Cheshire Academy is a co-educational college preparatory school located in Cheshire, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1794 as the Episcopal Academy of Connecticut, it is the eleventh oldest boarding school in the United States.[1] In 1917, the school was renamed The Roxbury School, and trained young men exclusively for the purpose of attending nearby Yale University.[2] Later known as Cheshire Academy, the school was the first private academic institution to accept international students dating back to the 1850s,[3] and as of 2011 it is the only independent school to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in the state of Connecticut.[4]

Cheshire Academy
Address
Map
10 Main Street

,
Connecticut
06410

United States
Information
School typePrivate, college-preparatory boarding school
Established1794 (230 years ago) (1794)
CEEB code070095
HeadmasterJulie Anderson
Faculty~70
Grades9-12, postgraduate
GenderCo-educational
Enrollment~360
CampusSuburban
Campus size104 acres
Color(s)Blue and white
  
MascotThe Cats
YearbookThe Rolling Stone
Tuition
  • Boarding $59,500
  • International $69,500
  • Day $30,950
Websitewww.cheshireacademy.org

The Academy enrolls about 360 students from approximately 31 countries and 19 states in grades 9 through 12 plus a postgraduate year.

Campus

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Bowden Hall, the oldest schoolhouse in continuous use in the state of Connecticut

The campus of 104 acres (0.42 km2) is located in the center of the town of Cheshire. The campus includes five residential dormitories and facilities including the John J. White '38 Science & Technology Center and the Humanities Building. All areas of campus are equipped with wireless access and a fiber optic network with 30 Mb/s access to the internet.[5] In the fall of 2011, Cheshire Academy saw the dedication of the new Simosa track and field.[6] Over the summer before the 2022-2023 school year, Cheshire Academy constructed new tennis courts and playing fields on their campus. At the same time, Cheshire Academy had the Simosa track and field updated. [7]

History

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The town of Cheshire, established in 1780, was originally known for its lighting industry, copper mining, and agricultural productivity. Samuel Seabury, the first Episcopal Bishop of Connecticut, established the Episcopal Academy in 1794, which would later endure several incarnations as The Cheshire School (in the early 1900s), The Roxbury School in 1917, and finally, Cheshire Academy in 1937.[8]

Under the first headmaster, Rev. John Bowden, the school became renowned not only for training young men for the clergy, but also for educating students in the fields of English, Latin and Greek, philosophy, mathematics, and the sciences taught by leading colleges in the country at the time. Erected in 1796, Bowden Hall, the oldest schoolhouse still in continuous use in the state of Connecticut and tenth oldest schoolhouse in the United States, became an all-Cheshire community project, with funds to build the school donated by both churches and local proprietors.[9]

In 1806, Dr. Tillotson Bronson was elected as headmaster. During his twenty-year term at the school, Bronson deemed that young women would be admitted to this once all-male institution, a rare allowance for women at the time. For this reason, many young women were sent to attend the school from distant townships in order to take advantage of such a unique educational opportunity.[10]

Another liberal tenet of the school at this time, as drafted in the school's constitution, was that students were allowed the freedom to practice the religion of their family's choice, regardless of the school's Episcopal affiliation. As stated in the ninth article of the constitution of the Episcopal Academy, "No Bye Laws of the Academy shall compel the Students to attend Public worship, but at such place or places as their respective Parents or Guardians shall direct."[10]

In 1917 the school was purchased by the Roxbury Training Center, and the institution was no longer open to both men and women. The Roxbury School operated with the sole purpose of training young men to enter Yale University. An existing military aspect of the school was abolished, and the school focused now on rigorous academic preparation.[2]

Under long-standing headmaster Arthur Sheriff, the school became Cheshire Academy in 1937. It was not until 1969 that the school returned to its co-ed beginnings, allowing both young men and women to attend classes together.[1]

Recent awards and achievements

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  • High School Mathematical Modeling Contest - In 2007-08, Cheshire Academy entered a team in the Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications[11] annual math modeling contest. The CA team's 60-page model was judged to be in the top 4 out of the 270 teams competing and they were awarded the designation of National Outstanding.[12]
  • Software award - In 2008, five students were awarded Ars Technica's Best Indie Software Award after exhibiting in the Macworld expo.[13][14][15]
  • NEPSAC Bowl Championship - In 2011, the Cheshire Academy boys varsity football team finished off an undefeated season, taking both the Colonial League and NEPSAC championship titles.[16][17]

Signature programs

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Roxbury Academic Support Program - An optional, fee-based program for students in need of additional academic assistance with a trained member of the faculty.[18]

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - Cheshire Academy began to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme during the 2011-2012 academic year.[19]

Arts Major Program - Advanced art students may take a year-long art major class. The class is designed to develop an artist’s passion in their chosen medium while providing a personal studio space to create their portfolios.

Scholarships

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The Goizueta Foundation Scholars Fund, created by Roberto Goizueta '49, provides an annual scholarship for a student of Hispanic background.[20][21]

The Town Scholar Program, established in 1937, provides a full, four-year scholarship to a resident of Cheshire entering the ninth grade.[22]

Accreditation and memberships

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The school is accredited by the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools,[23] New England Association of Schools and Colleges,[24] and The Association of Boarding Schools.[25] Additionally it holds memberships in the National Association of Independent Schools,[26] the Secondary School Admission Test Board.[27] and the IB Diploma Programme[28]

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Cheshire Academy At 200". tribunedigital-thecourant. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  2. ^ a b "The Morning Record - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  3. ^ "Cheshire Academy - Asian Correspondent". Asiancorrespondent.com. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  4. ^ International Baccalaureate. "ISSUU - IB Americas September 2011 eNewsletter by International Baccalaureate". Issuu. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  5. ^ "Top 10 international boarding schools in the US - Asian Correspondent". Asiancorrespondent.com. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  6. ^ "Cheshire Academy To Dedicate Simosa Athletic Field And Track!". Cheshireherlad.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  7. ^ "Ready, Set, Build!". 18 April 2022.
  8. ^ "Cheshire Marker". Hmdb.org. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  9. ^ "Sketches of Church Life in Colonial Connecticut (1902)". Anglicanhistory.org. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  10. ^ a b "Full text of "History of Cheshire, Connecticut, from 1649 to 1840, including Prospect, which, as Columbia parish, was a part of Cheshire until 1829;"". Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  11. ^ "COMAP: Mathematics Instructional Resources for Innovative Educators". Coma.com. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  12. ^ "COMAP: Mathematics Instructional Resources for Innovative Educators". Comap.com. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  13. ^ "Expo Notes: Tooble makers". Macworld. 21 January 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  14. ^ "Cheshire Academy students get a bite of Apple Republican American". Rep-am.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  15. ^ [1] Archived July 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ "Cheshire Academy Football Wins Colonial League, Hosting Choate In NEPSAC Bowl!". Cheshireherald.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  17. ^ "Video". Wfsb.com. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  18. ^ "Cheshire academy : description" (PDF). Den-oweb.petersons.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  19. ^ Cheshire Magazine Fall 2010 p 2
  20. ^ Cheshire Magazine Fall 2010 p 8
  21. ^ a b Cheshire Academy brochure Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine, page 3. Accessed January 17, 2011.
  22. ^ "Cheshire Residents Surprised By Academy's Award Presentation". Cheshireherald.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  23. ^ "CAIS". www.caisct.org. Archived from the original on 29 January 2003. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  24. ^ "New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)". Archived from the original on 30 January 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  25. ^ "TABS - The Association of Boarding Schools". Tabs.org. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  26. ^ "NAIS - National Association of Independent Schools". nais.org. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  27. ^ [2] Archived January 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  28. ^ "Find an IB World School". International Baccalaureate®. Archived from the original on 2014-11-08. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  29. ^ "STUNNER: GREER IS LEAVING". New York Daily News. 14 April 1995.
  30. ^ [3] Archived December 18, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
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41°30′03″N 72°54′03″W / 41.50095°N 72.9009°W / 41.50095; -72.9009