Ross School (East Hampton, New York)
Ross School is a private school K-12 school located on 63 acres in the Town of East Hampton, on Long Island, New York, United States.[2] Named after her late husband Steven J. Ross, the school was founded in 1991 by Courtney Sale Ross as a girls-only day school for their daughter Nicole and several of her friends.[3] [4] The original pre-nursery, nursery, and pre-kindergarten programs were discontinued in September 2020[5]. Ross School transitioned to a co-ed boarding school in 2010 after its founder discontinued private funding. Students in grades 6-12 may board five days per week or full-time. The school has supplemented its budget by catering breakfast and lunch from its café to the Bridgehampton public schools and offering culinary arts and landscaping classes to East Hampton high school students.[6]
Ross School | |
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Address | |
18 Goodfriend Drive East Hampton, New York NorthEast East Hampton , Suffolk , New York 11937 United States | |
Coordinates | 40.969408°N 72.2406°W |
Information | |
School type | Private Boarding, Day |
Motto | Know Thyself in Order to Serve[1] |
Established | Upper School, 1991 Lower School, 2006[1] |
Opened | 1991 |
Founder | Courtney Sale Ross Steven J. Ross |
Head of Upper School | Bill O' Hearn |
Head of Lower School | Jeanette Tyndall |
Faculty | Upper School: 55 full-time, 10 part-time Lower School: 20 full-time, 9 part-time[1] |
Grades | Upper School: Grades 7–12 Lower School, Pre-Nursery–Grade 6 |
Gender | Co-ed |
Number of pupils | Upper School: 344 Lower School: 139 |
Color(s) | Navy |
Athletics | Grades 9–12: Baseball (Boys) Basketball (Boys and Girls) Cross Country (Boys and Girls) Golf (Co-ed) Sailing (Co-ed) Soccer (Boys) Softball (Girls) Tennis (Boys and Girls) Track and Field (Boys and Girls) Volleyball (Girls) Grades 7–8: Baseball (Boys) Basketball (Boys and Girls) Soccer (Boys and Girls) Softball (Girls) Volleyball (Girls) |
Team name | Cosmos |
Accreditation | Middle States Association, Middle States Association International Credential, Absolute Charter from New York State, Green Schools Alliance[1] |
Yearbook | Emerging Voices |
Tuition | Boarding: (Grade 6-Post Graduate): $76,870 (Domestic); $79,030 (International); $71,870 (5-day)
Day: (Grade 5-Post Graduate): $44,110; (Kindergarten): $36,390 |
Affiliation | Independent Day (Grades Pre-Nursery–12, and Boarding School (Grades 6–12) |
Website | ross |
A majority of the student body is international, with the highest-represented nations including Brazil, China, Japan, and Mexico.[7] Head of School Bill O'Hearn has served in similar positions at the Beijing City International School in China and the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, Kenya.[8]
Curriculum
Ross School's curriculum is based on world cultural history and the evolution of consciousness and reflects the collaborative work of its founding mentors, mathematician Ralph Abraham and cultural historian William Irwin Thompson. Cultural history is integrated with other academic subjects, such as language arts, math, and science, at every grade level.[9][10] Field Academy takes place during a three-week period between the school's winter and spring terms. Students and teachers travel and work on intensive projects and courses covering an array of subjects at home and across the world.[11] Seniors present a capstone project that symbolizes the culmination of their journey through the curriculum and integrates the Ross School principles of multiple intelligences, cultural/historical context, personal reflection, application of technology, and pursuit of excellence.[12] Since August 2016, The Montauk Observatory's 20" Meade RCX 400 telescope has been housed at the Ross School, where students and stargazers gather for viewing and free astronomy lectures.[13][14]
Campus
In 2018, the Ross School achieved the founder's original vision by closing its five-building Lower School location in Bridgehampton and moving the early childhood and elementary grades to the Upper School campus in East Hampton. [15][16]
In 2000, the school proposed a 50-building, 600,000-square-foot (56,000 m2) expansion to its 140-acre (0.57 km2) campus which would have made it one of the biggest complexes in the Hamptons. Environmentalists charged that Courtney Ross was polluting the debate by paying to protest proposed expansion of the Long Island Central Pine Barrens protections into East Hampton.[17] The school eventually backed down on the expansion.
Summer events and programs
The Ross School hosts an annual fundraising event in June which has featured Aretha Franklin, the Jonas Brothers, Martha Stewart, Cyndi Lauper and Seth Meyers.[18] The largest event to date was held in 2007: a series of five musical concerts entitled "Social @ Ross" with Prince; Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds; Billy Joel; James Taylor and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The price of a ticket to the series was $15,000.[19]
Summer programs offered by the Ross School include College Prep, English as a second language, marine science, design, Mandarin immersion, engineering, mathematics, and tennis.[20]
Ross Institute
In 1996, Courtney Sale Ross founded Ross Institute for Advanced Study and Innovation in Education. The Institute provides training and certification for teachers interested in establishing schools based on the Ross School model. Mentors associated with Ross Institute include economist Jeremy Rifkin, scientist and engineer Danny Hillis, sociologist Pedro Noguera, neuroscientists Antonio and Hanna Damasio, paleoanthropologist Yves Coppens, and sociologist and media scholar Sherry Turkle. [21] Among the universities and organizations that have worked with the Institute are Harvard's Graduate School of Education; NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development; University of Southern California; Smithsonian Institution, Moorea Biocode Project, Moorea IDEA, and the National Geographic Society.[22]
Notable alumni
- Alumni
- Alexa Ray Joel, singer
- Scott Disick, reality television star
- Victoria de Lesseps, artist
- Tessa Gräfin von Walderdorff, socialite
- The grandchildren of Dame Julie Andrews (Hope Hamilton and Sam Hamilton)
References
- "Quick Facts". Ross School. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
- "Ross School". admissionsquest. admissionsquest. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- Septimus, Matthew. "Students of Truth". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- Eaton, Phoebe. "The Continuing Education of Mrs. Ross". New York Magazine. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- Garrison, Virginia. "Ross School To End Programs For Youngest Students". East Hampton Press. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- Tilghman, Nancy. "Ross School's Cutbacks Set Off Shock Waves". New York Times. New York Times. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- Fairbanks, Amanda. "The World Comes to Ross School". The East Hampton Star. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- Sampson, Christine. "Former Head of School Returns to Ross". The East Hampton Star. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- Delatiner, Barbara. "A Garden of Learning, Growing Like a Weed?; The Ross School Discovers That Gobs of Money and Good Intentions Can't Buy Unopposed Expansion". New York Times. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- "New Way to Learn at The Ross School in New York". Martha Stewart. Martha Stewart. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- Finn, Lisa. "Ross School Students Head Off on 'Field Academy', Focusing on Sustainability at Home and Abroad". Patch. Patch. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- Finn, LIsa. "Ross School's 2016 Senior Project Exhibition Kicks Off in East Hampton". Patch. Patch. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- Vespe, Elizabeth. "Montauk Observatory Gives New Telescope A Test Run At New Ross School Location". Southampton Press. Southampton Press. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- Giustino, Ken. "At The Montauk Observatory". Montauk Sun. Montauk Sun. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- Sampson, Christine. "Ross School Will Consolidate Lower School, Upper School Campuses". Sag Harbor Express. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- "Ross School To Close Bridgehampton Campus, Will Move Lower School Students To Goodfriend Drive". Southampton Press. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- Largest Project Ever Proposed for South Fork - The Pine Line - Spring/Summer 2000
- Seay, Kendra. "The Annual Club Starlight Ball For Ross School In East Hampton". guestofaguest.com. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- Only in the Hamptons: a $15,000 Rock Concert Rich and Famous Drop $15,000 for Five-Act Concert Series
- "Ross School - Summer Term". teenlife.com. teenlife.com. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- "Ross Institute". Vimeo. Vimeo. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- "Ross Institute". rossinstitute.org. rossinstitute.org. Retrieved 23 April 2020.