Mercersburg Academy

Mercersburg Academy

Integritas, Virilitas, Fidelitas (Integrity, Virility, Fidelity)
Location
Mercersburg, PA
USA
Information
Type Private, Boarding, Prep
Religious affiliation(s) historically tied to United Church of Christ
Head of School Katherine Titus
Faculty 106, 76% with advanced degrees
Enrollment 441 total
85% boarding
15% day
Average class size 12 students
Student to teacher ratio 5:1
Campus Rural, 300 acres (2 km²)
Color(s) Blue and White
Mascot Blue Storm
Website

Mercersburg Academy
Location PA 16, Mercersburg, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 39°49′34″N 77°53′54″W / 39.82611°N 77.89833°W / 39.82611; -77.89833Coordinates: 39°49′34″N 77°53′54″W / 39.82611°N 77.89833°W / 39.82611; -77.89833
Area 15 acres (6.1 ha)
Built 1836
Architect Multiple
Architectural style Classical Revival, Late Gothic Revival
NRHP Reference #

84003374

[1]
Added to NRHP June 21, 1984

Mercersburg Academy is a selective private, independent, coed college preparatory boarding school of 435 students in grades 9-12/postgraduate located in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, about 90 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. The school, which was founded in 1893, is set on 300 acres and is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.[2]

According to the school's mission statement, “Mercersburg Academy prepares young men and women from diverse backgrounds for college and for life in a global community. Students at Mercersburg pursue a rigorous and dynamic curriculum while learning to live together harmoniously in a supportive residential environment. Mercersburg's talented faculty instill in students the value of hard work and the importance of character and community as they teach students to think for themselves, to approach life thoughtfully and creatively, to thrive physically, to act morally, to value the spiritual dimension of human existence, and to serve others.”[3]

History

Main Hall

On March 31, 1836, the Pennsylvania General Assembly granted a charter to Marshall College to be located in Mercersburg. Dr. Frederick Augustus Rauch came from Switzerland to be the first president of the college under the sponsorship of the Reformed Church in the United States. Dr. Rauch served as president from 1836 until 1841. His successor in the position was John Williamson Nevin who served until 1853, when Marshall College joined with Franklin College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to become Franklin & Marshall College. At this time, the preparatory department of Marshall College became known as Marshall Academy which later changed to Marshall Collegiate Institute. In 1865, the name was again changed to Mercersburg College, under whose charter the school continues to operate. The historic tie to the church continues through Mercersburg's membership in the Council for Higher Education of the United Church of Christ.

On April 27, 1893, the Board of Regents elected Dr. William Mann Irvine, who had joined Franklin & Marshall College as an instructor after receiving his Ph.D. in political science from Princeton University in 1892 (and eventually an LL.D.),[4] to become the headmaster at the age of 28. In July, Dr. Irvine changed the name of the institution to Mercersburg Academy and began his work as the founder of the present-day preparatory school. In the fall of 1893, he opened the school with an enrollment of 40 boys, four instructors and 4 acres (16,000 m2) of ground. During Dr. Irvine's tenure, three dormitories, a dining hall, gymnasium, infirmary, administration building and the Chapel were built. A new Main Hall and Annex were built after a fire gutted Old Main in 1927.

After Dr. Irvine's death on June 11, 1928, Dr. Boyd Edwards was elected headmaster, where he remained until he retired in 1941. After his retirement, Dr. Charles S. Tippetts '12 resigned from a deanship at the University of Pittsburgh to become headmaster, where he remained for 20 years. During this time, Irvine Hall was completed and the James Buchanan Cabin was moved onto the campus. His successor was William C. Fowle, who came from the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut. Fowle's tenure saw Tippetts Hall completed, Boone Hall constructed and Ford Hall constructed. In 1969, Mercersburg again became a coeducational school and racial integration became a reality.

In 1972, Walter H. Burgin Jr. '53 was appointed the school's fifth headmaster. Burgin had been a member and the chairman of Mercersburg's mathematics department from 1959 to 1964 and was teaching at Phillips Exeter Academy at the time of his appointment. Burgin oversaw a comprehensive reshaping of the Academy's academic facilities, the building of Lenfest Hall, and the integration of technology into community and classroom life.

Douglas Hale was appointed head of school in 1997, coming from Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he had been a teacher, assistant headmaster, and eventually headmaster since 1973. During Hale's tenure, Mercersburg's endowment grew from $64 million in 1997 to $251 million in June 2015;[5] all dormitories were renovated with new faculty apartments; the Smoyer Tennis Center and the Davenport Squash Center were constructed; the Prentiss-Zimmerman Quad was completely renovated in 2009; Nolde Gymnasium, the second oldest building on campus (1912), received a complete renovation in 2010—the same year that Regents' Field, the school's first synthetic-turf athletic field, was completed; the Burgin Center for the Arts was dedicated in 2006; and in 2013 the Simon Student Center was opened after a total renovation and enlargement. The school now offers 170 courses and has 106 faculty members (including 76 percent that hold advanced degrees).

Hale was succeeded in 2016 by Katherine Titus, who is the first female head of school in the Academy's history.[6] Titus spent the past 11 years at St. George's School in Rhode Island, most recently as associate head for school life. She had previously worked as dean of students and assistant head for student life at St. George's, and before that, was director of college counseling at Pingree School in Massachusetts. Titus is a graduate of Middlebury College and Columbia University.[5]

Mercersburg Academy today

Now set on 300 acres (1.2 km2), Mercersburg serves grades 9–12 and postgraduate. The school opened the 2016–2017 year with a total enrollment of 441 students: 235 boys (53 percent) and 206 girls (47 percent). There were 374 boarding students (85 percent) and 67 day students (15 percent). The enrollment by class included 78 ninth graders (or juniors), 110 10th graders (or lower middlers), 123 11th graders (or upper middlers), and 130 12th graders/postgraduates (or seniors). From an applicant pool of 641, the Academy enrolled 161 students (or 25.1 percent). All students must live on campus during their senior year.[5]

Student body

While 44 percent of Mercersburg's student body lives in the Mid-Atlantic region, students come from around the world, representing 48 nations and 29 American states and the District of Columbia. International students comprise 23 percent of the student body, and 21 percent are persons of color.[5]

Tuition and financial aid

Base tuition for the 2016–2017 school year is $56,350 for boarding students and $39,050 for day students.[5] 49 percent of Academy students receive financial aid (need- and merit-based). The school's total financial-aid budget is more than $6 million. Mercersburg merit scholarships include the Arce Scholarships, the Guttman Scholarship, the Hale Scholarship, the Legacy Scholarships, the Mercersburg Scholarships, the Regents Scholarships, the Witmer Scholarship, and the 1893 Scholarship.

Endowment

The Academy has an endowment of $251 million,[5] making it one of the highest endowment-per-student independent schools in the country.[7] On October 10, 2013, Mercersburg alumna Deborah Simon '74 pledged $100 million to the school, making her gift the largest in the school's history and one of the largest ever to an independent secondary school in the United States.[8]

Academics

Mercersburg offers 170 traditional courses, including more than 40 honors, Advanced Placement, and post-AP courses.[5]

Over the past five years, Mercersburg has produced three National Merit finalists, three National Merit semifinalists, 40 National Merit commended scholars, 17 National AP Scholars, and five National Achievement Scholars. 83 percent of the Mercersburg Class of 2016 was accepted by one or more colleges defined as “Most Competitive” or “Highly Competitive” by Barron's Profiles of American Colleges, with 62 percent accepted by one of U.S. News & World Report’s Top 50 National Universities or Top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges.[5]

Honor code

Mercersburg holds its students to a strict honor code.

"As a member of the Mercersburg Academy community, I hereby agree to honor its standards of integrity, truth, and courage. On my honor, I pledge that I will not lie, cheat, or steal. In all my endeavors, I will work toward building trust by upholding, in spirit and in letter, these community standards."[9]

Any paper or test submitted or handed in by a student is required to have the honor code written on it: "Upon my honor, I have neither given nor received aid with this work."

Any form of violation of the honor code may result in dismissal from the institution.

The Campus

Mercersburg's 300-acre campus includes seven student residences and three main academic buildings housing 47 classrooms and labs; 10 playing fields (including a synthetic-turf field); a gymnasium complex; a tennis center, squash center, and outdoor track; and a 65,500-square-foot arts center.

Boys' dormitories

Girls' dormitories

All dormitories were completely renovated in the 1990s and early 2000s and are air-conditioned and fully wired with wireless and Ethernet connections; each dorm is also home to a number of faculty members and their families.

Athletics

Mercersburg baseball player, poster by Bristow Adams, 1903

Since 2000, Mercersburg has been a member of the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL), which includes Blair Academy, The Hill School, The Hun School of Princeton, Lawrenceville School and Peddie School. Mercersburg has produced 54 Olympians in its history. Mercersburg's vaunted swimming teams most recently won the Eastern Interscholastic Swimming & Diving Championships in 2016 (girls) and 2010 (boys), and the baseball team has captured several PAISAA state championships (most recently in 2008); the girls' basketball team won the 2016 state championship and the softball team earned the state title in 2012. Some of the Division I colleges where Mercersburg graduates compete in varsity athletics have included Air Force, Army, Bucknell, Boston University, College of Charleston, Cornell, Duke, Florida State, Georgetown, Harvard, Lehigh, Navy, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn, Southern California, Syracuse, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Virginia, West Virginia, and Yale.

Alumni have competed (or are currently competing for) professional teams as varied as the Detroit Tigers and New York Mets (MLB), Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL), and Harlem Globetrotters.[12]

The sports offered are as follows:
Fall
Men

Women

Winter
Men

Women

Spring
Men

Women

Arts

Mercersburg offers curricular and extracurricular programs in theatre, choral and instrumental music, dance, and visual arts, all of which are headquartered in the school's Burgin Center for the Arts.

Burgin Center for the Arts

Standing on the former site of Boone Hall, the Burgin Center for the Arts opened in the fall of 2006, providing dedicated space to house the school's entire theatre, music, dance, and visual arts curriculum. The 65,500-square-foot facility is named for alumnus and former headmaster Walter Burgin '53 and his wife, Barbara. Designed by Polshek Partnership, the Burgin Center hosts concerts, theatre productions, guest speakers, and all-school meetings.[13] Violinist Itzhak Perlman performed at the building's opening gala.[14]

The Burgin Center houses:

Stony Batter Players (Theatre)

Mercersburg embraced the performing arts as early as 1899 with the formation of Stony Batter, the school's first drama group. Stony Batter was created by Camille Irvine, the wife of founding headmaster William Mann Irvine.[15] The name “Stony Batter” was adopted in honor of the place near campus where U.S. President James Buchanan was born. Today the group is known as Stony Batter Players. Recent productions have included The Diary of Anne Frank, Antigone: An Apocalypse, Legally Blonde: The Musical, Bye Bye Birdie, Mere Mortals, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, World War Z, and Lend Me A Tenor, among others. Every spring Stony Batter performs scenes from the classical or Shakespearean repertoire out of doors in the Boys' Garden on campus. Hollywood legend and Oscar-winner Jimmy Stewart '28 performed in Stony Batter productions while a student at Mercersburg.[16]

Music

Music played an integral role at Mercersburg practically from the beginning. Dr. Irvine led the Mercersburg Academy Glee Club for a number of years, and in 1901 he published The Mercersburg Academy Song Book.[17]

The Octet, the boys' a cappella group organized in 1947, performs at least three times each year. The Glee Club preceded the Octet and was the school's premier musical group for decades until it disbanded in 1976—a reflection of Mercersburg's then new coed status—after which emerged the Mercersburg Chorale, a mixed chorus for boys and girls, and Magalia, the girls' a cappella group. Both ensembles are very active today. The Chapel Choir has existed since the building of the Irvine Memorial Chapel in 1926. Today the choirs perform at major school events, such as Convocation and Baccalaureate, in addition to occasional services in the Chapel and elsewhere in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Students with an interest in instrumental music have the opportunity to perform in the Mercersburg Jazz Band, Concert Band, or the String Ensemble. The school offers students the ability to take private music lessons through teachers from the Cumberland Valley School of Music or private studios for an additional fee.

Dance

Prior to 2003, the school showcased official dance recitals, musical-theatre performances, and a dance troupe called Storm Front that performed during halftime of home football games—but all of these activities were extracurricular. In 2003, dance formally entered the Mercersburg curriculum, and the program came into its own in 2006 with the opening of the Burgin Center for the Arts and its two large, dedicated dance studios (the first in the school's history). The crux of the dance program today focuses on dance technique at various levels, including ballet, modern, jazz, tap, yoga, and strength training. The curriculum also includes three levels of dance composition. Two formal concerts are presented each year, in the fall and spring.

Visual Arts

Mercersburg's studio arts curriculum includes media ranging from ceramics to digital video art, sculpture, painting, and drawing. Student artwork is displayed in the Burgin Center for the Arts, the Sheridan Gallery in Irvine Hall, and across the campus. In the past two years, 11 students have captured awards in the annual Mid-Atlantic Prep League Art Exhibition, and five students had their work exhibited at the National K12 Ceramic Exhibition (considered to be the foremost juried ceramic competition for students in the U.S.).

The Carillon and Organ

Irvine Memorial Chapel

The Swoope Carillon in Barker Tower of the Irvine Memorial Chapel is one of 163 traditional carillons in the United States.[18] A gift of Mr. Henry B. Swoope, the original 43 bronze bells were cast in 1926 by the English firm of Gillett and Johnston of Croydon. The bells contain bits of historic metal collected worldwide by alumni and friends of the school, including copper coins, metal from Old Ironsides, pieces of artillery shells gathered from the fields of France in World War I, a shaving from the Liberty Bell, and bits from Admiral Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar, HMS Victory. The tower is named for Bryan Barker, who was the school's carillonneur for more than 50 years.[19]

Six additional upper bells were added in 1996 and the 50th bell—a low C#—was added in 2008 and dedicated to Barker's successor as carillonneur, James W. Smith. With the whole school assembled to watch, the 50th bell was lifted into place in May 2008, and it was first played by Smith a few days later after the mechanics had been put in place. Smith served as carillonneur from 1981 until he died in 2009.

The Chapel organ was a gift of Mr. and Mrs. George A. Wood. Built by the Skinner Organ Company of Boston in 1925, the organ has 55 stops, about 4,000 pipes, 27 couplers, and 33 adjustable combination pistons.[19]

School traditions

The Washington Irving Literary Society and John Marshall Literary Society—the school's oldest student organizations—trace their roots back before Mercersburg Academy was even established. Before Marshall College moved to Lancaster to become Franklin & Marshall College, its students created the Diagnothian and Goethean literary societies. In 1865, after the founding of Mercersburg College, the Washington Irving Literary Society was born; within a year, the rival John Marshall Literary Society emerged.[20] William Mann Irvine helped revive the two societies at the Academy's founding, and the rival societies have competed against one another ever since. All students attending Mercersburg are members of one of the two societies; those with family members who preceded them at the school can choose to represent the same society. Otherwise, society officers meet early in the school year to select new students for each group. (This replaces the early practice of returning students racing to meet stagecoaches carrying new students to campus, in hopes of convincing those students to join a particular society.)

What began as a midwinter debate competition has evolved into a week of intense competition in everything from basketball and swimming to chess and poker. The climactic event of the week is Declamation, a speaking contest where five representatives from each society deliver prepared monologues. Winners of each event during the week earn points for their respective societies, with the largest number of points awarded at Declamation. The winning society claims bragging rights for the next 12 months.[21]

Each year, on the Friday evening of Alumni Weekend (usually held in October), students gather on the steps of Main Hall for Step Songs, which involves the singing of school songs and traditional cheers as a pep rally for the next day's athletic contests, usually against a Mid-Atlantic Prep League opponent. The tradition evolved into its present form from that of an annual concert given for visiting alumni by the Glee Club—under the direction of Headmaster Irvine. (Irvine suffered a stroke during Step Songs in 1928 and died a week later.)[22]

In a tradition known as "Painting the Numbers," the school's four-year seniors (members of the student body who are in their fourth year) gather late one night each fall to paint the intersection of East Seminary Street and Rutledge Road with their class year. The paint often stays visible until the following fall.

Mercersburg holds its commencement exercises outdoors on a raised graduation platform of grass and stone between South Cottage and Keil Hall. It is tradition for students to avoid setting foot on the platform their entire academic careers prior to commencement day. Graduates do not wear traditional caps and gowns to the ceremony; instead, girls wear white dresses and boys wear coats and ties. The class valedictorian receives his/her diploma first, while two class marshals (elected by members of the class) and the senior-class president are the final students to be announced as graduates. A baccalaureate ceremony is held in the Irvine Memorial Chapel the evening before commencement.

Notable alumni

Mercersburg has produced many outstanding individuals, including 54 Olympians (who have won 12 gold medals), seven Rhodes Scholars, several Fulbright Scholars, a Nobel Prize winner, two Academy Award winners, and two Emmy Award winners.

Medal of Honor recipients

Nobel Prize recipient

Olympic gold medalists

Academy Award winners

Rhodes Scholars

Others

Summer programs

In the summer months, Mercersburg offers a number of camps and programs that are about enrichment, encouraging personal growth, and fun. Each summer, participants ages 7–17 take part in an array of programs, ranging from the Adventure Camp series to various academic, arts, and sports camps.[28] Some of the offerings include Young Writers Camp, Theatre Workshop, Dance Workshop, and Mercersburg Swim Clinics and Football Clinics.

Additionally, Mercersburg offers ESL+, an immersive five-week program for international students to polish their English fluency and experience American culture in a residential setting. Participants live in dormitories and take frequent trips throughout the Mid-Atlantic in addition to classroom time and social experiences.

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ , Mission Statement, accessed April 1, 2014
  4. ↑ "Mercersburg Academy". The Independent. Jul 6, 1914. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
  6. ↑ Mercersburg Academy names first woman as head of school, accessed December 2, 2015
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ Pa. private school gets $100 million donation, accessed October 10, 2013
  9. ↑ Honor Code, accessed August 10, 2007
  10. ↑ Field House to be Named for Douglas Hale
  11. ↑ Presidents' Places: James Buchanan
  12. ↑
  13. ↑
  14. ↑ Mercersburg Magazine Spring 2007, page 24
  15. ↑ One Hundred Years of Life, David Emory, p. 90
  16. ↑
  17. ↑ One Hundred Years of Life, David Emory, p. 94
  18. ↑
  19. 1 2
  20. ↑ [One Hundred Years of Life, David Emory, p. 84]
  21. ↑
  22. ↑ Mercersburg Magazine Summer 2013, inside front cover
  23. ↑ Richter, Burton, UXL Encyclopedia of World Biography. Accessed July 11, 2007. "Richter's early education was at Far Rockaway High School in Queens, New York, and the Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania."
  24. ↑ Stewart Hoffman Appleby biography, United States Congress. Accessed July 11, 2007.
  25. ↑ Mr. Coolidge's Week, Time (magazine), June 30, 1924
  26. ↑ List of Boston Red Sox broadcasters#1940s
  27. ↑ . Accessed October 1, 2015. “He spent his freshman year of high school… at Mercersburg Academy, a Pennsylvania boarding school…”
  28. ↑ Mercersburg Summer Programs website

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