Hewitt School
Encyclopedia
The Hewitt School is an independent, K-12 girls school in New York City, New York.
The school serves girls from Kindergarten through 12th Grade, in three divisions: Lower School (K-3), Middle School (4-8), and Upper School (9-12).
and educated there. She came to the United States in 1902 as a private tutor or governess to a prominent family of Tuxedo Park
, New York. After a decade in that position and at the suggestion of the Hoffman family Miss Hewitt began private classes for children in a townhouse on the Upper East Side. At this time the school was referred to as Miss Hewitt Classes and highly sought after by New York City’s pre-war elite. By 1920 Caroline had established a small kindergarten for boys and girls located at the Mannes Music School. In 1923 Hewitt purchased a brownstone at 68 East 79th Street. The school expanded and began to cater exclusively to girls.
In 1942 Miss Hewitt retired and was succeeded by faculty member Charlotte Comfort. In 1950 the school was granted a charter as a nonprofit corporation. The school moved to its current location at 45 East 75th Street in 1951. In 1955 Miss Hewitt’s Classes became The Hewitt School. In 1968 the Gregory Building, named for Board of Trustees president William Gregory, was built.
In 1969 Janet Mayer succeeded Miss Comfort as Headmistress and served until her retirement eleven years later. In 1976 the Building Fund Drive added three new stories to the Gregory Building.
In 1980 Agathe Crouter succeeded Miss Mayer as Headmistress and served until her retirement in 1990. In 1986 major renovation of the 75th Street Building was completed, adding classroom space and the John and Elizabeth Hobbs Performing Arts Center.
In 1990 Dr. Mary Jane Yurchak became Head of School and then took on a leadership role in integrating academics and technology.
In 2000 Linda MacMurray Gibbs became Head of School and initiated a long-term strategic plan for its growth. In 2001 the Hewitt community went online, and a revised course of study based on the curriculum mapping process was initiated. In 2002, with a generous gift of the McKelvey Foundation, Hewitt purchased another townhouse to accommodate the Lower School beginning in the Fall of 2003. This building is named McKelvey in honor of trustee Andrew McKelvey
. Also in 2003 a major renovation of the library was completed.
In January 2010 the Chair of the Board of Trustees announced Joan Longergan as the seventh Head of School. Ms. Lonergan then assumed this position in July 2010.
townhouses on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The Upper School (9-12) and Middle School (housed in the adjoining Gregory Building) (4-8) are housed at 45 East 75th Street near the Whitney Museum between Madison and Park Avenues. The McKelvey Lower School (K-3) is in a renovated townhouse on East 76th Street just off Central Park
.
Hewitt's three townhouses contain state-of-the-art science labs, art studios, performing arts center, gymnasium and photography labs. The nearby Central Park
provides grounds for outdoor activities.
A trustee-led expansion is underway. An adjoining townhouse on 76th Street has been purchased. Robert A.M. Stern Architects have been picked to develop a comprehensive campus master plan. Expansion plans include a regulation-size gymnasium, additional science labs, and enhanced classroom space.
In addition to the environs of New York City, Hewitt has all-year access to the Black Rock Forest
consortium. The 4000 acres (16.2 km²) forest provides Hewitt girls with educational and outdoor recreational opportunities.
Hewitt participates in New York City's Middle School Model Congress.
Hewitt also competes in rowing, track and field, swimming, and badminton.
Hewitt now also hosts an annual Read-A-Thon, raising over $20,000 for the charity Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic.
The New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS)
The Parents League of New York
Independent School Admission Association of Greater New York (ISAAGNY)
The National Coalition of Girls Schools
Prep for Prep
The school serves girls from Kindergarten through 12th Grade, in three divisions: Lower School (K-3), Middle School (4-8), and Upper School (9-12).
History
Caroline D. Hewitt founded the Hewitt School in 1920. Miss Hew, as alumnae lovingly refer to her, was born in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and educated there. She came to the United States in 1902 as a private tutor or governess to a prominent family of Tuxedo Park
Tuxedo Park
Tuxedo Park may refer to:*Tuxedo Park, Missouri, a community now merged with Webster Groves, Missouri*Tuxedo Park, New York, U.S.**Tuxedo Park , listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Orange County, New York...
, New York. After a decade in that position and at the suggestion of the Hoffman family Miss Hewitt began private classes for children in a townhouse on the Upper East Side. At this time the school was referred to as Miss Hewitt Classes and highly sought after by New York City’s pre-war elite. By 1920 Caroline had established a small kindergarten for boys and girls located at the Mannes Music School. In 1923 Hewitt purchased a brownstone at 68 East 79th Street. The school expanded and began to cater exclusively to girls.
In 1942 Miss Hewitt retired and was succeeded by faculty member Charlotte Comfort. In 1950 the school was granted a charter as a nonprofit corporation. The school moved to its current location at 45 East 75th Street in 1951. In 1955 Miss Hewitt’s Classes became The Hewitt School. In 1968 the Gregory Building, named for Board of Trustees president William Gregory, was built.
In 1969 Janet Mayer succeeded Miss Comfort as Headmistress and served until her retirement eleven years later. In 1976 the Building Fund Drive added three new stories to the Gregory Building.
In 1980 Agathe Crouter succeeded Miss Mayer as Headmistress and served until her retirement in 1990. In 1986 major renovation of the 75th Street Building was completed, adding classroom space and the John and Elizabeth Hobbs Performing Arts Center.
In 1990 Dr. Mary Jane Yurchak became Head of School and then took on a leadership role in integrating academics and technology.
In 2000 Linda MacMurray Gibbs became Head of School and initiated a long-term strategic plan for its growth. In 2001 the Hewitt community went online, and a revised course of study based on the curriculum mapping process was initiated. In 2002, with a generous gift of the McKelvey Foundation, Hewitt purchased another townhouse to accommodate the Lower School beginning in the Fall of 2003. This building is named McKelvey in honor of trustee Andrew McKelvey
Andrew McKelvey
Andrew McKelvey was an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive of Monster Worldwide...
. Also in 2003 a major renovation of the library was completed.
In January 2010 the Chair of the Board of Trustees announced Joan Longergan as the seventh Head of School. Ms. Lonergan then assumed this position in July 2010.
Campus
The Hewitt School is housed in three Gilded AgeGilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post–Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded...
townhouses on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The Upper School (9-12) and Middle School (housed in the adjoining Gregory Building) (4-8) are housed at 45 East 75th Street near the Whitney Museum between Madison and Park Avenues. The McKelvey Lower School (K-3) is in a renovated townhouse on East 76th Street just off Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
.
Hewitt's three townhouses contain state-of-the-art science labs, art studios, performing arts center, gymnasium and photography labs. The nearby Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
provides grounds for outdoor activities.
A trustee-led expansion is underway. An adjoining townhouse on 76th Street has been purchased. Robert A.M. Stern Architects have been picked to develop a comprehensive campus master plan. Expansion plans include a regulation-size gymnasium, additional science labs, and enhanced classroom space.
In addition to the environs of New York City, Hewitt has all-year access to the Black Rock Forest
Black Rock Forest
Black Rock Forest is a privately owned nature preserve in the western Hudson Highlands region of the U.S. state of New York. It is in Orange County, mostly in the town of Cornwall, with the southern fringe overlapping into the neighboring town of Highlands...
consortium. The 4000 acres (16.2 km²) forest provides Hewitt girls with educational and outdoor recreational opportunities.
Academics
The Hewitt School offers a Creative Arts program, and all girls have the opportunity to explore and develop their talents in both the Visual and Performing Arts in all three divisions. Facilities include a photography darkroom, digital media studios, black box theater and fully equipped art studios.Co-curricular Activities
Hewitt participates in Model United Nations in Washington, DC annually.Hewitt participates in New York City's Middle School Model Congress.
Hewitt also competes in rowing, track and field, swimming, and badminton.
Hewitt now also hosts an annual Read-A-Thon, raising over $20,000 for the charity Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic.
Notable alumnae
- Christina OnassisChristina Onassis-See also:*Christina, a song dedicated to her by artist - Patty Griffin*Christina O - the Onassis family yacht, named after Christina by her father-External links:...
, Greek heiress and daughter of shipping magnate Aristotle OnassisAristotle OnassisAristotle Sokratis Onassis , commonly called Ari or Aristo Onassis, was a prominent Greek shipping magnate.- Early life :Onassis was born in Karatass, a suburb of Smyrna to Socrates and Penelope Onassis...
- Judith PeabodyJudith PeabodyJudith Dunnington Peabody was an American socialite and philanthropist who was best known for her involvement as a volunteer with causes ranging from the legal defense of Lenny Bruce to assisting families with AIDS....
, philanthropist
- Nikki FinkeNikki FinkeNikki Finke is an American journalist and blogger. She is Founder and Editor in chief and President of Deadline.com, a website with original content consisting of her and other veteran showbiz journalists' reporting and commentary on the business of the entertainment industry formerly known as...
, journalist
- Brenda FrazierBrenda FrazierNot to be confused with actor Brendan FraserBrenda Diana Duff Frazier was an American debutante popular during the Depression era...
, celebrated DepressionGreat DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
era debutanteDebutanteA débutante is a young lady from an aristocratic or upper class family who has reached the age of maturity, and as a new adult, is introduced to society at a formal "début" presentation. It should not be confused with a Debs...
- Julie HarrisJulie HarrisJulia Ann "Julie" Harris is an American stage, screen, and television actress. She has won five Tony Awards, three Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award, and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1994, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. She is a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame...
, Academy Award winning actress
- Margaret Campbell, Duchess of ArgyllMargaret Campbell, Duchess of ArgyllMargaret, sometime Duchess of Argyll , was a notorious British Socialite, best remembered for her 1963 divorce case against her second husband, the 11th Duke of Argyll, which featured salacious photographs and scandalous stories.-Birth and youth:Margaret was the only child of Helen Mann Hannay and...
, British society figure
- Lee RemickLee RemickLee Ann Remick was an American film and television actress. Among her best-known films are Anatomy of a Murder , Days of Wine and Roses , and The Omen .-Early life:...
, actress
- Barbara HuttonBarbara HuttonBarbara Woolworth Hutton was an American socialite dubbed by the media as the "Poor Little Rich Girl" because of her troubled life...
, heiress to the WoolworthF. W. Woolworth CompanyThe F. W. Woolworth Company was a retail company that was one of the original American five-and-dime stores. The first successful Woolworth store was opened on July 18, 1879 by Frank Winfield Woolworth in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store"...
fortune
- Koo StarkKoo StarkKathleen Dee-Anne Stark, better known as Koo Stark , is an American film actress and photographer. She is known for her appearance in the film Emily and subsequent relationship with Prince Andrew, son of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, before his marriage to Sarah, Duchess of York.-...
, actress noted for her romance with Prince Andrew, Duke of YorkPrince Andrew, Duke of YorkPrince Andrew, Duke of York KG GCVO , is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
- Lady Pamela HicksLady Pamela HicksLady Pamela Carmen Louise Hicks, née Mountbatten is a British aristocrat. She is the younger daughter of the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma by his wife, the former Edwina Ashley. Through her father, Lady Hicks is a first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.- Family background :Hicks was...
, daughter of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of BurmaLouis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of BurmaAdmiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
, a British admiral and statesman
- Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of BurmaPatricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of BurmaPatricia Edwina Victoria Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma, is a British peeress and former lady-in-waiting to her third cousin, Queen Elizabeth II. She was the elder daughter of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma and his wife, the heiress Edwina Ashley, a patrilineal...
, daughter of Earl Mountbatten
- Edith Kingdon GouldEdith Kingdon GouldEdith Kingdon Gould was a socialite, linguist, and poet. She was the granddaughter of Jay Gould.-Birth:...
, poet and heiress to the Jay GouldJay GouldJason "Jay" Gould was a leading American railroad developer and speculator. He has long been vilified as an archetypal robber baron, whose successes made him the ninth richest American in history. Condé Nast Portfolio ranked Gould as the 8th worst American CEO of all time...
fortune
- Betsy von FurstenbergBetsy von FurstenbergBetsy von Furstenberg is a German-born American radio, television, film, and Broadway actress.-Birth and childhood:...
, German aristocrat and actress
- Jean SteinJean Stein-Biography:Jean Stein grew up in Los Angeles, the daughter of Dr. Jules Stein and his wife, Doris. She authored of two books and a pioneer of the narrative form of oral history. She is presently at work on a cultural and political history of Los Angeles, to be published by Farrar, Straus and...
, heiress and writer
- Cobina WrightCobina WrightCobina Wright was an American opera singer and actress who appeared in The Razor's Edge . She gained later fame as a hostess and a syndicated gossip columnist...
, actress and gossip columnist
In media and popular culture
- In Mary McCarthy's "The Group (novel)The Group (novel)The Group is a 1963 novel by American writer Mary McCarthy. It made the New York Times Best Seller list in 1963.- Content :In 1933, eight young female friends graduate from Vassar College. The book describes these women’s lives post-graduation, beginning with the marriage of one of the friends,...
", a New Yorker Society-Girl Mary Prothero's (nicknamed Pokey) sister Phillis attends Miss Hewitt's Classes;
Memberships/Affiliations
The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)The New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS)
The Parents League of New York
Independent School Admission Association of Greater New York (ISAAGNY)
The National Coalition of Girls Schools
Prep for Prep