Stoneleigh-Burnham School
Encyclopedia
Stoneleigh-Burnham School (SBS) is an independent boarding and day school for girls in grades 7-12 and postgraduate. Founded in 1869, the school is a combination of 5 founding schools from New England
, but resides today on a 100 acre (0.404686 km²) campus in Greenfield, Massachusetts
, United States
, located in the Pioneer Valley
.
Stoneleigh-Burnham is affiliated with the National Coalition of Girls' Schools
(NCGS), the National Association of Independent Schools
, The Association of Boarding Schools and is accredited with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
.
The Stoneleigh-Burnham mission is as follows: Stoneleigh-Burnham School is an academic community that inspires girls to pursue meaningful lives based on honor, respect and intellectual curiosity. Each student is challenged to discover her best self and graduate with the confidence to think independently and act ethically, secure in the knowledge that her voice will be heard.
Girls that attend Stoneleigh-Burnham are riders, artists, intellectuals, athletes and much more. The Head of Stoneleigh-Burnham is the first ever alumna to act as Head of School, Sally Mixsell.
The school's motto is Veritas Supra Omnia (Truth Above All), and the school mascot is an Owl
who wears the colors blue and white.
SBS alumnae total over 7,000 women from across the world, women in the fields of academia, government
, science
, finance
, professional sports, and the arts.
The history of Stoneleigh-Burnham School as a timeline:
Stoneleigh-Burnham athletes play with motto: Win without boasting, lose without excuse!
SBS visual art course offerings include Digital Photography; Desktop Publishing & Photoshop (working with the Adobe Creative Suite
); Ceramics; Painting; Advanced Placement Art
Music courses include: Octet Vocal Group; Chorus; Big Band; Jazz Combo; Middle School Instrumental Class; Chamber Music; Music Theory; World Music; Middle School Vocal Class, Middle School Select Chorus
Dance courses include: Ballet; Pointe, Beginner/Intermediate Dance, Advanced Dance, Dance 7, Dance 8
Acting courses include: Acting I, Acting II, Acting III, Theatre 7, Theatre 8, and the Winter Play
Stoneleigh-Burnham’s Debate and Public Speaking Society regularly competes with schools such as Deerfield Academy
, Loomis-Chaffee, St. Paul’s, Roxbury Latin, and Phillips Exeter. Many students, including one in 2010 traveled to the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championship.
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, but resides today on a 100 acre (0.404686 km²) campus in Greenfield, Massachusetts
Greenfield, Massachusetts
Greenfield is a city in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,456 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Franklin County. Greenfield is home to Greenfield Community College, the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Franklin County Fair...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, located in the Pioneer Valley
Pioneer Valley
The Pioneer Valley is the colloquial name for the U.S. Commonwealth of Massachusetts's portion of the Connecticut River Valley. The Pioneer Valley consists of three counties in Massachusetts which collectively feature much of New England's most fertile farmland...
.
Stoneleigh-Burnham is affiliated with the National Coalition of Girls' Schools
National Coalition of Girls' Schools
National Coalition of Girls' Schools is an association of independent and public, day and boarding schools in U.S. which advocates for single-sex schools for girls....
(NCGS), the National Association of Independent Schools
National Association of Independent Schools
The National Association of Independent Schools is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1963, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boarding, and day/boarding schools; elementary and secondary...
, The Association of Boarding Schools and is accredited with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. is the U.S. regional accreditation association providing educational accreditation for all levels of education, from pre-kindergarten to the doctoral level, in the six-state New England region. It also provides accreditation for some...
.
The Stoneleigh-Burnham mission is as follows: Stoneleigh-Burnham School is an academic community that inspires girls to pursue meaningful lives based on honor, respect and intellectual curiosity. Each student is challenged to discover her best self and graduate with the confidence to think independently and act ethically, secure in the knowledge that her voice will be heard.
Girls that attend Stoneleigh-Burnham are riders, artists, intellectuals, athletes and much more. The Head of Stoneleigh-Burnham is the first ever alumna to act as Head of School, Sally Mixsell.
The school's motto is Veritas Supra Omnia (Truth Above All), and the school mascot is an Owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
who wears the colors blue and white.
History of Stoneleigh-Burnham School
Stoneleigh-Burnham School is the result of the merger of five girls’ schools, dating back to 1869 with the Prospect Hill School of Greenfield, Massachusetts.SBS alumnae total over 7,000 women from across the world, women in the fields of academia, government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
, professional sports, and the arts.
The history of Stoneleigh-Burnham School as a timeline:
- 1869: Prospect Hill School founded in Greenfield, MassachusettsGreenfield, MassachusettsGreenfield is a city in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,456 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Franklin County. Greenfield is home to Greenfield Community College, the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Franklin County Fair...
by Reverend John Farwell Moors. - 1877: The Classical School for Girls founded in Northampton, MassachusettsNorthampton, MassachusettsThe city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
by Bessie Talbot Capen and Mary A. Burnham. The founders are encouraged by then-President of Smith CollegeSmith CollegeSmith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
, Laurenus Clarke Seelye, to provide young women with a better preparation for entrance into Smith College. - 1885: The Classical School for Girls is renamed the Mary A. Burnham School, in honor of founder Burnham.
- 1909: The Elmhurst School is founded in Connersville, IndianaConnersville, IndianaAt the 2000 census, there were 15,411 people, 6,382 households and 4,135 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,894.5 per square mile . There were 6,974 housing units at an average density of 857.3 per square mile...
by Isabel Cressler and Caroline Sumner, also at the urging of Seelye. - 1926: Elmhurst School relocates to a larger campus in Rye, New HampshireRye, New HampshireRye is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,298 at the 2010 census.-History:The first settlement in New Hampshire, originally named Pannaway, was established in 1623 at Odiorne's Point. The first settler in Rye was William Berry...
and is renamed the Stoneleigh School for Girls. - 1930: The Stoneleigh School for Girls merges with Prospect Hill School forming Stoneleigh-Prospect Hill School on what is today the Stoneleigh-Burnham School campus.
- 1968: Stoneleigh-Prospect Hill merges with the Mary A. Burnham School to form Stoneleigh-Burnham School.
Academics
Stoneleigh-Burnham School is a small community with a wide array of academic offerings. The academic schedule works on trimesters in which class size ranges from 6-12 students, with a student to faculty ratio of 6:1. The school offers 11 advanced placement (AP) courses and has a college acceptance rate of 100%. The school is in the process of becoming an International Baccalaureate school.Athletics
Stoneleigh-Burnham School provides its students with several athletic opportunities. Fall offerings include soccer, volleyball, fitness, dance and horseback riding. Winter offerings include basketball, fitness, skiing, figure skating, dance and riding. In the spring, the school offers lacrosse, softball, tennis, dance and riding. The equestrian team and facilities are one of the things the school is known for.Stoneleigh-Burnham athletes play with motto: Win without boasting, lose without excuse!
Arts
The performing and fine arts are a large part of the Stoneleigh-Burnham experience. Stoneleigh-Burnham students take part in numerous performing and visual art presentations many times throughout the year, both on and off campus.SBS visual art course offerings include Digital Photography; Desktop Publishing & Photoshop (working with the Adobe Creative Suite
Adobe Creative Suite
Adobe Creative Suite is a collection of graphic design, video editing, and web development applications made by Adobe Systems. The collection consists of Adobe's applications , that are based on various technologies...
); Ceramics; Painting; Advanced Placement Art
Music courses include: Octet Vocal Group; Chorus; Big Band; Jazz Combo; Middle School Instrumental Class; Chamber Music; Music Theory; World Music; Middle School Vocal Class, Middle School Select Chorus
Dance courses include: Ballet; Pointe, Beginner/Intermediate Dance, Advanced Dance, Dance 7, Dance 8
Acting courses include: Acting I, Acting II, Acting III, Theatre 7, Theatre 8, and the Winter Play
Student life
SBS extracurricular activities include StuCo (the Student Council); the Literary Society; the Debate and Public Speaking Society; Admission's Blue Key Society; the Dance Performance Project; the Octet singing group; peer tutors; Riding Club; Students of Color (SOC); and the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA).Stoneleigh-Burnham’s Debate and Public Speaking Society regularly competes with schools such as Deerfield Academy
Deerfield Academy
Deerfield Academy is an independent, coeducational boarding school in Deerfield, Massachusetts, United States. It is a four-year college-preparatory school with approximately 600 students and about 100 faculty, all of whom live on or near campus....
, Loomis-Chaffee, St. Paul’s, Roxbury Latin, and Phillips Exeter. Many students, including one in 2010 traveled to the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championship.