The White Mountain School
Encyclopedia
The White Mountain School, often called White Mountain or WMS, is a co-educational, independent boarding school
located in Bethlehem, New Hampshire
, USA
. Established in 1886 as St. Mary's School in Concord, New Hampshire
, the school moved to its current location in 1936, situated just north of the White Mountains
of New Hampshire. White Mountain School has always used environmentalism
and ecology
as major tenets of its curriculum. Nearly all of its graduates attend four-year colleges or universities.
high school called St. Mary's School in Concord
, New Hampshire
. In 1935, Dorothy McLane, the school's headmistress, moved the school north into the White Mountains region, to the estate of Ernest Poole
in Sugar Hill
, New Hampshire; the school was then renamed St. Mary's in the Mountains. One year later in 1936, the school was moved once more to its current location in Bethlehem
, New Hampshire. Over the next 25 years, the Bethlehem campus expanded with the purchase of new dormitories and the construction of new classroom wings. On January 3, 1964, the school's Main Building burned down. The following year, a new Main Building was constructed in its place. Six years later, in 1970, the school began accepting a small number of male day students, and in 1972 the school went completely coed and changed its name to White Mountain School.
on a hilltop providing views of the White Mountains. The campus consists of a Main Building, four dormitories, a building for science and math classes, a gym with cardio machines and weight lifting equipment, an indoor rock climbing wall, a theater, squash courts (now mainly used for storage), and faculty housing.
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
located in Bethlehem, New Hampshire
Bethlehem, New Hampshire
Bethlehem is a hillside town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,526 at the 2010 census. It is home to Cushman and Strawberry Hill state forests. The eastern half of the town is within the White Mountain National Forest...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Established in 1886 as St. Mary's School in Concord, New Hampshire
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
, the school moved to its current location in 1936, situated just north of the White Mountains
White Mountains (New Hampshire)
The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...
of New Hampshire. White Mountain School has always used environmentalism
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
and ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
as major tenets of its curriculum. Nearly all of its graduates attend four-year colleges or universities.
History
The White Mountain School was founded in 1886 as an all-girls EpiscopalEpiscopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
high school called St. Mary's School in Concord
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. In 1935, Dorothy McLane, the school's headmistress, moved the school north into the White Mountains region, to the estate of Ernest Poole
Ernest Poole
Ernest Cook Poole was an American novelist.He was born in Chicago, Illinois on January 23, 1880, and graduated from Princeton University in 1902...
in Sugar Hill
Sugar Hill, New Hampshire
Sugar Hill is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 563 at the 2010 census. Sugar Hill is a venerable resort community which overlooks the White Mountain National Forest, with views of the Presidential, Franconia, Kinsman and Dalton ranges.- History :This town...
, New Hampshire; the school was then renamed St. Mary's in the Mountains. One year later in 1936, the school was moved once more to its current location in Bethlehem
Bethlehem, New Hampshire
Bethlehem is a hillside town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,526 at the 2010 census. It is home to Cushman and Strawberry Hill state forests. The eastern half of the town is within the White Mountain National Forest...
, New Hampshire. Over the next 25 years, the Bethlehem campus expanded with the purchase of new dormitories and the construction of new classroom wings. On January 3, 1964, the school's Main Building burned down. The following year, a new Main Building was constructed in its place. Six years later, in 1970, the school began accepting a small number of male day students, and in 1972 the school went completely coed and changed its name to White Mountain School.
School community
The school is co-educational, serving grades 9-12, with a postgraduate program. The student body of approximately 100 students comes from 25 states and a dozen countries. About 80% are boarding students who live in dorm communities along with faculty members and their families. Approximately 50% of students receive some form of financial aid. Founded in 1886 in the Episcopal tradition, WMS welcomes students of all faiths.Campus
The school's 250 acres (101.2 ha) campus is located between the towns of Bethlehem and Littleton, New HampshireLittleton, New Hampshire
Littleton is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,928 at the 2010 census. Situated at the edge of the White Mountains, Littleton is bounded on the northwest by the Connecticut River....
on a hilltop providing views of the White Mountains. The campus consists of a Main Building, four dormitories, a building for science and math classes, a gym with cardio machines and weight lifting equipment, an indoor rock climbing wall, a theater, squash courts (now mainly used for storage), and faculty housing.