Chestnut Hill Academy

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Chestnut Hill Academy, commonly referred to as CHA, is a Pre-K to 12 all-male independent college preparatory school located in northwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

History

Wissahickon Inn, now Chestnut Hill Academy, Philadelphia, PA (1883-84, G.W. & W.D. Hewitt, architects).

The school's main building at 500 West Willow Grove Avenue was formerly known as the Wissahickon Inn. Designed by G.W. & W.D. Hewitt and built by Henry H. Houston, the Inn opened for business in 1884. Across the street, Houston also built the Philadelphia Cricket Club, and additional land across the street played host to the Philadelphia Horse Show (now the Devon Horse Show). These were popular attractions for Houston's 3,000-acre real estate development, and brought much business to the Inn.

In 1897, the Inn's business began to decline when the Philadelphia Horse Show relocated, and improved transportation caused guests to seek more distant travel spots. In 1898, Chestnut Hill Academy moved to the Wissahickon Inn from its previous residence on 8030 Germantown Avenue. The school and the Inn functioned simultaneously, the school making use of the inn's facilities during its off season, and the Inn doing business when students had gone home for the summer. The Wissahickon Inn closed in 1901, and Chestnut Hill Academy took permanent possession of the property.

The Wissahickon Inn is listed on National Register of Historic Places, and the school retains many of the Inn's original structures today.^[2]

The Academic Program

CHA offers French, Latin, and Spanish language studies beginning in seventh grade, as well as Chinese language courses beginning in the first year of upper school. English is offered and required every year, with honors and AP (advanced placement) options beginning in grades eleven and twelve, respectively.

Athletics

Chestnut Hill Academy's athletic teams play in the Inter-Academic League (Inter-ac) which, since its inception in 1887, remains the nation's oldest and most prestigious interscholastic athletic conference.

While the nickname for all CHA teams has been the Hillers since before 1900, a more popular choice, the "Blue Devils", has been the school's de facto mascot since 1982.

Chestnut Hill emerged as one of the most vaunted soccer programs in Pennsylvania under celebrated coach Jim Talbot during the late 1980s, winning eight consecutive Inter-Ac championships between 1987 and 1994.

The Blue Devils would go another five seasons before their next Inter-Ac title, winning consecutive league crowns in 1999 and 2000 under Bob DiBenedetto. Among the star players on these teams were Dan Gargan '01 (Georgetown/Colorado Rapids) and Jeff Larentowicz '01 (Brown/New England Revolution).

In addition to success in soccer, the school has reeled off several MASA and Inter-Ac squash titles within the last 5 years. In the last 5 years, the squash program has been the most successful athletic program at CHA.

The CHA Crew team has gained a reputation for excellence sending several boats to Nationals. The crew program at CHA has also produced several collegiate and Olympic level rowers hailing from CHA, including J. Adam Holland. Despite its small size, the team is receives high rankings, with 12 of 13 boats making it to the finals in the 2006 Philadelphia City Championship.'

In middle school, students are required to play 3 sports a year, one for each trimester/athletic season. In their high school years, students have the choice to play fewer sports.

The Arts

CHA is well-known^{[citation needed]} for its visual and performing arts programs.

The Upper School division's performing arts groups is known as The Players, who works in coordination with Springside School, the all-girls' sister school located down the street. The Players put on two productions a school year, which are generally met with great reviews by the actors themselves. There is a Middle School drama program for grades 7–8, also working with Springside, which has two productions during the winter, when The Players are not in season.

The main performance space at CHA is the Albert B. Conkey Center for the Performing Arts, well-known to the drama community as "the Rec." The facility previously served as a stable for the Wissahickon Inn.

Students are encouraged to train in music and singing throughout their school careers. Boys in grades 3–8 may participate in the CHA Boychoir, which performs a concert in the winter season and a musical production in the spring. CHA has a primarily 9th grade sing group called the Bluetones, which is a step down from the Hilltones. CHA also has its own men's a cappella singing group, exclusive to students in grades 10–12 who pass an audition. Called the "Hilltones," the group is often featured performing at major school events and functions, as well as in concert and on tour outside of school. The Hilltones also frequently perform with Springside School's a cappella group, called "Laurelei." Together, the Hilltones and Laurelei form a coed SATB ensemble known as the Chamber Singers.

Miscellaneous

CHA recently completed Phase II of its capital campaign with construction of its LEED-certified Rorer Center for Science and Technology [2]. The center, which houses the school's science and robotics programs, is the first LEED-certified school building in the Philadelphia area. Designed as a teaching tool, the center offers working demonstrations of some of the latest environmental technologies and practices (e.g., pervious parking lot, graywater system) as well as visible connections to th elocal habitat through its native species arboretum and a full-size mural of the Wissahickon watershed that features local flora and fauna. Opened in December 2009, the building has already become a nexus of campus activity as well as a visible affirmation of the school's commitment to academic excellence and environmental sustainability. Within months of the building's opening, the CHASS FIRST Robotics Team took a first place finish at the Pittsburgh Regional and went on to finish third in the World Championships in Atlanta, Georgia. The robotics program has been incredibly successful in its short tenure, attaining a first place finish at the Philadelphia Regional in its first year, and a second place finish at the 2004 FIRST Robotics World Championships in Houston, Texas. The robotics team is seen as a powerhouse in the Delaware Valley, taking numerous top-placing finishes throughout its history.

The school's 19th century main building, once an inn, is full of character and ambience. It was one of the filming locations for the motion picture Stealing Home. The film's director Steven Kampmann is a graduate of CHA, and the film featured then-student Thacher Goodwin as the young version of Mark Harmon's character.

Notable alumni

• Bruce L. Castor, Jr., '79, former District Attorney and current Commissioner for Montgomery County, Pennsylvania; Shareholder/Director law firm of Elliott, Greenleaf & Siedzikowski.
• Joseph S. Clark, '18, Philadelphia Mayor, 1952-56; US Senator from Pennsylvania, 1957-69
• Thomas S. Gates Jr., '24, Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of Defense during the Eisenhower Administration
• Dan Gargan, '01, defender for the Colorado Rapids
• Walter Gibson, '15, author of the "Shadow" mystery stories
• W. Anthony Hitschler, '56, founder Brandywine Asset Management (now Brandywine Global)
• Allyn Joslyn, '19, stage, film, radio, and television actor
• Mike Koplove, '95, relief pitcher in the Major Leagues, currently with the Seattle Mariners; won a World Series ring in 2001. He is currently 15-7 in his major league career.
• Irving Langmuir, '98 (1898), Winner of the 1932 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
• David Nalle, '42 American diplomat and scholar.
• Alec Ounsworth, '96, Frontman of the indie-rock band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.
• John Padova Jr., '80, Four-time NCAA Powerlifting All-American 1982,83,84,85; Pennsylvania Superlawyers 2004 and 2005
• Stuart Taylor Jr., Member of the Brookings Institution; columnist for the National Journal and Contributing Editor for Newsweek
• John Wolf, '66, Assistant Secretary of State for Non-Proliferation
• Lud Wray, professional football player and coach
• Jeff Larentowicz, '01, professional soccer player for the New England Revolution
• Pat Meehan, '74, District Attorney for Delaware County, U.S. Attorney, 2001-2008
• George Gordon Meade Easby, '36, Relative, Celebrity, Dilettante
• George Ciukerescu '04, [3] Valencia band member
• J.D. Perry '04, [4] Valencia band member

References

Philadelphia portal

External links

• Official Website

• CHASS Robotics Website

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Coordinates: 40°03′44″N 75°12′31″W / 40.0622°N 75.2086°W / 40.0622; -75.2086