John Burroughs School
| John Burroughs School | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | |
| Ladue, MO, U.S. | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private |
| Established | 1923 |
| Headmaster | Andy Abbott |
| Faculty | 102 |
| Enrollment | 590 (total), 406 (9-12) |
| Campus | Suburban, 47.5 acres (192,000 m2) |
| Color(s) | Blue & Gold |
| Mascot | Bombers |
| Rival | Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School |
| Website | www.jburroughs.org |
Founded in 1923, John Burroughs School (JBS) is a private, non-sectarian preparatory school with nearly 600 students in grades 7-12. Its 47.5 acre (192,000 m²) campus is located in Ladue, Missouri (USA), an affluent suburb of Saint Louis. It is named for U.S. naturalist and philosopher John Burroughs.
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[edit] Overview
John Burroughs has long had a school philosophy of liberal and progressive education. It has been recognized as one of the nation's premier preparatory schools.[1] The school ranks among the nation's top 50 in sending graduates to eight top universities, according to a December 2007 survey by the Wall Street Journal.[1]
The school operates on a campus of 47.5 acres (192,000 m2). Facilities include a main classroom building, an auditorium, a library, a science building, a sports and performing arts center, and a fine arts facility.[2] Burroughs also operates an outdoor education and biology facility in the Ozarks known as "Drey Land".
[edit] Academics
The faculty includes about 80 full-time and 35 part-time members. In 2008, Headmaster Keith E. Shahan announced his intention to retire at the end of the 2008-09 academic year after 23 years in the job.[3] The school announced in October 2008 that Shahan would be replaced on July 1, 2009, by Andy Abbott, an English teacher and the school's head of college counseling. Shahan now heads the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS) (which accredits independent schools) in Chicago.[4]
With a total student body of 600 students, each class contains about 100 students. Nearly all students go on to attend four-year colleges, including a substantial number to Ivy League schools.JBS official site: Matriculation (Each Ivy League school accepted at least one member of the class of 2009.) The school has more than 6,200 living alumni. Admission is based on school records, recommendations, entrance examination results, and a personal interview. The primary admission level is grade seven, but applicants are considered for grades eight through 10 as openings permit.[2]
In 2009, according to the school site, tuition and fees cost $20,400. The school budget was about $15.8 million, of which about 12 percent came from the endowment and more than $1.8 million in gifts. The school disbursed $1.78 million in financial aid, allowing about 20 percent of the students to receive grants, loans, or both.[2] From 1986 to 2008, the endowment rose from $7.5 million to almost $48 million.[3] The school is accredited by the ISACS.
Since 1995, 4 of Missouri's 22 Presidential Scholars are John Burroughs graduates.
John Burroughs School ranks among the top high schools in the country concerning standardized testing. Twenty-four members of the Class of 2011 were named National Merit/Achievement Semifinalists, and another 17 received letters of commendation. For the past eight years, Burroughs has had the highest percentage of semifinalists in the State of Missouri. The median SAT scores for the Class of 2010 were 710 on math, 710 on writing and 680 on critical reading. The median ACT score for the Class of 2010 was 32, the highest median ACT score in the state of Missouri.[5]
[edit] 2009 Prom controversy
In April 2009, the school's junior class chose "The Seven Deadly Sins" as the prom theme[6] and mailed an invitation that sported a pentagram and representations of each sin (including a buxom woman in a red dress labeled "Lust") and read, “Calling all Sinners - We request your presence in Hell - Let the sin begin - Continue the sin at JBS after Prom.”[7][7] Headmaster Shahan and assistant headmaster Abbott issued apologies,[8] but ultimately elected to support the students' decision, though limiting a number of aspects. Proms and after-parties are held on campus at Burroughs, and with adult supervision. A few recent prom themes have included James Bond, Candy Land, and Moulin Rouge.[9] The prom went ahead as scheduled on April 4, 2009, to the distress of some in the Christian community.[10][11][12] Shahan wrote, "The invitation was not carefully reviewed; it went out without authorization by school authorities....We apologize for this lack of oversight." He also wrote, "To those in the larger community, who do not know Burroughs well, please accept our apology for this incident and understand that this was a mistake from which we will grow."[13] To the school newspaper, however, he expressed a slightly different sentiment: “My major feeling at the end," he said, "was relief that no [protestors] showed up and it was fun and everyone seemed to have a good time. It was a successful event for the school.”[14]
[edit] Extracurricular activities
[edit] Athletics
The varsity sports teams are referred to as the "John Burroughs Bombers." The school colors are blue and gold. The school has an athletic rivalry with nearby Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School. John Burroughs also holds a cross-state rivalry with The Pembroke Hill School in Kansas City.[citation needed]
The Bombers football team has won the state championship eight times.[citation needed] Former NFL quarterback Gus Frerotte will be the head football coach, beginning in the 2011 season.[15]
[edit] Alumni
[edit] Government and politics
- Todd Akin: U.S. Congressman (R) for the 2nd District of Missouri (2001–present)
- Laura Stith, 1971: Chief Justice of the Missouri Supreme Court[16]
- Katie Wheeler: New Hampshire state senator in the 1990s.
[edit] Journalism and literature
- Christine Bertelson, 1968: editorial page editor, St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper.[1]
- Martha Gellhorn, 1926: combat journalist, novelist, and Ernest Hemingway's third wife. He dedicated For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940) to her
- Jane Smiley: Pulitzer Prize-winning (1992) novelist, A Thousand Acres.
- Mary Wiltenburg, 1994: journalist, Little Bill Clinton project
[edit] Arts, sciences, and education
- William S. Burroughs (Class of 1931, did not graduate): novelist, Naked Lunch.
- Edward T. Foote II: president, University of Miami (1981–2001) Dean of Washington University School of Law (1973–1980); helped design St. Louis' desegregation plans.[17]
- Tom Friedman, 1984, conceptual artist
- John Hartford, 1968: Grammy-winning folk musician, Gentle On My Mind.
- James Peniston, 1992: sculptor.
- Gordon Philpott, 1951: chief of surgery, Jewish Hospital in St. Louis; professor emeritus of surgery, Washington University School of Medicine.[18]
- Thomas H. Stix, ca. 1942: Plasma physics pioneer, Princeton professor.
- Andrew Volpe, 1998: guitarist and lead singer of St. Louis-based band Ludo.
[edit] Sports and entertainment
- Sarah Clarke, 1989: actress, 24.[19]
- Heather Goldenhersh, 1991: actress, Tony nominated (Featured Actress in a Play) for her role as Sister James in Doubt.
- Jon Hamm, 1989: Golden Globe-winning actor; Mad Men.
- Ellie Kemper, 1998: actress, The Office (US).
- David Lee (basketball), 1997 (left without graduating): NBA basketball player, currently with the Golden State Warriors.
- John Stix, 1938: theatre-movie-television director (1959's The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery, 1983's Family Business), Juilliard professor, Actor's Studio member.[2]
- Jay Williamson: Professional golfer on the PGA Tour[20]
[edit] Philanthropy
- Leo Drey, 1935: timber magnate, conservationist, philanthropist. Was Missouri's largest private landholder until 2004, when his $180 million gift of land to a conservation foundation made him the U.S.'s sixth-most generous benefactor.[21] Leases land to JBS for outdoor education.
[edit] Business
- Joe Edwards, 1964: owner, Blueberry Hill and founder St. Louis Walk of Fame.[22]
- Walter L. Metcalfe Jr., 1956: lawyer; former chairman of Bryan Cave; chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.[3]
- Danny Meyer, 1976: NYC restaurateur; Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Blue Smoke, The Modern, Shake Shack.
- Andrew C. Taylor: CEO and chairman of Enterprise Rent-A-Car Company.[23]
[edit] Military
- James H. Howard: awarded Congressional Medal of Honor in 1944
- Roslyn L. Schulte, 2002. Killed in action on May 19, 2009; first female recipient of the National Intelligence Medal for Valor, awarded posthumously in 2010.
[edit] Faculty
- Marion Rombauer Becker: JBS art department director (1929–32) and co-author (with mother Irma S. Rombauer) of American cookbook The Joy of Cooking (1936).
[edit] References
- ^ a b "WSJ.com". The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-COLLEGE0711-sort.html.
- ^ a b c "JBS Facts, at the school's own web site". Archived from the original on 2007-11-08. http://web.archive.org/web/20071108210040/http://www.jburroughs.org/welcome/facts.html. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
- ^ a b http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/education/story/26A85DC0315ED78D862573CC0017B4B3?OpenDocument
- ^ http://www.isacs.org/page/47213_Meet_the_Staff.asp
- ^ http://www.jburroughs.org/admissions/the-burroughs-difference/just-the-facts
- ^ http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/lifestyle/columnists.nsf/dirtylaundry/story/6A56E86ADB01B2FE8625757D0083A8B2?OpenDocument
- ^ a b http://www.kmox.com/pages/4008958.php?
- ^ http://www.onenewsnow.com/Education/Default.aspx?id=473342
- ^ http://www.stljewishlight.com/news/294058634910117.php
- ^ http://www.proteacher.net/discussions/showthread.php?t=146159
- ^ http://www.prophecyfellowship.org/showthread.php?t=338772
- ^ http://stlouiscatholic.blogspot.com/2009/03/st-louis-jewish-light-takes-on.html
- ^ http://www.jburroughs.org/news-and-events/2009-prom/
- ^ Jake Kreinberg and Olga Symeonoglou: The John Burroughs World, page 1. Volume LXXXI, Number 7, April 24, 2009.
- ^ http://www.stltoday.com/sports/high-school/football/article_975a25c4-2419-11e0-aad1-0017a4a78c22.html "Frerotte named football coach at Burroughs; Small to retire", Jan. 19, 2011
- ^ http://www.courts.mo.gov/page.asp?id=183
- ^ http://www.jburroughs.org/alum/alumniawards.html
- ^ http://magazine.wustl.edu/Summer01/mywashington.html
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0325552/bio
- ^ PGATOUR.COM - Even in defeat, Williamson proves he can compete on TOUR
- ^ http://slate.msn.com/id/2112694/fr/rss/
- ^ Louis, St. (January 30, 2000). "Joe Edwards". http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2000/01/31/focus26.html.
- ^ http://jbnet.groupfusion.net/modules/news/group_pages.phtml?category_id=443&nid=1253
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 38°38′40″N 90°22′12″W / 38.64444°N 90.36991°W
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