The Park School

This article is about a school in Brookline, Massachusetts. For the private day school in Brooklandville, Maryland, U.S., see Park School of Baltimore. For the private preparatory day school in Buffalo, New York, U.S., see The Park School of Buffalo.

The Park School
Simplicity and Sincerity
Address
171 Goddard Avenue Brookline, Massachusetts, 02445 United States
Information
Denomination	Non-denominational
Founded	1888
Head of school	Jerrold I. Katz
Faculty	130
Grades	N–9
Age range	4-15
Enrollment	560
Average class size	13–16 students
Campus size	26 acres (110,000 m2)
School Color(s)	Green & white
Accreditation(s)	AISNE&NEASC
Publication	The Park Bulletin
Newspaper	The Park Parent
Website	http://www.parkschool.org

The Park School is an independent day school in Brookline, Massachusetts, for boys and girls in pre-kindergarten through ninth grade. Founded in 1888 as Miss Pierce’s School, today, the diverse student body of over 560 students comes from the Boston metropolitan area to a beautiful 26-acre campus in Brookline, Massachusetts near Jamaica Pond.

Campus

Aerial photo of the Park School campus in Brookline, MA

Park’s facilities span a 26-acre campus. The School is centered in a modern building that contains 45 classrooms, five science labs, four music rooms, three art studios, and a fully equipped theater.

Park’s outstanding library, which contains 30,000 volumes and audiovisual materials, is truly the heart of the School. Through its fully searchable electronic catalog, databases, and webpages, the library provides access to a wide range of materials both within Park and beyond. Four librarians provide a welcoming resource center and introduce books and library skills to students in technologically equipped instruction areas. The library serves as a gathering place for the whole Park community – everyone from Park’s youngest students to parents and faculty enjoy their specially designed lounge areas with age-appropriate displays and workspaces.

Across the campus is Faulkner House, which provides office space, the After-School Program’s main facility with five classrooms and an outdoor playground, and a 25-meter swimming pool and tennis court for Park’s wide variety of summer programs.

In 2008, the school completed a major expansion and renovation of all of the pre-kindergarten – grade 5 classrooms. A new wing houses Grade 4 & 5 classrooms, after-school program space, a conference room, and adjoins the newly renovated 5,400-square foot library.

Construction

The Park School

The school's main building was constructed in 1971 from a modern architectural design by Earl Flansburgh & Associates under the direction of then Headmaster Robert S. Hurlbut, Jr. Built of reinforced precast concrete as a stack of modular classroom and office spaces with wall-length windows for more natural illumination of rooms, it exemplifies the brutalist concrete construction style pioneered by Swiss architect Le Corbusier. But its brick wall accents and its preserved oaks and Roxbury puddingstone outcroppings pay homage to historical New England building traditions and topography. The building features an inner courtyard with a "Space Churn" stainless steel mobile sculpture by George Rickey, donated by a Park parent in 1971. In 1996, the West Building designed by Graham Gund and Associates, added two full-sized basketball courts, three modern science labs, and four mathematics classrooms to the school’s facilities. In 2008, the school completed a major expansion and renovation of all of the pre-kindergarten – grade 5 classrooms. A new wing houses Grade 4 & 5 classrooms, after-school program space, a conference room, and adjoins the newly renovated 5,400-square foot library.

Program

Excitement and love of learning abound at Park. Rigorous academic standards guide the development of curriculum, the practice of teaching, and the goals of learning.

In the Lower Division (Pre-K – Grade 2), teachers combine high standards and flexibility with a supportive atmosphere, helping children build confidence in themselves as individuals and as learners.

The fundamentals of language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science form the major components of the curriculum in the Middle Division (Grades 3 – 5) and are mastered through group work and individual projects. Teachers also spend considerable time and energy helping children develop values, social skills, and understanding of their roles as citizens of the larger community.

Students in the Upper Division (Grades 6- 9) learn to read, write and think both logically and critically. They study English, mathematics, science, social studies, a foreign language, growth education, music, art and physical education. Each student is helped to develop self-confidence, to take responsibility, and to learn from working with others.

Schedule

At Park, the academic year runs from September to June. School begins a 8:15 a.m. for all students. On Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, school is dismissed at 3 p.m.; Tuesday at 2 p.m. (This time is used by the faculty for professional development and departmental meetings.) Pre-K is a half-day program until 12 noon. Kindergarten is dismissed at 12 p.m. on Monday and Friday, 2p.m. on Tuesday, and 3 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.

Extracurricular Activities

A cheerful, supportive, and supervised After-School Program is offered to students in Pre-K – Grade 5. Families may sign up for two to five afternoons per week; pick-up times are 3 p.m., 4:30 p.m. or 6 p.m.

Students in Grades 6 – 9 are encouraged to participate in elective sports or after-school drama. In addition, a quiet study hall is offered until 4:30 p.m. Park offers three seasons of sports, as well as three seasons of theater production, that students may participate in.

Sports include Soccer, Field Hockey, and Cross Country in the fall, Wrestling, Basketball, and Ice Hockey in the winter, and Lacrosse, Softball and Track and Field in the spring.

Theater choices change term to term and include both modern and classical theater, with a musical in the winter term.

Annual Events

School-wide events include Grandparents’ & Special Friends’ Day on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving; Yule Festival – a longstanding holiday assembly that acknowledges both the common and varying traditions of the school’s diverse community in songs and readings that capture the principles and spirit of Chanukah, Christmas, and Kwaanza; and May Day – a special assembly welcoming spring for students in Pre-K through Grade 5. Graduation is held in June and features an alumnus/a speaker.

Notable alumni

Distinguished graduates of The Park School include:

Ty Burr: film critic, The Boston Globe

Bertha Coombs: reporter, CNBC

Evan Dando: lead singer, The Lemonheads

Josh David: Co-founder, The Highline

Michael Deland: former member of U.S. Council on Environmental Equality and former President of National Organization on Disability

Loren Galler-Rabinowitz: Miss Massachusetts 2011

Abigail Johnson: President of Fidelity Investments Personal and Workplace Investing

Joseph Kahn: foreign news editor, New York Times

Jonathan Kraft: President, New England Patriots

Nancy Nayor, casting director for Steven Spielberg

George Schuller, jazz drummer, son of composer/conductor Gunther Schuller

Jonathan Segal: film producer

Sadia Shephard: author and documentary film producer

Fluto Shinzawa: sports writer, the Boston Globe

Julia Talcott: artist, graphic designer, designer of Christmas U.S. postage stamps in the 1990s

Chris Tierney: professional soccer player, New England Revolution

Jonathan Tucker: actor

References

</ref>Howland, Jay. The Park School: One Hundred Years, 1888-1988. Brookline, MA: The Park School, 1988.</ref> The Park School Communications Office www.parkschool.org

External links

• The Park School Communications Office