Moravian Academy
| Moravian Academy | |
|---|---|
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| Location | |
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Bethlehem, Pennsylvania United States |
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| Information | |
| Type | Independent, Coeducational, and College Preparatory School |
| Established | 1742, 1971 |
| Founder | Countess Benigna von Zinzendorf |
| Headmaster | Mr. Jeffrey Zemsky |
| Grades | Pre-K–12 |
| Enrollment | 810 |
| Campus | Urban (Lower-Middle), Suburban (Upper) |
| Color(s) | Red and Gold |
| Mascot | Lion |
| Website | http://www.moravianacademy.org |
Moravian Academy, located in historic Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the United States, is a prekindergarten through 12th grade coeducational college preparatory school. It predominantly serves students from the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania.
Moravian Academy is an independent school, but traces its origins to the Moravians, who settled Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1741. The Academy descends from the first school for girls founded in the American colonies, Moravian Seminary, founded in 1742 by Countess Benigna von Zinzendorf. It is the ninth oldest independent school in the United States. In 1971, Moravian Seminary for Girls and Moravian Preparatory School merged, creating Moravian as it is today. It was formerly a boarding school, but is now for day students only.
Moravian Academy has a religious heritage in the Moravian Church, but now refers to itself as a "church-related school", welcoming students from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds. The school holds weekly interfaith chapel services for students that both celebrate the diverse religious traditions of the school community and honor the school's Moravian heritage.
Moravian is made up of three divisions: The Upper, Middle and Lower Schools. The Upper School is located on the Merle-Smith Campus, and the Lower and Middle Schools are located in downtown Bethlehem on the Church Street Campus. The Middle School is based in the Devey Building, dedicated to Mr. Devey & Mrs. Devey, a former headmaster and his wife, and the 7 East Market Street Building, a former YWCA building.
The Lower School comprises Primer through 5th grade, the Middle School comprises 6th through 8th and the Upper School contains grades 9 through 12.
In May 1742, Moravian Seminary was founded by Countess Benigna von Zinzendorf, daughter of Moravian Leader Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf. The school was founded as a Moravian girls' school in Germantown, Philadelphia, but was moved to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in June 1742. Soon afterwards, a separate Moravian boys' school was founded. The two schools changed locations frequently in their early days, following the Moravian missionaries around as they fulfilled their vows to preach to the Native Americans in the region.
In order to give the schools more stability, Moravian Bishop Joseph Spangenberg turned them into boarding schools to house and educate the children of missionaries. After a while, the boarding schools began charging large fees for tuition and board which caused many to leave for cheaper schools in the area.
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