Pomfret School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory boarding and day school in Pomfret, Connecticut, United States, serving 360 students in grades 9 through 12 and post-graduates. Located in the Pomfret Street Historic District, an hour's drive west from Boston, the average class size is 11 students with a student-teacher ratio of 6:1. Over 80% of faculty hold master's or doctorate degrees. Typically, 40% of students receive financial aid or support from over 60 endowed scholarship funds (see Endowed scholarships), 14% are students of color, 17% are international students.
Pomfret is ranked in the top 20 of similarly sized U.S. boarding schools, in the top 50 of all U.S. boarding schools, and has been recognized as one of the "Most Beautiful Boarding Schools Around the World."
Opened October 3, 1894 by Founder William E. Peck and his wife Harriet Jones Peck, who designed the school's coat of arms, Pomfret's graduates have distinguished themselves in sports, government, the arts, sciences, business, and public service as philanthropists and activists (see Notable alumni). In 2014, Pomfret established The Grauer Family Institute for Excellence and Innovation in Education. Pomfret is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASAC). Memberships include the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), the Headmasters' Association, the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the Secondary School Admission Test Board, the Cum Laude Society, and A Better Chance (ABC), The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), the Sphere Consortium, the Folio Collaborative, and The Independent Curriculum Group.
A number of Pomfret's buildings and houses are listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
500 acre campus, established 1894, designed by landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted, expanded over the years to its current size through gifts and acquisitionsFacilities plan designed c.1906 by the significant American architect Ernest FlaggSchool Building (NRHP) and Pyne Infirmary (NRHP) completed 1907George Newhall Clark '04 Memorial Chapel (NRHP), 1908, dedicated on St. George's Day, 1908, consecrated on May 16, 1909, also designed by Ernest Flagg, houses a fine pipe organ built by George S. Hutchings Organ Company of Boston that has been restored and expanded over the years, and three extraordinary stained glass windows from 13th century France (see Historical notes)Dunworth, Pontefract, Plant, and Bourne dormitories completed 1909 (NRHP);Lewis Gymnasium, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frederic E. Lewis; completed 1912 (NRHP), also by Ernest FlaggHard Auditorium, 1928, donated by Anson W. Hard, Jr. (class of 1904), and his wife Florence Bourne Hard, daughter of one of the school's first benefactors, Frederic G. BourneMain House, 1956 (begun 1954)Monell Science Building, 1958, gift of the Ambrose Monell III Foundation (class of 1926)Mallory Field, plaque laid 1962Strong Field House, dedicated 1983du Pont Library, 1969, gift of Henry B. du Pont (class of 1916), multi award-winning design by Cambridge Seven AssociatesCentennial Academics and Arts Center, 1996, designed by Mark Simon (class of '64) of Centerbrook ArchitectsSchoppe Dance Studio, established 1999 by former Dance Director, later Associate Head of School Pam Mulcahy, along with Irv and June Schoppe, parents of three Pomfret graduates.Olmsted Observatory, 2001, equipped with a Celestron 14 and a Takahashi refracting telescope combined with a super-cooled CCD camera to enable digital photography. The system is robotic and can be fully controlled by students in the observatory or anywhere on campus through the school's wireless network.Chester K. Lasell '26 Alumni House, 2001, donated by Honorary Life Trustee Chester K. Lasell '54 and members of the Lasell family in honor of three generations of Lasells graduating from Pomfret.Corzine Athletic Center, 2004, gift of Jon Corzine, former governor of New Jersey, and Joanne (Corzine) Brown, parents of a graduate, designed by Tai Soo Kim Partners, expanding and remodeling Lewis GymnasiumOlmsted Student Union, 2004, donated by long-serving Trustee Robert Olmsted, designed by Tai Soo Kim PartnersJahn Ice Hockey Rink, 2005, designed by architect Helmut Jahn, parent of a recent graduateBlodgett Boathouse, 2005, and Blodgett Tennis Center, 2007, gift of Mark Blodgett (class of 1975)Parsons Lodge, 2010 AIA Connecticut People’s Choice Award for “the building in which people would most like to study”; 2009 Best Fireplace Award from Masonry Construction magazine.WBVC (FM) 91.1 FM, a student run radio stationPicerne, Robinson, Kniffin, Hale, Clement, and Eastover Houses originally built as private homes during late 1800's and early 1900's (NRHP) and later incorporated into the campusThe Grauer Family Institute for Excellence and Innovation in Education
Founded in 2014 by Laurie and Peter Grauer, parents of two Pomfret graduates, the Grauer Institute at Pomfret School researches and develops innovations in secondary education. Peter Grauer is the former CEO and current Chairman of Bloomberg LP. The institute is also supported by the Class of 1965 Endowment Fund.
Named as the institute's first Director in July 2014, Jamie Feild Baker was previously Executive Director of the Martin Institute for Teaching Excellence and is "a nationally recognized and sought-after expert in innovation and school transformation." The Institute's Advisory Board includes Peter Grauer; Tony Wagner, author of The Global Achievement Gap and Creating Innovators; John Hunter, educator, one of 50 TED2014 All-Stars, creator of the World Peace Game Foundation, Fellow at the Martin Institute for Teaching Excellence; and Stephanie Rogen, principal and founder of Greenwich Leadership Partners.
Among the Institute's innovations:
Curriculum includes a broad range of college preparatory courses in the sciences and liberals arts, including advanced and honors level courses, and foreign language study in Mandarin Chinese, French, Spanish, and Latin. Computer sciences include courses in Web Design, Digital Cinema, Flash, Audio Art, and Gaming Animation. A three-week interdisciplinary project-based learning period known as Project:Pomfret takes place each December, during which faculty and students focus on concentrated thematic projects outside the classroom.
Pomfret's Experiential & Global Learning program offers students the opportunity to study abroad or within the United States in off-campus adventure-based programs, community service, or internships. Students may apply to Pomfret's Global Learning Coordinator at any point during their career at Pomfret for summer, one term, or yearlong programs.
Pomfret academic teams have won numerous awards and championships, including the 2015 Connecticut State Association of Math League (CSAML) Class S State Championship. Recent notable Math Team victories include: 1999 Harvard MIT Math Tournament First Place, 1999 CSAML 1st Place, 2000 Greater New London Competition (GNLC) 1st Place, 2001 CSAML 2nd Place and GNLC 1st Place, 2002 New England Tournament 3rd Place, 2003 CSAML 3rd Place, 2004–2009 GNLC 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Places, 2009 Connecticut State Math Meet 2nd Place, 2010 GNLC 1st Place and Connecticut State Math Meet 3rd Place, 2011 - 2014 GNLC 3rd Place, 2014 CSAML 2nd Place, 2015 Eastern Connecticut Math League 3rd Place and CSAML 1st place. (see respective league results)
A member of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC), Pomfret fields 42 teams in 15 different sports and has won numerous championships during its history in both men's and women's sports. Recently, Girls Varsity Volleyball won the 2015 NESPAC Class B Championship.
Among its alumni are notable collegiate and professional athletes, including two-time, women's hockey Olympic gold medalist, Sarah Vaillancourt '04 and National Hockey League (NHL) player, Brian Flynn '07. Students compete on Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Third and Fourth Form teams (freshmen and sophomores) throughout the year in cross country, field hockey, football, soccer, and volleyball in the fall; basketball, ice hockey, squash, and wrestling in the winter; and baseball, crew, golf, lacrosse, softball, and tennis in spring. Third and Fourth Form students are required to participate on a team in each of the three seasons each year. Fifth and Sixth Form students (juniors and seniors) are required to participate on at least two teams each year. Endowments include The Barton L. Mallory, Jr. 1924 Memorial Fund for Athletics and The Griswold Family Fund (1989).
Pomfret's arts programs are guided by practicing artists and offer formal classes and other opportunities for training and participation in drawing, painting, digital arts, film and video, sculpture and ceramics, photography, music, theatre, and dance. Performance opportunities are available to all students in theater, dance, and music throughout the year. Facilities include sculpture, ceramics, painting, and drawing studios; rehearsal and practice rooms for dance and music; the Schoppe Dance Studio; Hard Auditorium stage; and a photography laboratory.
The Pomfret Grifftones and Chorus tour within the United States and overseas for concerts, most recently to Italy where they performed in Florence, Lucca, and St. Stephen's School in Rome, and in the United States at the University of Connecticut (all March 2015).
Among a variety of musical instruments maintained by the school is a fine pipe organ housed in Clark Memorial Chapel. “The Pomfret School Chapel Organ was originally built by George S. Hutchings Organ Company of Boston in 1908 (opus 1640). Extensive modifications were made in 1962 by the Portsmouth, Rhode Island firm of Welte-Whalon. Further improvements in 1987 included a new three-manual draw-knob console designed and built by the Austin Organ Company of Hartford, Connecticut and extensions of two reed ranks. Messrs. Czelusniak et Dugal, Inc. did additional tonal work and maintains the instrument. Two electronic 32-foot stops were added by the Walker Technical Company of Zionsville, Pennsylvania. In honor of Pomfret School’s Centennial Year, a Festival Trumpet was added in 1993. This stop, modeled after the Harrison festival trumpet at All Saints' Church, Worcester, Massachusetts, was built by David Broome at The Austin Organ Company.”
Student organizations and clubs
Cum Laude Society, National Honor Society, A Capella, Chorus, Diplomacy, Gay-Straight Alliance, International Club, Key Society, Math Club, Student Council, Pontefract newspaper (founded 1896), Subterraneans, Voice, Women's Action Coalition, Ambassadors Club, Chick Flick Film Club, Chinese Club, Christian Fellowship, Classic Film Club, Debate Club, Discussion Group, Hillel, International Club, Investment Club, Maple Syrup Club, Meditation Club, Model United Nations, Relay for Life, Ski Club, Student Activities, The Olmsted Observer, The Page Turners, Pomfret Radio Station WBVC (FM) 91.1 FM, Young Republicans.
Student life is additionally supported by The Paul M. Rosenfield 1967 Award, The Johnathan A. Williams 1969 Memorial Fund, and The Lasell Visiting Alumni Fund (2001).
Founded June 20, 1899, The Pomfret Alumni Association actively participates in the development of the school, hosts career networking events throughout the U.S. for alumni, and provides career mentoring for alumni in college and beginning their professional career. Each February, alumni speak to students about their careers and career development during the school's Career Fair, and each spring, in conjunction with the school, hosts Alumni Weekend festivities and the Alumni Awards Dinner. Graduating students become members of the Association at the end of their senior year at a formal dinner in their honor.
Alumni Association Presidents
Alumni listed below are recorded in the school's official records as having received their diploma from Pomfret.
Herbert Claiborne Pell, Jr. 1902, member of Congress (D-NY) and U.S. Minister to Hungary & PortugalArthur Purdy Stout 1903, noted surgeon and pathologistEdward Streeter 1910, New York Times Bestselling author of Father of the Bride and Mr. Hobbs' Vacation, vice president, The Bank of New York c. 1928–1953Henry B. du Pont 1916, vice president and director, DuPont Chemical; director, North American Aviation Corp. and General Motors; 1936 Republican National Convention delegate; philanthropistFrederic W. Lincoln, Jr. 1917, former chairman of the Board of Trustees of the New York Medical CollegeEdward Stettinius, Jr. 1920, U.S. Secretary of State 1945, instrumental in the creation of the United Nations and first U.S. Ambassador to the United NationsWilliam F. Draper '31, combat artist and prominent portrait painter of U.S. presidents and other notablesRoger Angell '38, fiction editor and regular contributor at The New YorkerRobert Vickrey '44, author, painter in major museum collections, and a leader in the Magic Realism art movementRobert B. Fiske '48, United States Attorney and Whitewater controversy Special ProsecutorWilliam P. Carey '48, founder of WP Carey, Inc., the Carey Business School at Johns Hopkins University, the Carey School of Law, and the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State UniversityJon Stone '48, Emmy winning founding producer of Sesame Street and authorTheodore R. Sizer '49, noted leader of U.S. educational reform, dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education (1964–72), founding director of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, author of numerous influential books on education reformReverend Peter L. Pond '51, Director for Resettlement, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service; consultant, Lutheran Social Services of New England, the Peace Corps in Colombia and Chile, VISTA on Navajo reservations; appointed by First Lady Rosalynn Carter to the White House National Cambodian Crisis CommitteePeter Beard '56, nature photographer and conservationist author, numerous international exhibitions, museum and private collectionsOrville Hickock Schell III '58, author, journalist, expert on Asian affairs; former dean, Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley; Arthur Ross Director of the Center on US–China Relations at the Asia Society in New York City; 1980 Alicia Patterson Journalism Fellowship, 1992 Emmy Award and Alfred I. duPont Award - Columbia University Silver Baton for 60 Minutes' Made in China; 1997 Peabody Award for Frontline's documentary Gate of Heavenly PeaceAnthony Call '58, actor appearing in numerous TV series including Star Trek: The Original Series, The Virginian (TV series), The FBI Files, One Life to Live and on BroadwayAdam Hochschild '60, a founder of Mother Jones, author of the best-selling book King Leopold's GhostJoe Boyd '60, record producer and author of White Bicycles - Making Music in the 1960'sBuz Yudell '65, noted pioneer of planning and architecture for sustainable communities, 2006 National American Institute of Architects Firm Award, 2007 American Institute of Architects Los Angeles Gold Medal AwardJack Hardy '65, influential writer, performer, and mentor in North American and European folk music, founding editor, Fast Folk Musical MagazineAntônio Augusto Cançado Trindade '66, professor, Public International Law, University of Brasilia; judge, the International Court of Justice, The Hague; former president, Inter-American Court of Human RightsJames Rothman '67, Nobel Prize 2013, Fergus F. Wallace Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Yale University, chairman of the Department of Cell Biology at Yale School of Medicine, and director of the Nanobiology Institute at the Yale West CampusEric D. Coleman '69, State Senator, Deputy President Pro Tempore in the Connecticut SenateAlex Gibney '71, Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature 2008 Taxi to the Dark Side; multi Emmy winning documentary film director, writer, and producerRobert W. McChesney '71, noted author, Gutgsell Endowed Professor in the Department of Communication, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, co-founder of the Free Press (organization).Ridley Pearson '71, New York Times best-selling author, Undercurrents, The Art of Deception, The Kingdom Keepers series, Steel Trap: The Academy set at Pomfret School, co-author of the Peter & The Starcatchers series, one of which was adapted for a multi Tony Award-winning Broadway playEben Fiske Ostby '73, founding employee of Pixar Animation, Vice President of Software, 1998 Academy Award, Scientific and Engineering, for development of the Marionette 3-D Computer Animation System; Technical and Modeling Director on Cars 2005, Monsters, Inc., Toy Story and many other motion picturesSooho Cho '74, chairman and CEO of Hanjin Shipping, South Korea; Director, Korean Airlines; founder of the Yanghyun Prize for artistic achievementDonald E. Williams, Jr. '75, State Senator, former President Pro Tempore of the Connecticut SenatePrince Lorenzo Borghese '91, star of ABC's The Bachelor: Rome and three other reality TV shows, owner of Royal Treatment LLC, maker of pet care productsSpencer Bailey '04, survivor of United Airlines Flight 232 plane crash; editor-in-chief of SurfaceSarah Vaillancourt '04, two-time Olympic hockey gold medalistBrian Flynn '07, NHL playerJaimie Leonoff '11, record-setting goalkeeper for the Yale Bulldogs, and was named to the 2014-15 ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team. Signed by the Connecticut Whale team in the National Women's Hockey League, won the inaugural game in NWHL history, selected as one of two goalkeepers for the first NWHL All-Star GameThrough Pomfret's Schwartz Visiting Fellow Program, the school hosts a prominent figure from the world of art, literature, science, or politics invited to the campus for three days each year to share their unique experiences, ideas, and insights. Additionally, the school invites other speakers through its Lasell Visiting Alumni/ae Program and the W.P. Carey '48 College Admission Lecture Series. All Fellows and guests are recorded in the official records of Pomfret School.
Robert Ballard, oceanographer, discoverer of RMS TitanicThe Honorable Michael R. Bloomberg, mayor of the City of New YorkDavid Brinkley, co-anchored of The Huntley-Brinkley Report and NBC Nightly NewsTom Brokaw, anchor of the NBC Nightly NewsBill Bryson, writer A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian TrailOteil Burbridge, bass guitarist for the Allman Brothers BandChevy Chase, writer, actor, performerCongresswoman Shirley Chisholm, (D-NY) first African American woman elected to the United States CongressJean-Michel Cousteau, explorer, environmentalist, educator, film producerJacques d'Amboise, world-renowned dancer with the New York City Ballet CompanyWade Davis, noted Canadian anthropologist, ethnobotanist, author and photographerBrian Dennehy, actorBob Feller, Hall of Fame Major League Baseball pitcherShelby Foote, author and American Civil War historianCarlos Fuentes, Latin American novelistDana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the ArtsBenny Goodman, jazz musician, clarinetist and bandleaderBrian Greene, physicist and string theoristChuck Hogan, novelist known for The Prince of Thieves and the Strain Trilogy co-authored with Guillermo del ToroDonald Johanson, paleoanthropologist, discovered the 3.2-million-year-old skeleton known as "Lucy"Peter Kaplan, editor-in-chief of the New York ObserverFrank McCourt, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Angela's AshesDavid McCullough, writer, historian and host of The American Experience on public televisionJoyce Carol Oates, national award-winning authorGeorge Plimpton, journalist, writer, editor, and actorCarolyn Porco, planetary scientist and director of NASA's Cassini Imaging TeamCarole Simpson, ABC News anchorRay Suarez, PBS broadcast journalistGovernor Lowell P. Weicker, Jr., (R-CT) U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator and Governor of ConnecticutGovernor Christine Todd Whitman, former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and Governor of New JerseyVictor Wooten, bass guitarist for Béla Fleck and the FlecktonesCheryl West, playwright, recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Playwriting Award, Helen Hayes Charles McArthur Award, AUDELCO Award, and othersThe title of Headmaster has been changed to Head of School. Pomfret's Head of School is responsible for all administration and reports to the school's Board of Trustees.
Former faculty members are recorded in the employee records of the school.
Governor John N. Dempsey, soccer coach and subsequently Governor of Connecticut 1961–1971Michael K. Farr, English teacher, award-winning author, CNBC contributor; founder, president, and CEO of Farr, Miller & Washington, an investment advisory firmWilliam E. Peck, founder and first headmaster 1894–1897, previously headmaster of St. Mark's School (Massachusetts)Congressman Horace Seely-Brown, Jr., science teacher and athletics coach, member of Congress (R-CT) 1947–49, 1951–59, 1961–63Scholarships are available to all students meeting criteria established by the donors.
