Dwight School
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| Dwight School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
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291 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024 , | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private |
| Motto | Use your spark of genius to build a better world |
| Established | 1880 |
| Grades | K - 12 |
| Number of students | 400 |
| Color(s) | Blue and white |
| Mascot | Dwight Tiger |
| Website | http://www.dwight.edu/ |
The Dwight School is a selective, combined elementary and secondary private school on the Upper West Side in New York, N.Y.
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.
Immersion program
Children who are enrolled in Dwight's lower school are placed in an immersion program where they are expected to become fluent in a foreign language. Dwight has traditionally encouraged their lower school students to become proficient in French, but has recently switched to Spanish in an effort to update their curriculum. In the 1980s, Dwight became the first school in the United States to offer the three International Baccalaureate (IB) programs to students in grades K-12.
Student body
Despite Dwight's small size of about 400 students, 37 countries are represented due to the large diplomatic contingent that elect to send their children to the school. The school's expatriate student body represents 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's mascot is the Dwight Tiger, a visible symbol around the school. Its 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.
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]
- Fiorello LaGuardia, 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]
- David A. Harris, Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee
- Truman Capote, author
- Julian Casablancas of The Strokes
- Nick Valensi of The Strokes
- Fabrizio Moretti of The Strokes
- 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 [10]
- Lizzie Grubman, high profile publicist [11]
- Paris Hilton, celebutante and heiress [12]
- Yehuda Weisbrod, Israeli radio personality and leader of the Zionist Freedom Alliance
- Dana Barron, Actress [13]