Blair Academy

Private School|background = #f0f6fa|border = #ccd2d9|name = Blair Academy|image =

Blair_academy.jpg

|motto = Venite, Studete, Discite
("Come, Study, Learn")|established = 1848|type = Private, Boarding|religion = None, Previously Presbyterian|head_name = Headmaster|head = T. Chandler Hardwick III|city = Blairstown Township|state = NJ|country = USA|campus = Rural, 315 acres |enrollment = 434 total
337 boarding
97 day|faculty = 68|class = 9 students|ratio = 7:1|year = 2005|SAT = 620 verbal
610 math|athletics = 24 sports|colors = Blue and White|mascot = Buccaneer|homepage = www.blair.edu|}}

Blair Academy is a private, coeducational, secondary Boarding high school with an enrollment of about 430 students for grades nine through twelve. The school has 70 faculty members . The school's campus is situated on 315 hilltop acres in Blairstown Township, approximately 60 miles west of New York City, in suburban Warren County, New Jersey, United States.

History

The school was established in 1848 by railroad magnate and philanthropist John Insley Blair (1802-1899) with help from the Presbyterian Church and other town fathers of Blairstown Township. Mr. Blair, The Reverend John A. Reiley, minister of the First Presbyterian Church, and Mr. John Bunnell, a local carriage maker, met on April 6, 1848 and agreed on the site for the school. Mr. Blair gave a small building (now known as Old Academy) to be called Blair Presbyterial Academy. Since the universal public education act was ten years away, Blair Academy assumed the task of educating the sons and daughters of local farmers and merchants, soon reaching beyond the surrounding community.

John I. Blair was the school's principal benefactor for a half-century, and his gifts of land and money made the growth of the school possible, such as Locke, East and Insley Halls. Mr. Blair's son, DeWitt Clinton Blair later provided the funds for the construction of Clinton Hall, the gymnasium, and general improvements and expansion of the campus. The original gifts of John I. Blair were made by deeds of trust, which provided for the control and management of the school. From its founding and through the deeds of trust, Blair has always been closely associated with the Presbyterian Church, specifically, the Presbytery of Newton, New Jersey.

Blair was coeducational until 1915, when it became an exclusively boys' school under the direction of Headmaster John C. Sharpe. Coeducation was reinstated in 1970, and the female students now represent almost half of the student body.

Academics

Blair's academic program follows the traditional four-year college-preparatory plan. Diploma requirements are governed by college entrance requirements, and they ensure that all students graduate with an exposure to a wide variety of disciplines.

The academic year is divided into two semesters. To graduate, a four-year student must successfully complete the following units (with each semester yielding 1.5 credits): English, 12; mathematics, 9; modern or classical language, 6; laboratory science, 6; world history, 3; U.S. history, 6; arts, 4.5; religion, 1.5; and health, 1.5. Electives include area studies in Africa, Asian history, politics and government, computer science, environmental science, and the philosophy of religion. A full complement of courses is offered in the visual and performing arts. In addition, for every year a student attends Blair, he or she must complete 3 units of physical education or athletics.

Blair Academy offers a broad spectrum of courses, from the introductory level through Advanced Placement.

Individual participation is encouraged in small classroom sections. Day and evening study periods are supervised by faculty members in the dormitory. Every student is assigned a class monitor who oversees his or her academic life at school. In addition, for the fall term freshmen receive help from faculty members in managing study time and prioritizing academic tasks.

Athletics

Blair primarily competes in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (which includes Blair Academy, The Peddie School, The Lawrenceville School, The Hill School, Hun School of Princeton and Mercersburg Academy). Its traditional mascot is the "Buccaneer" (with the team called the Bucs) and the school colors are navy blue and white. Blair's traditional arch-rival is The Peddie School of Hightstown, New Jersey. Since 1903, Blair and Peddie have competed in football, and the rivalry constitutes New Jersey's oldest continuous prep football competition. Each November, the two schools vie for the coveted Kelley-Potter Cup by playing against one another in a fall sports competition involving all types of fall sports, including football.

During the week leading up to Peddie Day, frivolity abounds at Blair. The campus is bedecked with banners hanging from windows, often poking fun at Peddie's Falcon mascot (known to Blair as the Peddie Chickens). On Peddie Day "Eve," a spirited pep rally, torch procession and stories-high bonfire pave the way for a day of athletic competition. The Bonfire at Blair in the past has been over 80 feet tall, however new fire regulations prohibit such large fires now. A Peddie School football player is burned in effigy in the bonfire every year.

The most successful athletic program at Blair is its wrestling team. Ranked among the best in the nation year in and year out, it has won 26 consecutive National Prep Titles and produced a number of NCAA champions and an Olympic gold medalist. Over the past several years, Blair has developed a respected basketball program whose alums include three active NBA players: Luol Deng, Charlie Villanueva, and Royal Ivey.

The Crew team achieved spectacular results this year under the head coaching of Dale Hurley. In five years of being the Head Coach of the Blair Crew Team, Dale has taken the program from being a small recreational group to being an internationally known team. At the 2006 Stotesbury Cup, the Lightweight Girls 4+ won the bronze medal. All 6 boats that were sent by Blair reached the semi-finals, Blair was the only school to do so. The program has been built heavily in the past 3 years with generous donations from crew parents. In 2004 a Vespoli 4+ Ultralite II named the Precious was donated for use by the Lighweight Girls. In 2005 two Vespoli MII 4+ boats were donated to be used by the senior guys and girls, named Excelsior and The Journey. This year during the 2006 season another Ultralite II was donated by 4 families, the Ares, it will be used by the lightweight boys team. An anonymous donor has pledged to donate two VI hulls.

Facilities

The campus is an architectural mixture of the English Tudor, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and modern buildings with the features and themes that are reminiscent of the older buildings. At the center of the campus are the four major classroom buildings: Clinton Hall, Bogle Hall, Timken Library, and the Armstrong-Hipkins Center for the Arts. Bogle Hall, dedicated in 1989, provides laboratories and classrooms for the math and science departments and includes a state-of-the-art computer laboratory and a 150-seat auditorium. Armstrong-Hipkins Center for the Arts was dedicated in 1997. The renovated Timken Library, a state-of-the-art facility that includes classrooms and a computer center, opened in 1998. Annie Hall, a girls' dormitory, opened in fall 1999. Athletic fields and a roadway system were completed in 1997, the Romano Dining hall was completed in the fall of 2000, and renovation of Insley Hall was completed in 2001. Most recently, Locke Hall, East Hall, Davies Hall, and South Cottage have been renovated.

Trivia

The first film of the Friday the 13th series was shot near the school, and that the Blair Pond (a small pond adjacent to the school), in particular, was the location of the Camp Crystal Lake.

Quick Facts

Enrollment

*Total Enrollment: 434
*Boarding: 337
*Day: 97
*Male/Female Ratio: 57:43
*Number of Post-Graduates: 17
*Percentage of Minority Students: 14%
*Number of Countries Represented: 11 (8% of student body)
*Number of States Represented: 27

Tuition

*Boarding: $33,100
*Day: $24,300
*Tuition covers approximately 73% of each student's annual expenses at Blair Academy. The remainder is provided through endowment income and the Blair Fund.

Financial Aid

*Total Amount of Financial Aid Awarded: $2,885,540
*Faculty/Staff Financial Aid Awarded (included in above figure): $617,220
*Number of Awards: 150
*Percent of Student Body: 35%
*Average Award: $19,514
*Student Loan Program: $93,000
*Number of Loan Recipients: 52

Faculty

*Full-Time Teachers: 61
*Part-Time Teachers: 4
*Instructional Support (Adjunct Faculty): 3
*Administrators: 17
*Student/Faculty Ratio: 7:1

Academics

*Average Class Size: 12
*Calendar: Two terms of classes which meet six days weekly.
*Class of 2005 Average SAT I Scores: 620/610

Accredidation

*Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

School Memberships

*ADVIS â€" Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools
*CASE â€" Council for Advancement and Support of Education
*NAIS â€" National Association of Independent Schools
*NJAIS - New Jersey Association of Independent Schools

Endowment

*Current Market Value (approximate): $55,000,000

Campus

*The campus, set among 315 acres (1.3 km²) of rolling hills in the shadow of the Delaware Water Gap, is home to numerous grand old buildings and in 1992 was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its historic and architectural significance.

Athletics

Fall: Boys' Cross Country, Girls' Cross Country, Field Hockey, Football, Boys' Soccer, Girls' Soccer, Girls' Tennis

Winter: Boys' Basketball, Girls' Basketball, Ice Hockey, Boys' Squash, Girls' Squash, Ski Team, Swimming, Winter Track, Wrestling

Spring : Baseball, Crew, Golf, Boys' Lacrosse, Girls' Lacrosse, Softball, Boys' Tennis, Track

Miscelleaneous

*Blair Academy celebrated its sesquicentennial in 1998

Notable alumni

* John C. "Jack" Bogle. Founder of The Vanguard Group
* John Cassavetes - actor
* Luol Deng - professional basketball player, currently for the Chicago Bulls
* Dr. J. George Franklin - NASA Astrophysicist
* Bob Guccione - Penthouse publisher
* John R. Guthrie - general
* James C. Hagerty - White House Press Secretary from 1953 to 1961 during the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower
* Tucker Max - Internet legend and best-selling author
* Steve Mocco - prominent amateur wrestler
* Gerald S. O'Loughlin - actor
* Stan Rubin - band leader
* John Sebastian - lead singer and guitarist for the band "Lovin Spoonful"
* Herbert J. Siegel - Media magnate and Chris-Craft CEO
* Samuel S. Stratton - Congressman
* William R. Timken - United States Ambassador to Germany
* Charlie Villanueva - professional basketball player
* Robert B. Weaver - Olympic Gold Medalist

External links

*Blair Academy
*National Center for Education Statistics data for Blair Academy
*index of Blair Family Papers housed at the Princeton University Library includes a brief biography and basic genealogy of the family.