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Groton School

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Groton School
File:Groton.png
Location
Map
Groton
,
Massachusetts

USA
Information
TypePrivate coeducational secondary
MottoCui servire est regnare ("For whom to serve is to rule")
Established1884
HeadmasterRichard B. Commons
Grades8–12
Number of students350
CampusRural
MascotZebra (unofficial)
Endowment$228 million
AffiliationEpiscopalian
Websitewww.groton.org

Groton School is a private Episcopalian boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts. Its student body consists of about 350 boys and girls, from the eighth (IInd Form) through twelfth grades (VIth Form). The school is a member of the Independent School League and is one of the schools collectively known as St. Grottlesex.

Groton School was founded in 1884 by Endicott Peabody, a member of a prominent Massachusetts family, and former pastor. Peabody subscribed to the model of "muscular Christianity" then regnant in English public schools. While visiting with philanthropist Amos Adams Lawrence in Lawrence's hometown of Groton, Peabody discussed the need for a rigorous school to educate the pampered sons of the Northeast elite. Subsequently, Lawrence granted Peabody the parcel of land on which he founded Groton School. Backed by prominent figures of the time, such as Theodore Roosevelt and J.P. Morgan, Groton School secured an endowment of $500,000 before opening, ensuring its success. Peabody headed the school for over fifty years, instituting a Spartan educational system that included cold showers and cubicles. Peabody hoped to graduate men who would serve the public good, rather than enter the professions. The school's motto, "Cui Servire Est Regnare," taken from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, is loosely translated as "Whose Service is Perfect Freedom," or, less elegantly, "To Serve is to Reign."

Groton School has changed significantly over the past 100 years; however, though some traditions remain, such as handshakes to end the day, the school's commitment to public service, its small community, and its attachment to the Episcopal Church.

Campus

The school is organized into five "forms," (grades) 2 (eighth grade) through 6th form (12th grade.) Students generally enter the school in second or third form. They are housed in small dorms, which are run by (and named after) a faculty member who lives in an apartment attached to the dorm.

Groton's campus is beautiful, encompassing a river, forest, and meadows. At the bequest of the Lawrence family, Groton School shares the meadows and mansion along Peabody Road and Farmers Row with Lawrence Academy. Faculty pets are often seen roaming the campus.

Students

Financial aid is provided to 30% of students attending Groton. In 2004, the middle 50% of Groton students earn SAT's between 1270 and 1470. Between 2000 and 2004, Groton graduates attended the following colleges most frequently (in order): Harvard University, Princeton University, Brown University, Georgetown University, Middlebury College, Trinity College, University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University, Yale University, and Stanford University. A large portion of the students who are admitted to such elite universities, however, regularly benefit from legacy preferences and financial donations from family members.

Traditions

Groton is a close-knit community. Faculty lives almost entirely on campus. Classes are small, with a typical class ranging from 12-15 students. All students are required to participate in either sports or theater. There are regularly scheduled sit-down dinners during the fall and spring terms, for which both students and faculty dress formally. On the school's birthday, a sit-down dinner features a jolly singing of a song called "Blue Bottles" (which is similar to "100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall"). At the request of the VIth form, the Vth form gathers at the entrance to the dining hall and, under the conductorship of a faculty alumnus who sets the tempo of the song by swinging a large carving knife back and forth, counts down the age of the school. Following Thursday evening sit-down dinners, many students and faculty gather in a room below the dining hall for an intramural debate featuring members of the school's Debating Society -- Groton's oldest extracurricular organization.

On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, the Groton community begins the day with a non-denominational (and often a non-Christian) Chapel service. Daily chapel begins with a short prayer and is followed by a "chapel talk" authored and delivered by the Headmaster, Chaplain, a faculty member, or a member of the student body. Most students give a chapel talk before graduating, usually as VIth formers. Daily chapel concludes with a hymn and is followed immediately by a student work program and "Roll Call."

Originally intended for taking attendance, Roll Call is now a general assembly where daily announcements are made. Led by one of the school's two Senior Prefects, the Brooks House Prefect, or the Hundred House Prefect (all of whom are members of the VIth Form and are elected by their peers), Roll Call usually features both clever and entertaining skits and serious announcements. Once a term, the Headmaster calls off class and announces a Surprise Holiday. Surprise Holiday is announced at Roll Call by the appearance of a bright green jacket, usually integrated into a skit. One day near the end of the year, the VIth form will collectively conduct a filibuster during Roll Call, causing the meeting to run well into (and sometimes right through) first period.

The most notable of the school's traditions is that of hand-shaking. As noted above, each day at Groton concludes with students shaking hands with their dorm heads and prefects. As part of the school's commencement proceedings, every member of the VIth form shakes hands with both the entire faculty and all underclassmen. After examinations, a similar ritual takes place as all underclassmen shake hands with the faculty before leaving for summer vacation.

Sports

  • Fall: Cross country and soccer for both boys and girls, football for boys, and field hockey for girls.
  • Winter: Squash, basketball, and hockey for both boys and girls.
  • Spring: Lacrosse, crew, and tennis for both boys and girls, and baseball for boys.

Groton's athletic rival is St. Mark's School.

Abuse Scandal

In 1999, Massachusetts State Police began investigating the claims from a former student that he had been sexually abused by other students in dormitories, the dining hall, and at team practices over a period stretching between 1996 and 1997.In June 2004, the trustees of Groton were indicted by a Middlesex County grand jury for failing to report that the afore mentioned former student had been sexually abused after he had spoken out about the abuse to school officials. The school subsequently pleaded guilty to the criminal charge in April of 2005. [1]

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of Groton School include:

Notes

  1. ^ "Groton School Trustees Indicted." The Boston Globe. June 8, 2004.
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