Stoneleigh-Burnham Viewbook

Discover your best self.

2 Welcome

4 Our Mission

5 Our History

7 Let Your Voice Be Heard

9 Educating Girls

10 The Middle School

11 The Upper School

13 Fine and Performing Arts

15 Athletics

17 Equestrian Program

18 International Programs

20 Life at Stoneleigh-Burnham

22 College Counseling

24 Admission

Table of Contents

College Preparatory • Boarding and Day • For Girls in Grades 7-12 and PG

Welcome to Stoneleigh-Burnham School!

When you attend Stoneleigh-Burnham you accept the challenge to explore who you really are and what you really want to do with your life. Our girls learn to connect their work in the classroom to life outside the classroom, strengthening their competence as active learners. We will ask you to stretch outside your comfort zone in order to gain confidence and courage. We know that girls develop best when they are in a community that knows them and where they feel connected. In our small school you will indeed be known, and known well – by your schoolmates, your teachers, coaches, and advisors. We will challenge you to be your best self, and support you every step of the way.

Since 1869 our primary purpose has been to prepare girls for college and beyond, but that doesn’t happen only in the classroom. You will deepen your cultural understanding by interacting with classmates from all over the world. You will build a foundation in athletic competition and healthy exercise designed to develop young women in unique and sustainable ways. You will share your gifts with others through class and community service projects. You will explore your creative side through our programs in the fine and performing arts. You will discover how your talents make you unique. You will also discover your special place in our small community.

For nearly 150 years Stoneleigh-Burnham has helped girls make connections. Our mission is “to inspire girls to pursue meaningful lives based on honor, respect, and intellectual curiosity.” What was true in 1869 is true today, and will be true as we move ahead with confidence.

Come visit us and make new connections at Stoneleigh-Burnham.

Learn To Connect

“Our students will explore many things, arrive at a few favorites and practice to build competence in those areas. That is meaningful work, leading to meaningful lives.” - Sally L. Mixsell, Head of School

2 Discover Your Best Self

Our Mission

Stoneleigh-Burnham School is an academic community that inspires girls to pursue meaningful lives based on honor, respect, and intellectual curiosity. Each student is challenged to discover her best self and graduate with the confidence to think independently and act ethically, secure in the knowledge that her voice will be heard.


Stoneleigh-Burnham School is the result of the merger of five girls’ schools, dating back to 1869 with the Prospect Hill School of Greenfield, Massachusetts. Our mission then was “to prepare girls for the rigors of a college education.” Today our focus remains the same.

Our alumnae total over 7,000 women across the world, women who continue to pave the way for today’s students in the fields of academia, government, science, finance, professional sports, and the arts.

Our History

Let Your Voice Be HeardIn the late twentieth century the conversation about girls losing their voice was sparked by the work of scholars such as Carol Gilligan, Mary Pipher, and the American Association of University Women. By then Stoneleigh-Burnham had been teaching girls to find their voice for one hundred years. Whether in the classroom, on the athletic field, or before an audience, girls at Stoneleigh-Burnham are encouraged to speak with force and clarity.

In the 1800s our Debate Society conducted Friday Afternoon Debates, and today the spirit of this tradition lives on in our Public Speaking and Debate Society, which competes with distinction at regional and international competitions. Another tradition of long standing is Housemeeting, our weekly all-school meeting. Girls stand before the entire school and advocate for matters of importance to the community. Learning to speak with confidence and clarity lies at the heart of the Stoneleigh-Burnham experience, and is the mark of a Stoneleigh-Burnham girl.

Discover Your Best Self 7

“The ability to take risks will serve me well in life; I only hope that wherever I find myself in the future, I feel as comfortable as I have at Stoneleigh-Burnham.” - Middle School Founders’ Program member and current Upper School student

“My first year at SBS there was a senior who would get up in front of housemeeting and the whole room would sit up and listen to her; she was a huge inspiration and I always thought, I want to take control of a room like that someday.” - Upper School student and debater

“Some of the most dramatic transformations I have witnessed over the years have occurred within the Debate and Public Speaking Program.” - Program founder and coach

Educating Girls

Research shows that girls learn differently than boys, but what does that look like in the classroom? Our faculty teach collaborative skills while encouraging healthy competition. According to a recent study by the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, girls are more willing to pursue math and science in a girls’ school. Our challenging and supportive learning environment encourages appropriate risk-taking by providing a safe space for making mistakes.

Students describe Stoneleigh-Burnham teachers as “dedicated and compassionate” and say that the help teachers give them, both in the classroom and informally outside class, makes all the difference. As one student puts it, “The size of Stoneleigh-Burnham allows for lots of one-on-one attention and the extra push you sometimes need to succeed and be your best.” Teachers are readily available to help you with academic or personal matters during free periods, evening study halls, and on the residence halls. You will work closely with your faculty advisor, who meets regularly with you and assists you in defining an academic plan and goals for college.

Since 1869 families have chosen Stoneleigh-Burnham School to prepare their daughters for an intellectual life in college and beyond. Unlike other institutions which began as finishing schools, Stoneleigh-Burnham School has always focused on teaching young women in ways that nurture the unique qualities of each individual. At Stoneleigh-Burnham School “each student is challenged to discover her best self and graduate with the confidence to think independently and act ethically, secure in the knowledge that her voice will be heard.”


“When girls go to single-sex schools, they stop being the audience and become the players.”

- Myra and David Sadker,Professors of Education

(What the Research Shows, The National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, 2006)

“As a college professor, I could identify students from girls’ schools with a 90 percent accuracy rate on the first day of class. They were the young women whose hands shot up in the air and who were not afraid to defend their positions.”

- Robin Robertson, Ph.D.(What the Research Shows, The National

Coalition of Girls’ Schools, 2006)

Walk into a humanities classroom in the Stoneleigh-Burnham Middle School and you will see students discussing a book and working in small groups to create skits and role plays. Students will also be researching topics that integrate social studies and English. They will be designing and shaping units of study, and perhaps writing an original play that will be performed later on in the year.

In a math/science classroom you will see students leading each other through methods of problem solving, finding ways to apply the concepts they are studying to real life, or designing and performing experiments. We know that math and science skills reinforce each other, and we work to strengthen those connections.

Venture into a language classroom and you will see students engaged in conversation, practicing an unfamiliar language, discussing a specific aspect of that language, or exploring what language is in the first place.

In art classes, you will see students learning by doing – researching cave paintings and creating an original work, learning about cultures as they develop dance techniques related to those cultures, or rehearsing and performing a short play. We know that artistic and academic development reinforce each other, and we value the arts highly.

At Stoneleigh-Burnham Middle School, you will be actively involved in learning throughout the day. You will learn reading, writing, mathematical, and other skills while also learning to create, collaborate, analyze, synthesize, evaluate, and more – all skills you might expect to use throughout life. As you make connections and build your sense of accomplishment, you will grow in self-confidence as well.

The Middle SchoolGrades 7-8


In small classes that average just 10 students, you will find your teachers and fellow students counting on you to contribute to class discussion. On a typical day, you may be asked to give a presentation of your lab findings in chemistry or to act out a scene from a play in English class. Teachers in every discipline emphasize the practical application of what you learn and encourage you to make discoveries on your own. Students graduate from Stoneleigh-Burnham with the ability to express themselves well, both verbally and in writing, and with the confidence that comes from knowing they can apply what they have learned in many different settings.

For a small school, Stoneleigh-Burnham offers an impressive range of courses and electives. We offer advanced placement courses in science, history, English, foreign languages, math, and studio art. Our strong programs in math and science focus on interactive learning that often takes place in groups. The majority of students take four full years of both math and science, with some taking more by enrolling in two science or math courses junior and senior year. The comprehensive range of core and advanced placement science classes are supplemented by elective courses, including Equine Science, Botany, Human Body, and Ecology.

In English, students delve into a variety of literary genres and writing styles over their high school years. Interwoven through all work is a steady accumulation of necessary skills such as grammar, vocabulary, summarizing, paragraph development, and oral presentations. History courses allow students to gain a deeper understanding of world and US history. A variety of electives is also offered each trimester. Foreign language classes include Chinese, French, and Spanish. In addition to taking advanced and elective courses, students with special interests may propose an independent project in their senior year.

The Upper SchoolGrades 9-12, PG


Create, explore, defineTheater, music, dance, and the visual arts are an essential part of school life through which you will grow and learn while experiencing the fun and excitement of creative expression shared with others. We view the arts as an integral part of the curriculum at Stoneleigh-Burnham, not as an extra added on.

Stoneleigh-Burnham School’s fine and performing arts curriculum fosters success in individual creativity and a critical awareness of one’s cultural identity. Students participate in a rich and extensive arts curriculum, from beginning through advanced, and may choose to focus on an independent study project while preparing a college portfolio.


Go Blue!Athletics are thoroughly integrated into our school’s educational program. Student-athletes at Stoneleigh-Burnham learn the value of teamwork and the lessons of athletic competition. Our motto is: “Win without boasting, lose without excuse!”

Each student will find her place in our athletic program, from the advanced player to the novice. Every season provides an opportunity to acquire skills, experience leadership, and grow personally. At a small school like ours you are not only a part of the team, you make an immediate impact.

Girls are required to participate in an athletic option in all three seasons. With health and wellness the objective, we offer a range of athletics from interscholastic competition, to a fitness option, to activities girls can pursue for a lifetime.

In Stoneleigh-Burnham’s athletic program you will discover unknown talents and encounter new challenges. What you learn as an athlete at Stoneleigh-Burnham is how to meet new challenges with confidence.


ATHLETIC OFFERINGS

Interscholastic Teams

basketball• lacrosse• soccer• softball• tennis• volleyball• cross country running• riding•

Recreational Options

skiing• tennis• riding• dance• fitness•

Stoneleigh-Burnham School’s riding program is nationally recognized for the exceptional quality of the facilities, instruction, and level of competition. It is one of the premier riding programs offered among U.S. secondary schools, with a competition schedule that includes USEF, USEA, and NEHC events both on and off campus. Our four-time National Champion IEA team competes within the largest zone in the country. We provide instruction tailored to all levels, from experienced competitors to complete beginners, with training in equitation, hunters, jumpers, eventing, dressage, and equine studies. We design a program for each rider that reflects her interests, goals, and abilities. With licensed riding instructors, we provide small-group and individual instruction that helps each student reach new levels of achievement.

EQUESTRIAN FACILITIES

Stabling for 63 horses• Indoor riding complex: • 100x200 indoor arena with heated viewing area and adjacent 70x120 indoor warm-up arenaTwo outdoor sand rings• European-style derby field• Cross-country course for • beginner, novice, training and preliminary levelsBridle path surrounding • the school’s 100-acre campusNewly renovated • paddock area

Life in the Saddle


Small School. Big World.

“We are committed to ever deepening the potential for multicultural understandings made possible by our multinational population.” - Sally L. Mixsell, Head of School

Stoneleigh-Burnham School welcomes girls from all over the world who come here not only to learn but also to share their cultures and customs. The International Programs encompass many levels of commitment to multicultural education. Our overarching goal is to foster a global community in which our students learn to be compatible and competitive in a global society. The academic curriculum incorporates international issues and cultural awareness in all disciplines, and many events at the school are coordinated with this goal in mind.

All Stoneleigh-Burnham students benefit from our International Programs in several ways. Over the course of the year students are encouraged to share their cultural heritage as a means of educating our school community about its own multicultural richness. Girls may explore summer opportunities in other countries or participate in international trips planned by the school. We host an annual International Week in which cultural highlights include special culinary dishes from around the world, an international art show, samples of world music, and guest speakers.

Stoneleigh-Burnham is proud of its longstanding commitment to its International Programs. Many of our American students go on to major in international relations in college, and it has become commonplace for students to visit their friends in other countries. International students receive the benefit of a noteworthy education as a foundation upon which to build as they pursue their goals.


Our CommunityStoneleigh-Burnham School is a small community of young women who comefrom throughout the United States and countries around the world. Whether you are a boarding student or a day student you will make friends with people from a variety of backgrounds and share your daily life with them in the classrooms, dorms, and on the playing fields.

Boarding Student LifeThe residential hallways are organized by grade. Houseparents are interspersed throughout, and student resident assistants are assigned to each hallway. The atmosphere is home-like and welcoming, and houseparents welcome students into their apartments for informal gatherings after study hall and on the weekends. Students can also spend time in the common rooms located on each hallway.

Day Student LifeDay students are an integral part of the Stoneleigh-Burnham School community. Each day student is assigned a room where she can keep her belongings and occasionally stay on campus overnight. Day students are highly involved in all aspects of our program and many spend time on campus over the weekends and participate in weekend activities.

Weekends at SBSOn the weekends, there is always something to do, from community service projects and cultural events to dances with other schools. Stoneleigh-Burnham provides a shuttle on Friday and Saturday nights for students who want to eat out or attend a movie in the area. We host movie nights on campus and regularly organize special events such as trips to go skiing in Vermont or shopping in Boston.

Health and WellnessOur on-campus Health Center is staffed by a registered nurse and is dedicated to meeting the healthcare needs of our students. Stoneleigh-Burnham School is located just two miles from the Baystate Franklin Medical Center and arranges medical and counseling referrals when

necessary. The school’s counseling center is staffed by a clinical social worker who is available to meet with students seeking guidance and support. The school counselor leads workshops for stress reduction in the Upper School and social dynamics in the Middle School throughout the year. The school also has an athletic trainer who is available during all athletic practices and games.

Life Beyond the ClassroomStoneleigh-Burnham School’s extracurricular program offers you many opportunities to learn new skills and to become involved with group activities outside the classroom. Students can join one of the school’s many organizations such as StuCo (Student Council), Literary Society, or Debate and Public Speaking Society. Students are responsible for running clubs, raising funds for a variety of projects, and reporting to faculty advisors. Through extracurricular activities, every student has the chance to assume a leadership position and initiate new activities. Stoneleigh-Burnham’s Debate and Public Speaking Society has an outstanding record of success and regularly competes with schools such as Deerfield Academy, Loomis-Chaffee, St. Paul’s, Roxbury Latin, and Phillips Exeter. In addition, several of our students have gone on to rank as world competitors in debate and public speaking.

Life at Stoneleigh-Burnham


Stoneleigh-Burnham School prepares students for the challenges of college and for the choices they will make in their lives and careers in the years that follow. Throughout their time here, students are assisted in selecting courses and preparing for testing that will position them for admission to the colleges that suit them best.

The college counselor guides students through the application process in the junior and senior years, aiming to help each young woman find the school that is right for her. Students have individual meetings with the college counselor on a regular basis beginning in junior year. The college counselor conducts workshops to give juniors practical knowledge about the application process, so the students return to school for their senior year well-prepared to take on the process.

Representatives from numerous colleges and universities throughout the United States and abroad visit our campus each year to give students the opportunity to learn about what they offer.

Below is a partial list of recent college acceptances:

College Counseling

Babson CollegeBarnard CollegeBates CollegeBerklee College of MusicBoston UniversityBowdoin College Carnegie Mellon UniversityColgate UniversityCollege of William and MaryColorado College Columbia UniversityCornell UniversityDartmouth CollegeDavidson CollegeDickinson CollegeDrew UniversityGeorgetown UniversityGettysburg CollegeIthaca College Johns Hopkins UniversityKenyon CollegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyMcGill University

Middlebury CollegeMount Holyoke CollegeNorthwestern UniversityNew York UniversityParsons School of DesignRhode Island School of DesignSt. Lawrence UniversityScripps CollegeSkidmore CollegeSmith CollegeSyracuse UniversityTufts UniversityUnion CollegeUniversity of ChicagoUniversity of RichmondUniversity of Massachusetts: AmherstUniversity of New HampshireUniversity of VermontUniversity of VirginiaWake Forest UniversityWesleyan UniversityWheaton CollegeWilliams College


Girls who are admitted to Stoneleigh-Burnham come from many nations and backgrounds. What they have in common is an active interest in taking up new educational challenges and a positive disposition towards learning. In reviewing applications we look for motivated students who are eager to contribute to school life. We give each applicant careful consideration and strive to provide families with all the information they need to make the best-informed decision with their daughters.

Our decisions are based on a review of the candidate’s application, recommendations, school records, personal essay, SSAT scores, and personal interview. Stoneleigh-Burnham offers need-based financial aid and payment plan options to eligible students. Families seeking financial aid should request the necessary forms from the Admissions Office.

For further information or to arrange for a campus visit, please contact the Admissions Office at (413) 774-2711, extension 257, or visit us online at www.sbschool.org.

Important Dates

January 15 Completed financial aid forms due, copies sent to Stoneleigh-Burnham.

February 15 Deadline for application materials for all first-round acceptances.

March 10 First-round decisions.

April 7 First-round decision deposits due.

April 8 Rolling admissions begin.

Admission

“At the other schools I applied to, I felt like just another number. When I left Stoneleigh-Burnham after my interview, I already felt like I belonged.”

- Middle School student


Our CampusStoneleigh-Burnham School is located in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, just a short drive from the Five Colleges (Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Amherst College, UMass Amherst, and Hampshire College). Students regularly attend cultural and athletic events at the colleges and throughout this vibrant region. Stoneleigh-Burnham School’s breathtaking 100-acre campus has exceptional facilities for academics and athletics. Our facilities include:

Main Building• - classrooms, Macalaster Library, dining hall, Capen Room, dorms, Mary Burnham Hall, administrative officesJesser Science Center• - chemistry, biology, and physics laboratories, middle school classroomsEquestrian Center• - bridle path, derby field, indoor and outdoor riding rings, indoor viewing lounge, paddocks, barnAthletic Fields• - softball diamonds, soccer and lacrosse fields, tennis courts, cross country running courseEmerson Hall • - gymnasium with basketball and volleyball courts, dance studio, fitness center, art center, Geissler Gallery

Stoneleigh-Burnham School is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), and is a member of the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools (NCGS), National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), and the Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE).

In keeping with its mission to maintain a diverse educational community, Stoneleigh-Burnham School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin in its admission process, educational policies, financial aid programs, athletics, and other school-administered programs.

574 Bernardston Road • Greenfi eld, MA 01301Tel: (413) 774-2711 • Fax: (413) 772-2602

www.sbschool.org

Documents

Stoneleigh-Burnham Viewbook