Pomfret School
Pomfret School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory boarding and day school in Pomfret, Connecticut, United States, serving 360 students in grades 9 through 12 and post-graduates. Located in the Pomfret Street Historic District, a 75-minute drive west from Boston, the average class size is 11 students with a student-teacher ratio of 6:1. Over 80% of faculty hold master's degrees or doctorates. Typically, 40% of students receive financial aid or support from over 60 endowed scholarship funds (see Endowed scholarships), 20% are students of color, 21% are international students. Pomfret is ranked in the  top 20 of similarly sized U.S. boarding schools, in the top 50 of all U.S. boarding schools, and has been recognized as one of the "Most Beautiful Boarding Schools Around the World". The 2008 film "Afterschool" by Antonio Campos was filmed on Pomfret's campus. Opened October 3, 1894 by Founder William E. Peck and his wife Harriet Jones Peck, who designed the school's coat of arms, Pomfret's graduates have distinguished themselves in sports, government, the arts, sciences, business, and public service as philanthropists and activists (see Notable alumni). In 2014, Pomfret established The Grauer Family Institute for  Excellence and Innovation in Education. Pomfret is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASAC). Memberships include the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), the Headmasters' Association, the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the Secondary School Admission Test Board, the Cum Laude Society, and A Better Chance (ABC), The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), the Sphere Consortium, the Folio Collaborative, and The Independent Curriculum Group. Facilities. A number of Pomfret's buildings and houses are listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The Grauer Family  Institute for Excellence and Innovation in Education. Founded in 2014 by Laurie and Peter Grauer, parents of two Pomfret graduates, the Grauer Institute at Pomfret School researches and develops innovations in secondary education. Peter Grauer is the former CEO and current Chairman of Bloomberg LP. The institute is also supported by the Class of 1965 Endowment Fund. Named as the institute's first Director in July 2014, Jamie Feild Baker was previously Executive Director of the Martin Institute for Teaching Excellence and is "a nationally recognized and sought-after expert in innovation and school transformation." The Institute's Advisory Board  includes Peter Grauer; Tony Wagner, author of "The Global Achievement Gap" and "Creating Innovators"; John Hunter, educator, one of 50 TED2014 All-Stars, creator of the World Peace Game Foundation, Fellow at the Martin Institute for Teaching Excellence; and Stephanie Rogen, principal and founder of Greenwich Leadership Partners. Among the Institute's innovations: Academics. Curriculum includes a broad range of college preparatory courses in the sciences and liberals arts, including advanced and honors level courses, and foreign language study in Mandarin Chinese, French, Spanish, and Latin. Computer sciences include courses in Web Design, Digital Cinema, Flash, Audio Art, and Gaming  Animation. A three-week interdisciplinary project-based learning period known as Project:Pomfret takes place each December, during which faculty and students focus on concentrated thematic projects outside the classroom. Pomfret's Experiential & Global Learning program offers students the opportunity to study abroad or within the United States in off-campus adventure-based programs, community service, or internships. Students may apply to Pomfret's Global Learning Coordinator at any point during their career at Pomfret for summer, one term, or yearlong programs. Pomfret academic teams have won numerous awards and championships, including the 2015 Connecticut State Association of Math League  (CSAML) Class S State Championship. Recent notable Math Team victories include: 1999 Harvard MIT Math Tournament First Place, 1999 CSAML 1st Place, 2000 Greater New London Competition (GNLC) 1st Place, 2001 CSAML 2nd Place and GNLC 1st Place, 2002 New England Tournament 3rd Place, 2003 CSAML 3rd Place, 2004–2009 GNLC 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Places, 2009 Connecticut State Math Meet 2nd Place, 2010 GNLC 1st Place and Connecticut State Math Meet 3rd Place, 2011 - 2014 GNLC 3rd Place, 2014 CSAML 2nd Place, 2015 Eastern Connecticut Math League 3rd Place and CSAML 1st place. (see respective league results) Athletics. A member  of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC), Pomfret fields 42 teams in 15 different sports and has won numerous championships during its history in both men's and women's sports. Recently, Girls Varsity Volleyball won the 2015 NESPAC Class B Championship. Boys Varsity Hockey won the 2017 NEPSAC Small School Championship. Among its alumni are notable collegiate and professional athletes, including two-time, women's hockey Olympic gold medalist, Sarah Vaillancourt '04 and National Hockey League (NHL) player, Brian Flynn '07. Students compete on Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Third and Fourth Form teams (freshmen and sophomores) throughout  the year in cross country, field hockey, football, soccer, and volleyball in the fall; basketball, ice hockey, squash, and wrestling in the winter; and baseball, crew, golf, lacrosse, softball, and tennis in spring. Third and Fourth Form students are required to participate on a team in each of the three seasons each year. Fifth and Sixth Form students (juniors and seniors) are required to participate on at least two teams each year. Endowments include The Barton L. Mallory, Jr. 1924 Memorial Fund for Athletics and The Griswold Family Fund (1989). Arts. Pomfret's arts programs are guided by practicing artists  and offer formal classes and other opportunities for training and participation in drawing, painting, digital arts, film and video, sculpture and ceramics, photography, music, theatre, and dance. Performance opportunities are available to all students in theater, dance, and music throughout the year. Facilities include sculpture, ceramics, painting, and drawing studios; rehearsal and practice rooms for dance and music; the Schoppe Dance Studio; Hard Auditorium stage; and a photography laboratory. The Pomfret Grifftones and Chorus tour within the United States and overseas for concerts, most recently to Italy where they performed in Florence, Lucca, and St. Stephen's School in Rome , and in the United States at the University of Connecticut (all March 2015). Among a variety of musical instruments maintained by the school is a fine pipe organ housed in Clark Memorial Chapel. “The Pomfret School Chapel Organ was originally built by George S. Hutchings Organ Company of Boston in 1908 (opus 1640). Extensive modifications were made in 1962 by the Portsmouth, Rhode Island firm of Welte-Whalon. Further improvements in 1987 included a new three-manual draw-knob console designed and built by the Austin Organ Company of Hartford, Connecticut and extensions of two reed ranks. Messrs. Czelusniak et  Dugal, Inc. did additional tonal work and maintains the instrument. Two electronic 32-foot stops were added by the Walker Technical Company of Zionsville, Pennsylvania. In honor of Pomfret School’s Centennial Year, a Festival Trumpet was added in 1993. This stop, modeled after the Harrison festival trumpet at All Saints' Church, Worcester, Massachusetts, was built by David Broome at The Austin Organ Company.” Student organizations and clubs. Cum Laude Society, National Honor Society, A Capella, Chorus, Diplomacy, Gay-Straight Alliance, International Club, Key Society, Math Club, Student Council, Pontefract newspaper (founded 1896), Subterraneans, Voice, Women's Action Coalition, Ambassadors  Club, Chick Flick Film Club, Chinese Club, Christian Fellowship, Classic Film Club, Debate Club, Discussion Group, Hillel, International Club, Investment Club, Maple Syrup Club, Meditation Club, Model United Nations, Relay for Life, Ski Club, Student Activities, The Olmsted Observer, The Page Turners, Pomfret Radio Station WBVC (FM) 91.1 FM, Young Republicans. Student life is additionally supported by The Paul M. Rosenfield 1967 Award, The Johnathan A. Williams 1969 Memorial Fund, and The Lasell Visiting Alumni Fund (2001). Alumni Association. Founded June 20, 1899, The Pomfret Alumni Association actively participates in the development of the school, hosts career networking events throughout  the U.S. for alumni, and provides career mentoring for alumni in college and beginning their professional career. Each February, alumni speak to students about their careers and career development during the school's Career Fair, and each spring, in conjunction with the school, hosts Alumni Weekend festivities and the Alumni Awards Dinner. Graduating students become members of the Association at the end of their senior year at a formal dinner in their honor. Alumni Association Presidents Notable alumni. Alumni listed below are recorded in the school's official records as having received their diploma from Pomfret. Prominent guests & Fellows. Through  Pomfret's Schwartz Visiting Fellow Program, the school hosts a prominent figure from the world of art, literature, science, or politics invited to the campus for three days each year to share their unique experiences, ideas, and insights. Additionally, the school invites other speakers through its Lasell Visiting Alumni/ae Program and the W.P. Carey '48 College Admission Lecture Series. All Fellows and guests are recorded in the official records of Pomfret School. Headmasters. The title of Headmaster has been changed to Head of School. Pomfret's Head of School is responsible for all administration and reports to the school 's Board of Trustees. Notable faculty. Notable faculty members as recorded in the employee records of the school. Endowed scholarships. Scholarships are available to all students meeting criteria established by the donors. Historical notes. Pomfret's coat of arms Designed by Harriet Peck Jones, wife of founder and first Headmaster William E. Peck, Pomfret's Coat of Arms is derived from that of the Lords of Pontefract Castle in the town of Pomfret in West Yorkshire, England. In Elizabethan times, the castle and the surrounding medieval market town of Pontefract were referred to as "Pomfret". England's King Richard II  died in the castle, by starvation or murder, and the castle has a significant role in William Shakespeare's plays "The Life and Death of King Richard the Second", V.i, V.iii, and the penultimate scene V.v which is set entirely in Pomfret Castle; and "The Tragedy of King Richard the Third", II.iv, III.i, III.ii, III.iii, all set in Pomfret Castle, and V.iii. Pomfret's 13th century stained glass windows Pomfret's Clark memorial chapel contains fine stained glass windows known to have been created by English firm Heaton, Butler & Bayne; and American firms Connick Associates, and Nicola D’Ascenzo for the  chapel, completed in 1908. However, the ten-foot-high rose window above the chapel doorway and two of the arched-top, oblong windows along the walls are apparently from the 13th century cathedral, Saint Julien of Tours, on the Loire river in France. Research indicates these three extraordinary windows were removed from St. Julien during one of its many expansions. The arch tops on the two oblong windows were added at a later date to match the others in the chapel. The ancient windows were donated to Pomfret in 1947 in memory of John Grant Fitch ‘42, an alumnus killed  in 1945 in Germany during World War II. They are recorded as having been imported to the U.S. in 1904 and offered to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, but were declined due to the extensive restoration needed. They were subsequently auctioned by the Parke-Bernet Galleries in New York to an anonymous bidder, restored by Reynolds, Francis & Rohnstock of Boston, and installed in Clark Chapel in 1949. Ernest Flagg's architecture for Pomfret In the first decade of the 1900s, Pomfret was transformed from a collection of "vernacular buildings—most were Colonial Revival frame structures adapted to school  use—to a planned institution. The building campaign was financed principally by two patrons: Edward Walker Clark, one of three sons of the Singer [Manufacturing Company] heir, Alfred Corning Clark, and Frederick G. Bourne," then president of that company. By 1906, Flagg had designed a master plan, using the casual relationship among the original buildings and their New England town green style arrangement as his guide for a formal institutional complex. "Flagg’s master plan reinforced the enduring colonial image of the New England village green." The design set a School Building as anchor for a series of semidetached pavilion  style dormitories with a connecting open arcade. The Chapel was appropriately located to be visible from the main road, while the gymnasium and infirmary were arranged along the slope of the hill that led to the playing fields. The pavilion arrangement reflected the influence of Thomas Jefferson's design for the University of Virginia. "The dynamic focus of the scheme was the arcade. It acted as a spine and artery, linking the dormitories together while providing covered access to classrooms in the School Building, a Jeffersonian concept that distinguishes both Monticello and UVA. Regrettably, the architectural virtues of the arcade  were abandoned in favor of practicality, and in 1957, it was walled-in during dormitory remodeling." "The School Building with its belfry and white appliqué ornament, similar to the Colonial Revival structures of the former campus, as well as the dormitories and infirmary, maintained a domestic scale and architectural character." For the Chapel, commissioned by Edward Clark in 1907 as a memorial to his son George Newhall Clark (1885–1906), a Pomfret alumnus who died while attending Harvard University, Flagg chose Norman architecture as an appropriate model and emulated the rich textures of the unpolished stone-work characteristic of that style . Following a visit to the campus in 1910, when construction was nearing completion, Flagg compared Pomfret to his design of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, remarking, "These buildings are certainly among the best things I have done. The school is better architecturally than Annapolis." While his design for Annapolis had been repeatedly altered by the Navy during construction, the work at Pomfret scrupulously followed his design. Convinced that American architects should return to eighteenth century forms, both American and French, to revive the lost thread of Renaissance classicism, "Flagg saw Pomfret School as part of the process of evolution  that would contribute to the creation of a national style of architecture."