Administration
*L. Hamilton Clark, Jr. -- Head of School*Geoffrey Wagg—Head of Upper School
*Stephen Morris—Head of Middle School
*Andrea Danial—Head of Lower School
*Maude Kent—Dean of Faculty
*Mindy Hong—Academic Dean
*Brad Cates—Business Manager and CFO
*The Reverend James Squire—Chaplain
*Regina Buggy—Director of Athletics
*Ellen Hay—Director of Admission
*Courtney Portlock—Director of Diversity and Community Life
*Anne Hall—Director of College Guidance
*Paige Peters Legrand—Director of Development
*Margaret Hollinger—Director of Special Projects
*Mark Notaro—Director of Plant and Operations
*Catherine J. Hall—Director of Technology
*Bruce Konopka—Director of Alumni
*Michael Letts—Director of Communications
*Aggie Malter—Director of External Programs
*Alex Thompson—Director of Summer Programs
*Susan Swanson—Director of Community Outreach and Service Learning
*Gretchen Burke—Chair, Board of Trustees
Facilities=Move to the New Campus
Episcopal Academy was located in Merion, Pennsylvania, from 1921 until its move to Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, in 2008. The unprecedented growth and development of the Academy caused it to outgrow its Merion site. In June, 1998 with the inauguration of the new Head of School, Hamiliton Clark, the Episcopal Academy Board of Trustees directed the "active pursuit of a large tract of land in the western suburbs to serve as a long-term asset and a means of preserving future options."
With a $20 million donation, the Board purchased a tract of land in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania on Darby-Paoli Road (Pennsylvania Route 252).
The new campus has "the best day school facilities in America", as the $212.5 million project was completed in Summer of 2008, and has opened for the 2008-2009 school year. The "dream team of East Coast architecture firms" , including Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, Gund Partnership, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, and RMJM Hillier was a rare collaboration of such prominent firms, as they "coordinated the materials used as well as the landscape layout of the campus, with its pastoral central quadrangle and collegiate-village scale." The Episcopal Academy sold its Merion campus to Saint Joseph's University who promptly renamed it the SJU Maguire Campus.
Purchase of the Newtown Square tract
In the Summer of 2001, a handful of board members, including Brian Tierney and Brian O'Neill, purchased the Newtown Square property while Episcopal raised the money to buy it. The then-current Head of School James "Jay" Crawford, also an alumnus and former teacher of the academy, was strongly opposed to moving the campus, but later changed his mind.
In the fall of 2001, Episcopal bought the property, located at Whitehorse Road and Route 252, for $20 million..
Buildings
The new campus includes:
*An Academic Center, with a Middle School, Upper School, and Science Center.
*A Lower School Building
*A Campus Center, including the Annenberg Library
*A Dining Hall and Terrace
*A Theater with Stadium Seating
*A Chapel, at the Center of Campus
*An Athletic Center, with a competition gymnasium and pool
*Rowing Tank
*14 Tennis Courts
*10 Squash Courts
*Stadium Football Field
*Black Box Theatre
*2 Turf fields
Forms and the Form Dean System= Forms
Episcopal Academy's 'form system', similar to 'grades' in the United States, comes from the school's colonial (and therefore British) roots. The form system uses letters A-F to designate grades one through six and then changes to Roman numerals for grades seven through twelve. Beginning in the 2008-2009 school year the system was amended: numerical grades were used from first through sixth grade and the form system continued from seventh to twelfth grade.
*Kindergarten
*First Grade (formerly F Form)
*Second Grade (formerly E Form)
*Third Grade (formerly D Form)
*Fourth Grade (formerly C Form)
*Fifth Grade (formerly B Form)
*Sixth Grade (formerly A Form)
*I Form (Seventh Grade)
*II Form (Eighth Grade)
*III Form (Ninth Grade)
*IV Form (Tenth Grade)
*V Form (Eleventh Grade)
*VI Form (Twelfth Grade)
The Form Dean System
In the Upper (High) School, the Form Dean serves as the administrator responsible for ensuring academic, social, and disciplinary well-being of the form's individual students and form as a whole. The Form Dean follows each class until graduation, then receives the incoming III Form the following school year.
The current deans for the 2009-2010 school year are:
*III Form - Holly Johnston
*IV Form - James Griffin
*V Form - Cheryl McLauchlan
*VI Form - Justin Brandon
Academics: "Mind"= Accreditation
The Academy is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools under the Academy's "Accreditation for Growth" protocol. The Academy's mission statement is: "The Episcopal Academy educates qualified, motivated students to grow intellectually, physically, and spiritually, and to share their talents generously. We are a coeducational community of learners and teachers working to achieve excellence through a strong academic program, comprehensive athletics, and vibrant arts. Our school's Episcopalian heritage with its respect for all faiths forms the basis of our life together."
The Academy also maintains a Beliefs Statement, which is required by the Middle States Association. The Academy maintains the following beliefs:
*The pursuit of learning is a work for a lifetime. Learning emerges from and builds on experience and discovery.
*A healthy lifestyle, including appropriate education and lifelong physical activity, enhances individual mental and spiritual health. Athletic competition and sportsmanship contribute to the mental and spiritual well-being of individuals and communities.
*Everyone has inherent worth as a creation of God.
*Every individual shares responsibility for the community.
*Individual moral integrity and a core of common values are essential to every community.
*Mutual respect among people of varied backgrounds and perspectives leads to positive, beneficial relationships.
*Individuals thrive in a safe, nurturing environment where they can be comfortable in taking risks and where they can develop their talents.
The 12-day schedule
The Episcopal Academy's upper school is a college preparatory program. It operates on a 12-day schedule, designed by Headmaster Clark at his previous school, Sewickley Academy in Sewickley, PA. Each period or "block" is assigned a letter from A-F or Z. G Block was renamed to Z Block in the 2003-2004 school year to favor time for lab periods. Except for Science classes, each class 'drops' once every twelve days. This drop always occurs the period after lunch, and unless currently under disciplinary sanctions or in their freshman year, students have a "free" during this block, where they are neither required to be in class nor in a study hall.
The year is broken into two semesters, with each semester representing one-half of a credit (a one-credit long course will meet during both semesters). Unless they have special permission from their form dean, students are required to take six classes a semester.
The middle school schedule also consists of twelve days, but Math and English have a less chance of dropping than other classes. Furthermore, the year is broken down into three trimesters, as compared to the Upper School's two semesters.
Graduation requirements
Graduation requirements are as follows:
*4 Credits (4 years) of English (senior spring semester elective included)
*3 Credits of Math (including Algebra 2 and Geometry)
*3 Credits of Laboratory Science
*3 Credits of History (including U.S. History)
*2 Credits of the same Foreign Language (the Academy offers French, Spanish, Mandarin, Ancient Greek, and Latin)
*1 Credit of Religion (1 Credit = two semester courses)
*1 Credit of Arts in at least two of the three areas; music, theater, and visual art. (1 Credit = two semester courses)
The College Guidance Program
Students begin meeting with their college guidance counselors during the winter and spring of their junior year. These meetings are "kicked-off" with one large class meeting in late January, where students find out who their counselor is and are lectured by a member of a college admissions office. Generally, each student is required to attend at least three one-on-one college guidance meetings, including one with the student's parent(s).
The class of 2006 continued the Academy's 100% matriculation to four-year colleges 'streak'. In 2005, 21 of 111 students (19%) matriculated to Ivy League schools, with two other students matriculating to the United States Naval Academy. In 2005, the Academy's average SAT scores were 646 verbal and 652 math. In that same year, 146 students took 266 Advanced Placement exams. 100% of students who took the Calculus BC, Spanish Language, Latin Vergil, and Physics B exams received what the college board considers a "passing" score (a 3 or above).
The school honored 27 National Merit Scholars in 2006: 9 Commended, 8 Semi-Finalists, 8 Finalists, and 2 Scholars.
Athletics: "Body"
In addition to its stellar academics, the Academy also boasts a stellar athletics program. Both boys and girls teams compete in the Inter-Academic League. For boys, this league includes The Haverford School, Malvern Preparatory School, Chestnut Hill Academy, Penn Charter, and Germantown Academy. For girls, this league includes Penn Charter, Germantown Academy, Notre Dame Academy, the Baldwin School, the Agnes Irwin School, and Springside School.
The athletics requirement
The Academy has a sports requirement, which requires all students to participate in athletics during each of the three seasons. Freshman and sophomores are required to participate in at least two inter-scholastic sports, with the option of participating in the "Fitness" option for one season. Juniors may elect to participate in the "Fitness" option for two seasons. "Fitness" consists of organized athletic activities three days a week, and community service two days a week. Seniors are permitted to take a "Senior Cut", that is they do not have to participate in any athletics for one season so long as they never received an "unsatisfactory" effort grade in any sport during their four years in the Upper School.
Signs that the new administration (that arrived at the Academy in 2003) may be considering making changes to the athletics requirement appeared during the 2005-2006 school year. In the spring of 2006, all upper school students completed a survey of their opinion on the current athletics requirement.
Sports offered
The Academy has the following sports teams at both the Varsity and Junior Varsity levels, some containing Freshmen and Third Teams:
Fall sports
*Cross Country (boys and girls)
*Field Hockey (girls)
*Football (boys)
*Soccer (boys and girls)
*Tennis (girls)
*Water Polo (boys and girls)
*Crew (boys and girls)
Winter sports
*Basketball (boys and girls)
*Ice Hockey
*Squash (boys and girls)
*Swimming/Diving (boys and girls)
*Winter Track (boys and girls)
*Wrestling
*Ultimate Frisbee (coed team)
Spring sports
*Baseball (boys)
*Crew (boys and girls)
*Golf (boys and girls)
*Lacrosse (boys and girls)
*Softball (girls)
*Tennis (boys)
*Track (boys and girls)
Episcopal also offers intramural sports such as Paddle tennis and Fencing.
Episcopal Academy/Haverford School/Agnes Irwin Weekend
Every November, three great Inter-Academic rivals (Episcopal's male students play Haverford, while its female students compete against Agnes Irwin) meet to compete against each other in cross country, football, soccer, field hockey, girls' tennis, and water polo. The venue alternates each year between the schools. The 2005 EA/Haverford/Agnes Irwin Weekend took place at the Episcopal Academy. At the Academy, the weekend is preceded by "Spirit Week." Spirit Week is marked by different dress days, including an "80's Day", a "Clash Day", and a "Blue and White Day." There is also usually an activity during lunch throughout the week, such as a tug-of-war and a school "Wing Bowl". Every year Episcopal students design a tee-shirt bashing Haverford and Agnes Irwin (and vice-versa), which is sold to the student body during Spirit Week. Recent years' ideas have included spin-offs of the "D.A.R.E" program and MasterCard commercials.
Spirit Week concludes with an Upper School Pep Rally on Friday. Classes end for the day at 12:40 and students converge on the football field for skits, music. Varsity sports practices immediately follow this Pep Rally, and students not involved sports help decorate the campus for the upcoming event.
On Friday, Episcopal and Agnes Irwin (female competitors) compete in cross country, soccer, field hockey, and tennis. On Saturday, Episcopal and Haverford compete in soccer, cross country, waterpolo and one of the oldest football rivalries in the nation. The girls compete for the "banner" and the boys compete for the "sweater", which is presented to the school which wins 3 of the 4 competitive events. In the event of a tie, the schools split ownership of the banner or the sweater for the year.
EA/Haverford/Agnes Irwin Weekend, and the week preceding it, is a time of immeasurable school spirit and comradery. Teams often meet on the Thursday night before for a team dinner. The actual events are attended by virtually the entire student body, and a large number of parents and alumni. The weekend concludes with the "Can Dance", which is a dance that takes place at the school where the day's competitions did not.
In addition to the pep rally, a pump up video is made by Marc. T. Mandeville and his video crew consisting of select upper school students. First introduced by alum Christopher Pope, this video is played before the pep rally, and encompasses all the sports that will be played at EA/Haverford/AIS day. The video is made on professional film programs, such as Final Cut Pro. It usually takes around four to five weeks to create, including the filming process. In the past, DVD copies of the video were sold to benefit charity.
Episcopal Academy - Germantown Academy Day
More colloquially referred to as "EA-GA day", this day was started in the Spring of 2005 and features a Saturday of competitions, both varsity and junior varsity, of Episcopal Academy versus Germantown Academy.
Athletic reputation
As a co-founder of the oldest High School sport's league in America, the "Inter-Academic League," and in the second oldest school rivalship in the nation, (against the Haverford School, later adding Agnes Irwin School) Episcopal Academy athletic teams have gained a reputation nationally and locally for its stellar athletics. Recently, the boys basketball team, coached by Daniel Dougherty, gained national attention in 2005 and 2006, with full team effort including players Gerald Henderson '06 and Wayne Ellington '06. Both were nationally ranked high school basketball players. Henderson signed to play for Duke University while Ellington signed to play for the University of North Carolina. The team played at the Palestra twice during 2006, and the first of those two games was nationally broadcast on ESPN.
Community life: "Spirit"
The Academy prides itself in the community it has created, and believes that its Chapel program is the central point of the community.
The Chapel Program
Upper School students meet once every other day for a morning chapel service in Christ Chapel. Middle School Chapel also meets once every other day for a morning chapel service in Christ Chapel. Lower School Chapel meets once a week, with each Lower School campus having a morning gathering in the campus' respective Chapel. The Chapel service at each Unit level of EA is typically thirty-minutes long and consists of hymns, prayers, and an address by the chaplain, a member of the faculty, a student, or a guest. An elected student vestry plans most aspects of the chapel program.
Community service
The Academy also runs an extensive community service program, and organizes weekly visits to a soup kitchen in Philadelphia, and monthly visits to a nursing home and to a facility for adults with AIDS. The Academy also participates in a tutoring program where students help younger children with their homework after school. In addition, the Community Service office sponsors other special events throughout the year, including a clothing drive, a toy drive, and a blood drive.
Can drive
In conjunction with EA-Haverford-AIS Day, the three schools run a can drive from late October through Thanksgiving. The can drive is sponsored by the student vestry, and each year is a huge success. In 2005, Episcopal Academy alone collected well over 20,000 cans.
Adapted from the Wikipedia article Episcopal Academy, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
Forms
Episcopal Academy's 'form system', similar to 'grades' in the United States, comes from the school's colonial (and therefore British) roots. The form system uses letters A-F to designate grades one through six and then changes to Roman numerals for grades seven through twelve. Beginning in the 2008-2009 school year the system was amended: numerical grades were used from first through sixth grade and the form system continued from seventh to twelfth grade.*Kindergarten
*First Grade (formerly F Form)
*Second Grade (formerly E Form)
*Third Grade (formerly D Form)
*Fourth Grade (formerly C Form)
*Fifth Grade (formerly B Form)
*Sixth Grade (formerly A Form)
*I Form (Seventh Grade)
*II Form (Eighth Grade)
*III Form (Ninth Grade)
*IV Form (Tenth Grade)
*V Form (Eleventh Grade)
*VI Form (Twelfth Grade)
The Form Dean System
In the Upper (High) School, the Form Dean serves as the administrator responsible for ensuring academic, social, and disciplinary well-being of the form's individual students and form as a whole. The Form Dean follows each class until graduation, then receives the incoming III Form the following school year.The current deans for the 2009-2010 school year are:
*III Form - Holly Johnston
*IV Form - James Griffin
*V Form - Cheryl McLauchlan
*VI Form - Justin Brandon
