George School
| George School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
|
Middletown Township, Pennsylvania, PA United States |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Private, Boarding |
| Motto | Mind the Light |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Quaker |
| Established | 1893 |
| Head of School | Sam Houser |
| Faculty | 81 |
| Enrollment | 539 total 291 boarding 248 day |
| Average class size | 14 |
| Student to teacher ratio | 7:1 |
| Campus | 265 acres (1.07 km2) |
| Color(s) | Green/White, Buff/Brown |
| Athletics conference | Friends Schools League |
| Mascot | Cougar |
| Rival | Westtown School |
| Website | www.georgeschool.org |
George School is a private Quaker (Society of Friends) boarding and day high school located on a rural campus near Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded at its present site in 1893, and has grown from a single building (still standing) to over 20 academic, athletic, and residential buildings. Besides the usual college preparatory courses, including an International Baccalaureate program, the school features several distinct programs deriving from its Quaker heritage. These include service learning trips and community service requirements, an emphasis on social justice and environmental concerns, required arts courses, and community-based decision making.
George School was founded in 1891 and opened in 1893. It is named for John M. George who donated much of the money for the school. It was intended as a school for Hicksite members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) who wanted an alternative to Orthodox Westtown School. The two schools have remained friendly rivals in athletics, although the sectarian rift between them was resolved in the 1950s. The Patterson Cup (commonly known as "the moose" for the moose head at Westtown where the tally was kept by hanging tea bags on alternating antlers) is awarded each year to the school which has won the most varsity and junior varsity contests between the schools. An alumni fundraising competition between the schools, the "Machemer Cup" also exists.
The campus was built on 227 acres (0.92 km2) of the Worth Farm. The owners retained 60 acres (240,000 m2), including the 1756 Tate House and 1804 Worth House. The bulk of the school property was given over in the early years to a farm managed for the benefit of the school. The school's milk and much of the meat was produced there until the farm was closed in 1967. The remaining property including the two historic houses was purchased in 1945. Parts of the campus were leased or given over to Newtown Friends School in 1947 and Pennswood retirement community in 1979.
The first headmaster, George Maris, had been a strong voice in favor of "guarded education," separated from worldly vices, for Hicksite Friends. He was one of the group of Hicksites who courted George and secured a codicil to his will 74 days before his death. He apparently was not an effective headmaster, although the reasons for his lack of success are unclear; he was forced out of his position in 1901, replaced by Joseph Walton, who had also been part of the founding group.
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