Chapin School

For the private school in Princeton, see Chapin School (New Jersey).

Chapin School
Address
Map
100 East End Avenue

New York City
,
New York
10028

United States
Coordinates40°46′26″N 73°56′45″W / 40.773901°N 73.945779°W / 40.773901; -73.945779
Information
TypePrivate, day, college-preparatory
MottoLatin: Fortiter et Recte
(Bravely and Rightly)
Established1901 (123 years ago) (1901)
ChairLeeAnn Black
Head of SchoolSuzanne Fogarty[1]
GradesK–12
GenderGirls
Student to teacher ratio7:1
CampusUrban
Color(s)Green and gold
Athletics conferenceNYSAISAA
NicknameGators
Tuition$59,700 (2022–23)
AffiliationsNew York Interschool
Websitewww.chapin.edu

Chapin School is an all-girls independent day school on Manhattan's Upper East Side neighborhood in New York City.

History

[edit]

Maria Bowen Chapin opened "Miss Chapin's School for Girls and Kindergarten for Boys and Girls" in 1901. The school originally enrolled 78 students, who were taught by seven teachers.[2] It developed from a small elementary school Chapin and Alice Wetmore founded in 1894 that was explicitly intended to prepare young girls for success at the Brearley School, which had been created 10 years earlier. Chapin ran the educational side of "Primary Classes for Girls" and Wetmore ran the business end. The two ended their partnership in 1901, and Miss Chapin's School was born.

Chapin's first high school diplomas were granted in 1908, and the last boys attended in 1917.

According to archival sources recounted in And Cheer for the Green and Gold, Chapin was an early feminist and suffragette who focused heavily on character development and intended the school to offer the same classical education as was available to boys of that era.

Chapin remained headmistress until 1932. At her request, the school was renamed the Chapin School after she died, in 1934.

Chapin is at 100 East End Avenue, at East 84th Street. Chapin's school was originally at 12 West 47th Street. In 1905 the school moved to East 58th Street. In 1910 it moved to East 57th Street. The school has been at its current location on the Upper East Side since 1928.[3]

Heads of School

[edit]
  • 1901–1932: Maria Bowen Chapin
  • 1932–1935: Mary Cecelia Fairfax§
  • 1932–1959: Ethel Grey Stringfellow§
  • 1959–1993: Mildred Jeanmaire Berendsen
  • 1993–2003: Sandra Theunick
  • 2003–2020: Patricia T. Hayot
  • 2020–present: Suzanne Fogarty
§ joint headmistresses, 1932–1935

Academics, activities, and athletics

[edit]

Chapin's 802 students are split into three divisions: Lower School (kindergarten through grade 3), Middle School (grades 4 through 7), and Upper School (grades 8 through 12).

Around sixty students start in kindergarten, where they are divided into three classes. Each K class has two teachers, with regular use of teaching specialists (e.g., reading, Spanish, art, music, science, technology, gym, etc.)

There are about 265 students in the Upper School (8th through 12th grades), where they are taught by 53 faculty members. Traditionally, Chapin did not make an effort to replace students who left the school (generally for boarding and coed schools), leading to graduating classes of around 40. Class numbers have changed, so that now many grades contain 65–70 students. A few students are added every year or two, often to compensate for students leaving, and 6–10 are added in 6th grade. The number of students added in 7th and 8th grade varies, but a larger number are added in 9th grade, usually more than is necessary to compensate for the students leaving the school, increasing the class size.

While the lower school program combines progressive and traditional characteristics, the upper school curriculum is considered to be a traditionally rigorous liberal arts program. There are multiple requirements, including at least one modern language and two years of Latin. The Latin requirement is fulfilled in the 7th and 8th grade, and not required for those joining the school past that. The languages offered in addition to Latin are Spanish, French, and Mandarin. While Chapin used to offer AP classes, they were phased out in recent years[when?], and the school focuses on advanced courses of their own design. Electives are called FOCUS courses, and are offered to students starting in 10th grade.

Many students do independent studies or study abroad programs, particularly through Chapin's exchange programs with the St. Hilda's Anglican School for Girls (Perth, Australia) and the American Community Schools (Athens, Greece). Since 2011, Chapin has worked with the Kibera School for Girls in Nairobi, Kenya, developing curriculum ideas and visiting each other's campuses.[4] Chapin is also a charter affiliate member of the Online School for Girls (OSG), in which students can take courses offered to more than 30 girls' schools across the country. New York Interschool courses are offered in advanced math, leadership, and ethics. Mentorship derives from multiple sources, including faculty advisors and peer leaders.[5]

While many Chapin students live on the Upper East Side near the school, others hail from other parts of Manhattan, as well as Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, New Jersey, Westchester, and Long Island.

The student-to-teacher ratio is 6.8 to 1. Twenty-one percent of the students receive tuition assistance, amounting to over $5 million per year.[6]

Among the 21 Chapin activities are the student government (advisory), the student newspaper, the literary magazine, Amnesty International, the Gay-Straight Alliance, the Model UN, and groups dedicated to the study and performance of Classics, dance, drama, music, math, media, the environment, and science. Students are also welcome to start up new clubs during the school year.

There are 18 athletic teams at Chapin, including 15 varsity sports. The Gators compete in the Athletic Association for Independent Schools (AAIS), which is a league composed of the Brearley School, Chapin, Friends Seminary, Hewitt School, Marymount School, Nightingale Bamford School, Packer Collegiate Institute, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Saint Ann's School, and Spence School. Chapin varsity sports include badminton, basketball, cross country, fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, indoor track, lacrosse, soccer, squash, swimming, tennis, track and volleyball.[7]

Traditions

[edit]
The Chapin School

The school's motto is Fortiter et Recte (Bravely and Rightly).

The wheel on the school's seal was chosen by the school's founder because it is the symbol for Saint Catherine of Alexandria, the patron saint of philosophers, thinkers, and educated women. The students leave assembly in a wheel pattern.[8]

Chapin has had a tradition of green/gold competitions since at least 1912. Throughout the year, but especially on the annual Field Day, these green and gold teams fiercely compete until a winner is announced at the end of each school year. Students join their team in 4th grade—when applicable, joining the team of their mother or grandmother—and remain on the same team throughout their time at Chapin.[5]

Commencement ceremonies have remained unchanged for a century. Students wear white dresses and stand together with no differentiation made. No academic awards are given, and there has never been a Chapin valedictorian.[9]

Chapin has long stood in athletical rivalry to the neighboring Brearley School, with which it shares some classes, after-school programs, homecoming, and a robotics team.[10]

The school is divided into sections. The lower school, for students in grades K-3, is centered around a class of 20 students with two teachers and specialists in various areas such as music and PE. In middle school, grades 4–7, students begin to travel around the building to different classes with different students and peers, but the whole grade shares a teacher in one subject area and takes the same curriculum. The high school at Chapin starts in 8th grade.

Facilities

[edit]

All Chapin programs exist under one roof.

Annenberg Library

[edit]

The building features the two-story Annenberg Library with over 45,000 volumes and rooms for multimedia and video editing.[11][12] The library also contains a 3D printing and vinyl cutting room, three student study rooms, a student conference room, multiple lounge and table areas amongst the bookshelves, and a multi-media room. There is a separate lower-school library.

Classrooms and gyms

[edit]

As of 2015, Chapin featured 49 classrooms, eight science laboratories, four art studios including a photography darkroom and a ceramics studio, two music studios, a black box theater, a dance studio, two computer laboratories, four gymnasiums and a greenhouse.

Additional facilities

[edit]

In 2008, construction at Chapin provided new facilities for art, language, science and the greenhouse via expansion of the fifth and sixth floors and addition of the seventh and eighth floors.[13]

A further round of construction began in May 2015.[14][15][16] The new Lower Level Dining Room, a dining space for classes K-5 and multipurpose room, was completed in 2016.[17] When the entire project is completed, Chapin will have grown from 8 to 11 stories and will have a top-floor regulation-size gymnasium to complement its four current gyms, a rooftop turf practice field and fitness center, expanded performing arts facilities, much larger dining facilities, and additional classrooms to provide more flexibility and experiential learning.[18][6][19] Chapin's construction project has drawn opposition from neighbors, who have objected to its scale, its length, and the noise level, among other issues.[20]

College placement and rankings

[edit]

Chapin is typically ranked among the top private schools in the United States.[21][22] An article in The Wall Street Journal ranked Chapin's college placement as third best in the country.[23] Another organization ranked private high schools from around the world based on matriculation to Ivy League colleges, plus MIT, Stanford, Oxford, and Cambridge; they bundled groups of schools, and the top 5 schools were all in NYC (Chapin was joined by Brearley, Collegiate, Saint Ann's School, and Trinity).[24] A different 2024 survey ranked Chapin as the #1 best girls school in the country, and the 4th best K-12 private school in the country.[25]

During the last five years (2015–2019), the approximately 250 graduates have matriculated to over 60 colleges and universities. The most commonly-attended universities: Cornell (15), Duke (12), Georgetown (12), University of Pennsylvania (12), University of Chicago (11), Harvard (10), Brown (9), Princeton (9), and New York University (8).[26]

Notable alumnae

[edit]

For students who left Chapin early, the year below refers to the anticipated graduation year.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Head of School" Archived May 17, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, undated, at chapin.edu. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  2. ^ "School History & Timeline" Archived October 23, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, undated, at chapin.edu. Retrieved May 18, 2009.
  3. ^ "School History & Timeline" Archived October 23, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, undated, at chapin.edu. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  4. ^ "News Post". chapin.edu. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  5. ^ a b "The Chapin School: Quick Facts". chapin.edu. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  6. ^ a b "The Chapin School: Chapin Facts". chapin.edu. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  7. ^ "The Chapin School: Athletics". chapin.edu. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  8. ^ "The Chapin School: Mission & History". chapin.edu. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  9. ^ Goldman, Victoria (2005). The Manhattan family guide to private schools and selective public schools. SoHo. p. 158.
  10. ^ "Double X Robotics – Home". robotics.brearley.org. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  11. ^ "The Chapin School: Library". chapin.edu. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  12. ^ "The Chapin School: Curriculum". chapin.edu. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  13. ^ "Urban School Harnesses Daylight, Architectural Firm Is Born | Solera Light Reading". blog.advancedglazings.com. February 23, 2011. Archived from the original on October 28, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  14. ^ "Chapin Expansion Plan Nixed by CB8". ourtownny.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  15. ^ http://www.chapin.edu/uploaded/Building_Planning/letter_to_neighbors_4.22.15_.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  16. ^ http://www.chapin.edu/uploaded/Building_Planning/letter_to_neighbors_3.13.15.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  17. ^ "The Chapin School: Timeline". chapin.edu. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  18. ^ "The Chapin School: Street Images". chapin.edu. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  19. ^ "The Chapin School: Building Project". chapin.edu. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  20. ^ "Chapin School Construction Causes Water Shutoff on Upper East Side Block". DNAInfo. Archived from the original on September 26, 2017.
  21. ^ "The 50 Best Private Day Schools in the United States | The Best Schools". thebestschools.org. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  22. ^ "26 Best Private Schools 2014 – Successful Student". successfulstudent.org. September 22, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  23. ^ "How the Schools Stack Up". The Wall Street Journal. December 28, 2007. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  24. ^ "Best Private Schools in the World". September 13, 2019.
  25. ^ "2024 The Chapin School Rankings". Niche. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  26. ^ "College Matriculation List (2015–2019) – The Chapin School". chapin.edu. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  27. ^ Ware, S.; Braukman, S.L.; Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study (2004). Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary Completing the Twentieth Century. Vol. 5. Belknap Press. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-674-01488-6. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  28. ^ "Mary Abbott: Quintessential American | The Huffington Post". HuffPost. September 11, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  29. ^ a b c "The Chapin School: The Alumnae Presence at Chapin". chapin.edu. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  30. ^ "Girl On Film". unitedmags.com. July 2015. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  31. ^ "The Chapin School: Alumnae Authors". chapin.edu. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  32. ^ "Life of Jacqueline B. Kennedy | JFK Library".
  33. ^ a b c "Lake Bell – Biography – IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  34. ^ Heller, J.; Heller, N.G. (2013). North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary. Taylor & Francis. p. 1977. ISBN 978-1-135-63889-4. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  35. ^ "Calendar: Undergraduate and Graduate Courses". 1918.
  36. ^ "The Fairy Tale That Turned Nightmare?". The New York Times. March 8, 1981.
  37. ^ Doug Wead (January 6, 2004). All the Presidents' Children. Atria Books. p. 260. ISBN 978-0-7434-4631-0.
  38. ^ Small, Michael (August 3, 1981). "At 13, Cusi Cram Doesn't Kid Around; Already a Cover Girl, Now She's Scrubbing Up for the Soaps". People. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  39. ^ "American National Biography Online: Crosby, Caresse". anb.org. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  40. ^ Nadel, I. (2016). David Mamet: A Life in the Theatre. Palgrave Macmillan US. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-230-37872-8. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  41. ^ "The Making of the President's Daughter – Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. June 24, 1971. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  42. ^ "Debutantes then and now, Part I | New York Social Diary". New York Social Diary. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  43. ^ a b "The Chapin School: The Alumnae Presence at Chapin". chapin.edu. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  44. ^ "Neva Rockefeller Engaged to Wed Gerald Medearis; Radcliffe Junior to Be Married to Harvard Graduate in June". The New York Times. September 17, 1964. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  45. ^ "Isabella Selmes Ferguson Greenway King". The Dinsmore Homestead. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  46. ^ "Anna Roosevelt Halsted Papers, 1886–1976 | Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum". fdrlibrary.marist.edu. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  47. ^ "deborahhautzig.com". deborahhautzig.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  48. ^ "Hoffman, Malvina (1885–1966) – Dictionary definition of Hoffman, Malvina (1885–1966) | Encyclopedia.com: FREE online dictionary". encyclopedia.com. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  49. ^ English, R. (1998). Ernie O'Malley. Clarendon Press. p. 181. ISBN 978-0-19-820595-1. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  50. ^ "The Late, Great Theodora Keogh – The Paris Review". The Paris Review. August 22, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  51. ^ "The Viscountess of Vogue". The New York Observer. April 28, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  52. ^ Williams, Alex (November 21, 2004). "The Post-Nanny Diaries". The New York Times. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  53. ^ "Aerin's Hour: A Poolside Lunch Celebrating the Beauty Brand's Collaboration with Net-a-Porter". Vogue. August 10, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  54. ^ "News Post". chapin.edu. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  55. ^ Lord, Ruth; Lewis, R. W. B. (1999). Henry F. Du Pont and Winterthur: A Daughter's Portrait. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-07074-3.
  56. ^ "Anne Morrow Lindbergh." Biography.com." Retrieved: November 17, 2011.
  57. ^ Heller, Jules; Heller, Nancy G. (December 19, 2013). North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-63882-5.
  58. ^ "The Spotlight on Nelson Falls Upon All the Rockefellers". People. Archived from the original on September 14, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  59. ^ a b "The Chapin School: Alumnae Class Representatives". chapin.edu. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  60. ^ [Maud's Journey: A Life from Art. By Maud Morgan. ISBN 0915117169]
  61. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 6, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  62. ^ "Portrait of a Princess to Be: Lisa Halaby's Friends Tell of Her Life Before Hussein". People. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  63. ^ bartlett, apple (2000). sister the life of legendary American interior decorator Mrs. Henry Prish II. new york: st. martin's press. pp. 114–133, 134–158. ISBN 978-0-312-24240-4.
  64. ^ Hall, Lee (1991). Betty Parsons: artist, dealer, collector. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Incorporated. ISBN 978-0-8109-3712-3.
  65. ^ "Joan Payson | Society for American Baseball Research". bioproj.sabr.org. Archived from the original on November 22, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  66. ^ "Miss Chapin's School NYC | Ephemeral New York". ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  67. ^ "Lilly Pulitzer | American fashion designer". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  68. ^ "The Amazing Life of Laura | Andrew Solomon". andrewsolomon.com. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  69. ^ Bryn Mawr College (1919). Bryn Mawr College Calendar. Bryn Mawr College. p. 33. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  70. ^ "News Post". chapin.edu. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  71. ^ "Oral history interview with Lilian Swann Saarinen, 1979–1981 | Archives of American Art". aaa.si.edu. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  72. ^ "He Said, She Said: Najla Said's "Looking for Palestine" – Los Angeles Review of Books". lareviewofbooks.org. March 31, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  73. ^ Cleere, Jan (September 1, 2015). Never Don't Pay Attention: The Life of Rodeo Photographer Louise L. Serpa. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-4728-4.
  74. ^ "EDUCATION: Death of Miss Chapin – TIME". Time. March 19, 1934. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  75. ^ "Trump Power: Ivanka Trump". Marie Claire. January 29, 2007. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  76. ^ Todd, A.M. (2007). Vera Wang. Facts On File, Incorporated. p. 17. ISBN 978-1-4381-0038-8. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  77. ^ "Sigourney Weaver biodata". IMDb. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  78. ^ "New Again: Sigourney Weaver – Page – Interview Magazine". Interview. July 9, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  79. ^ "This Month in American Craft Council History: June 2012". craftcouncil.org. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  80. ^ "Chapin School | Edu in Review Blog". eduinreview.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  81. ^ "The Chapin School: 1961: Then and Now". chapin.edu. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  82. ^ "The Ashford Affair – Lauren Willig – Author Biography". litlovers.com. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  83. ^ "Jane Wyatt | Hollywood Walk of Fame". walkoffame.com. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  84. ^ "Kiran Gandhi". Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  • Noerdlinger, Charlotte Johnson. And Cheer for the Green and Gold: An Anecdotal History of the Chapin School. New York: The Chapin School, 2000.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chapin_School&oldid=1255216091"