George School is a Quaker boarding and day high school in Newtown, Pennsylvania, USA.

History

Founded in 1893 due to religious differences within the Religious Society of Friends as a competitor to the Westtown School ; George School was the nation's second coeducational high school. Although in its origins, most of the boarding students were Quaker, commuters have long come from outside the Friends community, and today Quakers represent a small but active minority of students.

Quaker Influences

Quaker influence on the school is apparent in many of the Friends-derived procedures of the school, primarily the consensus-style faculty meetings (where all must agree). A four-year course of religious study begins with a peer group meetings the first year, year-long "Health and the Human Spirit" class sophomore year, and trimester-long Bible and Quakerism classes during the junior and senior years, respectively. Additionally, all students and faculty gather for a short "Meeting for Worship" once a week, and all boarding students and resident faculty attend a longer such service on Sundays. Also in the Quaker spirit, since 1942 the entire student population performs a weekly "co-op," a sharing of the significant financial aid students' work-study. Finally, in the most apparent difference to outsiders, teachers and students all refer to one another on a first-name basis.

Academics

Aside from the religion program, George School offers a rigorous academic course of study. One of the highlights of George School's academics is the International Baccalaureate program, which certifies students to attend colleges and universities around the world, or can give them an edge at U.S. college admission or early graduation. George School also offers Advanced Placement courses and examinations in Biology, Calculus (AB and BC), U.S. History, Physics, and the school's three foreign languages: French, Spanish, and Latin. Additionally, students in the Portfolio Preperation class have been known to submit their work for the Art AP.

Students must take four full years of a chosen art and follow through with a significant community service project during their final two years.

Athletics

Students are almost always required to play a competitive sport or participate in a physical education program, thus the old saying "Doing nothing is not an option." Starting in the 1996-1997 school year, certain fully-scheduled students were permitted to take one trimester with no athletics. Still, underclassmen must play two competitive sports and juniors and seniors must play one:

• Fall: cross country, equestrian, field hockey, football, soccer, and tennis
• Winter: basketball, swimming, winter track, volleyball, and wrestling
• Spring: baseball, equestrian, golf, lacrosse, tennis, and track and field

Where possible, George School competes in the Friends School League, but in certain sports, such as equestrian, football, and swimming, this is not possible due to the small number of nearby Friends schools that also participate.

Symbols and logos

• The school's seal is an oil lamp with the inscription "Mind the light," referring to the Quaker conception of God as the inner light within all people.
• The logo consists of the two words of the name (the school is never referred to as "The George School") separated by a stylized tree, reminiscent of the large one on the south end of campus.
• The school colors were historically buff and brown, but those proved harder and harder to find for sports uniforms. Since autumn 2000, the school colors have been green and white.
• The mascot is a cougar, occasionally portrayed by one of the cheerleaders. Some say that the cheerleader's cougar costume is more reminiscant of a leopard, due to its spots.

See also

• List of Friends Schools

External links

• George School