Gould Academy

Gould Academy
Location
Bethel, Maine
United States
Information
Type Independent School, boarding
Established 1836
Head of School Matthew Ruby
Enrollment 240
Average class size 10–12 students
Mascot Huskies
Annual tuition $49,500
Website www.gouldacademy.org

Gould Academy is a private, co-ed, college preparatory boarding and day school founded in 1836 and located in the small town of Bethel, Maine, United States.

History

The Original Gould Hall c. 1890; Hanscom Hall now stands where this building did.

In 1835 the citizens of Bethel, Maine formed an organization as trustees of the Bethel High School. A hall was fitted up for a school-room and N. T. True was employed as principal. Encouraged by their success, the trustees reorganized and obtained a charter for an Academy, which by act of the Legislature on January 27, 1836, was incorporated as Bethel Academy. A building was erected, Isaac Randall was the first instructor, and the school opened for its first term on the second Wednesday of September, 1836.[1]

Bethel Academy accepted its first tuition-paying students in 1836, both locals and boarders. Reverend Daniel Gould left his $842 fortune to the school when he died in 1843. Gould stipulated that the school be named for him; from then on it was known as Gould's Academy and eventually Gould Academy.[2]

[Significant dates in the Gould family, pronounced as Gold, are: the 1836 year of the birth of Jay Gould (Jason Gould/Gold), were in family documents, there being noted, Daniel Miller II (1763–1839) the father of Daniel Stratton Miller (1798–1878) Married to Ann Kip Bailey, which is relative in those records as being a guardian of Helen Dey, born 1838, wife of Jay Gould, them having one of their 6 children a daughter named Helen Miller Gould born 1868, the town's first pastor who settled in 1799[3] from Cape Cod.[4]]

In 1921, plans to build the Bingham Gymnasium were announced by then president Frank E. Hanscom.[5] In 1933, construction began on Hanscom Hall. In 1936, the Academy earned accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.[6]

William Bingham II,[7] who came to Bethel from Cleveland for John George Gehring's medical care,[8] was a major school benefactor from the 1930s to his death in 1955 and thereafter via the Bingham Betterment Fund.[2] Since the town of Bethel lacked a public high school, all local children were educated at Gould until 1969, when Telstar High School opened.[2]

Academics

Hanscom Hall contains the library, classrooms, and administrative offices

Core departments include English, History, Math, Science, Computer Science & Technology, Performing Arts, Visual Arts, and World Languages. Gould offers honors and AP classes.

Gould operates on a trimester system, and students typically enroll in five to six courses per trimester. Class periods are affectionately known as "dots" (periods), and rotate on an irregular weekly pattern with four dots of each class per week. The fall and spring term schedules include a half day every week on Wednesday, a late start every Thursday, and occasional Saturday classes. The Winter term schedule is based on half days Tuesday through Friday to make time for athletics, mainly the On-Snow Competition programs.[9]

The Academic Skills Center is a special academic support program where students work closely with a learning specialist to develop learning strategies and skills.

Programming

Athletics

Gould's high school teams compete in the MAISAD league of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council. Most sports also branch outside of the league and conference. Fall Sports include Cross Country Running, Dance, Equestrian, Field Hockey, Golf, Mountain Biking, and Soccer. Winter Sports include Basketball, Dance, Snowboarding, Alpine Skiing, Freestyle Skiing, Freeride Skiing, and Nordic Skiing. Spring sports are Baseball, Equestrian, Lacrosse, Rock Climbing, Road Cycling, Skateboarding, Softball, and Tennis.[10]

On-Snow Competition Program

The On-Snow Competition Program includes Alpine, Snowboard, Freestyle, and Nordic Skiing. The program is designed to prepare athletes to compete at the highest levels in every age group. A winter term is available for 8th grade students, from Thanksgiving through March.

Special class schedules and flexibility are available for students competing in the program, especially during the winter.[11]

Four Point

At the end of the winter trimester, each Class pursues a week-long assignment called Four Point, designed to emphasize experiential learning outside of the classroom. Ninth grade students travel abroad as a class, Tenth grade students engage in community service on or near campus, Eleventh grade students take a class winter camping trip in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and Twelfth grade students take on an independent project.[12]

Campus

Sanborn Family Library inside Hanscom Hall, newly renovated in 2011

Gould's 436 acre campus is located in the town of Bethel, Maine, just on the Western edge of "Bethel Village".[13] Bethel sits in the Androscoggin River Valley, with the Sunday River Ski Resort 6 miles up the road and New Hampshire's White Mountains about 20 miles to the west.

Academic facilities

Major academic buildings include the 18,000 SF McLaughlin Science Center built in 2002, Hanscom Hall built in 1935 with the newly renovated Sanborn Family library, the cottage-like Owen Art Gallery building, and Bingham Hall Auditorium for Performing Arts. Gehring Hall is the Girls' Dorm renovated extensively in 1998, Holden and Davidson are the Boys' dorms, and Ordway Hall is where Gould's dining facility is located. There is also a working farm on campus.

Athletic facilities

Ordway Hall, Dining Hall at Gould Academy, Built in 1998

The Farnsworth Field House is a multi-purpose complex that his home to Lombard Basketball Court, a fitness and weight-training center, an athletic training room, a trampoline room, an indoor skate park, two tennis courts, and a team room. Outdoors are four tennis courts, four full-sized athletic fields, an artificial turf field, a baseball and softball diamond, and an 18-hole golf course at the Bethel Inn Resort.[10]

The on-snow competition programs utilize Sunday River for training. There are 40 km of trails connecting directly to campus utilized for running, mountain biking, and groomed for Nordic Skiing in the winter.

Gould people

Students

About 240 students attend Gould. 45% of the student body come from Maine; 22% of the student body are local day-students. 26% of Gould’s student body is international, while 15% of students come from New England states other than Maine and 14% come from US States outside of New England. Domestic students of color represent 5% of the community. About 30% of students compete in the On-Snow Competition program.

In the Class of 2011, 43 students (63% of the class) took 134 AP exams by the end of their junior and senior years combined. 56% earned a 3 or better, and 34% earned a 4 or 5. 99% of the graduating class matriculates at four-year colleges and universities.[9]

Headmasters of the School

Order Name Years Reference
1 Nathaniel T. True 1835–1861 ??
2 Frank E. Hanscom 1897–1936 [14]
3 Elwood R. Ireland 1937–1947
4 Sidney W. Davidson 1947–1959
5 Edmond Vachon 1959-1967
6 William P. Clough III 1983–2001 [15]
7 Daniel Kunkle 2001–2012 [16]
8 Matthew Ruby 2012–present [17]

Notable alumni

Name Class Notability Reference
Wiley, James S.James S. Wiley c. 1832 U.S. Representative from Maine, 1847-1849
Grover, La FayetteLa Fayette Grover 1838 Fourth Governor of Oregon, member of the United States House of Representatives and served member of the United States Senate [18]
Tibbetts, Margaret JoyMargaret Joy Tibbetts 1937 United States Ambassador to Norway 1964-1969
Dysart, RichardRichard Dysart 1948 American actor, known for his role as Leland McKenzie on the NBC legal drama L.A. Law [19]
McKinley, RobinRobin McKinley 1970 Author of Newbery Medal winning novel The Hero and the Crown
Chorn-Pond, ArnArn Chorn-Pond 1985 Human Rights Activist [20]
Bevin, MattMatt Bevin 1985 Businessman and Republican candidate in Kentucky's 2014 Senate election; Governor-elect of Kentucky, 2015 [21]
Bom, ParkPark Bom 2001 Main Vocalist Of Korean Pop Group 2NE1 [22]

References

  1. ↑ "Gould Academy : Historical Sketch" (PDF). Thebetheljournals.info. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  2. 1 2 3 "History of Gould Academy", school webpage. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  3. ↑ "History of Bethel, Maine", From Varney, Geo. J., A Gazetteer of the State of Maine (B. B. Russell, 57 Cornhill, Boston, 1886). Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  4. ↑ "Select Gould Surname Genealogy", selectsurnames.com webpage. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  5. ↑ "William Bingham Gym at Gould Academy". Thebetheljournals.info. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  6. ↑ "CIS Directory of Schools | Independent, Non-Public K-12 Schools (CIS) / Commission on Independent Schools". Cis.neasc.org. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  7. ↑ William Bingham biography, thebetheljournals.info website. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  8. ↑ "Medicine: Master of the Inn" (subscriber access only), Time, Apr. 25, 1927. Review of RHerrick's novel, The Master of the Inn. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
  9. 1 2 "Gould Academy Homepage" (PDF). Mygould.org. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  10. 1 2 "Athletics at our small, New England, prep, boarding school.". Gould Academy. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  11. ↑ "Competition Program". Gould Academy. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  12. ↑ "Four Point". Gould Academy. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  13. ↑ "Gould Academy Profile | Bethel, Maine (ME)". Boardingschoolreview.com. 2013-11-24. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  14. ↑ File:Hanscom Hall Gould Academy History.jpg
  15. ↑ "Holderness School ~ Commencement 2009 Awards". Holderness.org. 2009-05-24. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  16. ↑ "Gould Academy Head of School by Gould Academy". ISSUU. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  17. ↑ Archived December 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  18. ↑ "Oregon Governor Lafayette Grover". National Governors Association. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  19. ↑
  20. ↑ Fleming, J., "Cambodian Travels Hard Road from Labor Camp to Maine Prep School," Los Angeles Times, Nov 24, 1983, p. M5.
  21. ↑
  22. ↑ "Gould Academy shows support for alumna Park Bom!". WeLoveBom. 2011-04-22. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
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