Holton-Arms School
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| Holton-Arms School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Bethesda, Maryland, USA | |
| Coordinates | 38°59′30″N 77°8′53″W / 38.99167°N 77.14806°WCoordinates: 38°59′30″N 77°8′53″W / 38.99167°N 77.14806°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private Preparatory School |
| Motto | Inveniam viam aut faciam "I will find a way or make one." |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Non-sectarian |
| Established | 1901 |
| Headmistress | Susanna A. Jones |
| Enrollment | 655 total |
| Student to teacher ratio | 7:1 |
| Campus | Suburban, 57 acres (23 ha) |
| Color(s) | Blue and White |
| Athletics | 15 Varsity Sports |
| Mascot | Panther |
| Website | www.holton-arms.edu |
Holton-Arms is an independent college-preparatory school for girls in grades 3–12, located in Bethesda, Maryland. The School's mission is to cultivate the unique potential of young women through the “education not only of the mind, but of the soul and spirit.” (Jessie Moon Holton (1866-1951). The School’s motto is Inveniam viam aut faciam, or “I will find a way or make one.”[citation needed]
Contents |
[edit] History
In 1901, 19 years before women won the right to vote, Jessie Moon Holton and Carolyn Hough Arms founded Holton-Arms from a vendor's push cart.[clarification needed]
Originally housed in Washington, D.C., Holton-Arms moved to Bethesda in 1963. Located on 57 acres (230,000 m2) of rolling woodlands just off River Road, the campus encompasses seven buildings that house a new science wing and lecture hall, two libraries, a performing arts center with a 400-seat theater and new black box theater, art and ceramic studios and photo lab, three dance studios, a double gymnasium, an indoor competition-size pool, and a weight and training room. Outside, seven tennis courts, three athletic fields including a new synthetic turf field, and an eight lane all weather track round off the sports facilities.
Currently under the leadership of Susanna Jones, appointed Head of School in 2007, the school has three divisions, Lower School (grades 3–6), Middle School (7–8), and Upper School (9–12). Tuition for 2011/2012 is $30,957 for grades 3-6 and $32,388 for grades 7-12. The financial aid budget for 2010-2011 was $3,456,125. Approximately 24% of Holton students receive financial aid. The average grant is approximately $19,636 with individual grants ranging from 12% to 95% of tuition. There are 655 students enrolled and 94 faculty, resulting in a student/faculty ratio of 7 to 1. Holton-Arms has a 39.6 percent student of color enrollment.
Holton's mascot was originally an armadillo, but it was eventually changed to a panther. They also used the traditional Holton crest, until 2008, when their logo was changed to an "H" with a laurel leaf.
[edit] Harris & Ewing Collection
The Harris & Ewing photo studio photographed several aspects of student life while Holton was located at the 2125 S Street location, such as Miss Carter Mullikin and her dog in Red Cross uniforms, the school's basketball team, the school's playground, and the graduation class of 1927.
[edit] Academic Policies
Starting in Middle School (7th Grade), students are allowed to apply for the Honors math program. There are no other Honors programs available to students until Upper School (9th Grade). In Middle School, students receive the opportunity to make more decisions about their courses because more electives are available to them. Middle school students also receive more freedom as well as responsibility, because they join the laptop program (starting in 6th Grade). Each student is provided with a laptop, through which they can access many of their homework assignments, do projects and occasionally take tests through. The academic curriculum becomes much more technological starting in Middle School.
New 6th graders will receive a tablet laptop. They can use it to take notes, do homework, and prepare for middle school.
Upon joining Upper School, students receive even more choices through which they must determine their path. In 9th grade, Math Honors is provided to them, as well as Biology Honors. Entrance into both honors class is only given with departmental permission. In 10th grade, Math honors is again an option, as well as Chemistry Honors and History Honors, commonly known as Core I. Core I is part of a two-year intensive history program, finishing at the completion of junior (11th) year.
Holton offers a wide variety of AP courses to students in 11th and 12th grades, such as AP Art History, AP Spanish, AP Biology and AP Calculus. As graduation requirements, Holton students must have received four credits (four years) of Upper School English, three credits in one foreign language, three math credits, including Geometry and Trigonometry, three credits in history and the social sciences, and three science credits, including biology.
In January 2009, Holton-Arms was featured in a Washington Metro article about women and male-oriented classes such as engineering. It showed Holton in a positive light, mentioning how it was one of the few all-girls schools in the US with a proper engineering class.[citation needed]
[edit] Global Education and Community Service
Global Education is a new innovation initiated by Susannah Jones in 2008. The first global education trips were taken in the summer of 2009 by the class of 2010. Global education asks students to go on a trip to either Costa Rica, Senegal or India (the first India trip was taken in the summer of 2010) the summer before their senior year. Each trip lasts for about 15-18 days and teaches to students to rise beyond their comfort levels and discover new cultures and new facts about their own selves.
The Holton-Arms School also gives back to the community through its Sustainability Committee that oversees environmentally conscious procedures occurring throughout the campus, including school-wide recycling and energy-efficient building systems.
[edit] Arts Program
Holton requires one art credit for graduation, which can be achieved by taking art classes (ceramics, photography or drawing and painting), participating in chorus, band or the string orchestra, or taking dance technique classes.
In addition, Holton works with their brother school, Landon, to provide different play opportunities throughout the school year. For example, in the 2009-2010 school year, the fall musical, Kiss Me, Kate was produced. It was performed at Holton by Holton Upper School Students as well as Landon students. The music was also performed by Holton band and orchestra members. Holton also produced a winter play, Dancing at Lughnasa. The Spring One-Acts (all of which are directed by students) are also under way.
[edit] Athletic Department
In fall sports news, varsity tennis won the Independent Sports League (ISL) championship and JV field hockey achieved 2nd in the ISL tournament. Track got 5th place at the ISL meet. Orchesis is Holton's dance troupe. Varsity soccer lost to National Cathedral School in the first round of the 2009 ISL tournament. Holton's Varsity swimming & diving team have won the ISL championships for seven consecutive years, and continue to hope for a strong showing of camaraderie, effort and spirit to win during the 2010-2011 school year. The Varsity ice hockey team has won the last six Maryland Scholastic Hockey League championships, and aims to repeat this feat at the end of the 2009-2010 season. Varsity ice hockey also competes in WIHLMA, the Women's Ice Hockey League of the Mid-Atlantic.
In order to graduate, Holton requires students pass a swimming competency test. If students do not pass this on the first try (students take it at the end of 8th grade), they can take a beginning swimming course at Holton for one school year.
[edit] Uniforms
The school uniform varies for each grade level. Lower School students wear plaid jumpers with white polos, white socks and black or navy school shoes. When students graduate 6th grade and enter Middle School, they are allowed to just wear skirts made of the same plaid and whatever shoes they like. They can wear this with white polos, and their choice of grey, white or navy leggings and school sweatshirts (same set of colors). Upper School students also wear the plaid skirt, however, they are allowed to wear any unmarked grey, white or navy sweatshirt, and any collared white or navy shirt. Both Middle and Upper School have a "dress-down Friday" system. Middle Schoolers may pick any shirt or legwear they want, as long as they wear the school skirt, while Upper Schoolers may wear their choice of clothing. This helps give the students some variety as well as preparing those who have been in uniforms their entire lives for college, where most will have to pick their own clothes each day.
[edit] Notable alumnae
- Brooke Astor, philanthropist
- Katharine Byron, first woman elected to Congress from Maryland
- Shelley Moore Capito, Congresswoman from West Virginia
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Billionaire heiress & actress, played Elaine on Seinfeld
- Susan Ford, daughter of former U.S. President Gerald Ford
- Michelle Gielan, anchor of CBS Morning News and the overnight Up To The Minute
- Nancy LaFon Gore, daughter of Albert Gore, Sr. and sister of Al Gore
- Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, former first lady (did not graduate but attended the middle school)
- Anne Kornblut, White House correspondent for The Washington Post
- Christine Lagarde, Minister of Finance of France and the designated head of the International Monetary Fund
- Patricia Richardson, actress, played Jill on Home Improvement
- Ann Schein, pianist
- Margaret Warner, award-winning senior correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
- Elinor Wylie, poet
- Rachael Yamagata, singer-songwriter
- Azita Youssefi, musician/artist
