, new Board member
o f the ’90s when Sue retired and
Addie Jones, a search firm executive
things really changed and were being
and parent o f three K L H T students,
whipped around a lot, you had to
was now focused on the future. “That
maintain a cool head. You had to
18-month bump in the road cleared
maintain all o f the things that you had
the path for thinking about new
always remembered about the School
ideas,” she said. But she saw the
being good, and not get pulled into all
immediate challenges clearly. “ Getting
o f those issues that could make things
academics and programs stronger was
seem bad. We could have gone right
the goal, but how could we do this
down the tubes very quickly in the
with substandard labs and other facili
’90s if some good folks hadn’t
ties? It was not fair to the teachers.”
stepped up.” When the turbulent 1997-98 school
Since the end o f Cesare’s tenure, the Board had been attempting to
year was finally —blessedly —over,
answer the question by working on
Beresford-Hill, a good man with
a revised strategic plan and mission
admirably large ambitions, had been
statement. The process had involved
replaced after only a year and a half in
all 13 Board committees, the adminis
the Headmaster’s office by the calm,
tration, faculty, parents, alumni, and
competent Smith.
students. By Barbara Smith’s second
In retrospect, he and Orio were
year, several key initiatives had been
both victims o f larger cultural forces
identified in four areas: academic,
that were bound to collide. But if
faculty, diversity, and facilities.
Beresford-Hill and K L H T had not
Barbara Hartley Smith
Academic • Provide for academic enrichment
done,” he said. “ First, we had to
• Implement laptop technology in
create a development environment —a
the Lower, Middle, and Upper
philanthropic environment - and set
School classrooms
expectations in the right way. When a
• Expand library collection and research space Faculty • Increase salaries to be more competitive in our area • Enhance faculty development, including technology skills Diversity
The continued success o f the A n n u al Fu n d was instrum ental to the school’sfin a n cia l health in the early 2000s.
time three or four things had to be
• Strengthen the School’s commitment to maintain a diverse student body through
family got involved for the First time, they didn’t know the culture, had no hint o f the expectation that their tuition was the first o f many checks that were necessary to make the whole thing work. That culture didn’t exist at the time. The cultivation o f that expectation didn’t happen overnight and is still ongoing today. It’s a quantum-leap difference today.” There had been a debate among
Financial aid and outreach to the
the Board at that point, noted Addie
community
Jones. “ Should we continue to Fix
Facilities • Improve the condition o f the School’s athletic Fields • Upgrade the Science Facilities and labs
this and that? I wanted us to raise $6 million without changing the values or feel o f the school. That was my hope and my mantra. And indeed, we decided to go for the whole Middle School building.”
Big Initiatives in Advancement The answer to Jones’ question, and the Board’s question, about how to accomplish all this boiled down to
As that culture began to develop, things began to happen. In 2000, with a developing culture o f philanthropy, the Board launched
money. Peter Reinemann, the parent
the most ambitious fundraising
who had looked past the troubles o f
campaign in school history - Honor
several years earlier, was now on the
ing the Past, Securing the Future: A
Board and would be instrumental
Campaign for the Students o f K L H T
in the answer. “ I fell in love with the
— with the objective o f growing the
culture here. We appreciated the very
student body, the facilities, and the
warm, welcoming nature o f the teach
endowment. The Parents Association
ers and how much our kids were grow
had provided a generous kickstart in
ing. Maybe two years in, I began to
the fall o f 1999 with a $200,000 dona
volunteer. I was on the development
tion allocated to the renovation o f the
committee at that point and then par
auditorium. The curtains, seat cush
ent volunteer, trustee, and executive
ions, storage areas, scaffolding, sound
committee member. I think I had all
system, and sound and light booth
the roles - treasurer, head o f Finance,
were all updated, and new carpet was
head o f the development committee.”
installed. I he dining room was also
As President o f the Board, Reine mann was focused on development. “ In the development role at that
refurbished. At the official launch o f the campaign in 2001, Jones, who had
A Campaign for the Students of KLHT The Honoring the Past Campaign kicked off with a major dinner. Reported the KLHT Chronicle, "Amidst laughter and joyous celebration the KLHT community joined together at a gala kickoff on September 22 to officially launch the most ambitious fundraising initiative in the school's history. Comedian Jon Stewart, anchor on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, was guest master of ceremonies. "The plans for our school were announced by Addie Jones, Chairman of Honoring the Past, Securing the Future: A Campaign for the Students of KLHT. "Mrs. Jones took the opportunity to reveal that the campaign is halfway to its goal of $6 million, thanks in no small part to the 100 percent participation of Trustees and faculty. "The Board of Trustees laid the foundation for this campaign several years ago when it initiated a strategic planning process to prepare for the future. "The Board then
retained Gwathmey Siegel and Associates Architects to develop a master site plan. The masterplan Campus enhancement recommended changes, improvements, and new buildings that would be implemented over a 15- to 20-year period. In 1998 a feasibility study was undertaken to assess the availability of resources in the KLHT community. Based on input from parents, alumni, faculty, and staff, the feasibility study helped the Board to define our priorities and determine the objectives in the first phase of our campaign.
"The priorities in the first phase of the campaign are to expand Science labs in the Upper School; to reshape our physical layout, bringing the two campuses together, and improving traffic flow; to begin a new Middle School facility that will increase classroom space in all divisions and enable us to move the Early Childhood classes to the Lower School where they belong programmatically.
A Campaign for the Students of KLHT: Phase One Goal: $6 million Science Laboratories: Upper School $1 Million
Our Science facilities will be expanded and upgraded with three new Science laboratories, enabling our program to continue at the forefront of Science education. Endowment Growth: $800,000
An institution's endowment per student is a key measure of its financial vitality and secures its future. Income from the KLHT Endowment Fund strengthens our ability to support and finance capital improvements and provides important funds for the school's operating budget, particularly faculty salaries and financial aid. The Endowment Fund at KLHT lags behind those of our peer schools and must grow to reflect our overall strength and health as an institution. Middle School: Phase One $3 Million
The first phase of a new Middle School facility will provide additional classroom space necessary to alleviate overcrowding in all three divisions of our school. The new building will be designed to include a second phase of construction during which it will be approximately doubled in size. Campus Unification and Enhancements: $1.2 Million
The campus will be reconfigured to accommodate all new construction in the future and upgrade critical aspects of our infrastructure. A main vehicular entrance from Newfield Avenue will reinforce our identity as a unified school community, improve traffic flow, and make both play areas and pedestrian travel safer. The work will include initial stages of important refurbishment of the athletic fields. It will unify the two campuses and maximize the natural beauty of our campus.
been named the Campaign Chair,
limited enrollment and hence
announced that the effort was already
traffic, which was one of their
halfway to its $6 million goal, thanks
primary concerns.
in no small part to the too percent participation of trustees and faculty. “Addie convinced me this would be
School Life, 1998-2001 At the beginning o f the new
a good thing to do,” said Reinemann.
century, K L H T was hitting its stride
“The prior capital campaign had been
once again. In the 2000-01 school year,
a million-dollar renovation of this
50% o f students in Grades 5, 6, 7, and
Lower School area. This one was for
8, a total o f 102 students, qualified to
the construction o f the Middle School,
participate in the highly competitive
and we had to beg, borrow, and steal
21st annual Talent Search sponsored by
to make that work. Which was huge.
Johns Tlopkins University’s Institute
We went from $1 million to $6 million
for the Academic Advancement o f
as a community. That was a huge
Youth (LAAY).
learning curve of having to give.” In concert with the campaign,
Special events continued to be a highlight. Particularly notable was
Gwathmey Siegel and Associates
an appearance by the Reverend Jesse
Architects were charged with develop
Jackson as the commencement speaker
ing a master site plan recommending
in 2001. The school also continued its
changes, improvements, and new
historically themed pageants, holding
buildings that would be implemented
one focused on the first 30 years o f
over a 15- to 20-year period. And
the 20th century and another covering
despite the campaign, in 2001 the
the 1930s and 1940s. Grease was just
Annual Fund surpassed its $700,000
one among many fine productions
goal by over 5%, with contributions
by the Drama Department. Athletics
totaling $735,764.
remained healthy, with girls’ softball Head Coach Wendy Haft steering
Working with the Neighbors
her team to excellence before, sadly,
Money wasn’t the only issue on
departing in 1998. The Alumni As
the table, particularly with plans to
sociation continued to grow, with the
enlarge the physical plant. One of
First Annual K L H T G o lf Tournament
the historical issues with increasing
in 2000.
the size of either or both the student
The goal o f growing the student
body and the physical plant had been
body, amidst increasingly more sup
the relationship with the neighbors
portive neighbors, had begun. In the
in and around Newfield Avenue. In
fall o f 1997, K L H T had a total o f 629
fact, the relationship had always been
students; in 2001 Smith reported that
somewhat strained, and early on the
“ We have record enrollment. At 650
neighbors had succeeded in having
we are bursting at the seams. We have
zoning restrictions placed on King that
waiting lists in almost every grade.”
she would retire in June 2002, and K L H T retained the search firm o f Isaacson Miller to conduct the search for her replacement. “ I think Barbara had done a masterful job in playing the role that needed to be played to heal the school,” said former King teacher and coach Tom Main, who at the time o f Smith’s retirement was Upper School Head, Assistant Head o f School at C in cinnati Country Day School, and contemplating one more professional move, perhaps back east. Appropri ately, the focus was not at that time on building a new building or tri pling the Annual Fund or increasing
ReverendJesse Jackson
the endowment by X. The focus was building the school back up in terms
Personnel
o f self-esteem and self-confidence.
Over the course o f Smith’s tenure,
The table had been set in 1997,
there were two Directors o f Develop
but the tablecloth had been briefly
ment: Gloria Veeder and then
pulled out from under everyone.
Gay Kinney Larsen (Thomas ’67).
Now, in 2002, thanks to Barbara
William “ Bill” Waldman became the
Smith, the table was set again. Addie
next Director ofTechnology. Dick
Jones and the Board had a firm grip
Cerone replaced Orio as Director of
on the campaign.
Athletics, M ark Germano was named
It simply remained to be seen
Director o f College Counseling,
who would lead K L H T into the
and William Ennist, Jr., took over
21st century.
from Daniel Hudson as Head o f Upper School. There were quite a few significant departures. Carol Holland retired as Head o f the Lower School after 23 stel lar years and was replaced by Robert M ark Bauman. Farewell receptions were also held for Elizabeth Boo Chapman Forster, Daniel Hudson, Ann Huntoon, and Glee Miner. In 2001 Smith herself announced
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Chapter Fifteen
A Stake in the 2001-06 At the turn o f the millennium,
at one time. “ M y faculty class,” said
noted K ing’s Language Department
Zoubek, “was a big change because it
Head, Dr. Tom Zoubek, “ Barbara
brought in a lot o f people who rose
Smith made a series o f really good
to positions o f authority. Christos
hires to put the school back on solid
Galanopoulos, who is now head o f
academic ground.”
History; Victoria Khiznichenko, who
While Smith is generally credited
is now head o f Math; me; William
with calming waters roiled during
Ennist, former Head o f Upper School;
the previous administration, hiring
and Becky Rabassa, the Upper School
an extraordinary group o f teachers
counselor. These people hadn’t taken
and administrators, specifically the
part in the difficulties o f 1997-98.
group known as the faculty class o f
They were focused on moving in a
’99, may have been, as Zoubek sug
forward direction.”
gests, her greatest contribution. That group o f professionals put an indel ible stamp on King over the next 15
Head Search The most critical appointment in
years. W ithout that group o f people,
the offing at the end o f Smith’s tenure,
the growing endowment or the new
o f course, involved finding a new
Middle School, the first decade o f the
Headmaster. Unlike when Smith had
21st century would have likely been
been quickly plucked from the Upper
somewhat less impactful.
School three years earlier, a national
M any o f these faculty arrived in
search was held, and as is often the
the wake o f premature departures, and
case, people were conflicted about
others were the result o f natural attri
what kind o f headmaster to hire.
tion and recruitment. These years saw
Given that the Beresford-Hill
the loss o f some significant members
selection had not turned out as
o f the community, including Head
planned, there was added pressure to
Barbara Smith, Eileen Baker, Carol
get it right this time.
Holland, Suzanne Megrue, Graciela
“I was on the search committee,” said
Rodriguez, Joyce Kicelian, Anna Sia,
Trustee Peter Reinemann. “ Person
Boo Forster, Daniel Hudson, Ann
ally, I was o f a mixed mind between
Huntoon, and Glee Miner. Their
someone who was a known entity in
replacements, however, represented
terms o f having had a similar position
one o f the most outstanding groups
at another school or someone new to
o f faculty ever to arrive at the School
the position.”
The construction o f the M iddle School allowed a ll three school divisions to have separate facilities fo r the first time.
Dr. Tom Zoubek, Chair o f M odem Languages, was one o f the members o f the stellar faculty who came in 1999.
“ I know when we interviewed,” she continued, “Tom stood out. There’s no question about it. I interviewed all o f the candidates and I didn’t think the other three candidates could hold a candle to him. 1 think that in the long run there’s no question that his charm, his personality, his way with people, all sold.” “ We sure made the
Stalw art long-serving faculty Barbara Smith, Priscilla Pusack, Karen Peterson, Boo Forster, Helen Kweskin, and Anna Sia
right choice,” said ReineFortunately, in the mix o f can
mann, a sentiment with which virtu
didates, one seemed to stand out to
ally everyone on the
just about everyone: former King
Board and in the
faculty member and football coach
school community
Tom Main, then serving as Assistant
came to agree, not
Headmaster and Upper School Head
only because Main
at Cincinnati Country Day School.
has always been
“ He was a standout in a lot of ways,”
likable, but because
said Reinemann. “ He was untested
o f the extraordi
as a Head, but there was similarity
nary growth and
between Cincinnati and King, and
improvements the
he knew the culture and our school
school has enjoyed
community. The risk with Tom was
on almost all fronts
whether he could take his game up
in his now relatively long tenure.
P e t e r ^ in e m a n n
and really do this job well.” Karen Peterson was one o f the Search Committee members —and
Tom Main, Head of School “ I think Barbara Smith had done
one of the many faculty members —
a masterful job in playing the role
who welcomed the appointment. “ I
that needed to be played to heal the
think they saw a prior King faculty
school,” said Main years later o f his
member, somebody who had gone
predecessor. “ I’m thrilled that the
on and been successful, which he had
school made it through that. I
at Rye Country Day and Cincinnati
credit that largely to the Board and
Country Day. I think they thought his
Barbara Smith.
familiarity with King, and his knowl
“ The fact that the school had to
edge —he was big with the computer
focus on that with such intensity,
programs out at Cincinnati and at
which was the right thing to do, also
Rye, and we needed to move into that
means that there were other opportu
technological sphere —could be very
nities that might have been available
helpful at the time.
to the school in terms o f fundraising
and building that we were not able to
Annual Fund (which would
take advantage.”
increase over 5% that year
With an eye to the opportunities
to $736,000), an annually
he felt the school was now positioned
balanced budget, a modern
to embrace, in the winter o f 2002,
and well-maintained physi
his first year as Head, Main made an
cal plant that was about to
assessment that could have doubled as
witness the addition o f a
the set o f reasons for why he chose to
new Middle School, creative
return to King:
teachers developing educa
First, he said, “this is a school
tional programs to assure
community that is supportive,
that they meet the needs o f
warm, encouraging, and safe. ...
today’s students, and a strong
Second, there is a culture o f respect
student body with a healthy
at the school. This is a quality and
college acceptance list every
characteristic that is mandated by
year. It also enjoyed a strong
our mission. It’s clear to me that
Mission Statement centered
we take this seriously and strive to
on commitments to excel-
be thoughtful and respectful o f one
lence in education, a top-tier
another. Third, there is an abid
faculty, and diversity, among
ing commitment to diversity' here
other core values.
at K LH T. This is evident in many
Jo m M ain arrived in 2002 as K ing’s nfVf<£ / W o f School.
Looking ahead, he cited the need
ways, not just the simple valu
to “continue to improve our facilities
ing o f differences in appearances.
... build a strong endowment ... make
... Fourth, I have found that the
sure that our educational practices
relationships between and among
are always consistent with the best
students, teachers, coaches, advi
practices o f the educational field ...
sors, parents, and administrators
continue to develop our strong faculty,
are excellent here at K LH 1. These
and continue to serve a motivated and
relationships serve as the backbone
talented student body.”
o f our educational program and the strength o f our school. ... Fifth, I have learned that K L H T is an educational institution that is deeply
Concluding the Honoring the Past Campaign “ The Honoring the Past Campaign
committed to excellence - excel
was essentially finished when Tom
lence in the classroom, excellence
arrived,” said Addie Jones, except for
on the field, excellence on the stage,
the last $600,000 or so ... although
excellence in every other endeavor
those can be the most difficult dollars
that we choose to engage in and
to raise.”
program for. Finally, I have observed
It was not only important
what great affection there is for [the]
financially, said Jones, but symbolical
School among the students, faculty,
ly. “With each successful completion
parents, Trustees, and alumni.
where you show you will do what you say, people will give you more. It was
King was operating, he contin ued, from “a position o f strength with capacity enrollment, a healthy
the beginning o f gaining confidence that we could not only raise money but also be good stewards, so children
$328,000 to the Endowment Fund, and an anonymous donor made a $1.5 million endowment pledge. T he following year parents Orenstein and Will Heins set and reached an Annual Fund goal over $1,000,000. “This is stunning growth,” said Main in the end-of-year Annual Report. Adding further good news, he said, “ Our endowment has increased by $ 6 .3 million this year, another truly stunning figure. There is nothing more meaningful that we can do in meeting
Adventures in the Science lab
that intergenerational respon would enjoy benefits o f a new Science
sibility than continue to build the
lab or football field. A student is only
endowment, and establish
there 12 years, so we worked with a
financial stability that accompanies
sense of urgency so people who gave
a strong endowment.”
the money would see the benefits.” “Addie Jones was no-nonsense,” said Trustee Rich Goldman ’79. “ She
In 2004, in the wake o f the post
created the defining moment to set
campaign, the Board developed a
an example of what was going to be
new five-year Strategic Plan “to unify
required from a philanthropic stand
the campus,” and a 20-year Facilities
point. You have to have the ability to
Master Plan.
sustain yourself, and that comes from
A ddie Jones brought extraordinary vision an d leadership to the Board, and helped set an d meet high goals in the Honoring the Past Campaign.
Planning for the Future
I he Strategic Plan Steering Com
a combination o f vision and leader
mittee initially identified curriculum,
ship, and the ability to execute. Addie
students, faculty, technology, facilities,
and others provided all that with
finance, and community as areas of
that campaign.”
focus. When it was released in the fall
“A lot of the turnaround started
o f 2004, the Plan said, “ With regard
with Addie Jones,” concurred parent
to educational excellence, the school
and Trustee Ed Orenstein.
hopes to support competitive salaries,
The proof o f Jones’ statements was borne out in the momentum in the
benefits, and professional develop ment for faculty,” as well as “expanded
post-Campaign years, when people
courses o f study,” “collaborative
demonstrated that they were indeed
learning,” and “varied learning oppor
willing to continue giving. In 2003-
tunities” for students. “The Plan calls
04, for instance, the Annual Fund
for the last principle, that o f institu
increased by almost $200,000, the
tional strength and advancement, to
Parents Association made a gift of
be dealt with through a reliance on the
leadership o f the Board ofTrustees, an evolution o f school facilities, and
KLHT Mission Statement
the maintenance o f ‘financial strength’
1998
through the initial undertaking o f a
King & Low-Heywood Thomas School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory day school enrolling students in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12. Our aim is to help our students develop their full intellectual, creative, and physical potential, to foster self-esteem, to encourage independence, and to build moral character. We are committed to preparing our students for lives of achievement while at the same time emphasizing the importance of teamwork, community, and social responsibility. We seek to accomplish our mission by: • Offering a comprehensive educational program that is responsive to the talents and individual needs of our students and their changing environment • Employing and developing faculty members with the professional expertise and desire to teach boys and girls effectively and sensitively and to serve as role models as they participate in the total life of the School • Attracting a student body with diverse backgrounds, interests, and talents capable of responding to a challenging school experience • Encouraging and assisting parents to be partners with us in the education of their children • Holding fast to a high standard of personal conduct and a set of values which reflects the school's respect for individual beliefs and the common good of the community • Maintaining an atmosphere that is informal but not disrespectful, demanding but not stifling, flexible but not unstructured, student oriented but not student-controlled
$15- to $25-million capital campaign.” Clearly the Board was counting on the truth o f Jones’ belief that the com munity, with a $6 million campaign barely concluded, would be willing to give again, and contribute to a campaign three or four times as large in the near future. Speaking to the K L H T Chronicle, Jones said that the 20-year Facilities Master Plan for expansion “represents a 15- to 20-year project o f an estimated $50 million, and involves the building o f a new performing arts center, the upgrading o f the athletic fields, and the creation o f a new school-wide dining hall. Later phases o f the plan may include an athletic center and renovation o f the Lower and Upper School campuses.” Even as $50 million in improve ments to the campus was being contemplated, Tom Main drew the focus to the present, pointing out that in 2004 the School would “complete a new, comprehensive system o f internal drives and parking spaces, which will enhance our efforts to unify the campuses. A sophisticated drainage system will manage the surface water on campus.” O f course, the most visible and im portant new addition was apparent on a field just south o f the Upper School. “ We have a magnificent new Middle School building rising between our Upper School campus and what will become exclusively a Lower School building,” he said.
Students benefitfrom the resources in King's extensive library.
The Middle School: A New Beginning The spring 2004 KLHT Bulletin formally introduced the story of the new Middle School building to the KLHT community. "The Middle School is the first building created by KLHT, in the sense that it was designed and built as a new entity, while all of the other campus buildings date from when the land was owned by King School (south campus) and Low-Heywood Thomas School (north campus)." Planning the Building
financial aid. “ Stamford was a lovely, diverse community racially and eco nomically. When the public schools weren’t working out for people, they came here.” The practice o f providing students who needed special attention their own learning profiles, a contribution
KLHT began a master planning process several years ago, soon after the adoption of the 1998 strategic plan that established unifying the campus as a priority goal and raised the topic of building a Middle School. Chief Operating Officer Karen Peterson explained, "There has always been acknowledgment of the need to separate the Middle and Upper Schools, and to a lesser degree, to keep some distance."
every part o f the curriculum and
Constructing the Building
every division o f the School. One o f
The School broke ground in June 2003. Another crucial step was completed in August, when KLHT secured financing for the building and other campus improvement projects by issuing $11 million of revenue bonds through the State of Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority (CHEFA). CHEFA financing, which is available primarily to schools and some other not-for-profit organizations, provides advantageous loan rates and repayment terms.
the more significant developments in
concept,” noted the Standard, “ ... to
Planning the Future
further individualize instruction, an
The new Middle School will be able to set up a separate laboratory for Earth Science study, part of the Grade 6 curriculum, in the new building. For the first time, the Middle School also will have designated classrooms for Mathematics and Modern Languages. In addition, all of the classrooms are larger than in the current Middle School. The new media center, for student and faculty use, will include kiosks for checking email and will function as a "drop-in study center. Each grade will have a dedicated cart containing several laptop computers."
o f the 02 program o f a few years before, was expanded to all students, bringing personalized education to
this regard involved the development in 2004-05 o f a program called the Learning Framework, “an educational
ideal present within the mission statement o f the school.” The program was essentially an effort based on the assumption that every student has his or her own strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles. It attempted to extend the
Diversity and Personalized Education As if to remind the community
earlier Student Services programs, by focusing not only on certain individuals,
that endowments and buildings only
but by helping
existed to support students, learn
everyone. “The
ing, and values, a diversity task force
framework is
headed by Cleve Christophe released
an attempt to
a Diversity Policy, which called for
become aware
the creation o f a Department of
o f all students’
Community Affairs to ensure aggres
approaches to
sive improvement toward the goal of
learning and
diversity that had long been central
organizational
to King’s values. “We were fortunate
skills,”
Stamford had a strong middle-class
according to a
Addie Jones, in describing the push
B ill Pusack and many other clinical neuro faculty have often developed specific programs fo r individual psychologist
to have diversity spread throughout
and consultant
black community in Stamford,” said
the socioeconomic scale and not just clustered at the bottom end through
students to meet different to the program. learning styles. A year or so later the name was
The Learning Framework
There were three basic accom modations that were made early in Main’s tenure. • Hire an off-duty policeman to direct traffic at Newfield and Intervale
Neighbors' input was sought on the M iddle School building project and on a ll other m ajor developments that could impact the surrounding area.
• Landscape big buildings and parking lots, and develop a
changed to the Department o f Assess
holding area, berm, and major
ment and Instruction. “ It was and is
drainage area along the back o f
an approach unique to our school,”
the property to relieve drainage
said Grade 2 teacher Karen Raidt, now Head o f Lower School, who left the
issues and concerns • The School would not apply to
classroom that year to become one of
have a traffic light installed on
the four directors o f the program. “ We
Newfield Avenue, and agreed to
have learning specialists and an entire
only apply for 35 students to be
department dedicated to understand
added to the enrollment cap every
ing learning preferences, strengths,
four years
and weaknesses for each student, and to determine how we can leverage the strengths.”
School Life With the Annual Fund and Endowment healthy and growing,
Neighbors Another long-standing issue
long-range strategic and facilities plans developed, and a few key issues
involved the School’s ongoing
like putting a stake in the ground on
relationship with its neighbors. The
diversity and addressing neighborhood
relationship had been testy for years
relations checked off, K L H T could
when Barbara Smith had begun
begin to go about its daily life without
discussions, and Tom Main picked up
being in transition or crisis, and with a
the ball with an intention to build on
sense o f identity and direction for the
that work. “ We established a commit
future. “ It could,” as Main indicated,
tee o f neighbors who we met with and
“take advantage o f the opportunities
continue to meet with to discuss issues
at hand.”
o f any concern and ways to improve the relationship,” said Main.
Indeed, the school as a whole seemed to begin to make changes on a
At the heart of the [Learning Framework] program.. .[are] Learning Profiles, which are essentially files on the academic and learning preferences of students updated four times during their PreK through [Grade] 12 progression at KLHT. These profiles will provide information to teachers regarding the development of a student's learning habits, unifying observations from both faculty and outside tutors. Incoming [students in Grades 6 and 9 ]. ■ ■ will be able to take "specialized strategic courses," which, in the words of the School, covefi'writing, study, time management, and organizational skills." On top of that, the framework will employ a dedicated extra-help center, available to all students in all disciplines. The Standard June 2005
KLHTW.A.L.K.S. W.A.L.K.S. was launched last year with a Projects for Partners day followed by a celebration of community service. Students paired up by grades, older students assisting younger students, to make several items for local charities [like] decorated duffle bags filled with school supplies and pillowcases filled with toiletries for children in foster care with Family and Children's Agency of Norwalk; game mats, designer hats, and door signs for hospitalized children at the New York affiliate of St. Jude Research Hospital; and cards, pictures, and activity bags filled with games for homeless children at Kids in Crisis (Stamford/Greenwich). All of the projects were planned and completed entirely by students. KLHTBulletin Winter 2002
variety o f fronts. A dress code com
Low-Heywood’s
mittee was established to address
Lambda Delta
inequities in dress requirements, the
Pi, which began
student council began to redraft their
in the early 20th
constitution to reflect the values o f the
century, K L H T
school, the website was redesigned,
W .A.L.K.S. was
and in 2005 student concern over what
launched in 2001
some considered lenient treatment of
with a “ Projects
plagiarizers led to a new faculty com
for Partners”
mittee tasked with evaluating K L H T ’s
day followed by
policies regarding academic integrity.
a celebration o f
Some things were simply strength
community
The Viking was an entertaining presence at athletic contests.
ened. For instance, community service
service. Three
remained a focus of great activity
other organizations —Key Club (a stu
and was centered around a program
dent affiliate o f Kiwanis Internation
known as K L H T W .A .L .K .S . (Will
al), service club Lambda Delta Pi (still
ing Attitude Launches K L H T to
in existence), and H .O .P.E.@ K LH T
Service), a clearinghouse for sorting
—all focused on involving K L H T
and reporting volunteer opportunities,
students o f every age in projects and
and for tracking student involvement.
partnerships with local communities.
Building on a long history o f com munity service programs, particularly
Athletic teams, while not main taining the dominance o f the football
team in the mid-1990s, “continued to
“ We have increased faculty compensa
develop in both strength and depth,”
tion levels, in both cash salary and
said Main in 2003, citing in particular
benefits, placing us with the most
the varsity girls’ softball team, which
competitive schools in the
won both the Fairchester Athletic
Fairchester area.”
Association Championship and the Western New England Championship. “ Our artistic programs and dra
The bar had also been raised on two King hall marks, the first with
VIKING
matic productions were breathtaking,”
a commitment to
he said, noting productions o f
personalized educa
Ragtime (Upper School), Once Upon
tion in the formation
a Mattress (Grade 8), Charlie and the
o f an entire Department of
Chocolate Factory (Grade 7), Four
Assessment and Instruction,
Greek Myths (Grade 6), and The King
and the second with a commitment
and I (Grade 5). With so much going on in so
HOMECOMING AHEAD
to diversity through the creation o f a special committee tasked with finding
many areas, the Board felt the need to
ways o f seamlessly weaving diversity of
initiate a measurement tool it called
all kinds —ethnic, cultural, socioeco
“ Dashboard” to mark progress in
nomic - into the entire community.
areas o f key importance to the school’s
For the future, Main noted the
growth, stability, internal goals, and
Strategic Plan’s call for a focus on
competitive standards. Comparing
“broader curriculum and program
markers with other private schools in
opportunities, innovative teach
the Fairchester area, Dashboard mea
ing, continued focus on technology,
sured class size, financial aid, diversity,
competitive faculty compensation
attrition, participation in programs
and benefits, and faculty growth and
such as Johns Hopkins Scholars and
development opportunities.”
R E A C H , and Advanced Placement
In short, the first few years o f the
(AP) and SAT test scores, as well as
21st century were about vision and set
college selectivity.
ting a stake in the ground. In looking decades ahead, and in placing before
Conclusion The first half-dozen years o f the
the King community the specter o f $50 million in improvements to
21st century saw the drafting and
the School’s educational programs,
adoption o f a five-year Strategic Plan
faculty support, physical plant, and
and a 20-year Facilities Master Plan.
endowment, the Board was defining
The Honoring the Past Campaign in
the second stage o f the Main admin
volved the entire school and surpassed
istration, however long it would last,
its $6 million goal; the endowment
not as the conclusion o f a successful
reached $13 million, a 400% gain in
Headmaster’s tenure, but rather as the
three years; the Annual Fund passed
foundation for a very long and very
the million-dollar mark; a beautiful
ambitious future.
new Middle School was built; and significant work was done to the less visible parts o f the campus infrastruc ture. In addition, noted Tom Main,
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Chapter Sixteen
,
,
A Culture o f C ivility, Respect an d 2006-Present State o f the School: Accreditation In 2003, a visiting accreditation committee cited King & Low-
five years from $735,000 to over $1.1 million. “ I had just joined the Board,” noted Rich Goldman. “The Annual
Heywood Thom as’ faculty as “ King’s
Fund was a critical element in main
chief strength,” followed closely by a
taining and operating a budget that
nurturing environment, school leader
was in the black.
ship and administration, academics, small classes, and diversity.
“We were also planning a capital campaign strategy around the physical
“ Key challenges,” noted the
plant,” Goldman continued. As the
Bulletin later, “were identified as a
Bulletin had noted, this was already
need to continue to develop our
mandated in the Strategic Plan.
facilities and to enhance our athletic
“ There were still a lot o f physical
program. Participants noted the
needs,” Goldman continued, “even
priorities established in the 2005-2010
with the Middle School having been
Strategic Plan included a Performing
completed. The truth was that the rest
Arts Center, the creation o f a superb
o f the school was tired, older.”
outdoor athletic facility, and sig
In terms o f the needs o f the physi
nificant enhancements to the Upper
cal plant, Trustee Ed Orenstein said,
School. Longer-term initiatives in
“ We took our lead from Tom [Main],
clude a new athletic field, new Lower
King is not about buildings. It’s about
School, renovation o f remaining ath
programs. At the same time, facilities
letic fields, a new dining facility, and a
make a difference in attitudes, market
new Administrative Center.”
ing, [and] admission. I could see that
At the time the endowment was
Parent E d Orenstein has been an effective leader on both the Board and in advancement efforts.
our kids were overwhelmed by athletic
already over $12.5 million. Simultane
facilities elsewhere. Games were lost
ously, 100% o f the faculty and over
before they started playing. And you
95% o f the parents were contribut
would not have come to King if you
ing to the Annual Fund, which had
were interested in Drama, given our
increased by 54% over the previous
performing arts facilities.”
The new Perform ing Arts Center has created vast new opportunities fo r student expression ... an d fre e d up classroom space in the Upper School.
Main’s focus on programs did
the field out front was terrible, the
not blind hint to the facilities’ needs.
Performing Arts Center did not exist,
Main, like Orenstein and others, knew
and the Upper School was in awful
good facilities were critical to support
disrepair.” The Middle School had
the programs, the learning, the faculty,
not only improved the facilities,
and the students, and the facilities at
helped to unify the campus, and
the time were not up to the job. “ If
allowed the Lower School to enjoy
you came here in the early 2000s,”
their own space, but also, as a beauti
said the Head, “the football field was
ful, new, state-of-the-art building, it
an awful, awful grass field. The entry
provided a stark contrast to some o f
hallway o f the [now Lower School]
the shortcomings Main noted o f the
building with the big open area didn’t
adjacent buildings.
exist. The stairs down the back didn’t
At the same time, certain academic
exist. And the courtyard out front was
areas, most notably the Performing
a parking lot.
Arts, had developed quickly. “ Over
“There was no driveway system
the past five years, the Performing
connecting the two campuses, so if
Arts program has continuously added
you had to drop o ff a High School
new classes,” said Jackie Martino,
student and a Lower School student,
Chair o f the Performing Arts Depart
you had to come in and out twice.
ment in 2006, in the K L H T B u lletin
The Middle School was o f course not
that year. “ The Upper School now
there. It was just a dirty, old, rocky
has guitar and piano classes as well
field. There was no parking lot or
as new Drama classes that include a
roadway system in front o f what is
Technical Theater class. In the Lower
now the Middle School.
School, students in Grades 4 and 5
“ If you went over to the other side, there was a much smaller parking lot,
have the opportunity to play together as an ensemble, and Middle School
Disaster Avoided: Lessons Learned from the 2008 Economic Crisis When the 2008 economic crisis broke, King had fortunately been running a cash surplus for several years, because the endowment had been growing through conservative fiscal management by Kim Leeker, Associate Head, Finance & Operations, and strong enrollment. As a result, it was well positioned to weather the crisis. "Certainly, in our geographic footprint, the Fairchester group I think came through it virtually unscathed,"said Ed Cesare. "We've only had an endowment recently, and do not take a draw on it, so I think schools with a much larger endowment who were already taking a draw on it to support operations had a tougher time, some of them losing 30%." "We just ran a far more conservative posture towards the endowment than most, knowing that in a downturn we'd lose parents, kids, annual funds,"said Reinemann. "So this was before the downturn. We had just sort of set that metric until we had a little more of a buffer and could get more aggressive and have a buffer for the downturn. So that was helpful. If we'd had a full, very aggressive posture into'08 and had witnessed more of a downdraft and didn't have something to lean on in the case it was necessary, it would have been more difficult."
Despite a conservative investment posture, King still cut back. "We were pretty thoughtful about aggressively cutting the budget,"said Cesare. "We didn't cut educators. We cut some staff around the edges, bracing for a more severe downturn, which didn't happen from an admission standpoint." Nevertheless, 2008 proved a cautionary tale, pointing out to the Board that it needed to formalize its investment committee and its procedures with an investment policy. "I remember so clearly we were having conference calls with the entire Board because that was how the rules were written at that point,"said Reinemann. It also ran worst-case and best-case scenarios. "It was sort of shocking what it would mean not to have until five years later all the things you assumed would be in place right now,"said Cesare. "A lot of credit has to go to Leeker,"says Cesare. "She is a superb Chief Financial Officer." As a result of careful analysis about the financial crisis of 2008, King should be much better prepared for the next economic downturn.
Rebranding for the Future The Strategic Plan is straightforward about the importance of both marketing and advancement. In light of the "continuing need to build financial and institutional strength," the Plan says, "it is vital that the community on campus and beyond be aware of our leading educational product, our successes and the challenges." This awareness is being achieved through a marketing campaign that began in 2007-08 with the rebranding of the School around the single word, King, while retaining the full name, King Low Heywood Thomas, which honors King's 150 years of constituent schools. The rebranding also entailed a new visual identity and a new motto. The announcement was made by the School's President of the Board of Trustees, Peter Reinemann, and Head of School, Thomas Main, afteriS months of intense study and discussion by the Trustees, administration, staff, and parent volunteers who comprised the Board's Marketing & Communications Committee. The design team interviewed administrators and staff, and studied a collection of documents, photographs, memorabilia, uniforms, and ephemera from the predecessor schools. "King has emerged, over the past several years, as one of the leading independent schools in the area," said Main at the time. "The new look and streamlined name match the level of quality our families have come
students are enjoying a recent upsurge
expressed a willingness to volunteer
in extracurricular choirs. New to the
and to support a new campaign.”
Performing Arts program is the inclu
Consequently, the Board launched
sion o f dance. Students in all divisions
“ Capitalizing on Excellence: A Cam
can now learn the basics of ballet, tap,
paign for KLH T,” with the man who
jazz, and hip-hop.”
had so successfully guided the Annual
Simply stated, these programs needed more and better space.
Capitalizing on Excellence: A Campaign for K E N T The findings o f the accredita
I
tion study not only
m " " "
“validated King’s
culture, mission,
and academic excel
lence,” noted Lois
I Fahey, then Direc-
4 Q
V i/ \ >
I tor o f Institutional v
Advancement, in the spring 2006 Bulletin.
*
"
to expect not only from our academic programs but also the entire King experience. "The new unified identity provides us with powerful tools to reach out and tell the story of our growth and successes more effectively," said an announcement about the change." In the visual identity, "we have adopted the founding date of our earliest predecessor school, Mrs. Richardson's School for girls, which opened in 1865. Our seal was inspired by the designs of the Thomas School and King School seals, which were round. Our new icon, the Viking Ship, represents the journey upon which our students embark at King, and it sails on seas similar to those found on Thomas'seal. While the School's leadership charts the ship's course, every student's journey is ultimately a unique experience. "Our new motto, 'Knowledge for the Journey,'speaks to the combination of education, preparation, character, and strength the School provides its students as they prepare for their journeys at King, and for those that will follow their years at the School." "Keeping the external reputation up with the internal product has been a challenge for the school,"admitted Ed Cesare.'l think the brand - the rebranding was an important tool for that, to be able to talk about King, and give us tools with which to communicate a new identity, a new graphics package."
More importantly, “As a result o f this valida tion o f King, many of the study participants
K IN G K I N G LOW H E Y W O O D T H O M A S
The three shields on the ship were inspired by a Orenstein, as Chair. Low-Heywood school seal According to the Facilities Master Plan, a Performing Arts Center was to from the m id-20th century. These shields, emblazoned be first up. “The thinking was that if we could clear the Performing Arts out with stars, represent our three predecessor schools. o f the Upper School, then we could use all that space,” said Orenstein. “ O f The waves beside the ship were taken from the Thomas course that meant we had to build the logo and depict the ocean. PAC first, and then refurbish the Up The unification o f a ll o f our per School second.” The athletic fields predecessor schools within a were supposed to come last. single image is m irrored by In fact, Orenstein, Reinemann, our streamlined name: by Addie Jones, and Tom Main decided removing the ampersand they might have more success with a and hyphen, we have different approach. “We really needed removed any visual something visible,” said Reinemann. separation in our name to “The field would take less than 12 create a unified identity. months, and all the dads would get Fund over a million dollars, Ed
the visible success. “ This fall we are benefiting from one o f the finest turf field facilities in southern New England,” said the October 2007 Bulletin in an article titled, “ New T u rf Field a Big Hit.” “ Having the opportunity to play on the new turf was noth ing less than amazing!” said Kevin Pierre-Louis ’10, now with the Seattle Seahawks. “ W inning all of our home games on that field was a
The decision to upgrade the football fie ld was strategic in demonstrating progress in the Capitalizing on Excellence campaign — and resulted in K ing’s first level playing fie ld in decades.
pumped up about it. Everyone who drives in will see it.” The idea, therefore, was to make the field the first, highly visible proj ect. “Tom is one who likes to know the plan,” Reinemann continued. “ So it was a challenge to suggest moving the pieces around in this massive Stra tegic Plan - and then have all the parts move around in terms o f what is going to be impacted. “ Ultimately, everyone agreed it was a good idea, and it was kind o f a game changer. It would be another year or two o f fundraising before we could have the confidence to agree to start building the Performing Arts building. So it made a big difference. But it builds morale to see something happen.” When the case statement for the Capitalizing on Excellence campaign was developed for the public announcement, the priorities were obvious: • Phase 1: South Field Complex, to be completed in fall 2007 • Phase 2: Performing Arts Center, fall 2011 • Phase 3: Upper School Renovations, fall 2013 The “ field first” strategy was indeed a game changer, as everyone cheered
small way in which my class showed our appreciation.” Unfortunately, the euphoria was cut short by the economy, and 2008 turned out to be the wrong year to be in the early stages o f a campaign, for shortly after the turf field was finished, the market collapsed - and kept collapsing. The Annual Fund, not sur prisingly, lost ground for the first time in years, and the campaign slowed as well. “ We had done really well the first year, in ’07,” said Orenstein, “then we had to basically take a break. We simply couldn’t ask for money in 2008.” The effort would continue, but the pace would slow for a few months while the economy —and the environ ment for philanthropy —recovered.
The New Performing Arts Center Though fundraising slowed, it didn’t stop, and the Performing Arts Center remained on the agenda. It was a “two-fer” because its construction would free up 10,000 square feet of space in the Upper School building, which would be renovated into a design featuring a more open floor plan, some larger classrooms, and more academic space. “The new Performing Arts Center is designed to be a focal meeting place
for our community,” said the case statement. “All o f our students from Lower School through Middle School and into the Upper School will be able to learn and showcase their talents in this state-of-the-art facility. The Center will include new band, choir, and multipurpose studios; individual practice rooms; two dressing rooms; a set-design studio; a costume shop; an AV control room; faculty offices; and storage spaces. “ With its 450-seat auditorium and 2,500-square-foot lobby and exhibit space for gathering and socializing, the
The beautiful new Perform ing Arts Center is a center o f activity almost a ll hours o f the day on the Upper School Campus.
Center will also be used for • Academic Presentations
Trustee and Board Vice President
• Awards Presentations
John Qua, who also served as the
• Com m unity Meetings and
Chair o f the Building and Grounds
Events • Guest Performances and Lectures • Debates and Model U N Practice”
Committee, was the one who presented the building plans to the parent body at State o f the School, and it would be Qua, along with Kim Leeker, Associate Head o f School Finance and Operations,
“ We were a little nervous about putting it right in front o f the Upper School,” said Orenstein. “ But the Upper School, with three grades below ground, is not very dramatic from the outside anyway. “That had worked to our advantage in one way, in terms o f not being
who would lead the project from beginning to end. The Performing Arts Center opened on schedule in November 2011, with an Upper School perfor mance o f Our Town. “The PAC is about much more than performing arts,” noted the school paper, “ just
overly showy, but it was understated
as the South Field has been about
in the extreme ... the antithesis
so much more than interscholastic
o f impressive. We still needed to
athletics and Homecoming. The PAC
improve the appearance as well as
is about assemblies in all divisions;
the functionality.”
academic lectures; admission presenta
The case statement addressed the
tions by visiting colleges and universi
cosmetics. “ The courtyard and entry
ties; PA events; and gathering and
circle will also be dramatically improved.
study space for our students.”
W ith these enhancements, we will
“The financial crisis actually
transform the look and feel o f the
worked to our advantage in the end,”
northern campus, as we have already
said Orenstein, “because we were one
with the southern and middle parts
o f few people building at the time,
o f campus.”
so we were able to build cheaply. The
Arts programs o f a ll kinds abound in the new Perform ing Arts Center.
Major 2013 Renovations to the Upper School 1. Convert the current theater into an Academic Center, with library/information services, group and silent study, a study hall, and the possibility of a formal lecture hall 2. Add significant instruction space as well, providing appropriate program space for our US teachers and students
numbers were
the building for the major renovations
much lower after
slated to begin during the summer
the crisis. And put
o f 2013.”
ting the PAC in front o f the Upper
When complete, the transforma tion was extraordinary. With the most
School worked out
noticeable change being the open and
3. Consolidate the visual arts on the western side of the building
well, too, because
airy center of the building, open to
4. Convert the current visual arts room next to the gym into an upscale cardio/conditioning center, with lots of glass, thereby also consolidating our athletic facilities on the southern end of the building
the PAC is now
three floors, the creation of academic
what you see.”
centers, more classroom space, and renovated labs, the building had been
Physical Plant
transformed from barely serviceable
5. Create a significant and elegant common space where the library is now
Performing Arts
yard and landscaping were addressed,
6 . Connect this common space with the space below (the former
program out o f
though some work remains to be done
the Upper School
on the facade of the building.
theater) with a large open staircase that links all three floors of the building, and pulls abundant natural light into that space. An elevator will also provide easy access to all spaces in the building for everyone 7. Upgrade the facade of the building significantly, as well as the courtyard space between the US and the PAC
E d Cesare ’78 was Board Chair from 2009-2013
“ Moving the
building will unlock the opportunity
to stunning. Externally, the court
As anticipated, John Qua, as Chair of the Building and Grounds C om
to renovate and
mittee, was the Trustee who oversaw
upgrade that vener
all these projects on a day-to-day
able structure,” said
basis. “It’s hard to describe the quality
Main. “ We must
or quantity o f John’s work,” said Ed
finish this phase o f our Master Facili
Cesare, “overseeing the physical, logisti
ties Plan by indeed renovating the Up
cal, and design complexities o f a $10
per School to provide a worthy facility
million green field construction o f the
for what has become an educational
PAC, and a $600,000 field renovation.
program that leads the Fairchester
Then a $12 million internal transfor
community.” That “venerable struc
mation o f an asbestos-laden, intricately
ture” may have represented the biggest
wired i96os-era building into what it
priority o f all. The building was
is today. And much o f this work had
constructed over the course o f one
to be done while school was in session!
summer, thanks to the efforts and
The politics, sensitivities, cultivation,
vision o f then Board Chair Frank Rich.
collaboration with owner’s reps, archi
“ Forty years later, though, it was
tects, construction companies, faculty,
an early ’60s cement building that
administrators, parents, Trustees,
was perfectly serviceable, but
donors, and students was astounding.
hopelessly outdated,” said Board
John did not leave the deck until the
President Ed Cesare.
spring of 2014 when phase two o f the
The Standard enthusiastically fol
Upper School was complete. I can’t
lowed the progress. “A newly reno
think o f single time that he put a foot
vated Upper School is on the horizon.
wrong— hard to believe, really.”
During the summer months [of 2012]
The other notable leader here was
pre-construction began inside the
Kim Leeker, who served as Qua’s part
US building. Walls were taken down,
ner throughout, handling finances,
creating new open space on the main
logistics, and an infinite number o f
floor, the electricity was upgraded,
details, as she had on all fronts since
and much time was spent prepping
2003 when she arrived. It was Leeker
who also helped provide the steady hand through the 2008 fiscal crisis, and who is, according to all those involved, responsible not only for the successful completion o f the major improvements to the physical plant, but the day-to-day fiscal stability of the entire school. “We are incredibly fortunate to have her and the dedication that she has brought,” said Reinemann. “To be as concerned with every little detail and as smart and as educated as she is, Kim is terrific.” Leeker’s leadership is apparent even to the faculty, whose focus appropri ately tends to be more on academics
H ead o f School Tom M ain has dramatically improved relations throughout the entire King community.
than business matters. “ One person who really makes me feel confident in the school is Kim Leeker,” said Tom
Good Neighbors With all the building activity, keep
Zoubek. “ She lets you know about the
ing up the discussions with the neigh
health o f the school. Every time that
bors became increasingly important,
she presents you just feel good about
and, fortunately, were quite positive.
the school when she’s done.
“ Our discussions with neighbors have
She shows how decisions are being
developed some very real results over
made far beyond the classroom.
the years,” said Main. “ For instance,
She makes you feel confident in the
we painted the top half o f the Middle
leadership o f the school.”
School dark green so it would blend
IP Ift i
■
1
The Upper School was completely refurbished in 2014, and the open, airy Academ ic Center at the center is a welcome gathering place fo r students andfactdty.
Teacher as Mentor Mentorship - trying to impart to every student the challenge that I want him to be better than me - is the foundation of my educational philosophy. The light mentorship gives is almost mystical. -Christos Galanopoulos Chair, History Department
into the foliage. The fly space for the Performing Arts Center is lower than originally planned - both the result o f discussions with neighbors.” Today King continues to plant trees or place berms around the perimeter to create screens or pre vent direct lines o f sight into large parking lots. There has been a lot o f work on the southwest corner of the school to shield the view from
Making History Relevant Over the past few years I have tau g h t. .. I started a new course called the Holocaust to begin with, and now I have expanded it. It's called Genocide in the 20th Century. [We look at] Rwanda, Bosnia, Armenia, just to show that there was one before. Students realize that there are so many holocausts that it's overwhelming. -Cathy Mishkin
Intervale East, and so as not to leave an open view to the back of the
The Computer Science Departm ent has upgraded as the result o f a generous gift
gymnasium. “We continue to talk with
“ Since Tom arrived in 2002,” said Hosinski, “the lines o f communication
neighbors,” said Main, “about any
with neighbors have vastly improved
projects - major events, scoreboards,
through the committee, and through
or buildings - well in advance. Every
increased efforts to reach out with let
project represents an opportunity for
ters and notices to anyone connected.
their input.”
They’ve been good about giving
“ It’s all about traffic and noise and
advance notice when the School has
so forth,” said former Upper School
sought anything, like an increase in
Head Karin Wagner. “And Tom has
students. They’ve let us know.
done a fantastic job, which we did not
“They have redesigned the roads
do before, in cultivating the neigh
internally, which has helped with
bors, in inviting them in, in showing
drainage and flooding issues. They
them the school, telling them what the
privately hired police for the road
plans are, and having meetings with
in the morning to help direct traf
neighbors regularly, so that they felt
fic. They had open meetings for the
they have a voice.” Peter Hosinski is one o f a group
Performing Arts Center, and sought neighbors’ comments before they went
o f neighbors who have been meeting
to the zoning board. In that case, the
regularly with Tom Main, Kim Leeker,
fly space was reduced by several feet
and others three times a year to
from original plans. When the first
discuss plans and developments at
major construction began, there was
King that could affect the surrounding
a berm in front o f the Middle School.
neighborhood, and to express concerns
It was supposed to be temporary, but
or offer support or suggestions.
one o f the neighborhood committee
“The fact that committee exists is the tail end o f the fact that relations
members wanted it left, so it was left. “The relationship today is generally
have improved in the past decade,”
positive. The School makes efforts to
said Hosinski. “There had historically
be a good neighbor.”
been issues over communication,
Part o f that is also being welcom
runoff and flooding, traffic, and a
ing. As the campus has become
threat to the residential feel o f
increasingly attractive, King has
the neighborhood.
welcomed neighbors who have asked
for access simply to walk the grounds,
Sadlowsky, “we are creating a lead
or for a father and son to play catch,
ing Computer Science program that
or for neighborhood children with a
will span the three divisions. We are
parent or grandparent to play on the
focused on technology and developing
playground. “ We’ve had great success,”
the teaching o f Science to meet
said Main, “and have a great rapport
emerging needs.”
with them now. It’s working well.”
Another family committed a $1 million gift to meet a variety o f
Advancement Despite the national economic
needs. The targeted programs, and the students engaged in them, imme
hiccup at the outset, the Campaign
diately benefitted from the generosity
for Excellence ultimately brought in
through increased opportunities
over $18 million, thanks to Orenstein,
and equipment.
the committee, many volunteers, and
“The climate for giving has
long-time Trustee Tom Conheeney,
changed dramatically,” said current
who came in as Co-Chair part way
Board President Lou Paglia in 2013,
through and helped bring the effort
just as Addie Jones suggested it would
to a successful conclusion. Despite the
10 years earlier. “ We were struggling to
high number, the benefits that came
raise a million dollars in our Annual
out o f it remained consistent with
Fund,” he continued. “ Participation
King’s low-key approach. “ Neither
rates were very low— but this year we
the Upper School nor the Performing
will raise over $1.8 million and our
Arts Center are fancy,” said Orenstein.
participation rates will be in the low
“ We made a conscious effort to put
90s. We don’t care if a family can give
up something that was not flashy.
us $20 or $50,000. The point is they
We were efficient and careful with
are invested in the school and are very
money— not putting money where
happy with King.”
it doesn’t benefit the kids. We still want it to be about the kids, not
Getting Your Hands Dirty— Literally I have also taught Field Archaeology. One year we were digging a mill. When we had a different schedule in the Upper School, I had 90-minute blocks. I could actually take the kids off campus pretty far, to over near West Stamford, at Mianus Park in that part of Stamford, where we were digging at a house foundation on Old Mill Road. We also did a dig here outside Simon House, seeing if we could find refuse pits. We never did find them. We've dug for the past three or four years at a rock shelter behind the Italian Center right along the Merritt Parkway, where we found evidence of occupation that may be archaic in date, so up to 2500 to 8000 BC. We also dug in front of Davenport Ridge — there was a house there until 1890 so we did an extensive historical archeological examination of material from that house. We hit the cellar mount and found ceramics and political buttons from i860 to the 1870s. Ultimately all of the stuff that we find goes to the Stamford Historical Society, of which I am president and executive director. So it very neatly fits together. -Tom Zoubek
the building.” Success, it seemed, bred success, as in subsequent years Trustees, faculty, and staff annually continued to demonstrate 100% support, while constantly meeting ever higher goals. In 2011, parent support topped 90%, an astonishing number it has sus tained, with as many as 97% o f new parents participating. M ajor gifts also continued inde pendent o f any campaign. In 2013-14 one family committed a $1 million gift
Popular History Department Chair Christos Galanopoulos,
dedicated to the creation o f a superb Computer Science Department.
here shown with Dr. Gilles Chosson, Director o f Global Education, left, and M ark Lingle, Religious Studies faculty,
“ Partially as a result o f this gift,”
right, has been a leader in revamping the curriculum
said Upper School Head Marnie
throughout the school.
The Faculty
Academic Programs
"When I got here I was one of two PhDs on staff,"said Tom Zoubek. "I think we now have a bunch in the Upper School. The head of the Science Department has a PhD, the head of Math has a PhD, the head of Performing Arts, I have a PhD, and the French teacher who is head of Global Studies has a PhD. "A lot of the other people who are in the Upper School may not have PhDs, but they are ABDs (all but dissertation). Our Instrumental Music guy is ABD. People like Bill Wallace have done so many extra classes that he's ABD, but he has done 8,000 years of classes. "When you look at our faculty, you're dealing with a group of people who are highly educated and who really know their stuff. That's another thing that I have to say, is that I think the school really goes out of its way to attract for the most part the best people it can, at least from my Upper School experience, and succeeds."
As Main constantly reminded, programs, not buildings, lie at the heart of an educational in stitution. For King, the growth in the size of the student body demanded more offerings in the 21st century, and in response, the School moved inexorably toward both a more comprehensive and a more personalized program. In 2009, the School began
English teacher Helen Kweskin is one o f K ing’s longest serving teachers, an d recently led students on a service project to Rwanda.
what it called the All School Curriculum Mapping Project, which sought to assemble faculty teams in a variety of configurations— across divisions, within the same division, within the same subject area— to look at every aspect o f the King curricu lum. An all-school Academic Council oversaw the process. The goal was to share “through line o f content, skill, and assessment information among divisions that will enable our faculty to work even more cohesively as a single educational institution to create a program o f excellence as set forth in our Mission,” wrote Bill Ennist in the Spring 2007 Bulletin. According to History Department Chair Christos Galanopoulos, “We created all-school Chairs to supervise curriculum from the Lower School to the Upper School from beginning to end. We created curriculum with other teachers.” The process was designed, accord ing to Upper School Head Marnie Sadlowsky, “to connect our academic programs across all three divisions by using specialized curriculum map ping software.” It many cases it led to more offerings. “ In the recent past we have added five Advanced Placement courses to the US program. Mandarin
Chinese has been included in the Language Departments o f the Middle and Upper Schools; and the number o f US electives we offer has tripled, as has the number of Independent Studies. “ The number of clubs in both Middle and Upper Schools has [also] dramatically increased,” she contin ued. “ Lower School students have embraced Singapore Math, and the Lower School Science Program has become dynamic, engaging, and is rooted in the study o f the scientific method. Lower School Spanish meets more frequently, supporting early foreign language acquisition. We have restructured our Music and Drama Programs, Grades PreK-12, to allow for more depth and expertise in the instruction o f both. And we added to our College Counseling Department, in order to keep ahead in this critical program.” “ In each one of our academic departments,” agreed Head o f School Tom Main, “there have been have increases in breadth and depth o f the material covered - more languages, more Science classes, more History electives, more AP courses across the board, more elective courses in the Middle School. The menu of what we
teach is much broader.” Students appreciated the choice.
member Dr. Kenneth Melmed chal
The Rwanda Club
lenged his colleagues to examine ways
“ Electives in general are just grow
in which to use content to come up
ing,” said one student. “Web design,
with inquiries, exploration, and proj
programming, global studies ... I think
ects that awaken the inherent curiosity
it’s really broadening. I don’t know of
o f every child; hands-on experiments
many schools that offer as much as
and simulations in class are a focus
we do academically. I’ve taken already
o f conversation. Melmed’s “ C S I”-
these distinctive leg-up classes.”
inspired course was a very popular
“ I took guitar, piano, [and] public speaking,” said another. “ I had so
example o f that approach. Dr. Tom Zoubek has been chal
much fun doing them, but if you told
lenging the language teams in the
me in Grade 8 that I was going to be
Lower and Middle Schools to get
doing that, I would have said you’re
students speaking languages more. In
crazy. But there is just so much op
one recent initiative, the Lower School
portunity to do these things.”
began using the Foreign Language in
The expansion penetrated deeply
Elementary School program to help
into each department. “ In the History
students begin Spanish earlier in their
Department,” said Galanopoulos, “we
academic careers.
added more Geography to the Lower
Over the years, Math Department
School. In Middle School we had G e
Chair Dr. Victoria Khiznichenko,
ography, but we made it more global.
known affectionately as Dr. K, has
We addressed World History with
noted “a change in the response o f fe
the idea o f what is the identity [of
male students to mathematics. When
America] in the world. We also created
I came girls were intimidated. They
several courses like the one focusing
didn’t think they could be great math
on hubris as a human condition. We
ematicians.” There are more girls now
look at history through the lens o f
than boys in BC Calculus. “The fact
this human condition, and students
that I am a woman who loves math
educate themselves to help tackle this
I think helped. 1 encourage
problem and be better citizens.”
girls.
Writing skills have been the focus
“ Girls are more mature
o f successive Upper School English
and often think further ahead
Department Chairs Helen Kweskin,
than boys.”
Marnie Sadlowsky, and Carolyn
They Poured F i r e on Us Fro m the Sky
The math teams, which
Patten. “ I had an English teacher sit
attend competitions six times
down with me when I was having
a year to compete with about
trouble with writing,” said a junior.
25 schools across Fairfield
“ She just did not like how I wrote.
County, have enjoyed increas
Global Education Alephonsion Deng April 8 and 9. BENSON DENG ALEPHONSION DENG BENJAMIN AJAK
She said, ‘What are you doing? I don’t
ing success. “They take tests
understand your process.’ I told her
on specific topics,” said Dr. K.
my process, and now she gets me a
“Algebra, complex numbers,
little bit better. So if they don’t get
plane geometry, and probabil
you, they’ll try to get you. I think it’s
ity are included. When they
really student centered.”
first started going, they were near the
In the sciences, former faculty
After four years of exemplary work with the Rwanda Service Club, seven members of the Class of 2013 traveled to Rwanda to work in the children's home they had been supporting. Under the guidance of Helen Kweskin, the"Rwanda Seven"- the name they selected for their group - acted as "Teacher's Aides" at the Urukundo Children's Home, helping with teaching and other extracurricular activities. "I felt very lucky to travel with this special group of students, and sharing this unigue experiential learning journey,"said Kweskin. "We had to write a proposal about what we wanted to do and how much it would cost,"said Georgia Orenstein'13. "We had to watch the political climate in Rwanda. There were seven of us and two teachers led by Ms. Kweskin. "We started at the capital, and went to the genocide memorial museum. We saw the city. We met people and heard amazing stories of people who had lived through the genocide. "We came back the night of prom and went straight to the party. That was quite a transition!"
Alepbo will work with US students in Modern History and English Literature courses. He will facilitate and moderate workshops, and partake in a Q&A session in the PAC
Alter fleeing his native country more than ten years ago. Alephonsion Deng has found a better life in the United States. He. his brother Benson, and friend Benjamin Ajak have been sharing their poignant story in many schools and colleges across the U.S.
Knowtofer
A. K IN G
bottom. Now they’re averaging about
Curriculum is pivotal in developing
sixth place.”
productive citizens o f the 21st century,” said the School’s new Quest
Cross-Divisional Programs
magazine in 2013. “The Lower School
One hallmark o f academics at King in
faculty run studio activities that
recent years has been significant cross-
include anything from building robots
divisional programs that are integrated
to producing documentaries on the
into the curriculum across disciplines.
solar system. The curriculum design
Said Main, “ We’ve added a Depart
aims at one goal: collaboration. To be
ment of Global Education, an Office
true 21st-century learners, students
of Community Affairs for Diversity
need to learn to collaborate as a team
and Inclusion, a Sustainability
in a variety o f ways.”
Director, and a Director of Service
“ They have classes such as com
Learning - all really important educa
puter programming and web design,
tional programs with an academic and
and they are starting robotics,” said
experiential component that did not
Eli Lichtman ’14. “ I think that’s all
exist ten years ago. We still offer
something King is definitely starting
traditional departmentalized educa
to do and look to do further in the
tion, but also much, much more.”
near future.”
ST E M , or Science, Technology,
Global Studies, the effort to address
Engineering, and Mathematics, repre
and understand the world, is another
sents a major academic example o f a
area that transcends individual disci
cross-divisional program. “The ST E M
plines. “The school has made a com-
The Greening of King For the 2013-14 school year, King's Service Learning theme was focused on sustainability. "This year we are focused on environmental initiatives that address the use and understanding of power, paper, and plastic, and the social, economic, and ethical aspects that reflect the multiple prongs of sustainability," cited Quest magazine in the fall of 2013. "Finding a balance is the ultimate goal of sustainability, and it involves everyone. We all need to understand what our actions mean and the nature of all our relationships, whether with the environment or with people. Our goal is to create a more sustainable community to help us all learn how to better live together." In 2014, King met that challenge by hiring a Director of Sustainability, Frank Barros, a Biology and Chemistry teacher who had held the same position for nine years at the Berkshire School. "King wanted a more comprehensive social and economic sustainability plan," said Barros. "We are developing one-, three-, and five-year sustainability plans. The gist is that this year we used a metric PROTOSTAR, to measure where King is now. We benchmark against the most widely used best practices, set objectives, and prioritize." The assessment in 2014-15 included education (curriculum and extracurricular activities from PreK to Grade 12), operations (buildings, food services, purchasing practices, water and energy use, waste management, transportation, and land use), and administration (strategic and master planning, human resources, affordability, diversity,
endowment, and public engagement). Barros is not waiting for the assessment to set particular initiatives, however. The ones for 2014-15 included: • Strengthening King's waste management systems (recycling and composting), engaging students in the process • Creating better awareness of sustainability behaviors in the workplace, in King's athletic teams, in event planning, and even in King family households • Adopting a definition of sustainability for the King community • Performing a comprehensive energy audit of the facilities Sustainability dovetails with King's mission, which states that King is "preparing its students to thrive in a rapidly changing world." In the process, students come to understand natural resource depletion, climate change, economic globalization, immigration, cultural inclusion, food quality, air quality, and even efficient use of time. A theme like "sustainability" impacts the administration as well. The Environmental Club and student governments ran a "Most Sustainable Building Competition" between the Upper School, Middle School, Lower School, PAC, and Simon House, monitoring conservation behaviors such as turning off lights and electronics, keeping windows shut, and recycling properly. King's recycling efforts were in fact given the Green School Alliance's highest level of recognition.
mitment over the years to encouraging
Studies,
students to look beyond their own
Sustainability,
worlds,” said Zoubek. “ Global Studies
or other cross-
seeks to educate students to be world
divisional
citizens.” Part o f that commitment
efforts. In
involved hiring a Director o f Global
2012, for
Education, Dr. Gilles Chosson.
instance,
In 2015, Global Studies initiatives
through
are too numerous to list, but as an
New Orleans’
example, the Where in the World?
St. Anna’s
series introduced in 2012 by Chosson
Episcopal
featured students, faculty, staff, and
Church, whose after-school program,
alumni sharing the stories o f their
Anna’s Arts, helps local kids with
journeys throughout the world. That
their homework, King Upper
same year the Global Students Club
School students spent a week in New
took on the initiative to create an In-
Orleans performing community
tercultural Board in the Upper School,
service involving both manual labor
featuring a culture from the diverse
and tutoring.
regions o f the world and highlighting
“Service Learning is essentially a
some aspects o f the history, geogra
more complex form o f community
phy, demographics, and culture o f the
service,” said Main. Following the
chosen country.
interdisciplinary idea, the School often
Hands-on work like the trip to
adopts one or more themes, such as
Rwanda that English teacher Helen
“ Honoring Those Who Served and
Kweskin led in 2012 represents the
Sacrificed,” or “ Poverty in Haiti,” and
most immediate result from Global
over the course o f year commits to
Studies, which is often combined with
learning about, understanding, and
another critical arena o f education at
connecting to that particular cause.
King such as Service Learning. Under
For the Haiti theme, various courses
the auspices o f the N G O International
and selected reading material centered
Education Exchange, a group linking
on Haiti. Speakers came, and the classes
educators from a variety o f schools,
or the School as a whole ran fundrais
including King, Kweskin took a group
ing or food-raising efforts. “Service
o f students from King’s Rwanda Club
Learning is part o f what we do, not an
to work in schools in impoverished
addition to what we do,” said Main.
villages in Rwanda. Students at King
Standard community service is
are involved in almost every continent
also still very much alive on campus.
o f the world in one way or another.
“ Since I’ve come to King I’ve seen us get more involved in the local
King’s Service Learning Program
community,” said Lizzy Flood ’14. “ King has gotten involved in an
Overlap among cross-divisional
immigration center, people to people,
programs is more common than not.
Boys and Girls Clubs. It initiated the
Service Learning, like that conducted
K IN G CA RES. It’s rewarding. ...
in Rwanda, is often, though certainly
We are taught to give back.”
not exclusively, related to both Global
Lower School students are ju st as involved in service learning as Upper Schoolers. Here they gather canned goods fo r distribution.
Personalized Concepts of Success Our cognitive profiles follow these children all the way through their academic careers at King. There is a recognition that every student is different and succeeds on a different plane. There is not one bar that every student needs to hurdle. Every student has areas that come easily and others that require more effort. It may be in academic subjects, the arts, or athletics. It may depend on the format for the class. By understanding each student's unique cognitive profile, teachers can better engage each student in the class with greater success. The result is more engaged and confident students. Every student has areas where they can shine. -Lou Paglia
Personalized Learning Personalized education —the idea that each student’s strengths and weak nesses, from a scientific, cultural, and personal standpoint, are identified and mapped into a personal learning profile —remains perhaps King’s signature pedagogy. The approach extends far beyond the imperative that each teacher engages with each student on an individual basis. It is in fact a function of the School having committed the administra tive infrastructure, in terms o f having an entire Department o f Assessment and Instruction devoted to helping faculty, most o f whom have under gone extensive professional training, apply scientific principles regarding adolescent brain development to their overall teaching methodologies. They can then develop specific strategies for each individual student, based on that student’s learning profile. “ We go to great lengths to under stand each student as a learner and thinking student, and we understand best practices for engaging each student,” said Karen Raidt, Head of Lower School and a former Chair
Lou Paglia
o f the Department o f Assessment and Instruction. “ We are focused on understanding what learning really is and what teaching practices facilitate the very best learning for each student. We know from research how the brain works, and we are hiring people with backgrounds in learning theory, people who know a great deal about the development of adolescent prefrontal lobes, where learning takes place. “ We also have a number o f longitu dinal groups: 6th through 12th grades, and these groups talk a lot about assessment practices, decisions about grouping, how students are sitting,
and even about whether furniture with wheels is best for small group collaboration. Our lens is fairly sophisti cated in terms of be ing student centered. As an alum and parent now, in ad dition to serving as a Trustee, Goldman has seen the results firsthand. “ King is a place that is really, genuinely attentive to every kid’s needs,” he said. “ It’s about helping kids reach their potential. Classroom
Form er Grade 2 teacher Karen Raidt moved into the Departm ent o f Assessment and Instruction fo r the Lower School, before becoming H ead of Lower School. The Department sets up a personalized learning program fo r every student in the School.
teachers have a special support structure to understand the learn ing capabilities o f each child. It’s not one-size-fits-all, because students go through a personalized assessment right out o f the gate, and this gives the faculty a benchmark. And there are people on staff to help with problem resolution, or to support each student’s academic, psychological, or social needs. They’ve worked on strategies with each o f my kids to help them maximize their ability to learn.” “They look at us as individuals,” said Eli Lichtman ’14. “ I think the best thing King did for me in my four years is individualized attention, just pushing me to figure out more about who I am. What type o f leader am I, how can I listen better, be more selfreflective? I felt more confident going into college knowing who I am, what I feel comfortable doing, where I can try and express myself and try new things, and finding out and learning more about myself. And part o f that is the individualized support.”
blit
Here
“ Mabel Thomas would be struck
degrees, and the pay scale o f our fac
by all this,” said Karen Raidt. “ Because
ulty, King was well below the median
we are so much more sophisticated in
ten years ago,” said Ed Cesare. “ It’s
terms o f personalization than [they
now well above the median.”
were] in her era. But on the other
In return for professional growth
hand, we still understand that if you
and development and higher pay,
don’t figure out how to establish
individual faculty can expect to be
an emotional relationship with the
reviewed constantly on a variety of
student, it doesn’t work. We take into
criteria related to their field: content
account culture and community —
knowledge, habits, best practices,
how teenagers behave or test certain
commitments to coherent grading
boundaries —and every child here is
practice, communication to parents,
known, appreciated, seen, heard,
and different modalities. The Depart
and valued.”
ment Chair is instrumental in this process. “The level o f accountability
Faculty Support and Responsibility In order to ensure its ability to
is much higher than it used to be,” said Raidt. The students, o f course, are the
deliver this personalized educational
ultimate beneficiaries o f a well-trained,
experience, King must also devote
well-compensated faculty. “ It’s easy to
major resources to professional
have a personal relationship with the
growth and development for faculty.
teachers,” said one student. “They are
“ Faculty regularly attend conferences
so open to meeting after school, ... they
and workshops on topics such as
are very approachable. They are open
adolescent brain development or the
to talking about other things. There is
latest methods in a particular disci
not a problem finding time.”
pline,” said Raidt. They are also supported directly.
Another noted a tenacious commit ment to their students’ success. “They
“ By all o f the conventional metrics like
are not going to stand by and watch a
the number o f faculty with advanced
kid fail. The teacher notices if some one needs some extra help.” “The difference in King is teachers, teachers, teachers,” said Laurel Jaffe ’16. “They have so much faith in you.
College counselors meet with both groups and in dividu al students. Here a session meets in one o f the new Upper School classrooms.
Finding the Best College for Each Student At many schools, parents get really wrapped up in where their child is going to go to college. It's the bumper sticker that seems to matter most. At King we recognize that each student is unique. Along those lines, certain colleges will be a better fit with the interests and aspirations of each student. Our personalized process starts early in high school. We take the entire junior class to visit a few schools of different sizes, academic strengths, and cultures to highlight the choices. In the end the most important part of the counseling process is to have our students attend a college where they will be engaged, challenged, successful, and happy. -Lou Paglia
It Works I think that King has figured it out. Nothing's perfect. But [we have] a structure that everybody falls into to understand how a child learns and how that child is going to be successful, and we come up with techniques that work really best for this child. -Libby Mattson
Inclusivity and Multiculturalism at King Though there may have been other students of color, foreign various students of color, students representing a variety of religions students, students of various faiths, or students with learning or nationalities, or economically challenged students attending on differences or physical handicaps between 1865 and 1943, Paul Lee financial aid. For many families this was an attractive aspect, although '47 is currently the first known student of color to attend any of King's the student body was still overwhelmingly homogeneous at this point. constituent schools, and hence a pioneer in the School's journey True diversity began after the 1988 consolidation, when the newly toward a more diverse community. unified School was being reimagined, and after the beginning of the "I was never treated any differently," says Lee, whose parents were millennium, once King had weathered its brief identity crisis, and once Chinese. "I was just another student."Twenty years later, the first Tom Main arrived and worked with a forward-thinking Board to forge students of color attending various schools across the country had to a new vision for an even more diverse community. be escorted past angry parents by police, but Lee's matriculation at "We had a phenomenal, strong, healthy group of Trustees that King in 194B was a promising beginning in its uneventfulness. really worked together and made it happen,"said alumna, parent, and As a diverse community, Stamford teacher Libby Mattson. "Lee Hill was to some extent likely reduced Lee's very instrumental. 0 . B. Gray, Addie DIVERSITY POLICY STATEMENT presence at King to something of a Jones, Paula Saylor-Robinson - she nonevent. "We are very lucky to be wasn't a Trustee, she was a parent. "Diversity is a core value at King. At King, we are enriched where we are," said longtime teacher These were very well respected through our appreciation of diversity's many faces, including Cathy Mishkin, "because you don't people of color in the community. gender, race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual have so much homogeneity. You have This group of leaders, and others, orientation, age, physical ability, talent, or learning style. differences here. It's wonderful, and wanted to ensure that students from By honoring cultural differences and intellectual diversity, it's real." any recognized minority, including we create a vibrant learning community where each person "Stamford is a community that those who had less resources than is valued. incorporates people from all walks they to pay King's tuition, would "King values a community in which each individual strives of life, both socioeconomically in nevertheless be able to attend." for wisdom and goodness found in a deep understanding terms of ethnicity and religious "It was already somewhat of equity, fairness, and cultural inclusion. Rooted in respect background,"said Language unique that this kind of discussion and personal responsibility, the School's culture offers Department Chair Tom Zoubek. and thinking was welcomed and a supportive and reflective environment that embraces encouraged at King,"said Dean diversity as central to educational excellence. We honor these Institutionalizing a Policy of Community Affairs Lise Leist, values as essential to preparing our students for lives of of Diversity a former King parent and Grade leadership and achievement in our global society. When Sue Cesare took over as 5 teacher. But these people were "At King, we support our commitment with action. We Head of Low-Heywood in 1971, she doers more than talkers. "They work to build a community that is truly diverse. Proactively was explicit in her intention that realized that if they were truly and consistently, we challenge stereotypes, create awareness, the School should serve a broader committed to bringing inclusivity and develop educational programs that are informed by, array of students, "by which I meant and multiculturalism to King," and responsive to, our values. We model these values in the a more ethnically and culturally Leist continued,"they needed School's activities and affairs. We arm our students with an and economically diverse student to institutionalize diversity as a understanding and appreciation for diversity that prepares body,"she said later. "Our core policy and make certain someone them to be thoughtful and successful citizens of the world." values could be found in a strategic had formal responsibility to plan drawn up right after the ensure its execution in the future." establishment of Low-Heywood Consequently, they helped develop a Diversity Task Force in the early Thomas. Increasing enrollment was a necessity, but the goal was not 2000s headed up by Trustee Cleve Christophe."Out of this came a to be just about numbers. It was also about a more diversified student formal, three-paragraph diversity policy and the creation of the body. The Financial Aid Committee decided to offer scholarships to five position of Dean of Community Affairs, which was first held by students of color. Sixty letters were sent to nonprofit and for-profit Lynn Sullivan." organizations in Stamford asking for candidates, [and] 25 girls took the Many teachers responded in kind. "A couple of other teachers and entrance exam and the top five accepted the invitation to attend the I went to a 'Seeking Educational Equity & Diversity' conference," said school."That was the first formal step to increase socioeconomic and Mattson. "It's called SEED and it's a program that provides training for perhaps ethnic diversity. diversity, inclusion, and understanding. They sponsor professionals By the 1980s, the student bodies of both Low-Heywood Thomas who go back to their schools to try to infuse and bring change. and King had a distinct, though slight, multicultural flavor, with
It's a great, well-known program." In addition to an institutional framework, of course, diversity requires funding. Fortunately, philanthropy in this area from the King community allowed the School to create more opportunities for students of all kinds to attend King. Such funding for financial aid remains a priority. The ultimate goal of an aggressively inclusive multiculturalism is not only to accept and celebrate differences that exist in the world at large, but to also make such differences unremarkable on a day-today basis. "When speaking about diversity," noted Lynn Sullivan, in the spring 2007 Bulletin ,"it is important to remove the temptation to define it as the loaded notion of the politics of identity. Rather, it is best to simply define diversity as human relations. This is a core value that we must instill in our students." Sullivan went into greater programmatic detail, noting the "strong commitment to diversity expressed throughout all divisions, from kindergartners sharing holidays from around the world and Lower School students having exchanges with a Japanese school, Middle School students studying conflict in Darfur and apartheid in South Africa, and Upper School students bringing in Muslim speakers. Meanwhile, groups like Parents Value Diversity and programs like the Family Diversity Project, a 60-piece photo and text exhibit depicting diverse family relationships, have provided extracurricular support to what is happening in the classroom."
Redefining Diversity "In order to create an environment where everybody is going to be valuing everybody else equally,"said Zoubek,"you have to really bring out that idea that multiculturalism exists, and really try and champion that as a good thing and show that you can actually learn from people who are not of your background." Daniel Berrick'14, who attended King for seven years, noted King's aggressive commitment to diversity. "From an admission point of view there are many people of different ethnicities coming to the school much more than there were when I was in Grade 6 . That includes different socioeconomic diversities, which I think is great. I have a friend who now has the opportunity to go to an excellent school. King's job is, no matter where these kids come from, to turn them into people who can go out into the world and be successful. Currently a shade under 2 5 % of the student body self-identifies as members of an underrepresented population, and the Board is continually monitoring and questioning that and other numbers and percentages. At the same time there is a recognition that imprecise
nomenclature may lead to vague policies and uncertain outcomes. There is, in other words, a recognition in some camps that the idea of a "minority" is somewhat dated and artificial, which is why King followed the National Association of Independent Schools in embracing the phrasing "inclusivity and multiculturalism," which, at the very least, suggests a community more of diverse equals than one of majorities and minorities. "Now we need to step back and ask,'Are our efforts working?"'says incoming Board President Tom Conheeney. '"Are we where want to be? Does the community around us feel like King is the place they want to go, and are they comfortable here?'There are certainly areas where we still need to focus." To that end, both qualitative and quantitative data are required for King to accomplish its goals of an inclusive and multicultural community - or to determine if the surrounding community, in Conheeney's words, feels comfortable on its campus. "Our Parent Diversity Committee is one of the largest and most active parent committees on campus," said Leist."And we have just finished a large part of the NAIS survey assessing inclusivity and multiculturalism AIM. There were about ten committees seeking feedback on programs, facilities, staff... King's entire educational experience. Then everyone in the community - students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni - were sent questionnaires designed to elicit their opinions related to their experiences in regard to inclusivity. When we get all the data in, we will be better able to make decisions about the future to ensure we understand what we mean by an Inclusive and multicultural community,'and that we take the appropriate actions to create that community." Even before the survey was complete, King was recognized for its efforts and successes in this area. "Today,"said Sue Cesare, "schools talk about diversity but few have committed to the broad extent that this school has - socially, economically, racially, religiously may be more common, but over the years by welcoming students with different learning styles and others with manageable physical handicaps, this school has put inclusiveness at the heart of its mission. As one of our graduates and teachers has proudly said, 'You can't find anybody who looks the way we do.'" Whatever the survey produces, however King chooses to think about and refine its already inclusive and multicultural community, it will almost certainly revise the decade-old Diversity Policy, and all decisions and initiatives will be the result of a thoughtful, evolving, mission-driven process in which everyone has a voice. "I think that because we work on developing awareness in the kids that there are people from different walks of life all around us, that when somebody comes from Bridgeport, say who's gone to inner-city schools and is here, I think it is much more welcoming," noted a faculty member.
[our graduates] who are in college,”
King Mission Statement, Revised 2011
noted Main, “ is that this deep sense o f self-awareness breeds a re
King is dedicated to preparing its students to thrive in a rapidly changing world. We provide an excellent progressive education, grounded in the traditional disciplines of the arts and sciences, committed to the nurturing of individual potential, and designed to promote critical thinking and reasoned reflection. Using rich and innovative methods, our teachers facilitate each student's fullest academic and personal achievement. We champion the development of character, self-confidence, and talent through challenging intellectual, creative, athletic, leadership, and service opportunities. King believes that individual accomplishment must go hand in hand with respect for others. Our culture of respect fosters collaboration as well as independence. We embrace human and cultural diversity. We value responsible citizenship. King graduates are well equipped to succeed in college and to pursue lives of ongoing inquiry, learning, accomplishment, personal fulfillment, and social responsibility.
fined self-advocacy, so they are able in college to go to their professors to let them know what they need in terms o f information and extra help. They know what they need to do in order to be successful, and if a particularly challenging as signment pops up that is going to knock them out, they can tell from a distance what that is, and they can prepare for it and will prepare for it well in advance.” “ King is pretty reflective of a
I feel like encouraging doesn’t even
workplace and life environment,”
cover it. The reason you love a course
said Lichtman. “I think King trains
is because of the teacher’s sole energy
you very well for college and life
and love for the class.”
afterwards.” • After some years o f inconsistent
Operating to Mission: King Today
athletic performance, King, while
King today truly is a mission-
sport, certainly holds its own with
driven school. Its Mission Statement
its rivals, bringing home winning
was updated in 2011 after a two-year
seasons, league titles, and other
process o f review that produced a
championships on a regular basis.
“sharpened and refreshed” statement
“ Our athletic emphasis is that
that reflected the advancements at
we offer high-quality athletic
not a perennial powerhouse in any
King and its aspirations for the future,
programs that give kids a full
but reaffirmed and restated its his
opportunity to experience a team
torical core values o f commitment to
sport and to benefit from all o f the
educational excellence in a culture o f
lessons and maturation and growth
civility with respect for the individual.
that are associated with that,” said
Standing on these values at its sesquicentennial, the King School is undeniably strong on all fronts. • Once they arrive at college, students are well prepared. “One o f the things that we hear back from
The ringing the bell ceremony, signifying moving up a grade at the end o f a year, is a favorite tradition among many students.
Main. “ For a varsity football team,
in the area. I think our faculty
for example, we would like to be as
have more to offer students as well
good as we can possibly be, and we
because o f the experiences they
would like to win every game that
have had, so I think the faculty
we play. In my time at the school
is stronger.”
we have had 8-0 seasons, 6-2
• The physical plant, which was
seasons, a bunch o f 4-4 seasons,
intentionally designed not to be
some 2-6 seasons, a 1-7 season. All
a showcase but to support all the
o f those seasons have been good
other programs, is the most
seasons for the kids, because they
obvious change at King that
have learned what you need to
returning alumni notice.
learn through the experience o f
The Middle
athletic competition.
School, the
Perfor mance Arts Center, the new fields, and the gen eral attention to detail provide a different feel to the visitor. “Today, the grounds, the gardens, the way the fields look ... it’s ail terrific,” said Goldman. “A lot should manage that experience ...
o f people drive in and are blown
and obviously it is very different,
away.” Reinemann noted, that
but it is still a learning experience.”
“today, you come on campus and
• Academically, Zoubek feels that
say, ‘This is a place I want to be.
King now offers a superior experi
What a nice place.’ The school
ence to its competitors. “ I think
from the outer appearance is a
first o f all in terms o f our academic
totally different place. The little
program we have more to offer. I
engine that could actually did.”
think the classes here are probably more rigorous and better devel oped than the classes at some o f the other schools that I have seen
A
Ultimately, today King is still about its community and the core values outlined in the Mission Statement. The culture remains strong at the sesquicentennial and fosters a warm, caring environment o f civility and respect. King has “a strong sense o f com munity,” said one student. “We work on building that.” “ Everyone is so tied together, and it’s easy to be friends,” ex plained another.
After two successful campaigns in the 1980s, the campus at K ing has been transformed.
A Culture Sustained Through Change
“At King,” said a third, “you learn a balance ...
Libby Mattson, who has been
how to lead somebody, listen to oth
involved as student, faculty, parent,
ers, respect each other’s opinions, and
and/or volunteer over three decades,
suggest something different without
has witnessed an immense amount of
offending someone.”
change, and yet recognizes that what
The most august ofTom Main’s
was most important for both King
predecessors is perhaps best equipped
and Low-Heywood Thomas decades
to encapsulate the School at its ses-
ago has survived. “ W hat’s a particu
quicentennial. “ King Low Heywood
lar story about the school ... I think
Thomas,” says Sue Cesare, “stands
there’s resilience. The ability to change
today financially strong, and is the
without fear about what everybody
school o f choice for those families who
else is saying. Our school is no dif
want a program o f educational excel
ferent than any o f our lives. You need
lence, a unique implementation of
to be able to change. You need to be
the student-centered philosophy in a
resilient. You need to fail, and then go
culture o f respect, civility, and service
succeed from your failures. King has
with a commitment to human and
done that.”
cultural diversity.”
Tom Main: Visionary Leader, Deft Administrator If King today bears the fingerprints of any one individual, it would be those of Tom Main, Head of School since 2002. Tom Main arrived at King the first time in 1983, fresh out of Bates College in Maine. "I was the head Varsity football coach that year. I had played football in college so I had some good knowledge of the game. It was a dream job. Can you imagine being 22 years old and just having finished four years of college and now coaching? I also taught three or four sections of English in Grades 7 and 8. I was eight or nine or ten years older than these kids. It worked.'' It certainly did. Main was by all accounts a very popular and effective teacher, and he even turned the football team around, leading them to a 5-3 record after a winless season the year before. He remained for seven years, during which time he was named Athletic Director while pursuing a master's of Advanced Liberal Studies, with a concentration in Humanities at Wesleyan University. From 1990 to 2002, he was at Rye Country Day and Cincinnati Country Day, where he served as the Upper School Head. In 2002 he decided it was time for him to seek a headmastership. "King happened to have the opening at the time. As I went through the process, I became more and more intrigued and enthusiastic about the opportunity that was here. Not only did I have a history with this school, but also it seemed like it worked well with my particular skill set. You have to find a school that will benefit from what you can offer. "There has always been plenty of clay on the wheel here at King," he said of one of the primary factors in his decision to take the job. "King has always had incredible potential. If you run a day school in an out-of-the-w ay place, you have serious potential issues because it is hard to raise money, enrollment is really hard, and there really isn't a strong culture or understanding of independent schools. But here, this is a great area. The school has a great niche." In 2002, King was also coming off one of the most difficult periods in the history of any of its constituent schools, although Barbara Hartley Smith had calmed the waters in the previous four years. The clay Main saw on the wheel was indeed plentiful: enrollment was at 650, a new wave of top faculty and administrators had recently come to campus, a $6 million campaign to build a new Middle School was nearing completion, and annual support was strong. The community had been divided but was healing, and the core values of civility and respect remained fundamental. But after a bitter divide, there remained an unsettling sense among some that the School may have been slightly adrift in regard to the future, and in need of a strong leader to take advantage of the opportunities at hand ... to shape the clay into an even better school, so to speak. Main proved to be that leader. First, he possessed an identifiable philosophy. "Schools are about kids," he has often said. "If that's not your purpose, you don't have a purpose. It's very important for us as we succeed in so many different ways to never lose [sight of the fact] that we are only a great school because we prioritize the success of each child each day. That is the most important thing to us. I love the beautiful buildings, but they are not more important than the success of each child each day. We maintain a laser-like focus on that, and you can become anything. Second, he shrewdly sized up the immediate situation. "The focus when I returned was on building the school back up in terms of our self-esteem and self-confidence." Third, he had definite ideas about where he wanted to lead King. "Tom brought a vision," said Rich Goldman simply. That vision involved maintaining what Main called a "culture of relentless school improvement," undergirded by "institutional and financial health." Perhaps of equal importance, Main possessed the ability to articulate that vision clearly and succinctly to all constituencies, and the skills to build consensus behind it.
Soon after arriving, Main began to work with the Board to define the vision into periodic long-range plans and a 20-year Master Facilities Plan, all of which are expected to cost about $50 million. Not just a dreamer and planner, Main has overseen a nearly 10 0 0 % increase in the endowment: from $3 million at his arrival to $23 million, while the Annual Fund is over $2 million per year, with 10 0 % faculty and staff participation, and 9 0 % participation by parents. That is the financial health that has sponsored the vision that is still in the process of being realized in many quarters under Main. Most obviously, the campus has been reinvented, with a new Middle School and Performing Arts Center, a refurbished Upper School, reconstructed playing fields, and many less visible structural improvements on roads, roofs, and plumbing. "Equally if not more important,"says Main, "we have focused relentlessly on improving faculty salaries and benefits so that we are compensating our educational professionals far, far better than we were 12 years ago. It has been critical for us to do that." That compensation has been paired with dramatically expanded opportunities for professional growth. Because of all that, Main noted, "we have been able to hire, retain, and hold accountable the finest teachers, which is in the end the primary component of a great education." Most important of all has been Main's focus on the development of educational programs in terms of more offerings of AP and honors courses: more languages, and more electives in all three divisions. In terms of academic creativity, or educational programs that express King's commitment to educating the whole child, programs have been developed in service learning, global education, community service, sustainability, and multicultural diversity. Diversity, of course, has been another core value that Main has fostered and seen flourish, not only in academic programs, but in all areas of the school community, and today diversity is one of the hallmarks of the King community. Finally, Main has nurtured that caring community that was essential to the School's identity. "This is a deeply caring place, a compassionate community. It always has been." "He's a damn good headmaster," said World Language Chair Tom Zoubek."He presents well, he's articulate, and when he speaks, he is very clear about this is what we are doing.... There's a confidence in the institution that I have now that I certainly did not have when I got here. We are regularly growing, and we regularly have huge waiting lists. The school articulates that it has an idea of where it is going." "Tom has raised the bar around the academic environment while constantly reinforcing the culture," says Lou Paglia. "Since Tom has been its Head, the School has become much more intentional in its ambition. Also it has been relentless in its striving to become the best it can be, and the result of that striving is why King is thriving today." After 14 years, Main is quick to point to the future instead of the past, for he does not dwell on 14 years of growth and improvement, or a school presently thriving. He understands King to have simply taken the first step in a 50-year or longer plan of increasing excellence. His vision far outstrips his tenure, and it is of a King few others can conceive.
Epilogue
Education for a Rapidly Changing World Strategies for the Future “We are a very mission-driven com
on to say, “ Not every student is going to be great across every discipline,
munity and school,” said Ed Cesare,
but King’s personalized education is
former Board President. “ I think if
not only a way to help them suc
you brought today’s mission statement
ceed academically, but to help them
on a blind basis to every student and parent and alumni o f any of the five historical schools, it would resonate with every single constitu ent. I think, to a very high degree, our school lives its mission.” I f that mission is to be summa rized, the very first line o f the Mis sion Statement is not only powerful and succinct, but also equally broad
Particulars for the Future As I think of the years between 1971 and 2008 , 1think of the schools having been through three stages— surviving, arriving, and aspiring. We have gotten here by honoring the past and embracing the future. As we have moved through these stages, sometimes separately, sometimes together, our goal was to take the best of what we were and choose change when it meant becoming something better. At each stage, I believe, as they say in sports, "we played within ourselves." At no time did we want to become something we were not. We aspired only to become truer to our missions. -Sue Cesare Head of School, 1971-96
and definitive in stating that “ King is dedicated to preparing its students to thrive in a rapidly changing world.” That mission is executed through the Strategic Plan, the most recent o f which was developed for the years 2013-2018, and is focused around three basic pillars: 1) educational excellence, 2) building on a culture o f civility and respect, and 3) institutional strength and advancement. Educational excellence in particular will continue to be first about a per sonalized educational experience for all students. “ It is critically important we continue to stay focused on personal ized education,” says Tom Conheeney, incoming Board President for the 150th academic year. Conheeney goes
identify and build on their individual strengths, to know where to invest their energies so that they will have maximum success and impact on the world.” Head o f School Tom Main sums up additional academic and financial elements o f the Strategic Plan. “There are five or six things that are laid out very neatly,” he says. “Academically and programmatically we are putting more o f an emphasis into ST E M : Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. ... We [also] would look for the real maturation o f programs in Global Studies and Sustainability and Community Service and Service Learning. ... We also need
The Most Critical Stage of Life
a deeper understanding of the issues
There is a belief here that what happens in the life of a child from PreK through Grade 12 will have a far more profound impact on who they are in life, how happy they are, how successful they are, than what happens beyond graduation. These are such important years, so that's why understanding them, having them feel accomplished and competent and successful in their own way is so important."
steps we will need to take in order to
-A faculty member
o f access and affordability, and the continue to provide access, and to be financially sustainable over the long term.” In regard to the latter, former Board President Lou Paglia says, “The next campaign will not be about bricks and mortar. It will likely center around building endowment to support financial aid and diversity.” Building on the new brand will also be important. “ It’s time to double down on increasing the awareness,” says Trustee Rich Goldman. “ We need lots of interconnectivity between the values and the execution o f the plan. How do we develop the story?” “The plan itself is not intended to
Bowser, a former parent, Board
Parent an d B oard President, Tom Conheeney, takes the helm during the 150th Anniversary Year.
member, and Chair o f the Strategic
plan strategically within its means
Planning Committee. “ Rather, it
and its mission.”
capture all o f the activities taking place on campus every day,” wrote Alan
is intended to be a living document that will change through time, but always point us in the direction of our primary goals.” The tone o f the plan is
As important as academic or finan cial initiatives is what is not going to change in King’s future. “The ques tion,” says incoming Board President
perhaps as important as
Tom Conheeney, “ is how are we going
the specifics, for inherent
to move the School forward thought
within it is King’s very
fully without negatively impacting the
intentional philosophy
culture o f civility, respect, service, and
5C H O oL
c » V.o'*'
Preserving the Culture
o f humility. “We do
inclusivity that is so fundamental to
not intend to enter a
everything else?”
facilities or program
School leaders recognize that
race with our com
maintaining that culture in a time
petition,” says Sue
o f competing priorities is not easy.
Cesare.
“ I’d much rather need to raise money
“ Pretentious is not
for an endowment or build a build
a word that would
ing than try to build a culture,” says
ever describe us. ...T h e School, as did its predecessors, continues to
Paglia. “ That’s a lot harder to do ... it’s much more fragile ... but having
E P IL O G U E
built what I think is a great culture, we can now make the next quantum leap
Those virtues are: • Integrity: understanding and
in the school. I see that as the great
living by our values with
opportunity. But I think the great
authenticity
challenge is to not lose sight o f that culture.” King is not passive about this most basic and most critical o f tasks. For
• Kindness: intentional consideration and compassion for others • Perseverance: relentlessly
instance, in service to the Strategic
pursuing excellence with a focus
Plan’s directive to “clearly define” the
on growth and improvement
values it holds in highest regard, in the 2014-15 school year Administrator Alex
• Respect: treating every person with dignity and civility
Weiner and Trustee Helen Jaffe guided
through honoring ourselves and
the students, faculty, parents, alumni,
others in our words and actions
administrators, Trustees, and others through a community dialogue de signed to determine those “virtues o f character” that are most fundamental to King’s culture. The discussions, ac cording to Tom Main, “were sophisti cated, the questions were probing, the involvement was far reaching, and the interest and focus were keen.” Four virtues o f character were identified as fundamental, virtues that Main said “ have always been here, and they have always been important to our school community and our families, but [which] had not been isolated and defined in such a precise manner.”
According to the mission, King plans to fulfill that purpose through “the development o f character, selfconfidence, and talent through chal lenging intellectual, creative, athletic, leadership, and service opportunities.” “ Values are a prerequisite,” says Main, simply because, whatever the pedagogical approach, programs and facilities at any particular time, these values and others are the D N A of the culture o f civility, respect, service, and inclusivity, that has served as King’s foundation in a long and sto ried past, and that will serve as King’s compass into a very bright and very grounded future.
A
Board ofTrustees King Low Fleywood Thomas, of,
Aarts, Karen, 109
141,185
accreditation, 191
King School, of, 51,96,118-119,
admissions, 96,114,121
Low-Fleywood School, of, 67-68,
AFS (student exchange organization),
Low-Fleywood Thomas School, of, 110,130,139-140
Agudath Shalom Synagogue, 58
134,136
"human tradition" at Thomas
90,103,105,109 72-74,80,163-164
Chosson, Dr. Gilles, 799, 203
Boston Juvenile Court, 41
Christmas party, 105
Anna's Arts, 203
Bowling, Belinda, 76
Christophe, Cleve, 186,206
Annual Fund
Bowser, Alan, 214
Chronicle, 31,114,117,120,159-160,177,
King School, for, 119 Low-Heywood Thomas School, for, 131 Army Artillery School, 24 Aron, Ginger, 103 assembly, 30, 41, 82, 85,108,125,155 Astronomical Observatory, 27 awards, 125
B baby boom, 113 Bahna, Ralph, 157-158
Brent, FI. Mason, 24,24, 26,55
articles on coeducation, 152-155
Bronx Zoo, 31
articles on coordinate education,
164,174 building campaign for King School, 118-119 Bulletin, 115,186,188,191,193,194,200,
c
College and Secondary School Entrance Boards, 28
capital campaign. See also fundraising
Barnard, Mr., 74,80
campaign
Barrault, Jean-Louis, 72 Barrymore, Diana, 47,47 Barrymore, Ethel, 47 Barrymore, Georgianna Drew, 47 Barrymore, John, 47 Barrymore, Lionel, 47 Barrymore, Maurice, 47
King Low Fleywood Thomas School, for, 164,176-178,183184,189,193-194,199 (See also Capitalizing on Excellence; Flonoring the Past, Securing the Future) Low-Fleywood Thomas School, for, 111,130-131 Capitalizing on Excellence: A Campaign for KLFIT, 193-194,199. See also fundraising
Bartram, Bill, 33
Caputi, Gary, 64,115
Bashford, Carol, 109
Carpenter, Flarold, 22
Bauer, Mrs., 76
Carter, Jimmy, 101
Bauman, Robert Mark, 179
Casey, Karen, 162
Becker, Judy, 119
Catherine Aiken School for Girls, 6-8
Beresford-FHill, Paul, 167-168,170-175, 772, 181
cell tower, 158
Berrick, Daniel, 207
Cerone, Dick, 179
Betts, James, 5-6 Betts Academy, 5,7
Cesare, Ed, 97,99,101,159,192-193,196, 796 ,205,213
Biewen, Cathy, 130
Cesare, Sue (Rockwell), 72,76
big sisters, 77,105 Blackston, Mike, 169 Blomberg, Jeff, 133 Bloom, Nancy, 124 Blue-Black competition, 105
coeducation, 113,151-154
college admissions, 22,73,205
Barbarite, Mme., 142
Barros, Frank, 202
Clark's Hill Institute, 5
Coles, Dr. Robert, 106
Burnham, Miss, 47
Center School, 5, 5
consolidation with King School, 139-140,142-143
Daly, Jerry, 27,29-30 Daly, Radley, 30-31 Dashboard, 189 Davidson, Geri-Lee, 107 DeLuca Construction Company, 61 demerits, 71 Derby, Miss, 30 detention, 22-23 development King Low Heywood Thomas, at, 156-157,184-187,194-199
Civil War, 1
Cohane, Jared, 707
207
cadet corps, 23
Barnett, Dr. David, 87
133,135-136 Cincinnati Country Day School, 179, 182,211
Bull Sheet, 51
Baker, Eileen, 181
Barnes, Dr. R. Bowling, 51
185 article on consolidation, 142
Browne, Peter, 136-141,739,147-148,158,
106,127-128 Cutts, Steven, 120
D
Bradley, Mr., 29
Brooklyn Navy Yard, 31
Low-Heywood Thomas School, at,
two-year absence, 78
Borg, Miss, 71
157,164,174-175,183-184,187, 189,191,199,211
King School, at, 21-22,2 9 -3 1,116
teacher at Low-Heywood School,
Anglo-American International School, 167
Boys and Girls Club, 80,203
202-203
88 ,
Cherny, Mr., 88
King Low Fleywood Thomas, for,
King Low Heywood Thomas, for,
207,210,213-214 merger with Thomas School,
Bonney, Dr. Katherine A., 77-78,78, 81-82, 82
Anderson Brothers Deli, 31
School, of, 43,4 5-4 6
head of King Low Heywood Thomas, 148-157,161-165,167,
72
125 Anderson, Johann, 98
130 -13 1, 133-
137-138,140
advising, 75
curriculum
Thomas School, 12 3 -12 5 ,124 ,127,
College Entrance Examination Board, 29,31
Collegiate School, 8 Colonial Pool Hall, 31 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Annual Competition, 107 community service, 73,80,127,129, 203,213
King School, at, 64-65 Low-Heywood School, at, 78-79 Dietrich, Steve, 99 diversity, 33, 79,83 King Low Heywood Thomas, at, 161,176,186-187,206-207,211 King School, at, 96-97 Low-Heywood Thomas School, at, 104 Diversity Policy Statement, 186, 206-207 Dixon, Mr., 30 Doctorman, Wesley, 62 Dodd, J. Gardiner, 56 ,6 2-6 3 , 95,101,114 head of King School, 118-121,134, 164
Conheeney,Tom, 199,207,213-214
Doering, Patrick, 115
Connecticut Board of Education, 20
Donahue, Donnie, 56,60,64,96
consolidation, 138-143
Donahue, Jeff, 169
Cook, Robert, 56,127
Donahue, Patrick, 54,56
Cookenboo, Harrison, 98
Donahue, Rory, 151,169
Cooper, David, 117
Doris Ward Knox Memorial Scholarship, 126,130
Cooper, Kenneth, 30,3 0 ,51,54 Cooper, Mrs., 28,30, 51 coordinate education, 83,104,133-137 Cordiner, Jean,
68
Cordiner, Ralph J., 67,72 Corkran, Miss, 39 Cosell, Howard, 101 Cosell, Justin, tot cost of private school education, no Courtland Gardens, 129 Coventry, Mrs., 30 Coyle, Jim, 54,56,62,65,82,95,95,174
headmistress of Low-Heywood School, 81-83,82, 206
Cramp, Walter M., 72
headmistress of Low-Heywood
Culpeper Foundation, 130
Crystal Ice Skating Rink, 86
Draper, Paul C., 96-97,114,161 dress code, 63,100,115,149,159-160. See also uniforms Drew, John, 47 Drew, Louisa, 47 Duckman, Larry, 56 Duckworth, Sophia, 73 Dwelle, Biffy, 75 Dwelle, Vernon head of King School, 24,24,27, 2 7-3 0 ,3 0 ,33,51 ,97
part in saving Low-Heywood School, 67-68,70,72 resignation of, 53 tenure of, 55,55 vision of, 42
E Earle, Barbara, 48 Earth Day, 91,160 Earth Week, 160-161
Froelicher, Mme., 87
Hermanson, Cindy, 115
fundraisers, 135
Herrick, Alice, 15
Jones, Addie, 174 -179 ,18 3-18 6 ,184,193,
fundraising, 67,176-178
Herrick, Ann Ayres, 7 2 ,72 ,74 -76 ,82, ms, 163
Jones, Cornelia, 151,153,175
Hess, Aaron, 62-63
Jones Pharmacy, 31
Hess, Frank C., 119
Judge, Julian, 142
Hey-Day, 107-108
Juliusburger.Tom, 56
Heywood, Edith, 8,77,11-12,15,35-36,39
Junior Party, 75,105,142
G
Eckhart, Gabrielle, 27 Economic Crisis of 2008,192 Edward E. Ford Foundation, 130,157
Galanopoulos, Christos, 181,198,799, 200-201
Edwards, Bob, 169
Galassi, John, 56
Egbert, Jane, 130
Gautrau, Andrew, 152
Ellis School, 67
Gautrau, Dom, 157
Endowment Fund, 78,83,184,187,191
General Electric, 67
Ennist, William, Jr., 179,181,200
Germano, Mark, 179
enrollment
Gilbert, John N., 72
King Low Heywood Thomas, at, 162,178
137
Glee Club, 68,73,73,108,125 global education, 167,170,202-203,211
Hill, Lee, 206
K
Hindenburg crash, 39
Kahle, Dick, 31
Holding, Judy Kleinhans, 69,74, 76-77, 8 0 ,105,130,162,164
Karayiannis, Peter, 169
Holland, Carol, 124,124,126,179,181
Khiznichenko, Victoria, 181,201
honor code, 46,159
Kicelian, Joyce, 181
Honoring the Past, Securing the Future: A Campaign for the Students of
Kidd, Mr., 30
Goerke, Howard R., 72
KLHT, 176-178,183-184,189. See also capital campaign
Low-Heywood School, at, 87
Goldman, Julius, 46
Low-Fleywood Thomas School, at,
Goldman, Rich, 184,191,204,209,211,
124
H.O.P.E.@KLHT, 188
Goodman, Benny, 73
Horner, Keith, 110
Environmental Club, 160-161,154,202
Goodnow, Edward, 89
Horowitz, David, 117
Everett, Richard, Jr., 72
Gordon, Phil, 56
Hosinski, Peter, 198
experiential learning, 106-107,127,128
Goulden's Pharmacy, 10
Houghton, John B., 114
Eyster, Miss, 37,70
grades, not part of Thomas School, 46
Howes, Charles, 32
graduation, 37, 49 , 68, 77, 77, 90, 100,
Hoyt, Mrs, J. King, 67
700, 753,155
F Facilities Master Plan, 184,185,189,193, 196,211 faculty salary and benefits, 121,130,
Graham, Otto, 57
Gramps, Nancy Bowling, 74-
79-81
Grant, Mr.,30
184,189
vision of, 28,42,165 King, Dr. Martin Luther, Jr., 108 King, Mrs., 20-21 King, Paul Jr., 56 King School Handbook, 121 The King School Log, 31
Hudson, Daniel, 115-116,119-120,135, 137-138,159,160,162,174,179,181 Huguenin, Gustave, 67
Great Depression, 19,28
Huntoon, Ann, 113,179,181
Farwell, Mrs., 87
Green, Robert L., Jr., 101
hurricane of 1938,48-49
Father and Son Dinner, 57
Green School, 5
Father-Daughter Dinner, 105
Greens Farms Academy, 90,174
I
Faucett's Sporting Goods, 10
Greenwich, Connecticut, 31
F. D. Rich Company, 80
Greenwood, Billy Dee, 169
IAAY. See Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth
Feller, Bob, 33
Grey Coat Hospital School for Girls in
IB. See International Baccalaureate
Gwathmey Siegel and Associates
Fine, Fiona Muir, 126,127-128 fire drills, 69 fires at King School, 52-53,60-62,95,
Architects, 177-178
H Hadden, William E., Sr., 61
118 Fish, Lillian, 54, 56
Haft, Wendy, 178
Flood, Lizzy, 203
Haines, Frank, 26-27,30
Flounders, Jane, 39 ,67, 68 ,6 9-70 ,
Haines, William H„ 51
72- 73, 75,164
Ford, Wharton H.,23
Forster, Elizabeth Chapman “Boo," 37, 77, 127,179,181,782 drama teacher, 7 3 -7 5,8 0 ,10 5 ,106, 108,708,160 Fox, Elizabeth Heywood,
39,67
Fricker, Barbara Pitt, 38 Fricker, W m ,
33
Friends of Thomas, 88-90
Hunt, Rob, 109
KLHT News, 168 Knobloch, Carl, 67 Knox, Barry, 126,126,130,131
incorporation of Thomas School, 85 Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth (IAAY), 178
Knox, Kathy, 126 Kochansky, Evelyn, 54 Kopchanski, Ian, 56 Kozlinski,Jim,64 Kweskin, Helen, 105,107,152,182,200, 201,203
integrity, 215 International Baccalaureate (IB), 170-173 Isaacson Miller, 179
L Lambda Delta Pi, 37, 73,188 Lape, Mr., 87-88
J
Larsen, Gay Kinney, 47, 85-86,179
Jackson, Dick, 54,58-60,62 Jackson, Jesse, 178,179
Hall, Mrs., 70
Jackson, Robert K„ 10,53, 53, 5965, 65,95
Lasker, Laura, 85,87-88
61, 6i,
Hand, Andrea, 115
Jaffe, Helen, 215
Hanover, New Hampshire, 7
Jaffe, Laurel, 205
Harper, Arthur, 85, 87
Japanese internment camp, 39
Harris, Jean, 87,87, 90,164
Jay (football manager at King School),
Harvey, George, 139-140
57,65
King's Ransom, 95
Knowlton, Elouise, 110,724
Haiti, 203 Halo, 35,36, 75,722
King School Review, 22,24 Kingsmen, 26 , 55-
Farrell, James A., 87
field trips, 31,106-107,128
King School Mothers Association, 53 King's Journal, 121
Humble Oil, 87
Gray, 0 . B., 206
London, 107
kindness, 215
13, 55
Fahey, Lois, 193
Fennel, Charles, 131
kindergarten, 20-21, 68 -69 , 71, 82, 123-124,158
King, Hiram Udall,3,7, 7-8 ,10 ,12-13 ,
Hubbard, Bruce, 147
77, 75, 78,
Key Club, 188
King, Francesca, 12-13
Horne, Mary, 67-74,106
214
Thomas School, at, 87
199,206
vision of, 42
Glendining, George B., 5
King School, at, 57-59 ,87,113-114,
England, 107
61
Hatchl, Tina, 158
Joan Gillespie Scholarship Fund, 157
Heins, Will, 184
John Ruskin High School in Croydon,
Latham, Leslie, 85 Learning Framework program, 187 Lee, Paul, 33,206 Leeker, Kim, 192,195,196-198 Leighton, T. F., 7-8 Leist, Lise, 206,207 Leppo, Daniel, 138,142,152 Libonati, Melody, 127 library, no, 175,185
Lincoln, Abraham, 27
Model UN program, 116,195
Peltz, Dave, 64
Rich, Frank D., Jr., 80 -82,110,196
Lichtman, Eli, 202,204,208
Monroe, Ronald, 113-114
perseverance, 215
Richardson, Mrs. C. E., 6,165
Lockwood, Charles, 6 7,67,68
morning prayer service, 35
personalized
Rider, Harold E., 51,53
Long Island, 48
Moss, Stewart, 109
education, 103,115,186-187,204
Robertson, Mrs., 70
Long Island Express. See hurricane of
Mrs. Richardson's School, 6, 6-8
learning, 204-205
Robinson, Jackie, 59,169
1938
Long Island Sound Task Force, 161
Muller, Edouard, 67
Peters, Gerald, 56,64
Robinson, Rachel, 59
Museum of Natural History in New
Peterson, Karen, 87,90-91,103,105,109,
Robison, Barbara Quintard, 48
150,750,164-165,175,182,182,188
Robjent, Alfred C., 19 -20 ,22,28
Long Range Plan
York, 31
King Low Eleywood Thomas, for, 148,175
Musica Ligni, 125
Phillips, Bob, 120 ,137, 139,13 9 -1 4 1 , 149, 155,158,165,174
Mutrux, Mrs., 87
Low-Heywood Thomas School, for, 110 -111,123,131 Long Range Planning Committee for Low-Heywood Thomas School, 123-124 Louisa Low Association, 9
Mystic Seaport, 128
N National Association of Independent
Rockrimmon Lake, 32 Rockwell, Harold, 163
Pierre-Louis, Kevin, 194
Rodriguez, Graciela, 181
Pinza, Clelia, 75
Roper, Mary Rogers, 6 ,15 , 35-
39,39
Pinza, Ezio, 75
Rosebud Indian Reservation, 129
Pitney Bowes, 139
Rothman, Spike, 56
Pitt, Mai, 33
Russell, Don, 30-31
National Merit Scholars, 103, i74Nestle Company, 67
Planetarium, 31
Rwanda Service Club, 201,203
Pocono Environmental Center, 107
Ryan, Russell J., 120-121,137-138,
New Canaan Country Day School, 90
Pollack, David, 98
New Canaan Nature Center, 128
Pops party, 105
Rye, New York, 38
New England, 48
Powell, Rollie, 90,103,125
Rye Country Day School, 182,211
New Orleans, 203
pranks, 30, 61
MacArthur, Harvey, 49
New York, 1
Pringle, Stuart H., 67,72
Mack, James, 56
New York Board of Education, 20
Private School Association, 41
Sacred Heart School, 90
Mactavish, Mrs. Henry}., 72
New York Community Trust, 123,130
progressive
Sadlowsky, Marnie, 199-201
Main, Tom, 136,179,213,215
New York Harbor, 128
education, 41,44
Safir, Alan, 129
New York Stock Exchange, 128
school, 41-44
Sarner, George, 51-52
Schools, 207
Low, Louisa, 8,11, n, 15, 67 vision of, 42 Lyman, Mr., 23 Lyon, Gibb, 67
M
head of King Low Heywood Thomas, 182-185,187,189,
NGO International Education Exchange,
191-193,197,197-200,202-203, 206, 208-211,277 teacher and coach at King School, 113,773,776 ,116-117,155,158 Mark D. Spitzer Family Foundation, 161 Martino, Jackie, 192
203
Protect Your Environment (P.Y.E.) Club, 90-91,160
Nichols, Esther, 78 Nolan, Gina, 109 nonprofit corporation for King School,
Pusack, Bill, 91,105,70 6 ,109,135,137, 150-151,186
51
instrumental with technology, 125-127,168
nor'easter of 1938,49
mascots, 76
Norwalk Hour, 42,163
Matilda Ziegler Foundation, 126
o
Mattson, Libby, 148,157, 159,172-173, 773, 205-207,210
Olson, Evald, 51, 54,54, 56,97,168
Megrue, Suzanne, 181
Opie, Catherine (Taussig), 43,49,87
Mellon, Margaret, 36
87, 89
Mellon family, 36,36
Orenstein, Ed, 184,797,191-195,199
Melmed, Dr. Kenneth, 201
Orenstein, Georgia, 201
merger of Low-Heywood Thomas School, 88-91 Merrick, Mrs. N. Lawrence, 72 Merrill, Gertrude, 35,68-70,163 Metropolitan Museum of Art, 31,106, 128
Pusack, Priscilla, 91,103,105,126,137,782 P.Y.E. Club. See Protect Your Environment Club
Milligan, Barbara Thamer, 36-39,68-70,
71, 73,75
Mission Statement for King Low Heywood Thomas, 185,208,213
Scofield, Kate, 6 Scott, Ms., 72 Scribner, Mr., 30, 51
Q Qua, John, 195-196 Quest, 202
SEED. See Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity Conference Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity Conference (SEED), 206 Senior Court, 76
Radio City, 31
Shelton, Amy, 174
Osgood, Charles, 153,753
Raffaeli, John, 173-174
Shepard, Faith, 130
Ostrow, Ann, 127,727
Raidt, Karen, 187,204, 204-205
Service Learning Program, 203,213
P
Rearick, Ralph, 20-22,24
Paglia, Lou, 199,204, 204-205,211,214
rebranding, 193
Parents Association, 83,131,174,176,184
6
Schwebel, Lee, 30, 54
Orr, Bruce, 64
Mishkin, Cathy, 105-106,708,123,127,
Misses Scofield's Day School,
Scholastic Aptitude Tests, 29 school life, 158-161,178,187-189
Rabassa, Becky, 181
Parent Diversity Committee, 207
6
Saylor-Robinson, Paula, 206
Orio, Pete, 169
Miner, Glee, 179,181
6
Sawyer, Merritt, 27, 55
R
Palmer, Mr., 23
Miss Aikens'Young Ladies Seminary,
Sarner, Richard A., 158
Orio, Al, 169,172-173,174,175,179
Milligan, Janet, 39
129,160,767,162,198,206
s
Searles, Elisabeth, 47
reaccreditation, 129
Micawber, Mr., 26
Miss Anna Webb's School,
prom, 73
140-141,150
Parents Night, 82,108,125, Paris Astronomical Society, 27 Patten, Carolyn, 201 Pauli, Eric, 115,120 Pearl Harbor attack, 33,39 Pelham, New York, 15
Reilly, George, 95, 747,147-148,153, 157-158,167,170,171,172 Reinemann, Peter, 173,176,178,181-182, 18 2,192-194,197,209 Reiskind, Jeremy, 90 Renaissance Festival, 161 respect, 215 Review, see King School Review, 10,13, 31,56
Shaker, Ted, 60, 96
Sherwood, Herbert F., 19 Sherwood, Mills and Smith, 53,78 Sia, Andrew, 154 Sia, Anna, 88,9 0 -91,103,105,181,18 2 Sierra Club, 161 Simms, Jesse, 59,169 Simon, Andrea, 59 Simon, Bill, 162 Simon, Carly, 59,158 Simon House, 57,56, 59, 60, 64, 9 7, 772, 148,151,156 Simon, Lucy, 59 Simon, Richard L., 51, 58-59
Simon & Schuster Publishing Company,
Bob,174
S 8 -59
Slater,
Smith, Alice, 75 Smith, Barbara Hartley, 76 6 ,173-175, 775, 17 8 -17 9 ,18 1-18 2 ,18 2,187,211 Smith, Bob, 174 Smith, Lester W., 53 Smith, Richard H., 51
Thompson, Mrs., 38
Williams, Augusta, 68,70
Thurston, Bill, 31
Williams, J. Bryan, 51
Tilley, Marjorie, 35-36,39,67 Tinker, Arthur A., 51
Willing Attitude Launches KLHT to Service. See W.A.L.K.S.
Tinker, Grant, 101
Willing Night, 105
Tinker, Joan, 37
Wilmott, Malcolm, 96,96,98
Titus, Griff, 61
Wilson, Jim, 98
Towart, Mrs., 87
windmill, 58,58, 94,98
Smith House Rehabilitation Center, 109,129 SNET. See Southern New England Telephone
142-143,149,151
Winnick, Dave, 64
tuition
WLHT (TV station), 125
King Low Heywood Thomas, for, 156,158,176,206
Southern New England Telephone (SNET), 158
King School, for, 10,21,28,54,119
Spectrum, 125
Low-Heywood School, for, 123
Springdale Fire Company, 61 Stamford, Connecticut, 1 population of, 1,19 urbanization of, 5 Stamford Advocate, 13,28,30,61 Stamford Bank, 1 Stamford Female Seminary, 6
The Windmill, 114-115,118,121
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York, 47
Sonnino, Silvana, 74,74-75,10 5,127
St. Agnes School, 41
fire, 98,9 8 ,114,114
traditions, 37,68,74-77,103,105,115,
Thomas School, for, 49
Winsor School, 41 Woolf, Mrs., 88 World War 1, 23-24 World War II, 19,33,39 Wright, Mike, 169 Wubbenhorst, Wes, 64
Tully,Tim, 97
Y
Turrentine, James L., 51,53,53
u
Tweed, Mrs. Harrison, 47
Yale Lock Manufacturing Company, 1 Yankee Clipper. See hurricane of 1938
uniforms, 37, 77,86 -87,149,160. See also dress code
YMCA, 15,24 Day Care Center, 129
Stamford Hospital, 73,80
z
Stamford Institute, 5,7
Zaccagnino, Peter, 60-64
Stamford Foundry Company, 1 Stamford High School, 5, io
Stamford Manufacturing Company, 1 Stamford National Bank, 67 Stamford Preparatory School, 19 Stamford's Urban Redevelopment Commission, 80 Standard, 186,187,196 St. Anna's Episcopal Church, 203 Statue of Liberty, 128
Urukundo Children's Home, 201 U.S. Steel, 87
V vandalism at King School, 99,115 Van Vechten, Ben, 98 Varnum, Philip C., 51 Veeder, Gloria, 179 virtues of character, 215 Vorce, Jennette, 11
w
Stewart, Kyle, 142
Wagner, Karin, 126,136,148,152,
St. Joseph's Hospital, 80,129 Strategic Plan for King Low Heywood
Wakeman, W m , 33 Waldman, William "Bill," 179
213-215
Waldo, Alice, 68,70
Strong, Kate, 11 Student Support Services program, 115,186 study hall, 21-22,30,35, 65,69 Sullivan, Lynn, 206,207 sustainability, 202-203,213
757,165,
172,174,198
Thomas, 156,184,189,191,193, Strategic Plan Steering Committee, 184
Zara, Jessica, 142
Vance, John, 95,95,133-134,164
Stevenson, Mr., 23
Stevens, George, 138
W.A.L.K.S. (Willing Attitude Launches KLHT to Service), 188 Wallace, Bill, 98,115-116,736,136-137, 142,147,200 Wallace, Miss, 48 Wanamaker, Mrs., 30 Waters, Elaine, 127 Watrouse, Curtis 8., 61 Weiner, Alex, 215
T technology, 116,126,168,768 Terrible 13 , 72-73 Thomas, Mabel, 17 ,41-46,48-49,85,85, 165,205 death of, 87 educational philosophy, 44,91,103
Wenzel, Victoria, 109 West Main Street Community Center, 73 Westport Nature Center, 128 Whitla, Susan Corning, 71 Whitney, H. Monroe, 30 Willcox Military Academy, 7 -8
YWCA, 71
Zoubek,Tom, 18 1,18 1,197,199-201,203, 206,207,209,211
Writer and historian Troupe Noonan is president of Heritage Histories, a custon book publisher based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He is the author o f ovei 20 books, including histories o f several independent schools, and numerous articles for major publications such as Life, Forbes FYI, and Hemispheres.