Type Independent day school Religious affiliation(s) Episcopal Headmaster George B. Sanderson Mascot Sparty Colors White, Navy Blue | Motto Right Onward Established 1837 Phone +1 609-386-3500 Endowment 25 million USD | |
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Founder George Washington Doane Address 350 Riverbank, Burlington, NJ 08016, USA Similar Life Center Academy AAU Bas, Holy Cross Academy, Mooresto Friends School, The King's Christian School, Burlington Township High Sch Profiles | ||
Doane Academy is a coeducational, independent day school located in Burlington, New Jersey. It was founded in May 1837 by Episcopal Bishop George Washington Doane, initially as a girls' school, but became co-educational upon merging with a boys' school in 1974. The current headmaster is George Sanderson. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 1989, and is a member of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools, the National Association of Independent Schools and the National Association of Episcopal Schools.
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History
The academy was founded as St. Mary's Hall by the Right Reverend George Washington Doane, second Episcopal bishop of New Jersey. It opened on May 1, 1837 with 52 pupils. Founded to offer an education equal to that of boys, it accepted girls and young women as undergraduates and postgraduates, and was the first all-girls academic boarding school in the United States.
Bishop Doane raised capital for the new school by issuing shares of stock, but a severe financial depression hit the United States just as the school was opening. Saint Mary’s Hall survived, financed mainly from the personal funds of Eliza Green Perkins Doane, the Bishop’s wife. She received a $9,500 annual dowry from the estate of her late first husband, which she donated to the school.
The success of St Mary's Hall encouraged Bishop Doane to open a boys' school on an adjacent site in 1846. The new Burlington College, though, did not enjoy the success of the girls' school, and its doors closed in 1877. The girls' school continued to flourish, its campus developing throughout the late 19th century. This prosperity continued into the first half of the 20th century, which saw the introduction of central heating, electric lighting and showers, as well as the purchase of a large house nearby, initially as a lower school and later as a senior dorm.
Many private schools were forced to close during the Depression, but St Mary's Hall was able to increase its number of day pupils by establishing additional bus routes over the newly completed Burlington-Bristol Bridge. By the 1950s, though, boarding numbers were in decline and in 1953, the trustees decided to abandon boarding and become a day school.
In 1966, the trustees once again opened a boys' school, Doane Academy, in association with St. Mary's Hall. Although managed by the same Board of Trustees, the two schools were separate institutions; signage around St Mary's Hall instructed the girls "Do not fraternize with the Doane boys."
On February 27, 1974, the main building on the St Mary's campus was destroyed by fire. There had been plans afoot to merge the two schools and the fire encouraged the trustees to bring the plan forward. From September 1974, a single school—the co-educational St. Mary's Hall-Doane Academy—opened under a new headmaster, Rev. William Scheel. In April 2008 the name was shortened to Doane Academy.
Endowment
In January 2015, the school announced that Henry Rowan (1923-2015) and his wife Eleanor, long-time benefactors, gifted $17 million toward the endowment fund of Doane Academy, with the proceeds available to the school in perpetuity. The school's endowment now stands in excess of $25 million. With previous Rowan gifts and other donations, the school was able to erect and furnish Rowan Hall (2015), which connects Scarborough Hall (1912) and Odenheimer Hall (1868), unifying the campus.
Campus
Doane Academy sits on a campus of 11 acres (4.5 ha) at the western end of the City of Burlington. It includes among its structures three buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Chapel of the Holy Innocents, which has been called the first Gothic cruciform church in the United States. The building has been recorded in the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), with measured drawings held by the Library of Congress. The chapel houses a fine example of an early, 2 manual, mechanical action pipe organ. Originally built by Hall and Labaugh in 1854 and rebuilt by George Jardine and Son in 1900, it was restored in 2012 by Patrick J Murphy and Associates.
Student body
The school currently has 238 students on roll from 41 municipalities across the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The student-teacher ratio is 6.2:1.
Curriculum
The school offers a broad curriculum, with lower school students pursuing courses in mathematics, language arts, science, and social studies. In addition, they study Spanish and music. Students from grades 6 through 12 are required to study a core curriculum of English, mathematics and the sciences, together with optional studies in subjects including history, MFL, fine arts and performing arts.
Graduation requirements
The minimal graduation requirements for grades 9 – 12 are:
Students must also complete their grade-level Character and Leadership Cycle each year. These cycles include such courses as digital media and programming, world religions, composition and leadership. In the 11th and 12th grades, the cycles include courses in College and Career Prep.
Athletics
Participation in athletics is considered an essential element of an education at Doane Academy. As a result, each student in grades 9—12 is required to play on a team for at least one season a year. The pupils in grades 6—8 compete against other middle school teams in soccer, boys’ and girls’ basketball, baseball and softball. Students in grades 9—12 compete at varsity level in the Penn-Jersey Athletic Association in tennis, cross country running, boys’ and girls’ soccer, boys’ and girls’ basketball, baseball and softball. The co-ed crew team competes in regional regattas in both the fall and spring.
The Doane Academy Spartans compete in interscholastic sports under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA), for all sports with the exception of the crew team, and compete independently of any athletic conference. The school's teams compete at the Non-Public Group B and Prep B levels for state tournaments held at the end of each season.
Athletic facilities at the school include two soccer fields, a softball field, the Winzinger Baseball Field, a full-sized gymnasium and a fitness center. The Delaware River is used for crew practices. The cross-country team practices on and around the campus.
ATHLETIC HIGHLIGHTS:
Performing arts
In the spring each year, the Upper School’s Spartan Studio actors puts on a play or musical. Recent performances have included Little Shop of Horrors, All in the Timing, and The World Goes ‘Round. In May, the Lower School stages a production, such as Hamlet for Kids and The Day the Crayons Quit. Students interested in the performing arts, both on and off the stage, have numerous opportunities to participate in other dramatic and musical performances throughout the year.
The academy has a band, a choir and a string ensemble for both the Upper and Lower Schools, as well as a jazz ensemble, percussion ensemble, rock band and pit orchestra.