The Athenian School

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The Athenian School is a college preparatory school located in Danville, California. Athenian educates students in grades 6-12 on a 75-acre (300,000 m²) campus at the base of Mt. Diablo, located near San Francisco in Northern California. Athenian was founded by Dyke Brown (1915-2006) in 1965. The school places a strong emphasis on experiential learning.

Athenian is composed of roughly 150 students in the middle school (grades 6-8) and 300 students in the high school (9-12). Approximately 40 students and 18 teachers live on campus full-time. The average class size is 15.

Athenian attempts to train its students in all aspects of life, not just classroom life. Students at Athenian have a voice in the running of the school through Town Meeting, a monthly meeting where students debate the merits of various proposals; for example, through this system, a rule was created that prevented teachers from assigning homework over some weekends longer than three days.

Philosophy

Athenian is a member of Round Square, an international organization of schools whose philosophy is influenced^[1] by the German and British educator Kurt Hahn. Round Square schools practice five values, or "pillars": multicultural understanding, education for democracy, outdoor adventure, environmental conservation, and community service.

History

Dyke Brown conceived of the idea of a mission-driven boarding school during his tenure as Vice President of the Ford Foundation, influenced by his Foundation work in youth development and the prevention of juvenile delinquency, and by his own children's educational experiences^{[citation needed][2]}.

In 1962, Brown left the Ford Foundation to begin to raise money for the school he had in mind. Inspired by the Oxford system of individual colleges sharing common resources, his original plan was a series of four campuses sharing a library, science classrooms, athletic facilities, a performing-arts complex, and other facilities. He found 80+ acres of land in what was then rural Contra Costa county, a portion of what was then the Blackhawk Ranch, bordering on Mount Diablo State Park.

Construction began in 1963, and the founding head, W. Robert Usellis, began recruiting the pioneer classes in the fall of 1964. Brown's vision was startling at the time: he planned for both integration and coeducation. In the early 1960s, very few private schools were recruiting students of color. The value of integration for private schools was seen by a very few visionaries, including the founders of A Better Chance ^[3] . The norm for boarding schools at the time was single-sex; a coeducational boarding program was unusual. In September 1965, the school opened with approximately sixty students, in ninth and tenth grades. In 1968, the founding class graduated, with a full enrollment of about 120 students, of whom only about six were day students^{[citation needed]}.

In the 1970s, Athenian weathered local, national, and international changes. Locally, the surrounding area was transformed from cattle ranches to upscale developments. Athenian's neighbor, Blackhawk Ranch, was sold to land developer Ken Behring, and by 1979 2,500 upscale homes were built. The population boom in the area meant that there was an increased demand for day student places at the school.

Nationally, at least two forces were at work. First, the stagflation of the 1970s meant that parents had less discretionary income, thus weakening the pool of prospective boarding students. Second, other demographic changes, such as the increase in divorce, affected the pool of prospective boarding students.

In 1979, there was sufficient interest in the surrounding community for Athenian to open a day-school only middle school, serving students in grades 6-8. The majority of the Middle School students continued on to finish high school at Athenian.

In the mid-1980s, Athenian's Board of Trustees convened a Strategic Planning Committee, composed of alumni, faculty and staff, and trustees. The committee determined that Athenian was no longer a boarding school with a day program, but was a day school with a boarding program. The school's physical plant should be remodeled and updated to meet the school's needs.

High School Graduation requirements

To graduate, students at the Upper School must complete:

• Mathematics through Algebra II.
• Four years of literature. Juniors and seniors take semester-long seminars to fill this requirement.
• Three years of history, including two history seminars or a year-long AP course.
• Three years of sciences, including introductory physics, chemistry, and biology.
• French, Spanish, Mandarin (or English, if it is a second language) through the third year.
• Two years of art and one semester of an Arts and Society class.
• 30 hours of community service each year, and students must present their service work to the community.
• The Athenian Wilderness Experience (AWE), a 26-day wilderness expedtion to either Death Valley or High Sierra. This trip usually takes place in the junior year, and is modeled on Outward Bound courses. Medical deferments are possible, albeit rare.

Athenian costs approximately $25,000 per year for high school day students and $40,000(total) per year for boarding students.
Tuition for the 2006-2007 school year (USD): (plus fees)
Middle School (6-8): $18,570
Upper School (9-12): $25,600; Boarding $50,000

20% of the students receive need-based financial aid.

Athletics

Athenian is one of ten schools in the Bay Counties League - East. The school colors are terra cotta and earth; the sports teams wear orange and black. The athletics program has steadily improved over the past few years. Athenian has made the North Coast Section in men's soccer for five straight years. The women's basketball team made it to NCS in 2005, the men's basketball team made NCS in 2006, for the first time in eight years, and the men's baseball team made it to the 2006 NCS Championship, finishing runner-up. Athenian's Golf team has won the league title for three consecutive years. Led by coach Dani Oswood, the women's basketball team became league champions on February 8, 2008, a first for Athenian women's basketball. A handful of swimmers, wrestlers, and track runners will also qualify for the North Coast Section in a given year. Flag football is also offered at the Athenian school and is purposed for middle school to get a start in athletics.

Athenian Wilderness Experience (AWE)

While Athenian's founder, Dyke Brown, was influenced by Kurt Hahn, a wilderness expedition was not originally required in the curriculum. In the summer of 1968, two female members of the class of 1969 participated in the only program available for girls in the Boundary Waters Park. Upon their return to school, they impressed upon Brown and other school leaders the importance of having such an experience part of the Athenian experience.

Originally, Athenian students went on courses provided by the Sierra arm of Outward Bound. After several years, the school devised its own program and hired staff, and made participation in AWE a graduation requirement. Now, Athenian students in their junior year spend three and a half weeks hiking in either the Sierra Nevada (during the summer) or Death Valley (during the spring).

Robotics

The Athenian Robotics Collective (ARC) competes regularly in the FIRST Robotics Competition. Over the past few years they have had much success under the tutelage of Eugene Mizusawa and Megan Leich, as well as a dedicated group of adult mentors. Athenian has performed very well in its regional competition, competing against schools with many times its own population and resources. The robotics team has placed in the regional competition the last three years, first qualifying for the national tournament in 2004. In 2006, the team placed first in the region and again attended the national tournament in Atlanta, Georgia. On February 28th 2007, ARC participated in outreach by demonstrating the capabilities of one of their robots (Chet V) to students at Pleasant Hill Elementary School, as part of their science night. In 2007, ARC and their robot, Chet VI, took second place at the Silicon Valley Regional and the Davis Sacramento Regional. In addition, the team won the General Motors Industrial Design Award for the second year running. In 2008, Athenian was once again the recipient of the GM Industrial Design Award at the Davis Sacramento Regional.

Clubs

• Conservative Club
• Conservation Club
• Interweave: Athenian's Gay-Straight Alliance
• Feminist Club
• Asian Club
• Latino Club
• Students of Color
• Jew Crew
• Christian Club
• Middle Eastern Club
• Library Advisory Board
• Anime Club
• Community Action Board
• Drama Advisory Board
• Meditation Club
• Mixed Race Club
• Movie Club
• Black Student Union
• A-Zine
• White Anti-Racist Ally Group
• We Love Musadiq Club

Admission

Athenian seeks students with a strong academic record, positive personal qualities, and who fit the school's mission. Approximately 500 students apply for admission each year. Of these, about 200 are admitted, and more than half choose to attend. The greatest number of openings (and applications) are for the 50 spaces in grade six and the 35-40 spaces for additional students in grade 9. About half of the ninth grade class comes from Athenian's Middle School. Applicants are required to complete several essays, submit transcripts and teacher recommendations, take a standardized test, and (if feasible) visit the school to observe classes.

Notable Alumni

• Shawn Elizabeth Gorman - Politician and Military Contractor
• Seth Goldsmith (2001) - Noted Filmmaker and Media Guru
• Phillip Bennett (????) - Geology Professor, Univ. of Texas, Austin
• Benjamin Brandzel (1998) - 2002 Clickdrive Founder MoveOn.org Student Action Founder
• Greg Sherwood Cohelan (1969) - Emmy Award-Winning Public Broadcasting Anchor at KQED

Lisa deFaria, LCSW, BCD (1974) - Faculty, Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental & Learning Disorders

• Craig Debro (????) - KTVU 2, Oakland, Television News Reporter
• Joan Haratani(1976) - San Francisco Bar Association President
• Michael Fee Haley (????) - Trustee of the Duke University Lemur Center
• Clark Henley (1968) - artist, author, and humorist (1950-1985)
• Stephanie Jurs (1969) --mosaic artist
• Carol Moldaw (1974)- Noted Poet, Winner of the Field Prize
• Douglas Perednia (1975) - Physician and founder of Association of Telehealth Service Providers
• Korshied Samad - Journalist, Bureau Chief, Afghan Nonprofit Org. Founder
• Julia Steiny (1968) - Providence Journal (Rhode Island) Education Columnist
• Jackie Thomas (1982) - Athenian School Trustee, Nike Executive
• Andrew Wistrich (1969) - United States District Magistrate Judge
• 蔣友柏 - Grandson of General Chiang Kai-shek, former President of Taiwan, R.O.C.
• Joseph Stanley Williams (1960) - American rock singer and film score composer best known commercially for his work in the prog/rock/pop band Toto, and is the son of famous composer John Williams

Heads of The Athenian School

• 1966-1968 W. Robert Usellis
• 1969-19?? John Streitz
• ??-1992 Steven Davenport
• 1992-present Eleanor Dase

References

1. ^ Archive copy at the Internet Archive The beginnings of the Round Square Conference
2. ^ The history section is adapted from Athenian: An Oral History
3. ^ Archive copy at the Internet Archive Mission and History of A Better Chance

External links

• Athenian homepage
• Boarding School Review: Athenian
• Athenian Robotics Collective Homepage