Dwight School

Dwight School
File:Dwight School Logo.JPG
Address
291 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024 New York City , New York United States
Information
Type	Private
Motto	Use your spark of genius to create a better world
Established	1880
Headmaster	Stephen H. Spahn
Grades	K - 12
Number of students	400
Color(s)	Blue and white
Mascot	Dwight Tiger
Website	http://www.dwight.edu/

291 Central Park West

The Dwight School is a selective, combined elementary and secondary private school on the Upper West Side in New York, N.Y. It is operated as a for-profit institution.

History

The school was founded in 1880 by Julius Sachs, founder of the College Board and member of the Goldman Sachs banking family. Throughout the early decades of the school, it catered to the Upper East Side's "German-Jewish aristocracy," in the words of Stephen Birmingham in his book Our Crowd: the Great Jewish Families of New York (see famous alumni below). In the 1890s, Timothy Dwight became involved in the affairs of the school and it became a feeder school for Yale University.

The school's campus was originally located on Central Park South, adjacent to the Plaza Hotel, but later moved to a more economically viable location on East 67th Street between First and York Avenues as a result of the Great Depression. In 1993, Dwight merged with the Anglo-American International School (formerly known as the Franklin School, founded 1872) and moved its campus to Anglo-American's location on Central Park West and 89th Street. In addition to the original building on 89th street, the school expanded rapidly throughout the mid-1990s and has now has taken over the majority of 291 Central Park West along with two adjacent brownstones. The East 67th Street campus, save for the gym and auditorium that was rented from a nearby church, was torn down and replaced by condominium apartments during the late 1990s.

Student body

Despite Dwight's small size of about 500 students, 37 countries are represented because of the large diplomatic contingent that sends its children to the school. The children of expatriates represent at least a quarter of the students in most classes. Many parents of Dwight students are ambassadors, consul generals, or employees of the United Nations Secretariat.

Today

Dwight students have participated in school-sponsored expeditions around the world. World-class talent is found throughout the Dwight student body, from a published scientist to an Olympic fencer.

Dwight's mascot is the Dwight Tiger, a visible symbol around the school. The school colors are blue and white, and an annual Blue and White competition between students is held during their spirit week assembly. The school motto is "Use your spark of genius to build a better world."

The crest of Timothy Dwight can be seen on the Dwight School flag, polo shirts, turtlenecks, neckties, and the navy blazers of students in elementary and middle school. It is also the crest of Timothy Dwight College, one of the residential colleges at Yale University.

Faculty

Stephen H. Spahn has been Dwight’s Chancellor and Headmaster for over 40 years. He completed all course work for a Ph.D. at Columbia University, where he was an International Fellow and a Woodrow Wilson Scholar. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth, where he was an All-American basketball player, Phi Beta Kappa, a Senior Fellow, and an Intern at the United Nations under a 1926 Public Service Fellowship.

Mr. Spahn has been involved as a Trustee of several community organizations, including Asphalt Green, Teaching Matters, and the Boys Scouts of Manhattan. Presently he serves on the Boards of the International Baccalaureate Fund and the RMA Museum of Art. He was a founding member of the Guild of International Baccalaureate Schools, and in 2000 he was a founder the Institute for Civic Leadership, of which his son, Kirk, is the President.

Assistant Headmaster Anthony Foster is a native of the United Kingdom, Anthony Foster received his bachelor's degree from Keene University and his master's degree from Sussex University and Columbia University. He is currently the Leader of the Guild of IB Schools and has been teaching at Dwight since 1980.

Chair of History Dept Michael Klebnikov has a master’s degree in Social Studies from Teachers College (2004), an MBA from Columbia Business School (1980), and a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College (1976). Before starting as a teacher, Michael was a banker and entrepreneur.

Chair of English Dept Paul Sanders earned a bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Virginia and a master’s Degree in English Education from the University of Pennsylvania. Before joining the faculty at Dwight, he taught English at Great Valley High School in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Mr. Sanders is currently working on a Ph.D. degree in International Education at the University of Hull in England; his research examines the relationship between IB schools’ teaching of “international mindedness” and major twentieth century Western values education movements.

Chair of Science Dept Barry Gragg is a native of Canada, Barry Gragg studied physics at the University of Toronto and the University of Guelph and received his bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Guelph in 1993. In 1994 he received a bachelor's degree in Education from the University of Ottawa. He has been teaching since 1995, and in 1997 he was named Teacher of the Year at Colonial Gray High School. Barry joined The Dwight School in 1998.

Chair of Language Dept Elaine Chambart was born in Nice, France, Elaine Chambart received both her bachelor's degree and her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. She also received a Certificate of Merit from Concours National de Francais. In 2005, Dr. Chambart was chosen as a Harvard internet workshop participant for the winter/spring WIDE world online course. As an IB Diploma teacher, Dr. Chambart is a senior IB workshop leader, site visitor, consultant, application reader and former examiner.

Chair of Visual and Performing Arts Terry Christgau received his degree from Witchita State University. He has been a part of a number of theater groups, including Production Stage Manager on A Chekov Concert through Russia and Poland. He has been teaching at Dwight since 1997.

Chair of Upper School Quest Joshua Kigel earned his bachelor’s degree in Adolescent Psychology from Brooklyn College in 1997. He took his first teaching job at the St. Michael’s School in Brooklyn in 1998. He came to the The Dwight School in 2004, taking over as the Head of the Quest Department in 2006. He earned a Masters in General Education in 2007, and a second Masters in Special Education with a concentration in learning disabilities in 2009, both from Hunter College.

Director of Athletics/Head Boys Basketball Coach Matt Lewis was born in Accra, Ghana and raised in Washington D.C. where he graduated from St. Albans School for Boys. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in American Studies from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. He played Varsity Basketball for four years at Tufts and started as a freshman on the Tufts University 1982 E.C.A.C. Basketball Champions. He has been teaching and coaching for the past eighteen years. His most recent position was the Director of The Children’s Aid Society’s Community School Basketball Initiative where he organized and managed developmental youth basketball leagues, clinics, and tournaments for over 1,000 disadvantaged youths in Washington Heights, Harlem, and the Bronx.

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of Dwight School include the following. This may include graduates, current students, those who transferred to other schools, and those who dropped out of high school altogether (Primary source: Dwight School):

• Henry Morgenthau, Secretary of the Treasury to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt [1]
• Julian Casablancas of The Strokes
• Nick Valensi of The Strokes
• Fabrizio Moretti of The Strokes
• Damon Dash, Entrepreneur and co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records
• Fiorello La Guardia, Mayor of New York City [2]
• Herbert Lehman, Governor of New York, Senator, and Investment banker (co-founder of Lehman Brothers) [3]
• Walter Lippmann Advisor to President Harry Truman, political columnist [4]
• Paris Hilton Reality TV Actress
• David A. Harris, Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee
• Truman Capote, author
• Alix Smith, photographer [5]
• Robert Moses, was the master builder of mid-20th century New York City, Long Island, and other suburbs. [6]
• Hal Prince, Director [7]
• Roy Lichtenstein, artist [8]
• Keith Raywood, production designer [9]
• Jonah Goldberg, conservative commentator
• Joshua J. Golberg, Editor-in-Chief of Lucianne.com Media LLC
• Yehuda Weisbrod, Israeli radio personality and leader of the Zionist Freedom Alliance
• Dana Barron, Actress
• Gerald Mohr, radio, film and television star (1914–1968)
• Vin Diesel, actor

External links

• The Dwight School
• Woodside Preschool
• North London International School