Marvelwood School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marvelwood School is a college preparatory private boarding school located in Kent, Connecticut, USA. Marvelwood was founded in 1956 by Robert A. Bodkin and Ian Hanna in Cornwall, Connecticut. The founder, Robert A. Bodkin, remained Headmaster until 1981. He was succeeded by Peter B. Tacy until 1989, H. Mark Johnson until 1997, and Anne Davidson Scott until 2005. Scott E. Pottbecker is the current Head of School.
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[edit] Overview
"Founded almost fifty years ago, Marvelwood is a small private school for children that are willing to get involved in their own education and committed to the challenge of preparing for college. Originally located in Cornwall, Connecticut, Marvelwood moved to the former Girl’s Kent campus in the mid 90’s. Built in the early 1960’s, the campus has gone through a number of renovations, and is slowly being updated once again to meet the needs of our students and faculty. The school is in the midst of a capital campaign to build a new gymnasium, and once complete will begin a campaign to renovate the campus." - Scott E. Pottbecker, Head of School (2005-Present)
In 1995, Marvelwood moved its campus from cramped quarters in Cornwall to the former Kent School girls campus about 10 miles away on Skiff Mountain in Kent. The location is relatively isolated, surrounded by conservancy lands, and provides an ideal environment for a small boarding school. The facilities were a significant improvement over those in Cornwall; the 1960s-era buildings on the girls campus are in the midst of much needed renovations and upgrading including a new athletic facilty, due for completion in August of 2007. The 50th anniversary celebration was a highlight of the 2006-07 school year.
Marvelwood has long enjoyed a reputation as a school that does a solid job of educating otherwise capable students who have been either unwilling or unable to succeed in a less structured environment. The school is currently attempting to carve out an admissions niche that distinguishes it from some of its peer schools, including Cheshire Academy, The Storm King School, Forman School, South Kent School and Darrow School. As is the case with many of those institutions, Marvelwood often struggles to recruit enough full-paying boarding students who can meet the demands of its relatively rigorous college-prep curriculum. The school has consistently shunned the learning-disabilities label, although the reality is that a significant percentage of Marvelwood's student body falls into that category.
Marvelwood recently became a Schools Attuned institution through Dr. Mel Levine's nationally recognized program. This training, underwent by all faculty members, furthers the school's mission to celebrate and empower the student who learns differently.
Marvelwood holds membership in the National Association of Independent Schools and is accredited by the New England Association.
[edit] In Films
Marvelwood is portrayed as "Cornwall Academy" in the film Outside Providence. [1]
[edit] Notable Alumni
- Jake Burton - Founder of Burton Snowboards
- Lucian Forbes - Chairman, CEO of Forbes Group [2]
- Laura Tyson Li - Former correspondent for the Financial Times and author of "Madame Chiang Kai-Shek, China's Eternal First Lady" [3]
[edit] College Matriculation
Babson College, Bates College, Beloit College, Boston University, Clark University, Colby College, Connecticut College, Denison University, Drew University, Franklin & Marshall College, Gettysburg College, Hamilton College, Ithaca College, Michigan State University, Muhlenberg College, Northeastern University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, School of Visual Arts, Syracuse University, Washington College.
