myMASTERS Calendar Fall 2021 at Masters Search INQUIRE GIVE ABOUT ADMISSION ACADEMICS ATHLETICS ARTS CAMPUS LIFE BOARDING SCHOOL ALUMNAE/I MISSION AND HISTORY Welcome From the Head of School Mission and History Quick Facts Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Campus Master Plan Sustainability News Faculty & Staff Directory Board of Trustees Employment FAQ MISSION The Masters School celebrates active participation, deep understanding, and meaningful connection. A community of diverse individuals, we gather to learn, to strive, to dare, to do — to be a power for good in the world. BELIEFS LIST OF 5 ITEMS. To Learn To Strive To Dare To Do To Be a Power for Good in the World 1 2 3 4 5 HISTORY In the fall of 1877, Eliza Bailey Masters founded what is now The Masters School. The oldest daughter of a Presbyterian minister, Miss Masters was determined that her school would not be the typical “finishing school.” Although her earliest students did not traditionally go on to college, they studied a liberal arts curriculum that included Latin, mathematics and astronomy. Miss Masters instilled in her “girls” the need to live useful, orderly lives based on truthfulness, integrity and responsibility. She took the school motto from a verse in the Bible: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” To her students, she often said, “Don’t just try; do it!” For the school color, she chose purple, signifying royalty and spirituality. By the early 1900s, college preparation had become the dominating factor in the academic curriculum. This changing focus of coursework and preparation for college was to serve as the backdrop to how The Masters School’s future would unfold. By the time the School celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1927, it had 200 boarding students, most of whom were preparing for college. By 1994, it became evident that bold initiatives were needed to increase enrollment and continue the School’s tradition of excellence. After a year of study, the Board of Trustees voted to make the Upper School coeducational, to create a boys Middle School that would parallel the existing girls Middle School, and to use the Harkness method of teaching in the Upper School, beginning in the fall of 1996. A one-semester, experience-based urban studies program called CITYterm was launched on campus, also in the fall of 1996. Since July 2000, guided by an ambitious strategic plan, The Masters School has experienced measured growth and dramatic successes. The School’s enrollment now stands at nearly 700 students. Our alumnae/i live in 73 countries and all 50 states. Laura Danforth has served as Masters' 14th head of school since July 2015. THE MASTERS SCHOOL 49 Clinton Avenue, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522 Tel. 914-479-6400 CONTACT US DIRECTORY PRIVACY POLICY EMPLOYMENT WEBMAIL NEWS