Greenhill School

Greenhill School

Motto	Per Aspera Ad Astra (Reach for the Stars)
Established	1950
Type	Independent, Coeducational, and College Preparatory School
Founder	Bernard Fulton
Students	1,245
Grades	PreK-12
Location	Addison, Texas, United States
Accreditation	National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
Campus	Urban
Colors	Green & Gold
Mascot	Hornet
Newspaper	The Evergreen [1]
Website	www.greenhill.org

Greenhill School is a co-educational day school in Addison, United States that was founded in 1950 by Bernard Fulton. The 78-acre campus is located 12 miles north of downtown Dallas, Texas and enrolls about 1,245 students from 97 different zip codes throughout the Metroplex. The school is the first co-educational, non-denominational Pre-Kindergarten through grade 12 school in Dallas and is a member of both the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS) and the Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC).

Contents 1 Mission statement 2 History 3 Academia 4 Admissions 5 Traditions 5.1 The Water Tower 5.2 First Day of School 5.3 Founder's Day 5.4 The Pranks 5.5 Senior Breakfast 5.6 Homecoming 5.7 Grandparents/Special Friend's Day 5.8 Heart of the Hill 5.9 Color Wars 5.10 Graduation 6 Athletics 7 Fine arts 8 Notable alumni 9 References 10 External links

Mission statement

Greenhill School is a diverse community of learners that strives for excellence; values individuality; fosters a passion for learning; promotes the balanced development of mind, body, and character; encourages service; and instills a respect for others.^[1]

History

While Bernard Fulton was assistant headmaster at the St. Mark's School of Texas, he had an idea to create a co-educational school in Dallas. Thus, Greenhill School was founded in 1950 as a co-educational option in the bubble of independent schools in Dallas. From 1950-1976, Bernard served as the founding headmaster, and at the time, he introduced the concepts of independent co-education, the primer program, and open-space education while the school grew from 62 students to 1,002. After he retired from Greenhill School, he became the headmaster of Lakehill Preparatory School and later, Fulton Academy in Rockwall, Texas was named after him as well. On October 20, 1990, Governor Bill Clements implemented Bernard Fulton Day “for his dedication to the education of young people in Dallas, in Texas, and in the nation."^[2]

Academia

Greenhill's academic structure consists of each subject having a Division Head while PreK-12 Department Chairs supervise the curriculum. The school is divided into four sections: Preschool, Lower School, Middle School, and finally the Upper School which houses about 433 students (9-12) with about 100 in each grade. In 2001, the school was ranked top 40 in public and private schools in Worth Magazine by the number of matriculants to Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. Besides these schools, many students in the last four years have been accepted into colleges such as Emory University, Northwestern University, Southern Methodist University, Texas Christian University, Trinity University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, University of Texas at Austin, Vanderbilt University, and Washington University in St. Louis. The Upper School offers 15 AP courses, and the average SAT scores have increased over the years with the Class of 2008 having 675 verbal, 673 math, and 665 writing. The Class of 2008 also had 21 commended finalists (about a fifth of the grade) for National Merit scholarships, and 10 actual finalists for the scholarship. In addition to academics, students are also required to complete 48 hours of community service upon graduation.^[3]

Admissions

Greenhill has a population of 1243 students, of those students, 433 of them are enrolled in the Upper School. Admission is very competitive, and the school accepts 25% of all applicants. The Greenhill policy “admits students without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, or disabilities.” The admissions process begins in the fall, and applications are accepted one year prior to the year of expected entrance. Applicants take the CATS test in grades Pre-K to Primer and the ISEE test in grades 1-12. Interviews, academics scores, test scores, extra-curriculars, athletic achievements, citizenship, and service are evaluated by the committee. After these materials have been noted, the applicant is subject to three decisions: invited, waitpool, and non-acceptance. Waitpool applicants are placed on a list until an opening is provided in a particular grade. When an opening is available, the Director of Admission will determine which applicant in the waitpool should fulfill the position. If after two weeks there are no openings, the waitpool is disbanded. Non-acceptance is for applicants who are not offered enrollment positions. Tuition ranges from $17,000-$21,050 and increases throughout the child’s education. Financial aid is available for qualifying families and is determined by the school and Student Service for Financial Aid (SSS). The Financial Aid Committee works to make sure that Greenhill is an affordable option, and families must reapply for financial aid each year.^[4]

Traditions

There are many annual traditions celebrated by Greenhill School. Some are all-school events, and some occur within each grade division.

The Water Tower

Each year, the incoming seniors paint the Water Tower in the parking lot with graffiti. They spray their names on it with an overriding theme and picture to depict their grade.^[5]

First Day of School

On the first day of school, students come to school on campus with a painted water tower. The senior class comes to school with females dressed in white and males dressed in black. The whole school also attends an assembly in the Phillips Gymnasium to ring in the new year.^[6]

Founder's Day

Founder’s Day is the celebration of the day Greenhill was founded - September 11, 1950. The whole school meets in the Phillips Gymnasium for an assembly to commemorate two teachers and honor five faculty members. The Student Council President (a senior) lights the Founder’s Day Candle with the current longest working faculty member. During the assembly, the Service-Learning and Community Service program announces the Estelle Dickens service project for the year.^[7]

The Pranks

Traditionally, every few years, Upper Schoolers pull a prank on the entire school. One such prank several decades ago resulted in a infestation of crickets around the school's campus.^{[citation needed]}

Senior Breakfast

The Alumni Association holds the annual senior breakfast in the fall for the graduating seniors. During this time, the graduating seniors meet with alumni and are given their senior sweatshirts.^[8]

Homecoming

During Homecoming, Greenhill has many events for each day of the week. The Student Council decides on the theme for the year’s Homecoming, and students dress up according to the theme. The annual Wildflower Stomp occurs during the week to honor the late Estelle Dickens, one of Greenhill's first faculty members. Green and Gold Day also occurs, and the students dress up in their school colors for game day. The alumni return to attend the Alumni Association Tailgate, and the Homecoming King and Queen are announced during the halftime of the game.

Grandparents/Special Friend's Day

On the last day before Thanksgiving Break, Greenhill hosts Grandparents/Special Friends Day where students can bring their Grandparents and Special Friends to school for the day. When the visitors first arrive at school, they are welcome to music from the Greenhill Singers. The day serves as a time for visitors to discover what the students experience while in school.^[2]

Heart of the Hill

In the fall of 1997, a group of students and administrators explored ways to encourage community and find the unity that Greenhill used to have when it was smaller. They decided to instill a program that brought the school together to learn and celebrate the history of the school. At the same time, the innovators wanted the students to provide service not only to the school but to the community as well. The student population was divided into 80 groups with people from each corresponding grade in their school division (for example, 12th grade, 8th grade, and 4th grade, and Primer). The people in the Legacy group would remain in that group until graduation to encourage friendships and relationships. Heart of the Hill has events each month and works on projects and events like Homecoming, reading, and community service.^[2]

Color Wars

Color Wars was started in the spring of 2008 by the Student Council to promote school spirit and unity. The event consists of each grade in the Upper School (9-12) having a different color (black, white, blue, and red). Points are awarded to the grade that has the most students dressed in their designated color as well as the champions of each event. Each grade competes in a series of events such as Tug of War and Kickball.^[9]

Graduation

Each year, the seniors graduate in June at the Meyerson Symphony Center in Downtown Dallas. The girls dress up in white dresses while the boys wear white tuxedos with an option of either green or gold vests. During the ceremony, many awards and honors are awarded including Valedictorian and Salutatorian.^[2]

Athletics

Greenhill is a member of the Southwest Preparatory Conference which includes private schools from Texas and Oklahoma. Students start playing athletics for the school when they enter the 7th grade and are able to participate in Basketball, Baseball, Cheerleading, Cross Country, Golf, Field Hockey, Football, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Track and Field, and Volleyball. Currently, Greenhill holds the record for the most SPC championships in the conference. Greenhill has had many prominent athletes such as Ashley Rape (Class of 2008) who was featured in Sports Illustrated, and Parade All-America. She currently plays for Duke University and was selected as Gatorade Texas Girl Soccer Player of the Year for 2007-2008.^[10] Chelsey Sveinsson (Class of 2011) was selected as SportsDay’s 2007 Girls Newcomer of the Year and was selected as Gatorade Texas Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year for 2007-2008.^[11] Sveinsson also recently won the 2008 Nike National Cross Country Championship.^[12]

The following records were found at the Greenhill Website and the Southwest Preparatory Conference Website. Due to the lack of retained information, some championships have not been recorded.

Southwest Preparatory Conference Championships

Sport	Year
Boys Basketball	1975, 1998
Girls Basketball	1976, 1998, 1999
Boys Baseball
Girls Softball	1979, 1980
Boys Cross Country	1977, 1981, 1982, 1983, 2006
Girls Cross Country	1984, 1985
Boys Golf	1999, 200
Girls Golf
Boys Football	2000
Girls Field Hockey	1974
Boys Lacrosse
Girls Lacrosse
Boys Soccer	1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
Girls Soccer	1984, 1985, 1987, 1992, 2005, 2007
Boys Swimming
Girls Swimming
Boys Tennis	1973, 1978, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008
Girls Tennis	1973, 2008
Boys Track and Field	1999
Girls Track and Field	1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007
Boys Volleyball	1985, 1986, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008
Girls Volleyball	2001, 2004, 2005, 2006,2007,2008,2009

Fine arts

Greenhill offers courses of study in visual arts, photography, band, orchestra, choir, dance, technical theater, debate, drama, and video production. In Lower School, art and music are taught weekly, and Middle Schoolers get to choose more variety as they complete each grade. Upper Schoolers are able to further their abilities in each course of study and can take AP courses as well. Greenhill is a member of the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest and attends the annual festival each year. The debate program has achieved notable success and has won Greenhill the Tournament of Champions in 2000 (Policy – Ashier Haig and Jordan Pietzsch), 2005 (Lincoln Douglas – David Wolfish), 2006 (Policy – Matthew Andrews and Stephen Polley), and 2008 (Policy – Nicholas Rogan and Olivia Rogan). Additionally, the school hosts a program called RockTalk which has featured artists such as The Fray, Simple Plan, Bowling for Soup, Sorta and Aranda.^[13]

Notable alumni

• Matt Andrews, 2006 Tournament of Champions Debate Tournament Winner, subject of HBO documentary Resolved
• David Berman, musician, Silver Jews
• Jordan Carlos, comedian/actor
• Molly Erdman, actress
• Lesli Linka Glatter, director
• Jackie 'Butch' Jenkins, actor
• Ronald Judkins, Oscar Winner, Academy Award for Best Sound
• Anthony Lovett, author, actor, director
• Martie Maguire, musician, Dixie Chicks
• Jay McGraw, author
• Emily Robison, musician, Dixie Chicks
• Nicholas and Olivia Rogan, 2008 Tournament of Champions Debate Tournament Winners
• Lela Rose, American fashion designer
• Iliza Shlesinger, comedian, Season 6 winner of Last Comic Standing

References

External links

• Greenhill School Website

v • d • e Southwest Preparatory Conference All Saints Episcopal School – Casady School – Cistercian Preparatory School – Episcopal School of Dallas – Episcopal High School – Fort Worth Country Day School – Greenhill School – Hockaday School – Holland Hall – John Cooper School – Kinkaid School – Oakridge – Saint Mary's Hall – St. Andrew's Episcopal School – St. John's School – St. Mark's School – St. Stephen's Episcopal School – Trinity Valley School