The Putney School
Location
Map
418 Houghton Brook Road, Putney
,
VT

U.S.
Information
TypePrivate independent co-educational boarding and day high school
Established1935
FounderCarmelita Hinton
DeanTarah Greenidge
Head of SchoolDaniel O'Brien
Faculty35 full-time, 24 part-time/adjunct
Secondary years taught9th through 12th grades
Enrollment221
Average class size12
Student to teacher ratio6:1
Classes offeredHumans in The Natural World, American Studies, Ceramics, Fiber Arts, Astronomy, Existentialism
Campus size500 acres (200 ha)
Campus typeRural
Color(s)Green, White
MascotElm Tree
RivalDublin School
Annual tuition$74,500
Feeder schoolsThe Grammar School
Websitehttp://www.putneyschool.org/

The Putney School is an independent high school in Putney, Vermont. The school was founded in 1935 by Carmelita Hinton on the principles of the Progressive Education movement and the teachings of its principal exponent, John Dewey. It is a co-educational, college-preparatory boarding school, with a day-student component, 12 miles (19 km) outside Brattleboro, Vermont. Danny O'Brien became head of school in 2022.[1] The school enrolls approximately 225 students on a 500 acres (2.0 km2) hilltop campus with classrooms, dormitories, and a dairy farm on which its students work before graduating.[2]

Based on its founder's principles,[3] the school continues to emphasize academics, a work program, the arts, and physical activity. Its curriculum is intended to teach the value of labor, art, community, ethics, and scholarship for individual growth.[4][5]

Campus

Animated panorama from the center of the quadrangle on the Putney campus.

The original buildings on Putney's campus were overhauled or constructed by Putney work camp attendees, students, and faculty in 1935.[6] The Currier Center is a departure from Putney's customary white, colonial-style architecture, instead using stone and concrete walls in an angular design. It is used for dance, music, movie-making and visual-art presentations. The Field House, which opened in October 2009, was designed as a "net zero-energy building".[7]

There are ten dormitories on campus: Old Boys, Huseby, New Boys, Keep, Noyes, White Cottage, JR, Old Girls, The Heights, and Gray House. A few faculty members live in each dormitory.[8]

Academic program

Then-Director Brian Morgan addresses the graduating Class of 2004.

In 1995, the Boston Globe described Putney as combining "a New England work ethic and a strong academic program."[9] It is a member of the Independent Curriculum Group and in 2009 received a 10-year accreditation review by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.[10]

Tuition

Tuition for the 2023-24 academic year is $74,500 for boarding students and $45,400 for day students.[11]

Notable alumni and faculty

See also: Category:The Putney School alumni

Alumni

According to The Putney School 2008 Alumni Directory, alumni of The Putney School include (graduation date shown, where applicable):[12]

Faculty

Some Putney faculty members (subject taught in parentheses) had careers that extended beyond their teaching.

References

  1. ^ "Putney to Welcome New Head of School". The Putney School. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
  2. ^ "Putney at a glance". Website. Putney School. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
  3. ^ "Our 9 Fundamental Beliefs". The Putney School. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  4. ^ Barton, April (May 12, 2021). "Why one Vermont school is considered among the 50 most influential high schools". Burlington Free Press. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  5. ^ Feloni, Richard. "The billionaire founder of LinkedIn attended a progressive Vermont boarding school that skipped AP classes in favor of carpentry and blacksmithing". Business Insider. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  6. ^ Lloyd, Susan M. (1987). The Putney School, A Progressive Experiment. Yale University Press. pp. 21–3, 31. ISBN 0-300-03742-2.
  7. ^ "Our Field House's Green Features". The Putney School. 2018-07-04. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  8. ^ "Campus Map". The Putney School. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  9. ^ Cohen, Muriel (January 1, 1995). "Putney - A Vermont School that Dared and Succeeded". The Boston Globe: A42.
  10. ^ State Board of Education (May 19, 2015), Renewal of approval to The Putney School, Putney, VT to serve students in grades 9-12 (PDF), State of Vermont Agency of Education, retrieved 2015-11-11
  11. ^ "Tuition and Financial Aid". The Putney School. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  12. ^ The Putney School 2008 Alumni Directory. Bloomington, Indiana: University Publishing Corporation. 2008.
  13. ^ Robidoux, Carol (January 21, 2015). "Olympic Skiing Runs in Lebanon Lawyer's Family". Bar News. New Hampshire Bar Association.
  14. ^ Poniewozik, James (April 29, 2010). "Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof". The 2010 TIME 100—Artists. TIME. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
  15. ^ Sherwin, Adam (2013-05-23). "World's most concise short story writer Lydia Davis wins Booker International Prize 2013". Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18. Retrieved 2013-05-23.
  16. ^ "Class of 1964 Obituaries: William Barton Gray". HR 1964.org. Cambridge, MA: Harvard-Radcliffe Class of 1964. 1994. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  17. ^ "Felicity Huffman, actress charged in college-admission bribery case, has Vermont ties". Burlington Free Press.
  18. ^ Aspen (30 August 2016). "Christopher Lehmann-Haupt '52". putneyschool.org.
  19. ^ "Elm Lea Circle | Community | The Putney School". www.elmleacircle.com. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  20. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Martha Rockwell Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  21. ^ Walker, Shaun (24 November 2013). "Arctic 30 captain re-evaluates protest methods after Russian jails Veteran Greenpeace skipper Peter Willcox was also captain of Rainbow Warrior – which was bombed by French agents in 1985". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
  22. ^ Cuerdon, Don (Fall 2015). "Putney Post". Putney Post. p. 23. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  23. ^ Bloom, Paul (2018-09-06). "What We Know About Art and the Mind". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2019-04-05.

Further reading

External links

42°59′14″N 72°33′14″W / 42.9873°N 72.5540°W / 42.9873; -72.5540

Vermont High Schools Division III
Private High Schools and Prep Schools in Vermont
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