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Breck School

Coordinates: 44°58′52″N 93°20′35″W / 44.98111°N 93.34306°W / 44.98111; -93.34306
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Breck School
Location
Map
,
Coordinates44°58′52″N 93°20′35″W / 44.98111°N 93.34306°W / 44.98111; -93.34306
Information
TypePrivate
MottoPerpetually learning
Religious affiliation(s)Episcopal
Established1886
Head of SchoolNatalia Rico Hernández[1]
Faculty94.2 (on an FTE basis)[2]
Enrollment1,078 (2019–20)[2]
Average class size16
Student to teacher ratio11.5:1[2]
Campus1 campus, suburban setting
Color(s)Blue and Gold
  
AthleticsIndependent Metro Athletic Conference (IMAC)
MascotMustang
NamesakeJames Lloyd Breck
Websitebreckschool.org

Breck School is an independent college-preparatory preK–12 school in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. It was founded in 1886 and is affiliated with the Episcopal Church. The school includes a Lower School consisting of grades preschool through four, a Middle School consisting of grades five through eight, and an Upper School consisting of grades nine through twelve. Breck School is accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools.

History

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The Chapel of the Holy Spirit on the Breck School campus

Breck was established in 1886 in Wilder, Minnesota and named after Episcopal missionary the Rev. James Lloyd Breck. The school moved to 2095 Commonwealth Ave in Saint Paul under the direction of the Rev. Charles Haupt, in 1916. In 1920 it moved to 2102 Carter Ave., just a few blocks away in Saint Anthony Park. Then, in the fall of 1922 it moved a few more blocks west to Como and Hendon (now a part of the Luther Seminary). In 1938, the school became an exclusively boys' school, and military curriculum was added. This military aspect was eliminated in 1959. Girls were reintroduced in 1952 in grades one to three, and eventually throughout the school in 1967. A fire destroyed the original Chapel of the Holy Spirit at the school's River Road location in Minneapolis in 1979. In 1981, the school moved to its present location in Golden Valley at the campus of that city's former middle and high school, which were closed after a school district merger. Breck celebrated its centennial in 1986. That same year, John C. Littleford was succeeded by interim headmaster Kathryn C. Harper. Sam Salas served as headmaster from 1987 until retiring in June 2007. Edward Kim succeeded Salas as Head of School in July 2007. In January 2017, Natalia Rico Hernández was named 16th Head of School, beginning her tenure in July 2017.

Language programs

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Breck School has an established language program. Breck's language programs, including Spanish, French, and Mandarin, extend from preschool to 12th grade.[3][4] The Mandarin Chinese program was created by Margaret Wong.[5]

Community involvement

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2008 U.S. Senate debate

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On Saturday, October 11, 2008, Breck hosted the second debate between U.S. Senate candidates Republican Norm Coleman, Democrat Al Franken, and Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley. The debate was aired locally on KARE-11 TV and nationally on C-SPAN. Several hundred local community members watched the debate live inside the Breck Cargill Theater and more than 200,000 Minnesotans watched the debate on television. A popular topic of the debate was regarding Moira Southern's award winning genetics project.

Athletics

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The Breck School Anderson Ice Arena is located a short distance north of campus and hosts Varsity and JV teams for both boys and girls hockey. During the off-season, it is open for non-school events.

Breck School is part of the Independent Metro Athletic Conference in the Minnesota State High School League and has won 35 state championship titles in 11 sports. Several players from the hockey and football programs have gone on to play for Division One programs. The boys hockey team won the state championship in 2000, 2004, 2009 and 2010. The girls' hockey program was established in 1994 and won the state championship in 2012, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Season Sport State championships Year(s)
Fall (B) Cross country 0
(G) Cross country 0
(B) Football 2 1996, 2003
(B) Soccer 1 2005
(G) Soccer 0
(G) Swimming and Diving 0
(G) Tennis 2 1996, 2013, 2021
(G) Volleyball 0
Winter (B) Alpine skiing 0
(G) Alpine skiing 0
(B) Basketball 1 2024
(G) Basketball 1 2004
(B) Hockey 4 2000, 2004, 2009, 2010
(G) Hockey 4 2012, 2018, 2019, 2020
(B) Nordic skiing 0
(G) Nordic skiing 0
(G) Gymnastics 0
(B) Swimming and Diving (co-op with Blake School) 10 2009, 2010, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Spring (B) Baseball 0
(B) Golf 1 2004
(G) Golf 0
(B) Lacrosse 0
(G) Lacrosse 0
(G) Softball 0
(B) Tennis 7 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2020
(B) Track and field 0
(G) Track and field 2 1996, 1997
Total 34

Awards

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School Award Year
Lower School U.S. Department of Education "School of Excellence"[6] 1988
Middle and Upper Schools U.S. Department of Education "Blue Ribbon School"[6] 1993

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ "Natalia Hernández, new Breck school leader, starts work - StarTribune.com". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Breck School". Private School Universe Survey. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  3. ^ Upper School Curriculum Guide Archived November 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Lower School Curriculum Guide Archived August 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Star Tribune, 10/16/06
  6. ^ a b Awards Archived February 22, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ R.T. Rybak Archived May 17, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Wayne Wilderson at IMDb
  9. ^ Erik Stohlanske at IMDb
  10. ^ Espeland, Pamela (February 1, 2008) "Keyboardist Craig Taborn surfaces with Underground" MinnPost.
  11. ^ Marisa Coughlan at IMDb
  12. ^ Panthers Roster on http://panthers.nhl.com
  13. ^ Jets Roster on http://jets.nhl.com
  14. ^ Long, Chris (June 6, 2019). "Three-sport star David Roddy wraps up stellar career at Breck". KSTP-TV. Retrieved June 24, 2022.[permanent dead link]
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