Roland Park Country School
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Roland Park Country School (RPCS) is an independent all-girls
college preparatory school A college-preparatory school (usually shortened to preparatory school or prep school) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily designed to prepare students for higher education ...
in
Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, United States. It serves girls from kindergarten through grade 12. It is located on
Roland Avenue This is a list of notable streets in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. A B C D E F G H Heath St. Route 64. (MTA Maryland) K L M N O P R Ramsay st S U W Y Numbered streets In Balt ...
in the northern area of Baltimore called
Roland Park Roland Park is a community located in Baltimore, Maryland. It was developed between 1890 and 1920 as an upper-class streetcar suburb. The early phases of the neighborhood were designed by Edward Bouton and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. History J ...
. An August 2010 ''Baltimore'' magazine article cites RPCS as the "best school for tomorrow’s leaders."


History

The neighborhood of Roland Park in Baltimore, Maryland, was established in 1891 by the Roland Park Company. A school was soon needed.Eden Unger Bowditch, ''Growing Up in Baltimore: A Photographic History'' (Arcadia Publishing, 2001), 56. Therefore, in 1894, the company established the Roland Park School and installed teachers Adelaide and Katherine Howard at 410 Notre Dame Avenue (now 4810 Keswick Road). The school opened there on September 25, 1894. The company hired “a high-quality staff” and turned the school into a “first-rate college preparatory institution.” It became the “first fully accredited independent school for girls in Baltimore.”Judy Colbert, ''Insiders’ Guide to Baltimore'' (Rowman & Littlefield, 2010), 165. *1905: the school was moved to its second location, 210 Roland Avenue (later renumbered 4608). It remained there until 1916. It was a girls’ school, but it admitted boys up to the fourth grade. The principal, Bertha Chapman, instituted a college preparatory curriculum. The first graduating class was in 1907, a class of one. *1907: the first graduate, Katherine Jones Harrison, graduated from a class of one.RPCS-Timeline.
/ref> *1908: the Roland Park Company ended its sponsorship when the school was incorporated as a no-profit under Maryland laws. *1915, ground was broken in October for a new open air school. *1916: construction was completed, so the school moved to 817 W. University Parkway.Roland Park, MD. “Then and Now: West”
/ref> The school remained in that location until 1980. A fire destroyed 75% of the school in 1947: There was another severe fire on the campus in 1976. *1918: the school expanded from seven to eight grades in the Main School. There continued to be four grades in the Primary School. Also, RPCS's Alumnae Association was organized. *1921: a student government was formed.Eden Unger Bowditch, ''Growing Up in Baltimore: A Photographic History'' (Arcadia Publishing, 2001), 57. *1932: the president of the Alumnae Association became the first alumnae representative to the Board of Trustees. *1947: on the night after the June Commencement, 75% of the school was destroyed by fire. The trustees make an immediate decision to rebuild. The school opened, as scheduled, in September. *1963: RPCS changed its admission policy to read: “Application without discrimination for all qualified applicants." *1975: the school hired its first headmaster. It also decided, again, to enroll boys in preparatory through 3rd grade. The curriculum expands with added science, electives, and college guidance. *1976: during Thanksgiving vacation, fire made the new Upper School wing, built in 1968, unusable. School started the following Monday in makeshift classrooms. The trustees had to make whether to renovate or relocate. *1978: the trustees, having decided to relocate, purchased a 21-acre estate at 5204 Roland Avenue, adjacent to St. Mary's Seminary. *1980: the school began using its new facility. The students marched up Roland Avenue from their old to their new campus. *1981: because of a drop in the male birth population and limited space, RPCS terminates admission for young boys. *1987: RPCS,
Gilman School Gilman School is an all-boys independent school located in the Roland Park neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. There are three school divisions: Lower School, grades pre-kindergarten through five; Middle School, grades six through eight; and Upp ...
and
Bryn Mawr School Bryn Mawr School, founded in 1885 as the first college-preparatory school for girls in the United States, is an independent, nonsectarian all-girls school for grades PK-12, with a coed preschool. Bryn Mawr School is located in the Roland Park co ...
begin to coordinate Upper School classes in the Tri-School Coordination program. *1992: Jean Waller Brune, class of 1960, was appointed head of the school, the first RPCS alumna to be so appointed. *1996: Mary Ellen Thomsen became the first female president of the board of trustees. *1996: RPCS completed construction of an Arts Center, a new Upper and Middle School library, science labs, classrooms, a computer center, and an expanded athletic center. *1998: Celeste Woodward Applefeld, class of 1964, became the second female president of the Board of Trustees and the first alumna to hold the position. *2001: RPCS celebrated its centennial and dedicated its new building: Lower School additions, the Smith Middle School, new science laboratories and new Upper School classrooms. Also, the school purchased a building, which had been rented out for
squash Squash may refer to: Sports * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling * Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...
playing, to use as a squash facility. *2008: RPCS completed construction of its Athletic Complex. *2016: Caroline Blatti became the seventh head of RPCS.


Academics

Roland Park Country School (RPCS) has a dual emphasis, one of which is “academic achievement.” The school has 85 classroom teachers, 85% of whom hold advanced degrees. Their average class size is 15 students. The
student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...
is 9:1 compared to a national average of 13:1. RPCS is divided into four schools, each with its own head: Pre-school, Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School. All four offer math, physical education, and science. Pre-school
The Pre-school is open to three and four-year-old girls and boys. The curriculum includes language arts, library, music, art, foreign language, and computer. Lower School
The Lower School includes kindergarten, pre-first grade, and grades 1-5. The courses offered include language arts, French, social studies, Spanish, computer, Mandarin Chinese, music, dance, art, and library. Middle School
The Middle School includes grades 6-8. The courses offered include Chinese, lab skills, civics, French, geography, Spanish, art, ancient history, Latin, music, Technology, dance, English, library, and theater. Upper School
The Upper School comprises grades 9-12. Courses required or offered as electives include foreign language, college prep, public speaking, English, laboratory science, in three sections regular, accelerated, and honors, history, fine and performing arts, affective education, and
SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...
preparation.
Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...
courses are available in twenty-six subjects. RPCS offers a Foreign Language Certificate to Upper School students who meet its formal study and its experience of immersion in a foreign language requirements. The formal study requirements entail studying two languages simultaneously during a student’s Upper School years. The experience of immersion in a foreign language includes participation in one of the
student exchange program A student exchange program is a program in which students from a secondary school (high school) or university study abroad at one of their institution's partner institutions. A student exchange program may involve international travel, but doe ...
, attending a foreign language summer camp or studying abroad in a foreign language. RPCS includes the STEM Institute, as a “school within a school” with its own director. Its purpose is to train Upper School students in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Graduation requirements include formal course work and “a series of semester-long research apprenticeships.” The course work must include two Advanced Placement STEM courses, four full years of science, and four full years of math. In Tri-School Coordination, adopted in 1987, Upper School students are allowed to take courses at Gilman School and the Bryn Mawr School. This provides students in the three schools a choice of 95 electives. Pedestrian bridges connect the three campuses. Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope Lifelong Learning at Roland Park Country School was established in 1947 “to create outreach programs for alumnae, their friends and the Baltimore community”. “Courses, book talks, trips, and summer camps are offered in the fall, spring and summer semesters. Over 100 Kaleidoscope educational programs and entertainment options with 1,000 participants are hosted each semester.”


Diverse student body

In 1963, RPCS changed its admission policy to read: “Application without discrimination for all qualified applicants." As a result, the school enrolls a diverse student body as shown in the following chart.


Athletics

Roland Park Country School (RPCS) has a dual emphasis, one of which is “athletic accomplishment.” Athletic sports have been “formally” a part of RPCS since World War I. The sports offered by the school include badminton, basketball, crew, cross-country, field hockey, golf, indoor soccer, lacrosse, soccer, softball, squash, swimming, tennis, volleyball, and winter track. The school is member of the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland.RPCS-Athletics.
/ref> RPCS began its Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006 to honor those who have made significant contributions to the school’s athletic program. Facilities
Having completed construction of its Athletic Complex in 2008, the school’s athletic facilities include two turf fields, an indoor rowing tank, and a fitness center. Championship teams
RPCS fielded at least one championship team starting in 1981 through 2015 with the exception of six years. In four of these years, four championship teams were fielded as follows:RPCS-Championship Teams.
/ref> *2005: golf, crew, field hockey, tennis *2009: badminton, golf, crew, tennis *2010: golf, crew, squash, tennis *2013: volleyball *2014: badminton, Indoor soccer, softball, volleyball


Notable alumnae

* Sally Buck, baseball team owner and philanthropist * Adena Friedman, business executive, CEO of Nasdaq, Inc. *
Virginia Hall Virginia Hall Goillot DSC, Croix de Guerre, (April 6, 1906 – July 8, 1982), code named Marie and Diane, was an American who worked with the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the American Office of St ...
, undercover Allied agent in France during World War II *
Emily C. Hewitt Emily Clark Hewitt (born May 26, 1944) is a former judge and chief judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims. Early life Hewitt was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She graduated from the Roland Park Country School in Baltimore and in 1966, ...
, former chief judge of the
United States Court of Federal Claims The United States Court of Federal Claims (in case citations, Fed. Cl. or C.F.C.) is a United States federal court that hears monetary claims against the U.S. government. It was established by statute in 1982 as the United States Claims Court, ...
(2009–2013) *
Josephine Jacobsen Josephine Jacobsen (19 August 1908 – 9 July 2003) was a Canadian-born American poet, short story writer, essayist, and critic. She was appointed the twenty-first Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1971. In 1997, sh ...
, writer of poetry, short stories, and non-fiction * Peyton List, actress *
Nicole Ari Parker Nicole Ari Parker Kodjoe (born October 7, 1970) is an American actress and model. She made her screen debut with a leading role in the critically acclaimed independent film ''The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love'' (1995) and went on ...
, actress *
Jane Randall Jane Elizabeth Randall (born August 28, 1990) is an American former fashion model from Baltimore, best known for her participation in the fifteenth cycle of ''America's Next Top Model'' where she tied for 3rd overall. She is now a New Jersey pol ...
, semi-finalist on
America's Next Top Model (cycle 15) The fifteenth cycle of ''America's Next Top Model'' premiered on September 8, 2010 and was the ninth cycle to be aired on The CW network. Several changes were made to the show in a bid to place greater emphasis on high fashion, including a line ...
*
Adrienne Rich Adrienne Cecile Rich ( ; May 16, 1929 – March 27, 2012) was an American poet, essayist and feminist. She was called "one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century", and was credited with bringing "th ...
, poet *
Melissa Stark Melissa Stark is an American television personality and sportscaster, best known as the current sideline reporter for '' NBC Sunday Night Football'' and the former sideline reporter for ''Monday Night Football''. Currently a reporter for the NFL ...
, sports commentator * Toni-Ann Williams, Olympic gymnast


References


External links


www.rpcs.org – Official school website
{{authority control Preparatory schools in Maryland Educational institutions established in 1900 Girls' schools in Maryland Private schools in Baltimore Private K-12 schools in Maryland Roland Park, Baltimore 1900 establishments in Maryland