Devon Preparatory School
Devon Preparatory School is a private, Catholic college preparatory school in Devon, Pennsylvania, founded in 1956 by the Piarist fathers. It is an all-boys school, divided into a middle school (grades 6–8) and an upper school (grades 9–12), both located on the same campus of . The school operates independently under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Campus history. The Devon Preparatory School site was originally owned by Philadelphia publisher, art collector, and socialite Charles Matthew Lea, who built his mansion in 1913 that was later to become Calasanctus Hall. Lea, son of historian  Henry Charles Lea, inherited his fortune from the Lea & Febiger publishing firm, the oldest publishing company in the United States (1785–1990). The firm's best known title was the American edition of "Gray's Anatomy", which they began publishing in 1859. The original 20-acre (81,000 m2) tract on the east side of Valley Forge Road was expanded in 1920, with the purchase of an additional 83 acres (340,000 m2). This consolidated property was known as Westthorpe Farm. The main entrance to Westthorpe Farm was at the intersection of Conestoga Road, Valley Forge Road and Hunters Lane where large stone  pillars still stand. A number of stone pillars that originally formed a southern fence line remain partially in place along West Conestoga and Upper Gulph Roads. The current entrance to Devon Preparatory School, on Valley Forge Road, was the service entrance to the mansion. An outbuilding from Westthorpe Farm still stands northeast of the intersection of Upper Gulph and Hunters Lane. The 25-room Westthorpe mansion, designed by Brockie & Hastings, was the home of Charles M. Lea until he died in 1927. His widow, Charlotte Augusta Lea, remained at the mansion until her death in 1945. The property was then  sold to Alexander Shand, a developer, who built one of the first post-World War II developments of homes known as the Shand Tract, on Steeplechase Road and Hunters Lane. Shand sold the mansion to Joseph Lerner, who had hoped to make it a psychiatric hospital. Because of neighborhood opposition to his project, Lerner sold the property to the Piarist Fathers in 1955. Athletics. All of Devon Prep's athletic teams compete in the Philadelphia Catholic League (12 teams). Clubs and activities. Devon Prep has over 50 different extracurricular activity groups. Some of them include: Mock Trial, Model United Nations , Science Olympiad, Film Club, Devon Dialogue (newspaper), Calasanctian (yearbook), Art Club, and many more. There is an elected Student Council, honor societies, and an Academic Challenge Team. Musical groups for students include Jazz Band, Rock Band, Choral Tide and Rip Tide. There is an annual Fall Drama and Spring Musical. Summer Enrichment Program. In the summer, Devon Prep hosts a Summer Enrichment Program. Throughout the two sessions students participate in sports and dramatic arts camps as well as various other courses. They attend classes including algebra readiness, digital photography, painting and sculpting, video production, study skills, web building, and history  explorations. The sports camps include baseball, soccer, track, golf and basketball.