Northfield Mount Hermon

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Northfield Mount Hermon School

Image:Nmh.gif

Head of School Thomas Sturtevant
Established 1879
School type Independent
Location Northfield, MA, USA
Enrollment Apx. 725
Faculty Apx. 115
Campus Rural
Mascot Hoggers

Northfield Mount Hermon School (NMH) is a ninth-twelfth grade private college-preparatory high school (secondary school) located in Gill, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Contents

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History

The school was originally founded by famed Protestant evangelist Dwight Lyman Moody (DLM) as two separate institutions: The Northfield Seminary for Young Ladies in 1879, and Mount Hermon School for Boys in 1881. DLM envisioned both these schools as parts of his dream to provide the best possible education for less privileged people. Indeed, even, in their infancy, DLM’s schools matriculated students whose parents were slaves, Native-Americans, and from outside the US -- something that was unimaginable in many elite private schools at that time. Dwight Lyman Moody's birthplace and burial place are both located on the Northfield campus.

In DLM's view, Christian religious education was an essential part of the objective of his schools. However, under subsequent administrations, the schools became more theologically liberal and ultimately became nonsectarian and ceased evangelization of students. (This change put them at odds with other Moody institutions such as the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.) Religious life continued to be an important part of the schools, but religious services ceased to be compulsory and students were no longer instructed in Christian doctrine.

In the 1970s and 1980s, many U.S. private secondary schools that had previously offered single-sex education either became coeducational unilaterally or merged with other schools to become coeducational. In what was then a controversial decision, the Northfield Seminary and the Mount Hermon School merged to become a single coeducational institution in 1971. The settlement of mutually accepted terms was a contrast to the takeover of Abbott Academy by its neighbor, Phillips Andover. The new school was dubbed Northfield Mount Hermon School. Both original campuses were retained and made co-educational, but students were (and still are) segregated by sex at the dormitory level.

The school operated on two campuses up until the end of the 2004-2005 school year, but now has consolidated all the students and classes onto its Mount Hermon Campus because the School's trustees decided it would be financially impossible to continue maintaining two campuses (mirrored facilities on both campuses, etc.). The Northfield Campus has been placed on the market, much to the chagrin of some of the alumnae, students, and faculty/staff. In addition to the campus itself, the school owns several dozen housing units in the adjacent village which are now no longer needed to house faculty and staff members, as well as the local golf course and water company. Ideally, the school would like to sell the campus to another educational institution. Whoever buys (or leases) the campus, the school plans to continue using the Northfield Auditorium and the founder's gravesite. It is suspected by some that these requirements have caused setbacks in the selling of the Northfield Campus. However, very little information on potential buyers has been released by the School, although some organizations have in fact made serious inquiries.

Both controversy decisions (the 1971 merger, and the 2005 closure of Northfield) created an uproar among the alumni due to the lack of communication between the Board and the rest of the alumni. The alienation that happened after the merger in 1971 is sometimes blamed for the comparative lack of alumni giving to the school (although most of the living alumni joined the school after the merger.)

In 1976, a history of NMH entitled So Much to Learn [1] was written by Burnham Carter to comemorate the school's 100th anniversary.

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Northfield Mount Hermon Today

DLM’s vision of an education for the less privileged remains at the heart of NMH’s education: the school is known to give a generous amount of financial aid to the students. Moody's bearded visage and Golden Rule philosophies influence the campus today. All students are required to participate in the school's work program. In the words of the school's student handbook, "The work program is a tradition that dates back to the school's begininning and allows students to know the dignity of labor. The program creates a sense of investment in the welfare of the school and a unique community spirit." A sampling of student jobs includes washing dishes, shelving books in the library, and making maple syrup on the school's farm.

The percentage of international students at NMH is also far above the average of many elite private schools, at 25 percent compared to perhaps 10 percent at other institutions. In many cases, international students make a connection with the school through family members who attended NMH or, in some cases, were evangelized by Moody or his affiliated denominations and religious missions in the 19th century.

The students at NMH are sometimes described as more culturally or politically liberal than students at other New England private college preparatory schools. NMH has no dress code and is sometimes viewed as informal, tolerant, and progressive.

In 2004, the Trustees of Northfield Mount Hermon School, forseeing financial challenges and declining admissions, decided to close the Northfield campus in 2005 and to consolidate the school with a smaller coeducational student body on the Mount Hermon campus. This decision has been controversial. Before consolidation, the school had about 1100 students enrolled per year; afterward, it is expected that enrollment will decrease to around 600.

Northfield Mount Hermon's endowment totals over $115 million.

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Mount Hermon Buildings

Assorted NMH maps

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Dormitories

  • Overtoun ("TRON") - Boys' dorm
  • London ("Cottage 1" or "C-1") - Freshmen boys' dorm (new as freshmen dorm this year)
  • Monadnock ("Cottage 2" or "C-2") - Boys' dorm
  • Hubbard ("Cottage 4" or "C-4") - Girls' dorm
  • Manchester ("Cottage 5" or "C-5") - Freshmen girls' dorm (new as freshmen dorm this year)
  • New Dorm South (completed in 2005) - Boys' dorm
  • New Dorm North (completed in 2005) - Girls' dorm
  • Wallace Hall - Girls' dorm
  • Rikert (reopened for 2005 - 2006) - Girls' dorm
  • North Crossley: Upper and Lower (divided into Upper and Lower as of 2005 - 2006) - Boys' dorms
  • South Crossley: Upper and Lower (divided into Upper and Lower as of 2005 - 2006) - Girls' dorms
  • Hayden ("Motel H") - Boys' dorm
  • North Farmhouse (reopened for 2005 - 2006) - Girls' dorm; the original Mount Hermon dorm (now used when more beds are needed, only houses 8 girls)
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Classroom Buildings

  • Cutler Science Center - basement: computer labs, misc.; 1st floor: physics; 2nd floor: chemistry; 3rd floor: biology
  • Blake Hall (primarily the student center) - top floor: English, history, and social science classrooms
  • Beveridge - "the drink" basement: foreign language; 1st floor: humanities, misc.; 2nd floor: math & misc.
  • Lower Modular - English, misc.
  • Upper Modular - Humanities, Theatre classroom, Dance classroom, Arts Program office, [[Soundproofing|soundproofed] practice rooms
  • Art Studios (Pottery Shed, Milk Shed, etc.: on the farm) - all arts courses
  • Recitation Hall - the site has been empty since the original building burned down in 1974: a new arts building will be built sometime in the mid or late 2000s.
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Offices, etc.

This listing does not include the offices that may be included in classroom buildings (ex: International Students Assoc. in Beveridge basement) or on campus faculty housing.

  • Blake - Student Center, Student Activities office, snack bar, book store, mail room (upstairs: classrooms & Grandin Auditorium)
  • Grandin (attached to Blake) - old theatre that is now used for dance, occasional performances, and watching movies
  • O'Connor Health Center - 24/7 medical staff, beds, x-ray machine, counselors, etc.
  • Alumni Hall (formerly "West Hall") - cafeteria, conference rooms, etc.
  • Cottage III ("C-3") - admissions (similar to college admissions)
  • Oaknoll Cottage (2004 - 2005: chaplain's house; 2005 - 2006: offices) - workjob office, deans' offices
  • Holbrook Hall - deans' offices, college counseling, etc.
  • Memorial Chapel - multifaith chapel, related offices, etc.
  • Schauffler Library - library, info commons, IT, etc.
  • Farm - a functional New England farm, with cattle, horses, chickens, as well as a flower garden with many lavender plants, a ciderhouse, and a sugarhouse.
  • Forslund Gym/James Gym (Forslund Gym was an addon to James Gym in the 1960s) - basketball courts, wrestling gym, weight room, locker rooms, swimming/water polo pool, athletic department offices, etc.
  • McCollum Ice Rink - fully functioning hockey arena, boasting heated bleachers
  • Power Plant
  • Plant Facilities
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Clubs & Organizations

Complete listing of clubs & organizations

NMH's Student Activities (located in the Blake Student Center) office handles the student clubs, offering support and services for whatever those organizations might need (places to meet, materials, money, etc.). These clubs include the yearbook, the School's radio station, computers and technology, multicultural groups, arts, spiritual life, social concerns, etc. These clubs are a prime example of NMH's devotion to catering to as many facits of life and interest as possible.

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Notable alumni

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External links

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