Park School of Baltimore
Encyclopedia
The Park School of Baltimore is a private, co-educational K-12 school located in Brooklandville, Maryland
, USA, just north of the city of Baltimore. The campus lies to the south of Old Court Road in Baltimore County. Park School's current enrollment is about 880 students.
Founded in 1912 by a group of parents, primarily social and educational progressives in Baltimore's German Jewish community, the school enlisted Hans Froelicher, Sr., a professor of German languages at Goucher College
, to devise an educational plan for the school. Professor Froelicher lured Eugene Smith, a well-known progressive educator and associate of philosopher John Dewey
, to become the first headmaster. Park's original site near Druid Hill Park
gave the school its name, and provided students with outdoor experiences and hands-on learning activities espoused by leading progressives of the era. In 1917 the school moved to the west and north to a set of three buildings on Liberty Heights Avenue. Keeping its avowedly nonsectarian philosophy and liberal reputation, the school followed the migration of suburban life in Baltimore and in 1959 moved to its present location on 90 acres (364,217.4 m²) just inside the I-695 Beltway. Enrollment has expanded along with the facility in recent years. A new Math and Science wing, a new visual and dramatic Arts wing, and a new Athletic Center have been added in the last twelve years to the existing campus.
The philosophy of education the school attempts to follow is based on the assumption that learning is a natural consequence of an active mind, and, therefore, essential instruction requires no coercive tactics. Teaching and learning at Park are based on two assumptions: that all children are capable of "rational self-discipline" and that learning is "an expression of positive energies, fulfills natural impulse, and enriches life." The consequence of this philosophy is a school in which student interests are cultivated; there is an air of freedom and experimentation and tolerance; and finally, both collaborative and original work is strongly encouraged.
As young people respond to the influence of these ideals, learning to trust and assert their own intellectual and moral powers as they develop, they acquire a sense of confidence in themselves and others which will inspire a productive adulthood. Since the quality of expectation is most important, the belief that positive expectations produce positive virtues is fundamental to the practice of the school.
The conviction that the child contains inner strength, talents, and powers which can be liberated and nurtured allows a variety of educational techniques and methods and is manifested in the school in different ways. Accepting this belief requires recognition of the excesses it may bring—occasional sentimentality, self-indulgence, disorder, and untidiness. Yet it insists that the teacher's authority as an adult and as a scholar should be used not to suppress or constrain, but to provide the skills, opportunities, challenges, and encouragement to bring about the flowering and fulfillment of the individual to think and act in the world with responsible freedom.
The academic process offers young people a dynamic view of the nature of knowledge and the experiences of learning, and supports their efforts to construct life-affirming meaning. In every area of the curriculum the school encourages substantial student commitment to reading, writing, enquiry, and focused discussion in order to secure the factual knowledge and conceptual structures essential for intellectual competence.
Thus considered, school activities become both ends in themselves and means toward more complex, more difficult ends. But however rigorous, school work need not be alienating or painful, nor need success be measured by comparison to others. Rather, achievement is the result of the use by the child, under proper stimulation and challenge, of the natural powers of mind and body which in their exercise and application provide pleasure and happiness.
To participate in the life of The Park School requires trust in these good prospects, effort to sustain these positive expectations, and confidence that, under their influence, children will grow to adulthood possessing the power to enact in their lives these beliefs about themselves and others.
It is the objective of the school to be a place where each person is respected and valued, and plain speaking, honesty, and authenticity govern all relationships.
It is the objective of the school to encourage discipline and student behavior based on reason, on a cooperative sense of community, and on a sympathetic understanding of the rights and needs of others. This approach, rejecting arbitrary authority and prescriptive codes, creates opportunities for moral and social growth and allows each student to acquire internalized discipline, autonomy, and self-control.
It is the objective of the school that students become deeply involved in intellectual endeavors and significant extracurricular activities. In addition to a stimulating, flexible curriculum and a varied program of activities, this objective is supported by a high degree of teacher involvement in advising and counseling students.
School and Society
It is the objective of the school, through its identity as a co-educational, pluralistic community, to prepare students to participate in the public life of a democratic society.
It is the objective of the school that students develop sensitivity to the needs of others, within the school and in the larger community, and that they find personal satisfaction in helping others and addressing social problems.
It is the objective of the school to teach those skills and encourage those traits of character which enable achievement in a society undergoing constant social and technological change, changes which demand both accommodation and critical scrutiny.
It is the objective of the school to prepare students in the broadest sense, not only for further academic achievement, but also for the continuing process of choosing for themselves from the widest range of possibilities life offers.
It is the objective of the school that these values, reflecting the aspirations and goals of the original founders and benefactors, should be recognized as the central component of its communal life.
It is the policy of The Park School of Baltimore, Inc. to admit students; to carry out its admission and educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, academic, athletic and other school administered programs; and to offer all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school without regard to race, religious creed, ancestry, national origin, or sexual orientation.
Brooklandville, Maryland
Brooklandville is an unincorporated community in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States near where the Jones Falls Expressway meets the Baltimore Beltway. The general area is a part of Lutherville, and some addresses in the area are considered to be in Lutherville, though Brooklandville has a...
, USA, just north of the city of Baltimore. The campus lies to the south of Old Court Road in Baltimore County. Park School's current enrollment is about 880 students.
Founded in 1912 by a group of parents, primarily social and educational progressives in Baltimore's German Jewish community, the school enlisted Hans Froelicher, Sr., a professor of German languages at Goucher College
Goucher College
Goucher College is a private, co-educational, liberal arts college located in the northern Baltimore suburb of Towson in unincorporated Baltimore County, Maryland, on a 287 acre campus. The school has approximately 1,475 undergraduate students studying in 31 majors and six interdisciplinary...
, to devise an educational plan for the school. Professor Froelicher lured Eugene Smith, a well-known progressive educator and associate of philosopher John Dewey
John Dewey
John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey was an important early developer of the philosophy of pragmatism and one of the founders of functional psychology...
, to become the first headmaster. Park's original site near Druid Hill Park
Druid Hill Park
Druid Hill Park is a urban park in northwest Baltimore, Maryland. Its boundaries are marked by Druid Park Drive , Swann Drive and Reisterstown Road , and the Jones Falls Expressway...
gave the school its name, and provided students with outdoor experiences and hands-on learning activities espoused by leading progressives of the era. In 1917 the school moved to the west and north to a set of three buildings on Liberty Heights Avenue. Keeping its avowedly nonsectarian philosophy and liberal reputation, the school followed the migration of suburban life in Baltimore and in 1959 moved to its present location on 90 acres (364,217.4 m²) just inside the I-695 Beltway. Enrollment has expanded along with the facility in recent years. A new Math and Science wing, a new visual and dramatic Arts wing, and a new Athletic Center have been added in the last twelve years to the existing campus.
The philosophy of education the school attempts to follow is based on the assumption that learning is a natural consequence of an active mind, and, therefore, essential instruction requires no coercive tactics. Teaching and learning at Park are based on two assumptions: that all children are capable of "rational self-discipline" and that learning is "an expression of positive energies, fulfills natural impulse, and enriches life." The consequence of this philosophy is a school in which student interests are cultivated; there is an air of freedom and experimentation and tolerance; and finally, both collaborative and original work is strongly encouraged.
Park Philosophy
(This unsigned, uncredited statement, in two sections entitled "Philosophy" and "Objectives", is copied from a page at the school's official website http://www.parkschool.net/about/index.cfm?type=list&objectid=55.)Philosophy
The Park School embodies both in its tradition and in its daily practice two assumptions: first, that human beings are capable and desirous of rational self-discipline and of acting towards others with respect, kindness, concern, and moral conviction; and second, that the activity of learning is an expression of positive energies, fulfills natural impulse, and enriches life.As young people respond to the influence of these ideals, learning to trust and assert their own intellectual and moral powers as they develop, they acquire a sense of confidence in themselves and others which will inspire a productive adulthood. Since the quality of expectation is most important, the belief that positive expectations produce positive virtues is fundamental to the practice of the school.
The conviction that the child contains inner strength, talents, and powers which can be liberated and nurtured allows a variety of educational techniques and methods and is manifested in the school in different ways. Accepting this belief requires recognition of the excesses it may bring—occasional sentimentality, self-indulgence, disorder, and untidiness. Yet it insists that the teacher's authority as an adult and as a scholar should be used not to suppress or constrain, but to provide the skills, opportunities, challenges, and encouragement to bring about the flowering and fulfillment of the individual to think and act in the world with responsible freedom.
The academic process offers young people a dynamic view of the nature of knowledge and the experiences of learning, and supports their efforts to construct life-affirming meaning. In every area of the curriculum the school encourages substantial student commitment to reading, writing, enquiry, and focused discussion in order to secure the factual knowledge and conceptual structures essential for intellectual competence.
Thus considered, school activities become both ends in themselves and means toward more complex, more difficult ends. But however rigorous, school work need not be alienating or painful, nor need success be measured by comparison to others. Rather, achievement is the result of the use by the child, under proper stimulation and challenge, of the natural powers of mind and body which in their exercise and application provide pleasure and happiness.
To participate in the life of The Park School requires trust in these good prospects, effort to sustain these positive expectations, and confidence that, under their influence, children will grow to adulthood possessing the power to enact in their lives these beliefs about themselves and others.
Objectives
Individual and SchoolIt is the objective of the school to be a place where each person is respected and valued, and plain speaking, honesty, and authenticity govern all relationships.
It is the objective of the school to encourage discipline and student behavior based on reason, on a cooperative sense of community, and on a sympathetic understanding of the rights and needs of others. This approach, rejecting arbitrary authority and prescriptive codes, creates opportunities for moral and social growth and allows each student to acquire internalized discipline, autonomy, and self-control.
It is the objective of the school that students become deeply involved in intellectual endeavors and significant extracurricular activities. In addition to a stimulating, flexible curriculum and a varied program of activities, this objective is supported by a high degree of teacher involvement in advising and counseling students.
School and Society
It is the objective of the school, through its identity as a co-educational, pluralistic community, to prepare students to participate in the public life of a democratic society.
It is the objective of the school that students develop sensitivity to the needs of others, within the school and in the larger community, and that they find personal satisfaction in helping others and addressing social problems.
It is the objective of the school to teach those skills and encourage those traits of character which enable achievement in a society undergoing constant social and technological change, changes which demand both accommodation and critical scrutiny.
It is the objective of the school to prepare students in the broadest sense, not only for further academic achievement, but also for the continuing process of choosing for themselves from the widest range of possibilities life offers.
It is the objective of the school that these values, reflecting the aspirations and goals of the original founders and benefactors, should be recognized as the central component of its communal life.
It is the policy of The Park School of Baltimore, Inc. to admit students; to carry out its admission and educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, academic, athletic and other school administered programs; and to offer all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school without regard to race, religious creed, ancestry, national origin, or sexual orientation.
Appalachian Challenge
The Park School's Appalachian Challenge course is an Initiative course (the marines would refer to it as an obstacle course) located on Park's campus. It is entirely run, built, and maintained by students (under the watchful eye of the program director, Mr. Trump). Completing the Challenge Course is a fun activity that is required for all Middle School students. There is a quarterly newsletter published by the Appalachian Challenge team."Park’s Appalachian Challenge program has more than 40 initiatives designed to build confidence, leadership, communication and teamwork skills, and character for Park Middle and Upper School students. Begun in 1974, the Challenge program is run by Park student leaders. These leaders continue to design and construct new initiatives each year."
School Traditions
- The Lower School has a May Day Celebration at the end of the school year. The fifth graders do the May Pole and all grades of the lower school perform music and or dramatic performances.
- The last six weeks of school, the seniors leave to do a senior project. A senior project can be anything from an internship, or immersion into a subject. The seniors come back and present what they did for their project to the Upper School.
- Eighth graders present their Eighth Grade Speeches, which can be any topic of their choice.
- Fifth graders do an assembly about the winter solstice
- The Lower School has an autumn harvest festival in the fall to celebrate the beginning of the harvest season. They play games where students are on inter-grade teams, listen to stories, sing songs, and bond with other lower-schoolers.
Notable faculty/staff
- Laura Amy SchlitzLaura Amy SchlitzLaura Amy Schlitz is an American author of children's literature. She is a librarian and storyteller at Park School in Baltimore County, Maryland....
, librarianLibrarianA librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
and storytellerStorytellingStorytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...
. She is the winner of the 2008 Newbery MedalNewbery MedalThe John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
for her children's book entitled Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval VillageGood Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval VillageGood Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village is a 2007 children's book written by Laura Amy Schlitz. The book was awarded the 2008 Newbery Medal for excellence in children's literature.- Overview :...
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/k12/bal-te.to.newbery15jan15,0,1008616.story. The monologues in this book were written by Laura for the 5th Grade curriculum. - John C. Roemer III, a former member of the history faculty, is a former director of the Maryland American Civil Liberties UnionAmerican Civil Liberties UnionThe American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
retired at the end of the 2010-2011 school year. - Stephen “Lucky” Mallonee ’62, a middle school history teacher, is a member of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, an All-American, and represented the USA in the 1967 World Lacrosse ChampionshipWorld Lacrosse ChampionshipThe World Lacrosse Championship is the world championship for international men's field lacrosse. From its inception in 1967 through the 2006 event, it was sanctioned by the International Lacrosse Federation...
. He has also coached the boy's lacrosse team for over 30 years, leading them to the 2005 MIAA class B state title.
Noted alumni
- Edward WittenEdward WittenEdward Witten is an American theoretical physicist with a focus on mathematical physics who is currently a professor of Mathematical Physics at the Institute for Advanced Study....
('68), a mathematical physicist and one of the leading researchers in String TheoryString theoryString theory is an active research framework in particle physics that attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity. It is a contender for a theory of everything , a manner of describing the known fundamental forces and matter in a mathematically complete system...
. - Guy Blakeslee ('99) a.k.a. Entrance (musician)Entrance (musician)The Entrance Band is a band started by Guy Blakeslee . Their style of music has been described as psychedelic rock or stoner rock....
, a musician currently signed to Tee Pee RecordsTee Pee RecordsTee Pee Records is an independent record label located in New York City in the United States, made popular by the signing of The Brian Jonestown Massacre.-Artists :*Ancestors*Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound*The Atomic Bitchwax...
. - David Hellman ('99) and Dale Beran ('99), creators of the webcomic A Lesson Is Learned But The Damage Is IrreversibleA Lesson Is Learned But The Damage Is IrreversibleA Lesson Is Learned But The Damage Is Irreversible is a webcomic drawn by David Hellman and written by Dale Beran. Ted Rall describes the comic as "explor[ing] the limits of pessimism and fatal consequence in a universe that would be difficult to imagine on the printed page." The comic has been...
; - Members of the experimental music group Animal CollectiveAnimal CollectiveAnimal Collective is an experimental psychedelic band originally from Baltimore, Maryland, currently based in New York City. Animal Collective consists of Avey Tare , Panda Bear , Deakin , and Geologist...
: Josh Dibb ('96) a.k.a. DeakinDeakin (musician)Deakin is an avant-garde musician and a founding member of Animal Collective.-Animal Collective:Josh Dibb began writing and recording music with childhood friend Noah Lennox in 1991. While at The Park School in Baltimore, Josh met David Portner and Brian Weitz when they asked him to join their...
, David Portner ('97) a.k.a. Avey TareAvey TareAvey Tare is a musician and founding member of Animal Collective. Portner lives in Brooklyn, NY.-Animal Collective:...
, and Brian Weitz a.k.a. GeologistGeologist (musician)Geologist is a founding member of Animal Collective. He provides electronic sound manipulations and samples for the band.Geologist grew up in Philadelphia and Baltimore and currently lives in Washington DC....
('97). - Anand Wilder ('00) and Chris Keating ('00), members of the experimental music group YeasayerYeasayer-History:The band's three core members, Chris Keating, Ira Wolf Tuton, and Anand Wilder, first came to attention after appearing at the SXSW festival in early 2007. Their first single consisted of a double A-side of the tracks "Sunrise" and "2080"...
. - Josh TyrangielJosh TyrangielJosh Tyrangiel is a journalist, and editor of Bloomberg Businessweek. He joined the magazine following its acquisition by Bloomberg L.P. in December 2009. Prior to joining Bloomberg Businessweek, Tyrangiel was deputy managing editor of TIME magazine and managing editor of TIME.com...
('90), editor of Bloomberg Business Week and former Deputy Managing Editor of Time Magazine - Jane FrankJane FrankJane Schenthal Frank was an American artist. She studied with Hans Hofmann and Norman Carlberg and is known as a painter, sculptor, mixed media artist, and textile artist...
('37) (Jane Schenthal Frank, 1918-1986) artist (as a child, her name was Jane Babette Schenthal) - Penny Johnson JeraldPenny Johnson JeraldPenny Johnson Jerald is an American actress. She played Beverly Barnes on the HBO comedy series The Larry Sanders Show, Kasidy Yates on the syndicated science fiction series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Sherry Palmer on the Fox action/drama series 24.-Career:Trained at the Juilliard School,...
('78), actress, appeared in Fox television show 24 (TV series)24 (TV series)24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
as the president's wife, Sherry Palmer. - Alix Spiegel ('89), radio journalist, founder of the America Project and contributor to This American Life.
- Heather Chaplin ('89), journalist and co-author of SMARTBOMBSmartbombSMARTBOMB: The Quest for Art, Entertainment, and Big Bucks in the Videogame Revolution is a book written by journalists Heather Chaplin and Aaron Ruby. It was published on November 4, 2005 by Algonquin Books...
- Robert AustrianRobert AustrianRobert Austrian was an American infectious diseases physician and, along with Maxwell Finland, one of the 2 most important researchers into the biology of Streptococcus pneumoniae in the 20th century....
('34), developer of the pneumonia vaccine. - Tom Rothman ('72), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fox Filmed Entertainment (The parent company of Twentieth Century Fox).
- Walt HandelsmanWalt HandelsmanWalt Handelsman is an editorial cartoonist for Newsday. He joined the paper in February 2001.-Biography:...
('75), Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist (1997 & 2007). - Julius WestheimerJulius WestheimerJulius Westheimer was a financial advisor from Baltimore, Maryland. He is best known for his radio and television work, having dispensed financial advice on WBAL Radio, WYPR, WMAR, WBAL-TV and PBS' Wall $treet Week, and in columns in the Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Evening Sun, and Daily Record...
('29), Financial advisor, television and radio personality. - Matthew Porterfield ('95), Notable filmmaker, director of critically acclaimed "Hamilton," film professor at Johns Hopkins University.
- Steve KrulevitzSteve KrulevitzSteve Krulevitz is an American/Israeli right-handed tennis player. His highest singles ranking was # 42.For over a decade he competed on the Professional Grand Prix Tennis Circuit...
('69), Professional tennis player, was ranked #42 in the world and a member of the Israeli Davis Cup team. - Matthew WeinerMatthew WeinerMatthew Weiner is an American writer, director and producer of television drama. He is the creator, executive producer, head writer, and show runner of the AMC television series Mad Men. He is also noted for his work on the HBO series The Sopranos, on which he served as a writer and producer...
('83), Creator of the show Mad Men, and aided with Sopranos - Daniel Schwait ('08) Winner of the Young Talent Awards in the 2010 Lotte Lenya Competition and the Lys Symonette Award in 2011.
- Jeffrey A. Legum ('59), President and CEO, The Park Circle Motor CompanyThe Park Circle Motor CompanyThe Park Circle Motor Company was the preeminent car dealership of the Baltimore area from its inception in 1921 until 1998 when the last of the dealerships were sold and it became a family office. Its roots can be traced to A.M. Legum, who founded the company before the idea of personal...
.