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Solebury School

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Coordinates: 40°22′49″N 74°59′21″W / 40.3802°N 74.9892°W / 40.3802; -74.9892
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Solebury School
Address
Map
6832 Phillips Mill Rd

New Hope
,
Bucks
,
Pennsylvania
18938-9682

United States
Coordinates40°22′49″N 74°59′21″W / 40.3802°N 74.9892°W / 40.3802; -74.9892
Information
TypeIndependent day & boarding school
Religious affiliation(s)Nonsectarian[1]
EstablishedSeptember 1925; 99 years ago (1925-09)
StatusCurrently operational[1]
SuperintendentAnette Miller
CEEB code392955
NCES School ID01197388[1]
Head of schoolTom Wilschutz
Faculty47.9 (on an FTE basis)[1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment218[1] (2019–2020)
 • Grade 943
 • Grade 1053
 • Grade 1160
 • Grade 1262
Student to teacher ratio4.6[1]
Hours in school day9.2[1]
Campus typeRural[1]
Athletics conferencePenn-Jersey Athletic Association
NicknameSpartans
Annual tuition$45,180 (day);[2] $66,920 (boarding)[2]
AffiliationNAIS[1]
Websitesolebury.org

Solebury School is a co-educational private boarding and day school located on a 140-acre (57 ha) campus in Solebury Township, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Solebury School's academic program features a college-preparatory curriculum with courses and electives in various subjects and a focus on interdisciplinary and experiential education models.[3]

History

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20th century

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Solebury School was conceived by Robert Shaw,[4] Laurie Erskine, Julian Lathrop, and Arthur Washburn in the early 1920s. It opened in September 1925 in rented quarters with four boys and four teachers. A year later, the founders purchased Michener Farm, which remains the institution's site. In 1949 the school merged with another local school, the Holmquist School for Girls, which had a similar educational philosophy and often shared events and productions.[5] Solebury is often described as a socially progressive or liberal institution.

In the 1980s, a local activist and noted anarchist Abbie Hoffman would give speeches to the student body.[6]

21st century

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The school hosts LGBTQ groups; it produced an entry about bullying for the It Gets Better Project in 2011 and has an active campus club which pertains to sexuality, which students and teachers attend together.[7][8] By participating annually in a local AIDS fundraiser walk, Solebury School has raised thousands of dollars for AIDS organizations.[9]

Sexual abuse

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In 2014, after several alumni claimed they had been sexually abused as students at Solebury, including by the current head gym coach, the school publicly issued a letter of acknowledgment and apology to them by mail in 2014. In a second letter to alums and parents, the school revealed its chief founder, Robert Shaw, had sexual relationships with his students.

On January 26, 2017, Bucks County published the results of a 2015 grand jury investigation detailing testimony considered credible by the district attorney from six former students alleging sexual abuse at Solebury School from the 1950s through 2005,[10][11] identifying nine living adults formerly connected with the school who could be prosecuted.[12] The report was critical of the Solebury School's campus culture as facilitating the abuse.[13]

Prior to this, in the mid-1990s, there was a public sexual abuse scandal at Solebury between a music teacher and an underage student, which was settled in a civil suit in 1998.[14]

Notable faculty

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Notable alumni

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Sex abuse case

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  • Seymour, Kara (February 2, 2017). "Decades Of Sexual Abuse At Bucks County Prep School Detailed In Grand Jury Report". Newtown Patch. Patch Media.
  • Bucks County Investigating Grand jury report on sexual abuse at the Solebury School

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Solebury School". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Tuition and Financial Aid". Admissions. Solebury School. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  3. ^ "Mission Statement - Solebury School". www.solebury.org. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  4. ^ "Solebury School Magazine Summer/Fall 2013 | Solebury School". 2023-07-23. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  5. ^ "Founders of Solebury School – 2003 Honored Citizens | Solebury Township Historical Society". 2013-08-21. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  6. ^ Richardson, Clem (27 September 2004). "The World is his Punch Time". New York Daily News. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  7. ^ "Solebury School: "It Gets Better"". It Gets Better Project. 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  8. ^ "Club List". Solebury School. Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  9. ^ Reed, Valerie (14 November 2014). "Goal for Breast Cancer Bingo: $10,000". Philly.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  10. ^ Bloomquist, Sarah (February 1, 2017). "Grand jury: Decades of sexual abuse at Solebury School". 6abc.com. American Broadcasting Company. Retrieved February 10, 2017. The grand jury heard from six former students — a 7th case was already prosecuted. They described sexual activity with faculty and staff members, both on campus and in cities miles away...
  11. ^ Bucks County Investigating Grand jury report on sexual abuse at the Solebury School
  12. ^ McDaniel, Justine (February 1, 2017). "'No boundaries' for teachers enabled decades of sex abuse at elite Bucks school, report finds". philly.com. Philadelphia Media Network. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  13. ^ Longo, Brandon (February 1, 2017). "Scathing Report Reveals Sex Abuse At Pa. School Spanning 55 Years". CBS Philly. CBS Broadcasting. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  14. ^ Finley, Ben (15 December 2014). "Solebury School failed to act on initial abuse rumors". Philly.com. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  15. ^ Reed, Walt (2001). The illustrator in America, 1860-2000. Society of Illustrators. p. 91.
  16. ^ "Peter Hobbs obituary". Los Angeles Times. 2011-01-15. Retrieved 2011-01-16.
  17. ^ "'Airplane!' actress to appear at Solebury School". Bucks County Courier Times. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  18. ^ Goldman, Lynne (2009-07-23). "Food, Inc. Documentary at the County » Bucks County Taste". Bucks County Taste. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  19. ^ WEACT.org. "WEACT.org > Home > Staff Members > Peggy M. Shepard". weact.nyc. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  20. ^ "Elizabeth Pitcairn performs for Solebury School community". The Bucks County Herald. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  21. ^ "Andrew Bynum". Sports Pundit. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  22. ^ "My schoolmate, Shaun Cassidy". The Broad Street Review. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
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