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°W / 38.99167; -77.14806Coordinates: 38°59′30″N 77°8′53″W / 38.99167°N 77.14806°W / 38.99167; -77.14806
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
Head of School 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

Holton-Arms is an independent college-preparatory school for girls in grades 3–12, located in Bethesda, Maryland. As of the 2010-11 school year, there were 655 students and 94 faculty. Since 2007, Susanna Jones has been Head of School.

The school has three divisions, Lower School (grades 3–6), Middle School (7–8), and Upper School (9–12). Tuition for 2011-12 is $30,957 for grades 3-6 and $32,388 for grades 7-12. The financial aid budget for 2010-11 was $3,456,125. About 24% of Holton students receive financial aid; the average grant is about $19,636 with individual grants ranging from 12% to 95% of tuition.

Some 39.6 percent of the student body are people of color.

Contents

History [edit]

Original Holton Arms School, ca. 1920

In 1901, 19 years before women won the right to vote, Jessie Moon Holton and Carolyn Hough Arms founded Holton-Arms School.

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.

Holton-Arms moved to Bethesda in 1963. Located on 57 acres (230,000 m2) of rolling woodlands just off River Road, the campus has seven buildings. Its facilities include a 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 (with a kiln) and photo lab, three dance studios, a double gymnasium, an indoor competition-size pool, and a weight and training room. Outdoor facilities include seven tennis courts, an eight-lane all-weather track, and three athletic fields, including a new synthetic turf field.

From 1906 to 1963, Holton-Arms School was located at 2125 S Street, NW in the Sheridan-Kalorama neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

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).They also strive to create young women who are independent and can go out and work in the field. The School’s motto is Inveniam viam aut faciam, or I will find a way or make one.

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 bay leaf.

Academic policies [edit]

Academic rigor, personal attention, and opportunities to excel outside the classroom are hallmarks of the Holton-Arms academic program. Students discover their passions and are encouraged to pursue them and develop their own unique potential.

Students receive careful guidance regarding graduation requirements and the college admissions process. We encourage all students to strive for depth and breadth as they move through Holton.

Students in grades 5 through 12 participate in a one-to-one device program. The program was established in 2000 and continues to expand. For the 2012-2013 school year students in grades 5 and 6 will use iPad 3s and students in grades 7 through 12 will use tablet laptops. Students in grades 3 and 4 have access to netbooks and iPad2 carts for in-school projects. More about the technology program.

Other Honors programs, as well as more electives, become available to students in Upper School (9th Grade). 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, including 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.

Some rising seniors go on Global Education trips, journeys of 15 to 18 days to Costa Rica, Senegal or India.

Arts [edit]

The arts and artists are thriving at Holton-Arms... challenging the mind, nurturing the soul, capturing the imagination, celebrating the human spirit.


Holton-Arms School provides students with the facilities that allow them to pursue and display their passion for the Arts. Find out more about the Arts Program and events.

Holton and brother school Landon produce several plays each year: a fall musical, a winter play, and Spring One-Acts.

Athletics [edit]

In the Upper School, Holton-Arms competes in the Independent School League (ISL) with 17 area schools. For swimming and diving, we are members of the Washington Metropolitan Prep School Swimming and Diving League (WMPSSDL). Crew participates in the Capital Scholastic Rowing Association (CSRA). Ice hockey competes in the Women's Ice Hockey League of the Mid-Atlantic (WIHLMA) and the Maryland Scholastic Hockey League (MSHL). More about the Athletic Program. Lower School does not take part in the ISL, but is part of an enriched physical education program. Middle School students are required to take 3 sports throughout the year, one for every trimester.

Uniforms [edit]

Lower School students wear plaid jumpers with white polos, white socks and black or navy school shoes. Middle School students 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, and may wear any unmarked grey, white or navy sweatshirt, and any collared white or navy shirt. Both Middle and Upper School have a "dress-down Fridays," when 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.

Notable alumnae [edit]


References [edit]


External links [edit]