Located on a 96-acre wooded campus in the historic Hudson River village of Dobbs Ferry, The Masters School is a co-educational college preparatory day and boarding school for grades 5-12.
The School will start the school year with 170 boarding students, this along with over 60% of the faculty living on campus, results in a faculty highly accessible to students and a vibrant seven-day campus with a variety of enriching activities throughout the week. The result is both day and boarding students benefit from the advantages typically associated with a full-time boarding school.
The School is in the process of completing the new Masters Athletic and Arts Center (MAAC), a 75,000-square-foot building unlike any other – that will provide a dynamic campus hub for athletics, the arts and student engagement – with transparent architecture throughout. Scheduled to open in spring 2015, this new facility will feature a competition swimming pool, squash courts, fencing studio, basketball court, indoor track, experimental theater, art gallery, digital production studio, café, and much more. The MAAC will also be a “green” building, achieving a Gold LEED certification.
In 2014-15, The Masters School will continue to be characterized by high standards, great achievement, and hard work. It is also a place of creativity, diversity, and fun. The curriculum is challenging. The athletic teams are competitive and accomplished. The arts program is exceptional. And engagement with the School’s community service program has been a guiding principle since the School’s founding in 1877.
The Masters School
49 Clinton Avenue, Dobbs Ferry, 479-6420
www.mastersny.org
Year Founded: 1877
Head of School: Maureen Fonseca, Ph.D.
Enrollment: 650
Student/Teacher Ratio: 8 to 1
Average Class Size: 14
Tuition: $37,875-$55,050. The Masters School provides $4,000,000 in financial aid.
Preparing students for a dynamic world in which innovation and collaboration will measure success, Whitby School inspires a passion for learning and empowers each child to take responsibility as an open-minded, principled citizen in a global community.
Whitby’s IB-accredited program (with Montessori in early years) provides children with opportunities for inquiry and exploration throughout the educational continuum from 18 months through 8th grade. More families than ever before are choosing Whitby, with enrollment and re-enrollment at an all-time high, while graduates continue to gain acceptances into their first-choice of schools, including Andover, Choate Rosemary Hall, Greenwich Academy, Hackley, and King.
As the region’s premier early childhood program and the birthplace of the American Montessori Society (AMS), Whitby understands the road to lifelong learning begins early, and its proven educational approach is rooted in a child’s innate inclination to learn. Research shows the Montessori approach enhances performance, persistence, memory, and creativity, and that Montessori children are better prepared for elementary school, outscoring peers in math and reading skills and testing higher on the ability to adapt to changing and more complex problems – key indicators of future school and life success.
At Whitby, Montessori is complemented by the International Baccalaureate (IB) – the world’s fastest growing educational program and a seamless extension of Montessori practice and philosophy. The IB trans-disciplinary, theme-based curriculum gives children the intellectual tools to understand and navigate the complexities of today’s global community and provides a foundation that serves students throughout their lives.
Reflecting Whitby’s commitment to innovation and excellence, the school recently embarked on a multi-phase campus improvement plan. The first stage — completed in 2013 — includes a new Design Technology Lab, a state-of-the-art Science Lab, and two additional classrooms, enabling a trans-disciplinary curriculum centered on “design thinking.” Students work on robotics, multimedia, programming, and design as they learn about the systems and relationships involved in taking an idea through the design cycle between thought, prototype, product, and evaluation. The Design Tech Lab features 3-D printers and scanner, large wall-mounted monitors, and an interactive whiteboard. Phase 2 of the expansion plan includes the addition of a new Athletics Center aimed at solidifying the school’s already competitive sports programs.
The expert faculty, small class size, and low student/faculty ratio ensure a focus on each student to stimulate the child’s thinking and maximize learning. Whitby’s well-rounded curriculum incorporates music, drama, art, and world languages while leveraging a 1:1 technology program. The diverse learning experience, which includes families and faculty hailing from 40 countries and speaking 15 languages, also brings cross-cultural learning to life.
In the 2014-2015 school year, Whitby welcomes new faculty members and celebrates exciting new roles for staff. They bring diverse experiences and backgrounds to the school.
Lower School
Rachel Beninati
Primary Teacher
Ms. Beninati obtained her M.A.T. in Early Childhood Education from Manhattanville College. Most recently, she taught the 4-year-olds at Unquowa School in Fairfield. Prior to that, she was both a Head Teacher and Dean of the Fours at the Dwight School’s Early Years Division, where she was first introduced to the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program. In addition to her love for education, she brings a strong background in the Performing Arts, having received her B.F.A. in Theater from Emerson College.
Laura Gjuraj
Stepping Stones
For the past two years, Ms. Gjuraj has worked at Whitby as a Stepping Stones support teacher, as well as an After Care teacher for faculty children. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree at Manhattanville College. She will join Maureen Scordato and Francine Wilkens in Stepping Stones A.
Christine Imbrogno
Stepping Stones
Ms. Imbrogno began her early childhood teaching career 11 years ago working in a Toddler classroom at Family Centers in Greenwich for five years and teaching Infants/Toddlers at Greenwich Academy’s preschool, The Cowan Center, for six years. During this time, she completed her CDA, B.A. at UConn Stamford in Liberal Arts, and M.P.S. at Manhattanville College in Childhood Education and Special Education: Childhood.
Christina Scordato
Stepping Stones
Five years ago, Ms. Scordato started as a substitute teacher at Whitby. She now joins Linda Troya, as well as Anna Caro, as a full-time teacher. Previously, she worked as a substitute elementary teacher in the Stamford Public Schools. Preceding the birth of her daughter, now 12, she was a Senior Account Executive for a marketing research company in Connecticut. She earned a Bachelor’s degree from Pace University.
Upper School
Tiffany DePeralta
English Language Arts and Humanities
For the past seven years, Ms. DePeralta has taught ELA in urban schools. Most recently, she taught 6th & 7th grade ELA at Harlem Village Academy in New York City. She received an M.S. in English Education from SUNY Albany in 2009 and a B.A. in English Education from Ithaca College in 2007.
Jamie McQueen
Language Arts/English Teacher
Mr. McQueen has taught internationally for the past 12 years, with stops in Cairo, Kuala Lumpur, and, most recently, Kampala. He holds an M.A. from Portland State University and a B.A. from University of Oregon.
Lindsay McQueen
Science
For the past six years, Lindsay taught in international schools overseas. She is moving to Connecticut from Uganda where she has been teaching MYP science and math at the International School of Uganda. After graduating from high school in Cairo, Egypt, Lindsay earned a BA degree in Biology from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. She continued her education through Drexel University, earning teacher certification in biology and mathematics, as well as an MS in the Science of Instruction.
Alicia Miller
English as an Additional Language (EAL)
For the past 14 years, Ms. Miller has taught ESL/EAL and English. She has also designed curriculum for and taught at a Newcomer Center for newly arrived immigrants in grades 6-12. Her most recent assignment was as the EAL Head of Department at the Bavarian International School in Haimhausen, Germany. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics, with a minor in Russian, at Ohio University, where she graduated cum laude. She continued her education at Ohio State University, earning an M.A. in Slavic Literature and a Master’s of Education in Foreign and Second Language.
Chris Ostrowski
Community Service Coordinator and Science Lab Assistant
Mr. Ostrowski (Mr. O) has served the Whitby community for two years as a substitute teacher. He has been teaching children and coordinating community service organizations for the past twenty years. He is the founder of N.A.P. (Neighbor’s Assistance Program) and The P.A.C.K Project (The People’s Art and Community Kiln Project), as well as O-Town Pottery and Wingseed Books. He earned his M.A. in Teaching from Manhattanville College, and is continuing his International Baccalaureate training.
Jane Singleton
Sail Support
She joins the faculty in both the Upper and Lower schools. She has an M.A. in Special Education from the College of William & Mary, and is certified to teach grade levels K-12, and earned a B.S. in Psychology and Communications from James Madison University. She has a diverse teaching background from working as the Learning Support Coordinator at the International School of Berne in Switzerland. She also has experience working in the public school systems in Virginia. Prior to becoming a teacher, Ms. Singleton worked in public affairs in Washington, D.C., in both corporate and non-profit settings.
Megan Harris
Registrar and Admissions Coordinator
Ms. Harris first came to the school in June 2012 as the Upper School Assistant. Last year, she continued to work in the Upper School and joined the admissions team as an Assistant. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from James Madison University.
Sarah Mead
Associate Director of Marketing and Communications
Ms. Mead studied at the University of Rhode Island, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and minored in Spanish. Previously, she worked in the marketing department at Rhode Island Monthly Magazine, a regional publication based in Providence.
Whitby School
969 Lake Avenue
Greenwich
203-869-8464
www.whitbyschool.org
Year Founded: 1958
Head of School: Bryan Nixon
Enrollment: 440 (children 18 months- 8th Grade)
Student/Teacher Ratio: 5 to 1
Open Houses: October 16, 9:30; and November 2, 1:00.
Accreditations: American Montessori Society, International
When school begins this September, The Harvey School in Katonah will welcome its second cohort of international students. The school’s international program includes six who enrolled in 2013 and seven new students (grades 9-11), hailing from China, Taiwan, Korea, and Germany.
Harvey’s international program is unique for a few key reasons. First, the students plan to spend up to four years on campus and graduate from Harvey. As such, there is a much deeper integration and transformation of both students and the school community than with a short-term exchange. Second, international students fully integrate into all aspects of daily school life. Not only do they take all classes with the local students, but this past year international students played volleyball, basketball, ice hockey, and tennis, acted in school plays and musicals, modeled in a student-run charity fashion show, volunteered in the community, and spoke at other local high schools about growing up and going to school in China.
Third, the hybrid residential options allow international students to get ‘the best of both worlds’: they live in a boarding school environment with a local roommate during the week and with a local family over the weekend. Finally, international students benefit from the same great opportunities that attract families from Westchester and Fairfield counties to Harvey.
Harvey’s tight-knit community and small classes of approximately ten students provide individualized attention and every opportunity to build meaningful relationships and teacher-student mentorships. This is an especially dramatic and positive change for students coming from China, where average class sizes hover between 50 and 60 students. At Harvey, students work closely with their advisors to select courses that will appropriately support and challenge them. For example, a returning 11th grade student from Guangzhou, China, plans to enroll in a regular American History class, but has selected Advanced Placement math and science classes from among the 13 AP classes offered.
Every international student who joined Harvey in 2013 will return this fall — a testament to the success of the first year of the program. Those involved with the program attribute the seamless addition of these students to Harvey’s caring teachers, flexible and adaptable curriculum, friendly and welcoming local students, families and dorm parents.
If you are interested in becoming a host family for an international student, contact Julia Gooding at jgooding@harveyschool.org or 232-3161.
The Harvey School
260 Jay Street, Katonah, 232-3161
www.harveyschool.org
Year Founded: 1916
Headmaster: Barry Fenstermacher
Grades: 6-12
Tuition: $33,250 and up
Open House: Saturday, October 18 at 9:00.
Rippowam Cisqua School’s mission is to promote critical thinking, individual development, and personal excellence for grades Pre-K-9. Parents are drawn to the school because of the small class sizes, joyful learning environment, and dedicated teachers who challenge students to discover and explore their talents to the fullest. Rippowam Cisqua is committed to a dynamic program of academics, the arts, and athletics in an atmosphere that promotes intellectual curiosity and a lifelong love of learning.
Believing that learning is a shared experience, the responsibility of both students and teachers, they urge active student involvement and seek to provide a rich curriculum for children of different abilities and learning styles. Their approach to learning incorporates experimentation, simulation, and collective and individual problem solving, as well as traditional lecture, discussion, and skill development techniques — all toward the goal of attaining excellence.
Students are challenged to demonstrate their competence in a variety of subjects, with emphasis placed on the written word, throughout their school career. The process by which children arrive at a final product is an important part of their education.
Over the past year, remarkable student achievement has taken place at Rippowam Cisqua in the classroom, on the stage, and on the athletic fields. Throughout the winter and spring, several 7th- and 8th-grade students worked together to design and built an electric golf cart, and in March, the annual Science Fair on the Lower Campus focused on STEAM — the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. Many students in grades 7–9 earned accolades at the regional and national levels of the Scholastic Writing Awards, and students in grades 6-9 put on two well-received dramatic productions of “Alice in Wonderland” and “High School Musical.”
In athletics, Rippowam Cisqua has always been known for its fierce competitive spirit, along with its fierce sense of respect for others. Last year, the Boys’ Varsity Basketball team and Girls’ Varsity Softball team each lost only one game, and the Girls’ Varsity Basketball team has only lost five games over the past six years. Several students set personal bests across a variety of sports this past year, and good sportsmanship, respect for teammates, and opponents alike, and a sports program that promotes self-confidence helped to drive athletic involvement at all ages and grade levels.
In June, the Town of Bedford Conservation Board presented their annual Green Awards, and Rippowam Cisqua was honored to be among the recipients. The Green Awards were presented to those organizations that work to protect and preserve the Town of Bedford’s environment, and RCS was highlighted for its commitment to environmental sustainability in all aspects of school life.
Character development is a critical component of a Rippowam Cisqua education as well. “As a community, we require respect, honesty, and common decency at all times. Our goal is to graduate students who are confident and knowledgeable lifelong learners. We strive to be a school of joyous and enlightened learning: a place where children come, not where they are sent.”
Rippowam Cisqua School
www.rcsny.org
Lower School Campus (Pre-K-4):
325 West Patent Road, Mt. Kisco, 244-1200
Upper School Campus (Grades 5-9):
439 Cantitoe Street, Bedford
244-1250
Year Founded: 1917
Head of School: Matthew Nespole
Enrollment: 513
Student/Teacher Ratio: 5 to 1
Tuition: $20,500-$36,600
Rippowam Cisqua provides $2,300,000 in financial aid.
Class of 2014 Valedictorian Phil Brooks summed up these phrases’ significance: “Hackley’s three mottos tell a story about how we interact with others throughout our lives as members of the Hackley community. The story starts with the motto engraved above that doorway on the quad: “Enter here to be and find a friend.” This is what Hackley offers to each person who enters our community, and it gives each of us directions for entering this community. The second motto, the school’s seal, ‘Iuncti Iuvamus,’ tells us what we do once we get here. We help each other. We see the final motto, from former English Department Chair Arthur Naething, ‘Go forth and spread beauty and light’ when we leave the building, for this motto is about leaving.
Whenever we leave Hackley, for the weekend, for the summer, or for life, this motto urges us to bring with us what Hackley has given to us. To bring it with us, so that we can give it to others. We have learned how to think of ourselves less and of those around us more.”
As a community dedicated to learning, Hackley understands the essential nature of growth and evolution, even in its academic programs. The Community Studies program, for example,
What makes Hackley special, however, beyond the beauty of its campus and the strength of its programs and facilities, is the way in which members of this community take these ideas to heart in what they do every day – seeking to be a friend, to help others, to care more about others than themselves, and ultimately, to “spread the beauty and light” they have found at Hackley, even as they grow in individual accomplishment.
During a record-breaking year in athletics, with six state championships and seven league titles, students also celebrated each other’s growth in visual and performing arts. While the successes are remarkable, what’s even more so is the way in which the students support and appreciate the accomplishments of others.
Hackley School
293 Benedict Avenue
Tarrytown
366-2600
www.hackleyschool.org
Year Founded: 1899
Headmaster: Walter Johnson
Enrollment: Over 840
students in K-12
(397 in Upper School)
Student/Teacher Ratio: 8 to 1
Average Class Size: 16
Tuition: $37,700 for day
students, $52,100 for
boarding students
Open House: October 25,
9-12; Athletics Open House, November 15, 10-12
Founded in 1980 as a one-room nursery program, the French-American School of New York has grown into a thriving, co-ed, bilingual private institution. FASNY educates over 800 students from pre-K-12, representing over 50 nationalities. Seventy percent of the school’s families are of French origin and speak French in their home as a first language.
FASNY’s approach is to combine the best of the American and French educational system. Approximately 85 percent of the faculty holds advanced degrees and fosters healthy educational environments in which the students can question, grow, and succeed. Upon graduation, students are prepared to receive a high school diploma, as well as the French Baccalaureate.
Prospective students and families can visit FASNY’s three campuses — Preschool in Scarsdale, Lower School in Larchmont, and Upper School in Mamaroneck — during one one of its upcoming Open Houses.
French-American School of New York
Administrative Offices
525 Fenimore Road
Mamaroneck
250-0400
www.fasny.org
Head of School:
Joël Peinado
Enrollment: 850
Student/Teacher Ratio:
9 to 1
Tuition: $23,900-$28,530
Open House: Saturday, November 15, 10:00
The school offers and encourages a rigorous college prep curriculum, including several AP courses to choose from, as well as a strong fine arts program. An array of electives and extracurriciular activities provide ample opportunities for each student to get involved, develop confidence, and find their passion.
Soundview’s college prep program offers challenges for the most advanced students while ensuring that those who need support receive it.
Soundview Preparatory School
370 Underhill Avenue
Yorktown Heights
962-2780
info@soundviewprep.org
Year Founded: 1989
Headmaster: W. Glyn Hearn
Grades: 6-12
Student/Teacher Ratio:
4 to 1
Enrollment: 75
Average Class Size: 7
Tuition: $37,800-$39,000
Greenwich Academy is an independent college-preparatory day school for girls and young women that seeks to foster excellence. Its mission is to provide a challenging, comprehensive educational experience grounded in a rigorous liberal arts curriculum within an inclusive, diverse community. The school’s objective is to develop girls and young women of exceptional character and achievement who demonstrate independence, resilience, courage, integrity and compassion.
Since 1827, Greenwich Academy has provided an ideal balance of a character-based education within the context of an extraordinary academic environment. A leader in girls’ education, GA sets a high bar in academics, athletics, arts, and service leadership—and GA girls consistently exceed expectations. Fueled by their motto, “Toward the Building of Character,” girls understand that choosing to do the right thing is a vital prerequisite to achieving success.
GA challenges its students to develop the skills necessary to compete in a global marketplace that rewards those who take calculated risks with confidence; from developing their technical skills in our Engineering and Design Lab to conducting Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) with the University of Pennsylvania.
Rigorous academics are at the heart of a Greenwich Academy education. Students in all grades and across disciplines are inspired to ask questions, to explore new ideas and to work independently and together to learn, discover and create. The college-preparatory program is designed to prepare every student to be an informed, thoughtful participant in the global community and to empower her to take ownership of her educational life.
The key to the extraordinary success of the academic program at Greenwich Academy is a world-class faculty dedicated to working with all students to help them achieve, to inspire them to wonder and to cultivate in them the skills and the character necessary to be life-long learners.
Classes are single-sex through grade eight. In upper school, classes are coeducational with Brunswick School.
Greenwich Academy
200 North Maple Avenue
Greenwich, CT 06830
www.greenwichacademy.org
Founded: 1827
Grades: pre-K-12
Head of School:
Molly H. King
Enrollment: 800
Tuition: $34,900 – 39,000
Open House: October 19 Lower/Middle 1:00 / Upper 3:30.
A Thornton-Donovan education is customized to students’ interests and individual talents. The average class size of 8 to 14 creates the perfect environment in which to develop curiosity and passion.
Each year, the school chooses a part of the world around which culturally themed courses are designed. In the 2014-15 academic year, Thornton-Donovan students will devote their time and exploration to the theme “Knocking on Valhalla’s Door.” Last year’s cultural immersion theme was “North to Alaska.”
Over the coming year and summer, Thornton-Donovan will send students and faculty on learning experiences to Arezzo (Italy), Busan (South Korea), Guatemala City (Guatemala), Hiroshima (Japan), and Auckland (New Zealand). Students don’t have to travel abroad to be globally educated; the school offers courses in French, Latin, Italian, Spanish, Greek, German, and Russian.
The values of diplomacy and ambassadorship incorporated into a rigorous college preparatory education make Thornton-Donovan the perfect school for young, bright students who want to go places, physically and mentally.
Thornton Donovan School
100 Overlook Circle, New Rochelle
632-8836
Year Founded: 1901
Headmaster: Douglas E. Fleming Jr.
Enrollment: 170
Student/Teacher Ratio: 5 to 1
Tuition: $17,750
The campus is situated on a picturesque 118-acre landscape in Greenwich with views of the Long Island Sound. In addition to modern classrooms designed for 21st-century learning, CSH offers amenities such as computer and science labs, an outdoor observatory, a performing arts theater, a broadcast journalism studio, and athletic facilities.
Technology is integrated into all academic disciplines at all grade levels. The computer is a tool for writing, research, analysis, presentation, disseminations, and discussion of classroom projects. CSH is a member of the Online School for Girls, offering several AP and higher-level math and computer courses for the Upper School girls to take advantage of.
Sacred Heart’s international exchange program, combined with its world language program, builds awareness and knowledge of other cultures. Students are encouraged to extendtheir educational experience to other Sacred Heart schools worldwide.
The school is building a new 36,000 square-foot athletic center that will open in September 2015 to join its state-of-the-art turf fields, tennis courts, indoor swimming pool, and gymnasium/fitness center.
Prospective students and families are welcome to attend the school’s tour days, open houses, and early childhood events, including the K-12 Open House on November 8.
Convent of the Sacred Heart
1177 King Street, Greenwich, 203-531-6500
www.cshgreenwich.org
Year Founded: 1848
Head of School: Pamela Juan Hayes
Enrollment: 740
Tuition: $30,400-$37,300
Open House: November 8, 9:00.
Vibrant and growing, Brunswick School has been defined and distinguished for 112 years through its commitment to “Courage, Honor, Truth.”
Enrolling 950 boys in pre-Kindergarten through grade 12, the School believes that the strength of a young man’s character and depth of his spirit determines all genuine and lasting success.
To that end, Brunswick strives to help boys and young men acquire the personal, intellectual, and physical training that will best enable them to grow into responsible adults who can make significant and lasting contributions to society.
The School offers rigorous academics, including an advanced science research program and 28 Advanced Placement courses. It offers comprehensive arts, drama and music, and a renowned language program that includes instruction in Arabic, French, Spanish, Mandarin, Italian, Latin, and Greek.
Brunswick has three campuses on a total of 118 acres in Greenwich. The Pre School is located on 116 Maple Avenue, while the Upper School is located nearby at 100 Maher Avenue. The Lower and Middle School are part of Edwards Campus, located at 1252 King Street.
Brunswick believes that a complete education must include lessons beyond the classroom. Even the youngest students participate in volunteer opportunities, which often evolve into full-fledged service projects at the Upper School. After school, students have access to 36 co-curricular clubs.
Through academics, athletics, arts, and service to the community, Brunswick encourages every student to develop his talents to the fullest, to understand the obligation to share them generously, to take risks to ensure growth, and to refuse to accept a narrow definition of himself.
Brunswick School
100 Maher Avenue, Greenwich
203-625-5800
www.brunswickschool.org
Year Founded: 1902
Headmaster: Thomas Philip
Enrollment: 950 boys
Tuition: $28,300-$37,050
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