Worcester Academy
Worcester Academy is a private school in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is one of the oldest day-boarding schools in the United States. A coeducational preparatory school, it belongs to the National Association of Independent Schools. Situated on , the academy is divided into a middle school (serving approximately 70 students in grades six to eight), an upper school, serving approximately 440 students in grades nine to twelve, including some postgraduates. Approximately one-third of students in the upper school participate in the school's five- and seven-day boarding programs. Currently, there are approximately 67 international students enrolled from  12 different nations. The academy is mildly selective, accepting approximately 65% of all applicants. Worcester Academy is a member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the Association of Independent Schools in New England, and the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council. The Academy's motto is the Greek phrase "Έφικνού τών Καλών," which translates to "Achieve the Honorable." History. Founded in 1834 as the Worcester County Manual Labor High School, the name was changed to Worcester Academy in 1847. The school moved to its current location on Worcester's Union Hill in 1869. The academy moved into  a building that had previously served as a Civil War hospital: "The Dale General Hospital". It was later renamed Davis Hall, in honor of longtime board president, Isaac Davis. Worcester Academy was all-male from its founding until 1856, and again from 1890 to 1974. It has been coeducational ever since. Demographics. As of 2018, 451 out of 600, or 68% of the school's students were white, 66 (11%) were Asian, 32 (5%) were Black, and 15 (2.5%) were Hispanic or Latino. The corresponding numbers for the community were 56% white, 8% Asian, 12% black and 21% Hispanic or  Latino. Campus. Worcester Academy's campus is currently spread over four main parcels: the main campus, which contains approximately ; Francis A. Gaskill Field, a parcel two blocks south of the main campus; the South Campus, a 15-acre parcel one block south which includes Morse Field; and the New Balance Fields, approximately four miles away on Stafford Street, comprising . In 2004, Worcester Academy relocated its alumni offices to a renovated Victorian home one block north of the main campus, at 51 Providence Street. It is now called Alumni House. The main campus is a historic district listed on the National  Register of Historic Places with six buildings listed as contributing properties: 81 Providence Street, Kingsley Laboratories, Walker Hall, Adams Hall, the Megaron, and Dexter Hall. 81 Providence Street is the home of the Head of School and is named "Abercrombie House" in honor of Daniel Webster Abercrombie, principal from 1882 to 1918. In 2001, the back end of the historic campus was developed with the addition of Rader Hall, named for long-time faculty members Harold G. "Dutch" and Dorothy Rader. Rader Hall houses the school's library and is used for middle school classes and activities. In the past  fifteen years restoration work on the historic campus buildings has been completed including in 2008 with the complete renovation of the Kingsley Laboratories, Walker Hall in 2013-14, and Daniels Gymnasium in 2013. The South Campus currently features the Morse Field, named for former Head of School Dexter P. Morse and his wife, Barbara. This campus, located between the main campus and Gaskill Field, is a focus of the school expansion plans. The first parcel of a former hospital campus was acquired in 2007 with the completion of the purchase and sale agreement on a parcel. In January 2010, the  Academy purchased an additional of the former hospital. A lighted, artificial turf field was opened in the fall of 2011. A walking path along its perimeter connects to the entrance via a pathway. The field serves as both a practice facility and playing field for multiple sports. The acquisition of the remaining 5 acres of the hospital campus was completed in the summer of 2015. A visual and performing arts center located on the South Campus opened there in the fall of 2015. The performance center is located in the former hospital power plant and has seating capacity of 120  and lobby area for a comparable number of guests. Walkways connect the South Campus to both the main campus and Gaskill Field. In the summer of 2014, Worcester Academy completed the restoration/renovation of Walker Hall, including improvements to the connection to the adjacent building called the Megaron. This included installation of access ramp, replacement of windows, installation of an elevator, installation of bathrooms, and HVAC installation. The majority of the work was completed over the summers of 2013 and 2014. There was a net gain of six classrooms. In addition, the exterior of the Daniels Gymnasium was restored in  the summer of 2013. As of fall of 2017, Worcester Academy is a primary tenant at the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center, a double rink located at the corner of Harding and Winter streets in Worcester's Canal District. This facility is at the foot of Union Hill and a half a mile from the campus entrance on Providence Street. Both the Boys and Girls teams have their own locker rooms and the teams will have prime skating time for games and practice. The most notable building on the campus is the Lewis J. Warner '28 Memorial Theater. Built in  1932, it was a gift from Warner Brothers Studio President Harry Warner, who donated the building to honor the memory of his only son. Lewis died within three years of graduating from the academy. Worcester Academy's middle school student assemblies are held in the 350-seat Hervey S. Ross Auditorium in Warner Theater. Visual and Performing Arts. Beginning in the 1890s, glee clubs and orchestras, organized by students, performed at term dinners. In 1901, the first play was performed by students under the direction of a faculty adviser. These groups evolved into clubs, known as Etta Kappa Alpha (theater ) and the Offbeats (singing). In the early 1980s, courses in performing and visual art were offered. By the end of the decade a Visual and Performing Arts Department was formed. Soon thereafter, theater was offered as a course and this curriculum has expanded since then. Visual Arts. Upper school studio art course offerings include ceramics, jewelry design, fibers craft, and architecture. In addition to drawing and painting courses, digital art is an offering. Web design and animation are also part of the art curriculum. The Middle School visual arts program includes introductory courses in music and theater. The Arts Café  studies the art and cuisine of a global culture each year. Theater Program. Students perform in two theaters: Students perform in three fully mounted Upper School productions and a fully mounted Middle School production. One of these productions is an annual musical. Each summer, Moonstruck Theater Company presents a fully mounted production in the Andes Pit Theater. WA theater students can gain practical experience as Moonstruck Theater interns. Upper School Music Academic Program. Extra-curricular program: Athletics. Worcester Academy is a member of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC). Worcester Academy plays most of the larger New England  prep schools, and rivalries date back much more than a century. In certain sports, NEPSAC classifies the competition for post-season play and Worcester Academy competes with teams in Class A and Class B. The mascot is a ram named Oskee, named after the school fight song. Approximately 60% of the students participate in an interscholastic sport on one of the 54 athletic teams. There are twenty-four different sports offered including in the fall: football, soccer, cross country, field hockey; in the winter: basketball, wrestling, alpine skiing, volleyball, hockey, swimming; and in the spring: track and field, baseball, lacrosse , crew, golf, softball, and tennis. Recent highlights. In 2011, the Girls Varsity Soccer Team won NEPSAC Class A tournament in the first year that the team had moved up to the division. In 2017, the varsity baseball team won the Central Division NEPSAC crown by winning the Blackburn Tournament at Murray Stadium in Providence, Rhode Island. In 2016, the Boys Varsity Soccer team were the Class A WNEPSSA champions. In 2017, the Girls Varsity Ice Hockey team won the New England Girls Prep Division 2 championship. In 2018, the Boys Varsity Ice Hockey team were the 2017-2018 Holt Conference  Champions. In 2018, the Girls Varsity Basketball team were the NEPSAC Class AA champions. In 2019, the Boys Varsity Soccer team were the NEPSAC Class A Champions. Notable coaches. Worcester Academy's coaches have included: Frank Cavanaugh, Mike Sherman, Ken O'Keefe, Kirk Ferentz, Dave Gavitt, William F. Donovan, Al Hall, and Bill Livesey. In addition, Gordon Lockbaum was a wrestling coach at Worcester Academy. Donald Rowe played and coached at WA, winning 9 New England Prep School Championships as a coach. Clubs. Student organizations or clubs date back to the very beginning of Worcester Academy in 1834, when the Legomathenian  Society was formed. Initially, the Legomathenian Society was a literary society which published articles written by students. The Legomathenian Society is now the debate club at Worcester Academy. There are 55 organizations and just a few of them are: Model UN, Habitat for Humanity, Math Team, and Newman Society. Recent Highlights. In January 2010, the Worcester Academy team won the Brain Bee competition for the state of Massachusetts. In May 2010, Worcester Academy's Walk and Rock for The Jimmy Fund raised $21,862 for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer research and support at Dana–Farber Cancer Institute. The  event — a walkathon and music festival — raised $221,862 over a five-year period. The last Walk and Rock took place in 2010. In the springs of 2010 and 2011, the club won the Massachusetts championship and traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in the national championship. In 2011, Worcester Academy's math team won its seventh (and fourth straight) Worcester County Mathematics League championship, its seventh (and sixth straight) state championship, and its fourth New England championship (the third in six years). On December 6, 2008 Worcester Academy Hosted its first Model United Nations Simulation. The keynote speaker was  congressman Jim McGovern '77. Worcester Academy again sponsored and hosted WAMUN in October 2013. Notable alumni. Notable faculty and alumni of Worcester Academy include: In certain instances, student-athletes attend Worcester Academy solely for their senior year, or for a single postgraduate year, to increase their exposure to college coaches or to improve their academic standing. Notable student-athletes include: