The Harley School
Encyclopedia
The Harley School is an independent
college preparatory school serving day students in Rochester, New York
, United States
. Founded in 1917 by Harriet Bentley, The Harley School spans from nursery school to the twelfth grade.
. Originally called The Children's University School of Rochester, it hired a teacher to come from New York City
to serve. The school was intended to be democratic, with scholarships for less privileged children, and to work as a cooperative. It opened on Oxford Street in the city, and later moved to Park Avenue. The initial tuition was $8. With the Spanish Influenza outbreak in Rochester in 1918, the school was shut down. In the fall of that year, Harriet Bentley fell ill and died within a week. In 1924 the school was renamed 'Harley' in her honor, incorporating the first three and last three letters of her name. The school later moved to its current location on Clover Street.
and tennis courts, and a landscaped courtyard. The grounds hold two soccer fields, tennis courts, and a playground, and are bordered by a creek. A distinctive element of the building is the new arts wing, which holds several art studios, a glass blowing workshop, and a pottery studio, and has a bell tower. However, the bells are fake and do not actually ring, a recording is played instead.
, as well as Harvard University
, Dartmouth College
, Cornell University
, Brown University
, Williams College
, Skidmore College
, Oberlin College
, Yale University
, Middlebury College
, Princeton University
, MIT, SUNY Geneseo, The Catholic University of America
, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
, Notre Dame University, George Washington University
, Stanford University
, The College of Wooster
, Emory University
, Pomona College
, Pace University, Duke University, Tufts University, North Carolina State University, UC Santa Barbara, Bentley College, University of Vermont and many others.
. Headed by faculty member Bob Kane, the hospice
program allows students the opportunity to offer palliative care
both locally and as far away as Belize
and India
. Harley is also home to the Horizons program, a six-week summer enrichment program for urban children of limited financial means in grades 1–8. Initiated in 1995 with 24 students, the Horizons program has grown to an enrollment of 107 in 2008.
, when school is dismissed early to allow students to interact outdoors. Other important traditions include the Halloween Parade, the Christmas Feast, 7th grade courtyard campout, Scottish Exchange, the Thanksgiving Pageant, the 2nd grade overnight, and the Trivia Bowl. Most recently the student body, with the assistance and idea from the White Key Club, has spearheaded a campaign to begin building houses for Habitat for Humanity.
Chess Team, Drama Club, Environmental Club, Forensics Team, Gay-Straight Alliance, Mock Trial Club, Philosophy Club, Robotics Team, Ski Club, Student Council, Table Tennis Club, Ultimate Frisbee, Wolf Pack.
, to create larger, more competitive teams. Before the union, Harley's team mascot was a tiger. The combined Harley and Allendale-Columbia teams, frequently referred to as H.A.C., originally competed as the Harley Allendale-Columbia Braves. In 1997, students of both schools voted to change the team name from the Braves to the Wolves. Team supporters are known as the Wolfpack. Their tennis team is the strongest part of their sports program—it received seventh place at the national high school tournament in California despite the small size of their schools.
The school has had success in the Finger-Lakes West Division, including recent sectional titles in Boys and Girls Tennis, Boys and Girls Soccer, and Boys Basketball. The school requires one athletic sport a year in grade 9 and 10, and afterwards strongly encourages participation.
2005-06: Boys tennis (BB), Boys soccer (C)
2004-05: Boys soccer(C)
1998-99: Boys cross country (Class D), boys tennis (C), girls tennis (C)
1997-98: Boys cross country (D), boys tennis (D), girls soccer (DD), girls tennis (C), girls track (D)
1996-97: Boys cross country (D), boys tennis (D), girls tennis (C)
1995-96: Boys cross country (D), girls tennis (C), girls track (D)
1994-95: Girls tennis (C)
1993-94: Girls tennis (C)
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
college preparatory school serving day students in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Founded in 1917 by Harriet Bentley, The Harley School spans from nursery school to the twelfth grade.
History
The Harley School was founded in 1917 by Harriet Bentley and a group of mothers who set out to establish a school for four-year-olds modeled after the schools of Maria MontessoriMaria Montessori
Maria Montessori was an Italian physician and educator, a noted humanitarian and devout Catholic best known for the philosophy of education which bears her name...
. Originally called The Children's University School of Rochester, it hired a teacher to come from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to serve. The school was intended to be democratic, with scholarships for less privileged children, and to work as a cooperative. It opened on Oxford Street in the city, and later moved to Park Avenue. The initial tuition was $8. With the Spanish Influenza outbreak in Rochester in 1918, the school was shut down. In the fall of that year, Harriet Bentley fell ill and died within a week. In 1924 the school was renamed 'Harley' in her honor, incorporating the first three and last three letters of her name. The school later moved to its current location on Clover Street.
Campus
The school is located in the suburb of Brighton. The 25 acres (10.1 ha) campus is composed of a newly remodeled main building, the athletic building, known as the Fieldhouse, which contains an indoor swimming poolSwimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
and tennis courts, and a landscaped courtyard. The grounds hold two soccer fields, tennis courts, and a playground, and are bordered by a creek. A distinctive element of the building is the new arts wing, which holds several art studios, a glass blowing workshop, and a pottery studio, and has a bell tower. However, the bells are fake and do not actually ring, a recording is played instead.
Education
The average class size is 8 students. 75% of the faculty hold advanced degrees. In 2005, 12 students, or 29% of the class, gained National Merits status. This was the highest percentage in the state. Classes are taught in the traditional fields of history, English, mathematics, science, and foreign languages. All students are required to take three years of a foreign language before graduating. For foreign language requirements, Spanish or French may be taken, as well as Latin. Starting in the school year 08/09, Latin is considered a foreign language, instead of an elective. The school also offers many electives, including philosophy, music theory, and personal finance. For the truly ambitious, there is an ancient Greek class during the lunch period.Students
The school has about 550 students in grades Pre-K through 12th grade, a record high number. The students come from more than 30 different school districts, 23% are minority, and 34% are on some level of financial aid. 95% of students take Advanced Placement tests and 100% gain college acceptance, for example to the nearby University of RochesterUniversity of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
, as well as Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
, Skidmore College
Skidmore College
Skidmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,500 students. The college is located in the town of Saratoga Springs, New York State....
, Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
, Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
, Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, MIT, SUNY Geneseo, The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Hobart and William Smith Colleges, located in Geneva, New York, are together a liberal arts college offering Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees. In athletics, however, the two schools compete with separate teams, known as the Hobart Statesmen and the...
, Notre Dame University, George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
, Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, The College of Wooster
The College of Wooster
The College of Wooster is a private liberal arts college primarily known for its Independent study program. It has roughly 2,000 students and is located in Wooster, Wayne County, Ohio, United States . Founded in 1866 by the Presbyterian church as the University of Wooster, it was from its creation...
, Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
, Pomona College
Pomona College
Pomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...
, Pace University, Duke University, Tufts University, North Carolina State University, UC Santa Barbara, Bentley College, University of Vermont and many others.
Community service
All students at the Harley School participate in community serviceCommunity service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
. Headed by faculty member Bob Kane, the hospice
Hospice
Hospice is a type of care and a philosophy of care which focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's symptoms.In the United States and Canada:*Gentiva Health Services, national provider of hospice and home health services...
program allows students the opportunity to offer palliative care
Palliative care
Palliative care is a specialized area of healthcare that focuses on relieving and preventing the suffering of patients...
both locally and as far away as Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Harley is also home to the Horizons program, a six-week summer enrichment program for urban children of limited financial means in grades 1–8. Initiated in 1995 with 24 students, the Horizons program has grown to an enrollment of 107 in 2008.
Traditions
The Harley School maintains many traditions, such as its annual Candlelight Pan-Religious ceremony, and May DayMay Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
, when school is dismissed early to allow students to interact outdoors. Other important traditions include the Halloween Parade, the Christmas Feast, 7th grade courtyard campout, Scottish Exchange, the Thanksgiving Pageant, the 2nd grade overnight, and the Trivia Bowl. Most recently the student body, with the assistance and idea from the White Key Club, has spearheaded a campaign to begin building houses for Habitat for Humanity.
Student clubs and organizations
The school has a considerable number of clubs, especially in the Upper School. Prominent clubs include:Chess Team, Drama Club, Environmental Club, Forensics Team, Gay-Straight Alliance, Mock Trial Club, Philosophy Club, Robotics Team, Ski Club, Student Council, Table Tennis Club, Ultimate Frisbee, Wolf Pack.
Sports teams
The athletics programs at Harley are paired with another private college preparatory school in the area, Allendale Columbia SchoolAllendale Columbia School
Allendale Columbia School is an independent, nonsectarian, college preparatory school for students in nursery through twelfth grade. The Columbia School for girls, established in 1890 by Caroline Milliman and Alida Lattimore, and the Allendale School for boys, established in 1926 by a group of...
, to create larger, more competitive teams. Before the union, Harley's team mascot was a tiger. The combined Harley and Allendale-Columbia teams, frequently referred to as H.A.C., originally competed as the Harley Allendale-Columbia Braves. In 1997, students of both schools voted to change the team name from the Braves to the Wolves. Team supporters are known as the Wolfpack. Their tennis team is the strongest part of their sports program—it received seventh place at the national high school tournament in California despite the small size of their schools.
The school has had success in the Finger-Lakes West Division, including recent sectional titles in Boys and Girls Tennis, Boys and Girls Soccer, and Boys Basketball. The school requires one athletic sport a year in grade 9 and 10, and afterwards strongly encourages participation.
| Sport | Level | Season | Gender |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseball Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond... |
V, JV, M | Spring | Boys' |
| Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
V, JV, M | Winter | Boys', Girls' |
| Bowling Bowling Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule... |
V, M | Winter | Boys', Girls' |
| Cross-Country Cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road... |
V, JV, M | Fall | Boys', Girls', Coed (MD Only) |
| Golf Golf Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes.... |
V, JV | Fall | Coed |
| Soccer | V, JV, MD | Fall | Boys', Girls' |
| Softball Softball Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand... |
V, JV, MD | Spring | Girls' |
| Swimming Swimming (sport) Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native... |
V, JV, MD | Winter | Boys', Girls' |
| Tennis Tennis Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all... |
V, JV, M | Fall (Girls'), Spring (Boys') | Boys', Girls' |
| Track Track and field Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area... (outdoor) |
V, JV, M | Spring | Boys', Girls', Coed (M Only) |
| Volleyball Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive... |
V, JV, M | Fall | Girls' |
- V = VarsityVarsity teamIn the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
, JV = Junior VarsityJunior varsityPrimarily in North America, junior varsity or JV players are the members of a team who are not the main players in a competition , usually at the high school and college levels in the United States and Canada. The main players comprise the varsity team...
, M = Modified
Athletic accomplishments
2006-07: Boys tennis (BB), Girls soccer (C)(Co-Champions with BK)2005-06: Boys tennis (BB), Boys soccer (C)
2004-05: Boys soccer(C)
1998-99: Boys cross country (Class D), boys tennis (C), girls tennis (C)
1997-98: Boys cross country (D), boys tennis (D), girls soccer (DD), girls tennis (C), girls track (D)
1996-97: Boys cross country (D), boys tennis (D), girls tennis (C)
1995-96: Boys cross country (D), girls tennis (C), girls track (D)
1994-95: Girls tennis (C)
1993-94: Girls tennis (C)