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Doane Academy

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Coordinates: 40°04′44″N 74°52′02″W / 40.079025°N 74.867174°W / 40.079025; -74.867174
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40°04′44″N 74°52′02″W / 40.079025°N 74.867174°W / 40.079025; -74.867174

Doane Academy
Address
Map
350 Riverbank,

Burlington
,
New Jersey
08016

United States
Information
TypePrivate
MottoRight Onward
Established1837
FounderRt Rev'd G W Doane
PresidentMs C Cecchi
HeadmasterG Sanderson AB MLA
Assistant HeadmasterT G Sadar AB MEd
ChaplainRev'd P Briggs BA MDiv
Faculty37[1]
GradesPre K – 12[2]
GenderCoeducational
Enrolment234[1] (2016-2017)
Student to teacher ratio6.3:1[1]
Campus size13 acres (5.3 ha)
Campus typeSuburban, riverside
Color(s)  Navy Blue
  White
AthleticsBaseball, Softball, Soccer, Tennis, Cross Country, Rowing, Basketball
Athletics conferencePenn-Jersey Athletic Association
NJSIAA Parochial B
MascotSparty
Team nameSpartans
Endowment$17,000,000
Annual tuition$18,400pa
AffiliationEpiscopalian
AlumniSociety of Graduates of St. Mary's Hall and Doane Academy
Websitewww.doaneacademy.org

Doane Academy from the Delaware River
Rowan Hall (2015) houses modern classrooms, while replicating the external appearance of the school building as it looked in 1837.

Doane Academy is a coeducational, independent day school located in Burlington, New Jersey. It was founded in May 1837 by Bishop Doane, initially as a girls' school, but became co-educational on merging with a neighbouring boys' school. The current headmaster is George Sanderson. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 1989,[3] and is a member of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools, the National Association of Independent Schools and the National Association of Episcopal Schools.[2]

History

The academy was founded as St. Mary's Hall by the Right Reverend George Washington Doane, second Episcopal bishop of New Jersey. It opened on May 1, 1837 with 57 pupils.[4] Founded to offer an education equal to that of boys, it accepted girls and young women as undergraduates and postgraduates, and was the first all-girls academic boarding school in the United States.

Bishop Doane raised capital for the new school by issuing shares of stock, but a severe financial depression hit the United States just as the school was opening. Saint Mary’s Hall survived, financed mainly from the personal funds of Eliza Green Perkins Doane, the Bishop’s wife. She received a $9,500 annual dowry from the estate of her late first husband, which she donated to the school.[5]

The success of St Mary's Hall encouraged Bishop Doane to open a boys' school on an adjacent site in 1846. The new Burlington College, though, did not enjoy the success of the girls' school, and its doors closed in 1877.[6] The girls' school continued to flourish, its campus developing throughout the late 19th century.[7] This prosperity continued into the first half of the 20th century, which saw the introduction of central heating, electric lighting and showers, as well as the purchase of a large new building next door, initially as a lower school and later as a senior dorm.[8]

Many private schools were forced to close during the Depression, but St Mary's Hall was able to increase its number of day pupils by establishing additional bus routes over the newly completed Burlington-Bristol Bridge.[9] By the 1950s, though, boarding numbers were in decline and in 1953, the Trustees decided to abandon boarding and become a day school.[10]

In 1966, the trustees once again opened a boys' school, Doane Academy, in association with St. Mary's Hall. Although managed by the same Board of Trustees, the two schools were separate institutions; signage around St Mary's Hall instructed the girls "Do not fraternize with the Doane boys."[10]

On February 27, 1974, the main building on the St Mary's campus was destroyed by fire. There had been plans afoot to merge the two schools and the fire encouraged the Trustees to bring the plan forward. From September 1974, a single school—the co-educational St. Mary's Hall-Doane Academy—opened under a new headmaster, Rev'd William Scheel.[10] In April 2008 the name was shortened to Doane Academy.[11]

Endowment

In January 2015, the school announced that Henry Rowan (1923-2015) and his wife Eleanor, long-time benefactors, had established a $17 million endowment for Doane Academy, with the proceeds available to the school in perpetuity. With the donation, the school erected Rowan Hall, which connects Scarborough Hall (1912) and Odenheimer Hall (1868), unifying the campus.[12]

Campus

Doane Academy sits on a campus of 11 acres (4.5 ha) at the western end of the City of Burlington. It includes among its structures three buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Chapel of the Holy Innocents, which has been called the first Gothic cruciform church in the United States. The building has been recorded in the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), with measured drawings held by the Library of Congress. The chapel houses a fine example of an early, 2 manual, mechanical action pipe organ. Originally built by Hall and Labaugh in 1854 and rebuilt by George Jardine and Son in 1900, it was restored in 2012 by Patrick J Murphy and Associates.[13]

Among the other buildings on the campus are a dedicated and recently updated science building, a gymnasium, a dining hall, a theater, a lower school library and numerous flexible classroom spaces. Rowan Hall (erected in 2015) dominates the center of the campus. A three-and-a-half storey building with a brick façade, modeled after a Georgian-style structure that once stood nearby, Rowan Hall includes a dozen classrooms, two student resource centers, administrative offices and a lobby with seating areas. Rowan Hall is largely heated and cooled by its own geothermal plant. The campus also includes a natural space, called Discovery Woods, where younger students regularly spend hands-on time learning about the natural world.[14]

Student body

The school currently has 235 students on roll from 41 municipalities across the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.[15] The student-teacher ratio is 6.2:1.[15]

Academic

Curriculum

The school offers a broad curriculum, with lower school students pursuing courses in mathematics, language arts, science, and social studies. In addition, they study Spanish and music.[16] Senior students are required to study a core curriculum of English, mathematics and the sciences, together with optional studies in subjects including history, MFL, fine arts and performing arts.[17]

Graduation requirements

The minimal graduation requirements for grades 9 – 12 are:

  • 4 English credits
  • 3 Math credits
  • 3 Science credits
  • 3 History credits
  • 3 World Language credits
  • 1 Fine or Performing Arts credit

Students must also complete their grade-level Character and Leadership Cycle each year. These cycles include such courses as digital media and programming, world religions, composition and leadership. In the 11th and 12th grades, the cycles include courses in College and Career Prep.[17]

Athletics

Participation in athletics is considered an essential element of an education at Doane Academy. As a result, each student in grades 9—12 is required to play on a team for at least one season a year. The pupils in grades 6—8 compete against other middle school teams in soccer, boys’ and girls’ basketball, baseball and softball. Students in grades 9—12 compete at varsity level in the Penn-Jersey Athletic Association in tennis, cross country running, boys’ and girls’ soccer, boys’ and girls’ basketball, baseball and softball. The co-ed crew team competes in regional regattas in both the fall and spring.

All of the varsity athletic teams (with the exception of the crew team) are members of New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). The school's teams compete at the Non-Public Group B and Prep B levels for state tournaments held at the end of each season. Athletic facilities at the school include two soccer fields, a softball field, the Winzinger Baseball Field, a full-sized gymnasium and a fitness center. The Delaware River is used for crew practices. The cross-country team practises on and around the campus.[18]

Performing arts

In the spring each year, the Upper School’s Spartan Studio actors puts on a play or musical. Recent performances have included Little Shop of Horrors, All in the Timing, and The World Goes ‘Round. In May, the Lower School stages a production, such as Hamlet for Kids and The Day the Crayons Quit. Students interested in the performing arts, both on and off the stage, have numerous opportunities to participate in other dramatic and musical performances throughout the year.[19]

The academy has a band, a choir and a string ensemble for both the Upper and Lower Schools, as well as a jazz ensemble, percussion ensemble, rock band and pit orchestra.[20]

Notable Alumni

  • Judith Light (class of 1966), actress and producer. She is a two-time Tony Award winner.[21]
  • Gene Barretta (class of 1978), children's book author and illustrator, animator, and character designer for the Muppets[22]
  • Adam Potkay (class of 1978), author and Professor of English and Humanities at the College of William and Mary [23]
  • Kate Swift (class of 1941), (December 9, 1923 – May 7, 2011), was an American feminist writer and editor who wrote books and articles about sexism in the English language[24]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Data for Doane Academy". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Doane Academy". privateschoolreview.com. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  3. ^ "Doane Academy". MSA-CESS. Middle States Association. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  4. ^ Newman, Jack H. (2012). St. Mary's Hall and Doane Academy. Charleston, SC: Arcadia. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-7385-7671-8.
  5. ^ Newman, Jack H. (2012). St. Mary's Hall and Doane Academy. Charleston, SC: Arcadia. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-7385-7671-8.
  6. ^ Newman, Jack H. (2012). St. Mary's Hall and Doane Academy. Charleston, SC: Arcadia. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-7385-7671-8.
  7. ^ "Our History 1859-1911". Doane Academy. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  8. ^ "Our History 1912-29". Doane Academy. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  9. ^ "Our History 1930-52". Doane Academy. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  10. ^ a b c "Our History 1974-90". Doane Academy. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  11. ^ "About - Doane Academy". www.doaneacademy.org. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  12. ^ Urciuoli, Brielle. "Doane Academy in Burlington City receives $17M gift from Rowan foundation". nj.com. Times of Trenton. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  13. ^ "Doane Academy". Patrick J Murphy and Associates. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  14. ^ "Campus". Doane Academy. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  15. ^ a b "Quick Facts". Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  16. ^ "Lower School". doaneacademy.org. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  17. ^ a b "Upper School Handbook". doaneacademy.org. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  18. ^ "Doane Athletics". Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  19. ^ "Performing Arts". doaneacademy.org. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  20. ^ "Band". doaneacademy.org. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  21. ^ "Judith Light". Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  22. ^ "Gene Barretta". Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  23. ^ "College of William and Mary". Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  24. ^ "NY Times - Barbara Swift". Retrieved November 17, 2016 – via http://www.nytimes.com. {{cite news}}: External link in |via= (help)
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