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Pinkerton Academy

Coordinates: 42°53′43″N 71°19′3″W / 42.89528°N 71.31750°W / 42.89528; -71.31750
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Pinkerton Academy
File:NewPALogo.jpg
Location
Map
Derry
,
NH

United States
Information
TypePublic/Private
MottoQuality Education Since 1814
Religious affiliation(s)None
Established1814
HeadmasterMary Anderson
Faculty~280
Enrollment3,316 (2007-08 school year)
Average class size~28 students
Student to teacher ratio~12:1
CampusSuburban, 170 acres (0.69 km2)
23 buildings
Color(s)Red/White
AthleticsAstros
MascotAstroman
WebsitePinkerton Academy

42°53′43″N 71°19′3″W / 42.89528°N 71.31750°W / 42.89528; -71.31750 Pinkerton Academy is a secondary school in Derry, New Hampshire. It is the largest independent academy in the United States,[citation needed] serving roughly 3,600 students as the high school (grades 9 - 12) for the communities of Derry, Hampstead, Chester and sometimes Auburn. The academy is a private non-profit corporation administered by a Headmaster, who in turn acts under the direction of an elected twelve member Board of Trustees.

The academy is set on a large New England campus. Since the original four-room Old Academy Building opened in 1815, nine major buildings have been constructed including the new Arts and Humanities Center dedicated in September, 2002. In addition to these major buildings, eight smaller buildings that serve specific needs are scattered around the campus.

History

In 1793, a classical high school was established in eastern Londonderry and was maintained for twenty years by direct tax, tuition, and voluntary contributions. In 1814, Reverend Edward Parker asked Major John Pinkerton and Elder James Pinkerton, who had made significant contributions to the classical high school, to make the school permanent. Later that year, they obtained an act incorporating the school under the name Pinkerton Academy from the state legislature. The academy opened on December 4, 1815 as an all-male institution with an endowment of $16,000 by John Pinkerton "for the purpose of promoting piety and virtue and the education of youth in science, languages, and the liberal arts."[2]

File:Books3.png
John Morrison Pinkerton, son of Elder James.

For the following years, the Scottish immigrants of Londonderry helped maintain the academy and also contributed funds for it. In 1853 the academy became coeducational with the erection of a ladies' boarding hall.[3]

The two original school buildings. The right building is the one created using John Pinkerton's bequest.

In 1881, upon the death of John Morrison Pinkerton, son of Elder James, the academy received a second bequest. The Trustees used these funds to increase the number of instructors and to provide for an enlarged and advanced program of studies. Changes in the curriculum and the completion of the Pinkerton Building in 1887 allowed Pinkerton students to choose from a variety of college and non-college bound programs of studies. The funds were also used to buy a library and to erect a new school building. This was a large erection, but was completed quickly and the scenic landscape accented the beautiful new buildings.[3] Robert Frost was an English teacher at Pinkerton Academy from 1906 to 1911

Pinkerton continued to function as an independent day and boarding school until 1948. In 1949, the academy entered into an agreement with the town of Derry, New Hampshire, that marked a significant turning point in the school's history. As a result of the service agreement, Pinkerton educated all high school aged students who lived in Derry. The town of Derry paid for the school's services on a per pupil tuition basis. Although Pinkerton maintained its private school status, the academy began to function as a comprehensive independent academy.

In 1962, the town of Derry negotiated a long-term contractual agreement with Pinkerton Academy. The contract specified the terms and conditions under which Pinkerton's services were purchased. Over the next thirty years, additional communities (Chester, Hampstead, Auburn, Londonderry and Windham) signed service contracts with the academy. In response to the increased number of public school students attending Pinkerton, new facilities were built. Due to the changing needs and interests of this larger student population, Pinkerton once again developed new courses and fields of study while maintaining its existing college preparatory programs. In 1978, the citizens of Londonderry voted to end their tuition agreements with the academy and established Londonderry High School.[4] Students from Windham also no longer attend Pinkerton Academy. They currently attend Salem High School, and will soon attend Windham High School, set to open in 2009.[5][6]

1909 advertisement for the school.

Pinkerton is the currently largest independent academy in the United States serving 3,400 students as the high school (grades 9 - 12) for the communities of Derry, Hampstead and Chester.[7]

Campus

Pinkerton Academy

Pinkerton academy's campus spans over 170 acres (0.69 km2). The center of the academy's campus is the main campus that holds buildings where classes are taught, and the surrounding area is used for specific non-academic purposes. The main campus is 8 acres (32,000 m2), leaving 162 acres (0.66 km2) for extracurricular activities. There are nine academic buildings which are located in the main campus: the Pinkerton Building, the Shepard Building, the Saltmarsh Library, the Frost English Wing, the Freshman Academy, the Low Vocational Building, the Pinkerton Field House, the Ek Science Building, the Hackler Gymnasium, and The Arts & Humanities Building which holds the Stockbridge Theatre. Plays and local events are shown at the Stockbridge Theatre.[8] Some buildings are dedicated to important people of the academy, such as Robert Frost, Alan Shepard, and Ivah A. Hackler. The Pinkerton building was built in 1887 to replace the original school building. It is named after the Pinkerton family, the original founders of the school, and consists of two stories and a basement.[2] The building now holds foreign language classes and administrative offices.

In addition, there are eight smaller buildings around the main campus: The Green House, the Alumni Building (the original school building), Hayne's House, Mackenzie's House, Sugar House, Piper Maintenance Building, and Room 30. 95 acres (380,000 m2) are used for athletic fields, faculty housing, and farmland.[8]

In April, 2010, the Eckman Construction company began construction on the new Freshman building being added to the campus. The new "Freshman Academy" is planned to be completed for the start of the 2011-2012 school year.[9] The building is being added to help new freshmen adjust to the large campus. Construction was originally planned to begin in 2008, but was pushed back due to financial difficulty.[10]

Academics

Pinkerton's student body of 1919.

Classes are divided into eight periods, including a half lunch and half study period. Classes begin at 7:15 a.m. and end at 2:10 p.m.[11]

Pinkerton offers 17 Advanced Placement courses and many vocational electives such as accounting, agriculture, automotive technology, botany, consumer economics, computer programming, drafting, engineering, field biology, journalism, landscaping, and more.[12]

In 2005, 158 students took the Advanced Placement exams.[1] The academy also offers college bound and non-college bound courses in each core academic discipline.[13]

Of the class of 2006, 53% were admitted to four-year colleges, 18% went to two-year colleges and 29% were not college bound. The class had an average SAT score of 1525 (out of 2400).[13]

Pinkerton has chapters of FFA, National Honor Society, FBLA-PBL, SkillsUSA, FCCLA and other national organizations. Students participate in academic competitions such as the Math Team, Granite State Challenge, and FIRST Robotics.[14]

Extra-curricular activities

Athletics

File:PAFb.jpg
Pinkerton Academy football squad of 1896

Pinkerton offers 28 variety of sports throughout the school year including football, field hockey, cheerleading, golf, cross-country and soccer in the fall; basketball, gymnastics, ice hockey, track, swimming, and wrestling in the winter; baseball, volleyball, softball, lacrosse, tennis, and track in the spring.[15] The teams are named the Astros in honor of astronaut and Pinkerton alumnus Alan Shepard, the first American in space. The school's mascot is the Astroman. The boys lacrosse team has won the state championship numerous times, and the football team has won seven titles, including four in a row in the 90's and the last two championships.[16]

Football was established in the late 19th century but was later removed due to lack of sufficient funding from tuitions. It was revived in 1904. In 1907 the team won the Massachusetts State Interscholastic Title. Other undefeated teams were the 1905, 1915, 1936, 1948, 1984, 1985, 1991, 1993, and 2006 teams. All the rest of the teams were defeated at least once, sometimes multiple times. In 2007, the Pinkerton football team won their third straight state title.[17][18]

File:Wbb.jpg
Girls' basketball team 1925

The girls basketball team was organized in 1913, and won their first championship game in 1934. They were also undefeated in 1957 along with the boys' team, and won their second state championship in 2006.

The cheerleading team has won 9 state championships. They have won the fall championship in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2005 and the winter championship in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. In the New England competition they placed first in 2008 and 2009.

Special interests

The academy allow students to join clubs according to their special interests. These clubs include: AIDS awareness club, Asian club, visual basic club, Critic (yearbook), Pinkerton Television, Peace Club, International Club, dance club, philosophy club, the student-run publication The Kaleidoscope, and more.[14] The school also has a Chinese exchange program, where students raise money to stay at Tianjin with a host family and attend classes in English there. [citation needed] Students from Tanggu No. 1 High School, in exchange, visit Pinkerton.[19]

Dress Code

Pinkerton has a dress code for students. Students must wear collared casual or dress shirts, polo shirts, turtlenecks, or sweaters with sleeves and appropriate necklines. Shorts and skirts must be no higher than knee length when standing normally, and bare midriffs, all head wear such as hats, visible undergarments, sweatpants, scrubs, wind pants, yoga pants, team athletic pants, pajama bottoms, sleepwear or comparable attire are prohibited. All shoes must be tied correctly, and flip flops and athletic shoes are prohibited.[20]

Shirts with collars used to have to be tucked into pants or shorts, but this requirement was lifted. Students also used to be required to wear belts, but this was removed along with the previous requirement.

Uniforms

Several times, plans to implement universal school uniforms have gone underway, but never caught on. Uniforms were last brought up when Barka Elementary had finished contruction. It is likely studdents in the new Freshman Building will have some sort of uniform requirement.

Students in JROTC already have mandatory school uniforms and dress codes in addition to the policy set for the entire student body.

Notable alumni

Alan Shepard was part of the 1940 graduating class.

Notable faculty

References

  1. ^ a b "Pinkerton District Graduation Report". New Hampshire Department of Education. New Hampshire Department of Education. Retrieved December 28, 2006.
  2. ^ a b Fay, Edwin Whitfield (1898). [= Circular of Information]. Washington Government Printing Office. {{cite book}}: Check |url= value (help)
  3. ^ a b Stearns, Ezra (1908). Genealogical and Family History of the State of New Hampshire. The Lewis Publishing Company. pp. 2012 and pp. 2013. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "Londonderry School District Profile" (PDF). Londonderry School District. Londonderry School District. December 3, 2004. Retrieved January 2, 2007.
  5. ^ "Windham School District Official Home Page". Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  6. ^ "Windham High School Official Home Page". Archived from the original on 2007-12-08. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  7. ^ Pinkerton Academy official website
  8. ^ a b "Description of Pinkerton Academy". Pinkerton Academy. Pinkerton Academy. Archived from the original on 2006-10-12. Retrieved 2006-12-30. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  9. ^ "Eckman Construction - Current Projects". Eckman Construction. Eckman Construction. Retrieved 2010-08-21. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  10. ^ "Pinkerton plans ground-breaking for new freshmen building in 2010". [1]. AllBusiness.com. Retrieved 2010-08-21. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  11. ^ "Pinkerton Academy Bell Schedule". Pinkerton Academy. Pinkerton Academy. Archived from the original on August 31, 2006. Retrieved December 29, 2006.
  12. ^ "Pinkerton Academy Course Catalog" (PDF). Pinkerton Academy. Pinkerton Academy. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 5, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2006.
  13. ^ a b "Pinkerton Academy School Profile" (PDF). Pinkerton Academy. Pinkerton Academy. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2006.
  14. ^ a b "Pinkerton Academy Clubs and Organizations". Pinkerton Academy. Pinkerton Academy. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2006-12-30. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  15. ^ Nicholas Andrus (class of 1997) was the schools first ever state champion wrestler for the Pinkerton Astros. "Pinkerton Academy Student Athletic Booklet" (PDF). Pinkerton Academy. Pinkerton Academy. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-03-06. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
  16. ^ The gymnastics team went undefeated and won the state championship 3 consecutive seasons from 2004-2006. "Pinkerton Academy Sports". Pinkerton Academy. Pinkerton Academy. Archived from the original on 2006-10-04. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
  17. ^ Forsaith, Carl C. (1965). Pinkerton Academy 1814-1964. Derry, New Hampshire: Edward O. Hatch. pp. 96–98. ISBN B0007EOK1Y.
  18. ^ "Pinkerton caps off 12-0 season with title". Union Leader. Union Leader. Retrieved 2007-02-09.
  19. ^ Dornin, Chris. "State official pushes for Chinese exchange". Portsmouth Herald. Seacoast Online. Retrieved 2006-12-30. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  20. ^ Dress Code
  21. ^ a b The Harvard Register. Harvard University. Retrieved December 26, 2009. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  22. ^ "New Hampshire People: Samantha Brown". New Hampshire.com. Union Leader Corporation. Retrieved December 29, 2006.
  23. ^ "Jim Coburn". Coburn For Governor. Coburn For Governor. Archived from the original on December 13, 2006. Retrieved December 29, 2006.
  24. ^ "Tricia Dunn". USA Hockey. USA Hockey. Retrieved December 29, 2006.
  25. ^ "Biography for Jasmine Dustin". IMDB. IMDB. Retrieved December 29, 2006.
  26. ^ "Charles Floyd". New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. Archived from the original on December 14, 2006. Retrieved December 29, 2006.
  27. ^ "George Cochrane Hazelton". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 29, 2006.
  28. ^ "Gerry Whiting Hazelton". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 29, 2006.
  29. ^ "Frank Naismith Parsons". New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. Archived from the original on December 17, 2006. Retrieved December 29, 2006.
  30. ^ "PATTERSON, George Washington". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 29, 2006.
  31. ^ "Biography for Keri Lynn Pratt". IMDB. IMDB. Retrieved December 29, 2006.
  32. ^ Hackett, Frank W. (1898). A Sketch of the Life and Public Service of William Adams Richardson. Washington: Private. p. 19.
  33. ^ "Alan B. Shepard, Jr". NASA. NASA. Retrieved December 29, 2006.
  34. ^ "Sex, Lies, and Murder". Retrieved December 29, 2006.
  35. ^ Halbeisen, Elizabeth (1935). Harriet Prescott Spofford: A Romantic Survival. University of Philadelphia Press.
  36. ^ "STEVENS, Aaron Fletcher". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 29, 2006.
  37. ^ Crifasi, Robert. "Chronology of Robert Frost". Millikin University. Millikin University. Archived from the original on September 8, 2006. Retrieved January 6, 2007.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pinkerton_Academy&oldid=447519149"