Isidore Newman School

Isidore Newman School is a private, nondenominational, co-educational college preparatory school located on an 11-acre (45,000 m²) campus in the uptown section of New Orleans, Louisiana.

Isidore Newman School
Address
Isidore Newman School Location in New Orleans Show map of New Orleans Isidore Newman School Isidore Newman School (Louisiana) Show map of Louisiana Isidore Newman School Isidore Newman School (the United States) Show map of the United States
1903 Jefferson Avenue New Orleans , Louisiana 70115 United States
Coordinates	29.9311°N 90.1116°W / 29.9311; -90.1116
Information
Type	Private, college-prep, day
Motto	Discimus Agere Agendo[1] (We learn to do by doing)
Denomination	Non-denominational
Established	1903
Founder	Isidore Newman (Germany)
Head of school	Dale Smith
Faculty	152 (2008)
Grades	PK – 12
Gender	Coeducational
Number of students	919 (2008)
Average class size	15
Student to teacher ratio	7:1
Campus size	11 acres (4.5 ha)
School colour(s)	Kelly Green, White
Athletics conference	LHSAA
Nickname	Greenies
Accreditation	NAIS – ISAS SACS
Alumni	~6000
Website	www.newmanschool.org
The original school name, Isidore Newman Manual Training School, was changed to its current name in 1931.

Jeré Longman of The New York Times described Isidore Newman as "one of Louisiana’s elite private schools".[2]

History

Isidore Newman School was founded in 1903 by Isidore Newman, a New Orleans philanthropist and founder of the Maison Blanche department store chain. It opened its doors the following year as the Isidore Newman Manual Training School (the name was changed in 1931),[3] and it was initially intended for Jewish children who no longer had their parents or guardians alive. Historically Jewish charities supported the school.[4]

The school buildings suffered damage due to wind[2] and flooding caused by 2005's Hurricane Katrina and was closed for two months.[5] It reopened in January 2006, and by October 2006 enrollment fully recovered.[2]

Academics

Newman offers comprehensive education for students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, organized into Lower, Middle and Upper schools.[6]

Eli N. Evans wrote in the 2005 book The Provincials: A Personal History of Jews in the South that Newman is "highly oriented to college admission".[4]

The school is a member of the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest and the National Association of Independent Schools.

The school also offers four foreign languages, including Honors and/or AP classes in each language: French I-VII, Spanish I-VII, Latin I-VII, and Chinese I-IV

In order to be on the honor roll, students must maintain a 3.67 GPA. This includes a one GPA point addition for both honors and AP courses.

Athletics

Newman's athletic teams compete in the Louisiana High School Athletic Association. The school fields teams on a number of sports, including baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, gymnastics, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and volleyball. Newman held 89 State Championships as of April 2016. The largest building on campus is the Cotonio Palaestra.

Peyton Manning, who later played 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), attended the high school, and led their football team to a 34–5 record during his three seasons as its starter. He was named Gatorade Circle of Champions National Player-of-the-Year and Columbus (Ohio) Touchdown Club National Offensive Player-of-the-Year in 1993.[7] While at Newman, he began wearing the #18 jersey in honor of his older brother Cooper, who was forced to give up football due to spinal stenosis. Younger brother Eli also wore the number when he became starting quarterback. Newman has since retired the #18 jersey and it can be seen hanging in the school gym.[8] Manning was among the most sought after high school players in the country and was recruited by 60 colleges.[9]

Billy Fitzgerald, veteran science teacher and baseball and basketball coach at Newman and the school's athletic director, was the subject of a profile by alumnus Michael Lewis entitled Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life (2005; ISBN 0-393-06091-8).

Jeremy Bleich, later selected in the First Round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft by the New York Yankees, played baseball for the school, graduating in 2005. In high school by his junior year he had what author Michael Lewis described as "a decent fastball, great command, a big-league change-up and charm to burn", and had over 40 colleges recruiting him.[10] Bleich was named a 2005 first-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball (Louisville Slugger), a third-team All American by Baseball America, and the 2005 All-Metro Player of the Year.[11] He was named All-State in Louisiana twice, was the 2004 and 2005 District Most Valuable Player, and in 2003-2005 was named a three-time All-District, All-Metro, and All-Orleans teams player.[11]

In May 2010, ESPN.com ranked Newman at the top of a survey of which high schools produce the best NFL players—even though the school had at the time only produced three NFL players—Omar Douglas and the Manning brothers.[12]

NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. graduated from Newman in 2011.[13]

Enrollment

Newman has a student body of 1,005 and a faculty of 172, with an average class size of 15 students per class. Newman has 430 students in its lower school, 221 in its middle school and 354 in its upper school.

Circa 2005 about 40% of the students were Jewish.[4] Evans wrote that circa 2005 there was social distance between Jewish and non-Jewish students that began with private dances held by non-Jewish students.[14]

Tuition

The average cost of tuition per student per year is $17,947 for grades Pre-K through 5th and $21,798 for grades 6th through 12th.

Principals and Heads of School

• James Edwin Addicott, Principal, 1904-1908.
• Clarence C. Henson, Principal, 1908-1947.
• Eddie Kalin, Principal, 1948-1964.
• William Cunningham, Headmaster, 1964-1976.
• Theodore Cotonio, Headmaster, 1976-1986.
• Michael Lacopo, Headmaster, 1987-1993.
• Scott McLeod, Headmaster, 1993-2005.
• Woody Price, Head of School, 2005-2007.
• T.J. Locke, Head of School, 2007–2013.
• Dale Smith, Head of School, 2013–present

Notable alumni

• Conrad Appel, Metairie industrialist and Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate since 2008.[15]
• Bryan Batt, Broadway stage, film and television actor; co-star of AMC series Mad Men.[16]
• Odell Beckham Jr., NFL wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns. Selected 12th overall in the 2014 NFL draft by the NY Giants, and former teammates with another notable Newman School alumnus, Eli Manning. Won 2014 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
• Jeremy Bleich, American-Israeli baseball player.[17]
• Omar Douglas, NFL wide receiver for the NY Giants.[18]
• Donald Ensenat, former United States Chief of Protocol and US Ambassador to Brunei.
• Walter Isaacson, historian, former editor of Time magazine, chairman and CEO of Cable News Network, president of the Aspen Institute.[19]
• Leslie Jacobs, education reform advocate, business executive and philanthropist.[20]
• Corey Johnson, actor, United 93, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Last Days of Lehman Brothers.
• Michael Lewis, author of best-selling works including Liar's Poker; Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game; Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life; The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game; and The Big Short.[21]
• Randy Livingston, professional basketball player and 1993 Gatorade National High School Basketball Player of the Year.[22]
• John C. Lovell III, Olympic sailor, silver medalist in Tornado class at 2004 Summer Olympics.[23]
• Ed Miller, author of three best-selling books on poker.
• Cooper Manning, former football player, oil and stock trader. Eldest son of NFL quarterback Archie Manning.[24]
• Eli Manning, quarterback for the NY Giants of the NFL and MVP of Super Bowls XLII and XLVI. Youngest son of NFL quarterback Archie Manning.[25]
• Peyton Manning, former quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos of the NFL, and MVP of Super Bowl XLI. Middle son of NFL quarterback Archie Manning.[26]
• Bessie Margolin, US Department of Labor attorney from 1939 until 1972, arguing cases before Supreme Court.
• Chris Mooney, journalist and author of the New York Times Best Seller The Republican War on Science
• A. Brown Moore, businessman and member of the New Orleans City Council from 1950 to 1957; candidate for lieutenant governor in 1956[27]
• Brad A. Myers, Professor of Human Computer Interaction at Carnegie Mellon University.[28]
• Mark Plotkin, ethnobotanist and advocate for tropical rainforest conservation.[29]
• Christopher Rice, best-selling author of A Density of Souls, The Snow Garden, and Light Before Day; son of author Anne Rice.[30]
• Rilan, pop singer, actor, starred in final season of TV Series Glee.[31]
• Monk Simons, elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1963 after playing for Tulane University.[32]
• Bruce Spizer, author of books about The Beatles.[33]
• Sean Tuohy, former professional basketball player, broadcaster for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association, adoptive father of football player Michael Oher.[34]
• Mo Willems, animator, children's book author.[35]
• Mary Louise Wilson, Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning American stage, film and television actress.[36]
• John Minor Wisdom, judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.[37]

References

1. "Isidore Newman School Archives". OCLC.
2. Longman, Jeré (October 24, 2006). "Homecoming Is a Victory, by Any Definition". The New York Times. Retrieved December 3, 2016. - Print: page D1, New York edition, "Homecoming Is a Victory, by Any Definition."
3. "NOLA History: 6 New Orleans Schools of Historic Interest". GoNOLA.com. September 8, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
4. Evans, Eli N. The Provincials: A Personal History of Jews in the South. University of North Carolina Press, 1997. ISBN 0807876348, 9780807876343. // Cited: p. 211.
5. "ISIDORE NEWMAN SCHOOL vs. J. EVERETT EAVES, INC. AND WESTPORT INSURANCE CORPORATION" (PDF). Louisiana Supreme Court. July 6, 2010.
6. "Isidore Newman School ~ Newman at a Glance". www.newmanschool.org. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
7. "MANNING AT A GLANCE" (PDF). Denver Broncos. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 18, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
8. "Manning brothers lift Isidore Newman". ESPN. May 11, 2010.
9. Bradley, John Ed (November 15, 1993). "Like Father, Like Son". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
10. Michael Lewis, "Coach Fitz's Management Theory," The New York Times, March 28, 2004
11. "Player Bio: Jeremy Bleich", GoStanford.com
12. Matt Winkeljohn, "Manning brothers lift Isidore Newman", ESPN.com, May 11, 2010.
13. Hibbert, R. (February 2, 2011). "Newman Senior Odell Beckham Signs with Louisiana State University". Isidore Newman School. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
14. Evans, Eli N. The Provincials: A Personal History of Jews in the South. University of North Carolina Press, 1997. ISBN 0807876348, 9780807876343. // Cited: p. 211-212.
15. "Senator Conrad Appel - District 9". Louisiana State Senate. Archived from the original on October 30, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
16. "Bryan Batt '81 Named Recipient of 2009 Distinguished Alumnus Award". Newman School. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
17. "Jeremy Bleich, '05: Pitching with the Pros". Isidore Newman School. September 30, 2009. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
18. Matt Winkeljohn, "Manning brothers lift Isidore Newman", ESPN.com, May 11, 2010.
19. "The man who won Steve Jobs' trust". CNN Money. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
20. "Newman Distinguished Alumna 2013: Leslie Rosenthal Jacobs '77". Newman School. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
21. "The man who won Steve Jobs' trust". CNN Money. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
22. Gatorade National Player of the Year#Basketball
23. "John Lovell, Jr & John Lovell, III 2006-2007". NASBA Center for the Public Trust. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
24. "Manning brothers lift Isidore Newman". ESPN. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
25. "Eli Manning had Super sense of future while still in high school". NY Daily News. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
26. "Peyton Manning". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
27. "Andre Brown Moore papers". Tulane University. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
28. "Newman News". Newman School. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
29. "Walda Barnett Besthoff '54 and Sydney J. Besthoff III '45, Mark J. Plotkin '73". Isidore Newman School. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
30. "VJ Books presents Christopher Rice!". VJ Books. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
31. Parker, Nancy. "Local musician turns 'different' into success". Fox 8 Live. Frankly Media and Raycom Media. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
32. "Claude "Little Monk" Simons". Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 9, 2013.
33. "Bruce Spizer". beatle.net. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
34. "Sean Tuohy Net Worth". Get Net Worth. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
35. "Publishing Success is Child's Play for Mo Willems '86". Newman School. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
36. "Newman Annual Report 2007-2008". NewmanSchool.org. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
37. "John Minor Wisdom". Notable Names database.com. Retrieved April 8, 2013.

Further reading

• Konigsmark, Anne Rochell. Isidore Newman School: One Hundred Years, 2004 (ISBN 0-9747959-0-9).

External links

• Isidore Newman School official website
  • Archives of older websites
• Isidore Newman School Archives in the Louisiana Digital Library (in collaboration with the University of New Orleans)