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| established = 1861 | established = 1861
| type = Private | type = Private
| religion = None
| head_name = Headmaster
| head = Frank P. Steel, Jr. '77
| city = ] | city = ]
| state = ] | state = ]
| country = ] | country = ]
| campus = Urban/Suburban | campus = Urban/Suburban
| enrollment = 607
| faculty = 87
| class = 65
| ratio = 8:1
| year =
| SAT = 1350
| ACT =
| Head of Lower School = Francis Yasharian
| Head of Middle School = Joshe Budde
| Head of Upper School = Marty Baumberger and Christine Heine
| athletics = ] | athletics = ]
| colors = Light Blue and Dark Blue | colors = Light Blue and Dark Blue
| mascot = Blue Devils | mascot = Blue Devils
| conference =
{{Infobox NRHP
| homepage =
| embed = yes
}}
| name =Wissahickon Inn {{Infobox NRHP | name =Wissahickon Inn
| nrhp_type = nrhp | nrhp_type =nrhp
| nrhp_type2 = cp | nocat = yes | nrhp_type2 =cp
| image =Wissahickon Inn, Philadelphia, HABS PA-1720-2.jpg | image =Wissahickon Inn, Philadelphia, HABS PA-1720-2.jpg
| caption =Wissahickon Inn, now the Willow Grove Campus of Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (1883-84, ], architects). | caption =Wissahickon Inn, now Chestnut Hill Academy, Philadelphia, PA (1883-84, ], architects).
| location= 500 W. Willow Grove Ave.<br/>], ] | location= 500 W. Willow Grove Ave.<br/>]
| locmapin = Philadelphia#Pennsylvania#USA | locmapin = Pennsylvania
| area = | area =
| built = 1884 | built = 1884
Line 28: Line 42:
| governing_body = Private | governing_body = Private
| refnum=79002333<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2007a}}</ref> | refnum=79002333<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2007a}}</ref>
| designated_other1_name = Pennsylvania state historical marker
| designated_other1_abbr=PHMC
| designated_other1_date = June 14, 1988<ref name=phmcdatabase>{{cite web | title = Wissahickon Inn - PHMC Historical Markers | work =Historical Marker Database | publisher = Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission | url =http://search.pahistoricalmarkers.com/ | accessdate = December 10, 2013}}</ref>
| designated_other1_link = List of Pennsylvania state historical markers
| designated_other1_color = navy
| designated_other1_textcolor=#ffc94b
}} }}
'''Chestnut Hill Academy (CHA)''' is an all-male Pre-K through 12 ] ] located in northwest ]. Founded in 1861, CHA is the oldest all-boys school in Greater Philadelphia, and has since been a pioneer in non-sectarian single-sex education in the country.
}}

From 1861 to 1952 '''Chestnut Hill Academy''' was an all-male Pre-K through 8th grade ] ] located in ]. The 9th though 12th grades were added, one per year, beginning in the Fall of 1952 with the first High School graduating class in the Spring of 1956. In 2011, CHA merged with its academic partner and neighbor, the all-girls school ]. The two schools together are now known as ].
CHA's sister school is the all-girls ]. Although an all-boys school, CHA students in the upper school (grades 9-12) take coeducational classes with Springside students through the ], which is the unified upper school of CHA and Springside.<ref>https://www.sch.org/page/about-sch</ref>


==History== ==History==
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In 1897, the Inn's business began to decline when the Philadelphia Horse Show moved, and improved transportation caused guests to seek more distant travel spots. In 1898, Chestnut Hill Academy moved to the Wissahickon Inn from its previous residence on 8030 Germantown Avenue. The school and the Inn functioned simultaneously, the school making use of the inn's facilities during its off season, and the Inn doing business when students had gone home for the summer. The Wissahickon Inn closed in 1901, and Chestnut Hill Academy took permanent possession of the property. In 1897, the Inn's business began to decline when the Philadelphia Horse Show moved, and improved transportation caused guests to seek more distant travel spots. In 1898, Chestnut Hill Academy moved to the Wissahickon Inn from its previous residence on 8030 Germantown Avenue. The school and the Inn functioned simultaneously, the school making use of the inn's facilities during its off season, and the Inn doing business when students had gone home for the summer. The Wissahickon Inn closed in 1901, and Chestnut Hill Academy took permanent possession of the property.


The Wissahickon Inn is listed on ], and the school retains many of the Inn's original structures today.<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204000512/http://chestnuthillacademy.org/about_cha/overview/default.asp?groupid=1084 |date=February 4, 2007 }}</ref> The Wissahickon Inn is listed on ], and the school retains many of the Inn's original structures today.<ref></ref>

==Academics==
The school's curriculum is focused in the liberal arts and sciences, with elective courses offered in several fields including computer science, engineering, and the arts. The school offers French, Latin, and Spanish language studies beginning in seventh grade, as well as Chinese language courses beginning in the first year of upper school. All CHA students are required to take an English course every year. Unlike most other private schools in the ], ] still offers an ] curriculum.<ref>https://www.sch.org/page/curriculum-detail?fromId=224309&LevelNum=1028&DepartmentId=17860</ref>

==Athletics==
Chestnut Hill Academy's athletic teams play in the ] (Inter-ac) which, since its inception in 1887, remains the nation's oldest interscholastic athletic conference.

While the nickname for all the school's teams has been the Hillers since before 1900, a more popular choice, a version of the "Duke Blue Devils", has been the school's mascot since 1982.

Chestnut Hill emerged as one of the most vaunted soccer programs in Pennsylvania under celebrated coach Jim Talbot during the late 1980s, winning eight consecutive Inter-Ac championships between 1987 and 1994.

The Blue Devils would go another five seasons before their next Inter-Ac title, winning consecutive league crowns in 1999 and 2000 under Bob DiBenedetto. Among the star players on these teams were ], class of 2001, who went on to play for Georgetown and the ], and ], class of 2001, who played for Brown and the ].

CHA's crew has sent several boats to Nationals and produced several collegiate and Olympic-level rowers, including J. Adam Holland. In 2006, 12 of 13 boats made it to the finals of the Philadelphia City Championship.

In middle school, students are required to play three sports a year, one for each trimester/athletic season. In their high school years, students may play fewer.

==Arts==
The Upper School division's drama group, The Players, works with ], the all-girls sister school located down the street to put on two productions per school year. A Middle School drama program for grades 7–8, also works with Springside, to mount two productions during the winter, when The Players are not in season.

The main performance space is the Albert B. Conkey Center for the Performing Arts, also called "the Rec", and formerly a stable for the Wissahickon Inn.

Boys in grades 3–8 may participate in the CHA Boychoir, which performs a concert in the winter season and a musical production in the spring. The school's men's ] singing group, the "Hilltones", is open to students in grades 10–12 who pass an audition. The group often sings at major school events and elsewhere. It frequently performs with Springside School's a cappella group, "Laurelei." Together, the Hilltones and Laurelei form a coed ensemble known as the Chamber Singers.

==Miscellaneous==
The school's Rorer Center for Science and Technology, completed in 2009,<ref>https://www.chestnuthillacademy.org/podium/default.aspx?t=125689</ref> is the first LEED-certified school building in the Philadelphia area.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} The center, which houses the school's science and robotics programs, offers working demonstrations of some of the latest environmental technologies and practices (e.g., pervious parking lot, graywater system) as well as visible connections to the local habitat through its native species arboretum and a mural of the Wissahickon watershed that features local flora and fauna.

Within months of the building's opening, the FIRST Robotics Team took a first place at the Pittsburgh Regional and went on to finish third in the World Championships in Atlanta, Georgia.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} The team also took first place at the Philadelphia Regional in its first year, and a second place finish at the 2004 FIRST Robotics World Championships in Houston, Texas.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}}

The school's 19th-century main building was one of the filming locations for the motion picture '']''.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} The film's director, Steven Kampmann, is a graduate of the School, and the film featured then-student Thacher Goodwin as the young version of ]'s character.


==Notable alumni== ==Notable alumni==
*] (1979): lawyer, politician; Attorney General (interim) and Solicitor General of Pennsylvania; District Attorney Montgomery County, PA, 2000-2008; Commissioner Montgomery County, PA, 2008-2016 *] (1979): lawyer, politician
*] (1918): Philadelphia mayor, 1952–56; U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, 1957–69 *] (1918): Philadelphia mayor, 1952–56; U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, 1957–69
*] (1936): great-grandson of ], celebrity figure, and a famous art/antique collector *] (1936: Relative, Celebrity, Dilettante
*] (2001): ] for the ] *] (2001): ] for the ]
*] (1924): Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of Defense during the Eisenhower Administration *] (1924): Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of Defense during the Eisenhower Administration
Line 62: Line 101:
*] (1942): American diplomat and scholar. *] (1942): American diplomat and scholar.
*] (1996): Musician in ] *] (1996): Musician in ]
*] (1912): developed the first practical ]; Dean of the ] from 1945 to 1948<ref>{{cite web|last=Hepp|first=Christopher|title=Penn's Isaac Starr, 94, Pioneer In Cardiology|url=http://articles.philly.com/1989-06-24/news/26105127_1_heart-disease-medicine-medical-school|work=The Inquirer|accessdate=27 October 2011}}</ref> *] (1912): developed the first practical ]<ref>{{cite web|last=Hepp|first=Christopher|title=Penn's Isaac Starr, 94, Pioneer In Cardiology|url=http://articles.philly.com/1989-06-24/news/26105127_1_heart-disease-medicine-medical-school|work=The Inquirer|accessdate=27 October 2011}}</ref>
*]: Member of the ]; columnist for the National Journal and Contributing Editor for Newsweek *]: Member of the ]; columnist for the National Journal and Contributing Editor for Newsweek
*] (1966): Assistant Secretary of State for Non-Proliferation *] (1966): Assistant Secretary of State for Non-Proliferation
*]: professional football player and coach *]: professional football player and coach
*]: (1977) Owner Bassetts Ice Cream, American's oldest ice cream company and a Philadelphia Institution.


==References== ==References==
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] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]
]
]
]

Revision as of 20:58, 31 May 2018

Chestnut Hill Academy
Location
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
United States
Information
TypePrivate
Religious affiliation(s)None
Established1861
HeadmasterFrank P. Steel, Jr. '77
Faculty87
Enrollment607
Average class size65
Student to teacher ratio8:1
CampusUrban/Suburban
Color(s)Light Blue and Dark Blue
AthleticsInter-Academic League
MascotBlue Devils
Website
United States historic place
Wissahickon Inn
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Contributing property
Wissahickon Inn, now Chestnut Hill Academy, Philadelphia, PA (1883-84, G.W. & W.D. Hewitt, architects).
Chestnut Hill Academy is located in PennsylvaniaChestnut Hill Academy
Location500 W. Willow Grove Ave.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Built1884
ArchitectG.W. & W.D. Hewitt
Architectural styleQueen Anne
NRHP reference No.79002333
Added to NRHPDecember 6, 1979

Chestnut Hill Academy (CHA) is an all-male Pre-K through 12 independent college preparatory school located in northwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1861, CHA is the oldest all-boys school in Greater Philadelphia, and has since been a pioneer in non-sectarian single-sex education in the country.

CHA's sister school is the all-girls Springside School. Although an all-boys school, CHA students in the upper school (grades 9-12) take coeducational classes with Springside students through the Springside-Chestnut Hill Academy, which is the unified upper school of CHA and Springside.

History

The school's main building at 500 West Willow Grove Avenue was formerly known as the Wissahickon Inn. Designed by G.W. & W.D. Hewitt and built by Henry H. Houston, the Inn opened for business in 1884. Houston also built the Philadelphia Cricket Club across the street, and additional land across the street played host to the Philadelphia Horse Show (now the Devon Horse Show). These were popular attractions for Houston's 3,000-acre (12 km) real estate development, and brought much business to the Inn.

In 1897, the Inn's business began to decline when the Philadelphia Horse Show moved, and improved transportation caused guests to seek more distant travel spots. In 1898, Chestnut Hill Academy moved to the Wissahickon Inn from its previous residence on 8030 Germantown Avenue. The school and the Inn functioned simultaneously, the school making use of the inn's facilities during its off season, and the Inn doing business when students had gone home for the summer. The Wissahickon Inn closed in 1901, and Chestnut Hill Academy took permanent possession of the property.

The Wissahickon Inn is listed on National Register of Historic Places, and the school retains many of the Inn's original structures today.

Academics

The school's curriculum is focused in the liberal arts and sciences, with elective courses offered in several fields including computer science, engineering, and the arts. The school offers French, Latin, and Spanish language studies beginning in seventh grade, as well as Chinese language courses beginning in the first year of upper school. All CHA students are required to take an English course every year. Unlike most other private schools in the Delaware Valley, SCH Academy still offers an Advanced Placement curriculum.

Athletics

Chestnut Hill Academy's athletic teams play in the Inter-Academic League (Inter-ac) which, since its inception in 1887, remains the nation's oldest interscholastic athletic conference.

While the nickname for all the school's teams has been the Hillers since before 1900, a more popular choice, a version of the "Duke Blue Devils", has been the school's mascot since 1982.

Chestnut Hill emerged as one of the most vaunted soccer programs in Pennsylvania under celebrated coach Jim Talbot during the late 1980s, winning eight consecutive Inter-Ac championships between 1987 and 1994.

The Blue Devils would go another five seasons before their next Inter-Ac title, winning consecutive league crowns in 1999 and 2000 under Bob DiBenedetto. Among the star players on these teams were Dan Gargan, class of 2001, who went on to play for Georgetown and the Colorado Rapids, and Jeff Larentowicz, class of 2001, who played for Brown and the New England Revolution.

CHA's crew has sent several boats to Nationals and produced several collegiate and Olympic-level rowers, including J. Adam Holland. In 2006, 12 of 13 boats made it to the finals of the Philadelphia City Championship.

In middle school, students are required to play three sports a year, one for each trimester/athletic season. In their high school years, students may play fewer.

Arts

The Upper School division's drama group, The Players, works with Springside School, the all-girls sister school located down the street to put on two productions per school year. A Middle School drama program for grades 7–8, also works with Springside, to mount two productions during the winter, when The Players are not in season.

The main performance space is the Albert B. Conkey Center for the Performing Arts, also called "the Rec", and formerly a stable for the Wissahickon Inn.

Boys in grades 3–8 may participate in the CHA Boychoir, which performs a concert in the winter season and a musical production in the spring. The school's men's a cappella singing group, the "Hilltones", is open to students in grades 10–12 who pass an audition. The group often sings at major school events and elsewhere. It frequently performs with Springside School's a cappella group, "Laurelei." Together, the Hilltones and Laurelei form a coed ensemble known as the Chamber Singers.

Miscellaneous

The school's Rorer Center for Science and Technology, completed in 2009, is the first LEED-certified school building in the Philadelphia area. The center, which houses the school's science and robotics programs, offers working demonstrations of some of the latest environmental technologies and practices (e.g., pervious parking lot, graywater system) as well as visible connections to the local habitat through its native species arboretum and a mural of the Wissahickon watershed that features local flora and fauna.

Within months of the building's opening, the FIRST Robotics Team took a first place at the Pittsburgh Regional and went on to finish third in the World Championships in Atlanta, Georgia. The team also took first place at the Philadelphia Regional in its first year, and a second place finish at the 2004 FIRST Robotics World Championships in Houston, Texas.

The school's 19th-century main building was one of the filming locations for the motion picture Stealing Home. The film's director, Steven Kampmann, is a graduate of the School, and the film featured then-student Thacher Goodwin as the young version of Mark Harmon's character.

Notable alumni

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. https://www.sch.org/page/about-sch
  3. Chestnut Hill Academy
  4. https://www.sch.org/page/curriculum-detail?fromId=224309&LevelNum=1028&DepartmentId=17860
  5. https://www.chestnuthillacademy.org/podium/default.aspx?t=125689
  6. Hepp, Christopher. "Penn's Isaac Starr, 94, Pioneer In Cardiology". The Inquirer. Retrieved 27 October 2011.

External links

US National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
Topics

Lists by county
Lists by city
Other lists
Inter-Academic League
Formerly the Interacademic Athletic Association
Boys' schools
Girls' schools

40°03′44″N 75°12′31″W / 40.0622°N 75.2086°W / 40.0622; -75.2086

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