University School, commonly referred to as US, is an all-boys, private, Junior Kindergarten–12 school with two campus locations in the Greater Cleveland area of Ohio. The campus located in Shaker Heights serves junior kindergarten through eighth grade students, while the campus in Hunting Valley serves ninth through twelfth grade students.[5]
Postcard of the former University School building in Hough
In 1890 the founding headmaster of the school, Newton M. Anderson, established University School. The school's first building was erected on 10 acres (40,000 m2) at the corner of Hough Avenue and East 71st Street in Cleveland.[6]
At the turn of the century, Headmaster George D. Pettee led the entire student body to the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, in 1901.[6][7] A few years later in 1908 Headmaster Harry S. Peters led University School during two World Wars, the Great Depression and, in 1926, to the 36-acre (150,000 m2) campus in Shaker Heights. He was the longest-tenured headmaster in University School history; he left the school in 1947.[6] That same year Headmaster Harold L. Cruikshank oversaw the building of the Hanna Wing on the Shaker Campus and guided the school through the end of World War II to the beginning of the 1960s.
Under the leadership of Roland P. McKinley, the Upper School moved, in 1970, from Shaker Heights to nearly 200 acres (0.81 km2) of meadows and woodland in Hunting Valley.
In 1988, Richard A. Hawley, an author and educator, became the sixth headmaster of US.[8] With the support of the US community, Conway Hall on the Shaker Campus and the William S. Kilroy '43 Field House in Hunting Valley were built during Hawley's tenure.[6]
Stephen S. Murray became the seventh headmaster for University School in 2005 after Hawley's departure. Murray led the School in the fundraising and construction of a nearly $100 million, 52,000 square-foot academic wing, which features classrooms and interactive technology. Extensive renovation of the original classroom building has allowed for facilities for the visual and performing arts.
After it was announced in August 2014 that Headmaster Stephen Murray would leave US to become the 13th headmaster of The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, Benjamin I. Rein of the Collegiate School in Richmond, Virginia, assumed the position of headmaster in mid-2015. Rein left the school in late 2016, with Rick Bryan assuming the duties as the school's first alumnus headmaster.[9] Headmaster Bryan stepped down in January 2018 due to allegations that he had mishandled a number of sexual misconduct cases at his previous school, the Nichols School.[10]
In the wake of Bryan's departure, dean of faculty and English teacher Patrick Gallagher was named interim headmaster by the school's board of trustees.[11] On September 22, 2018, the school's board of trustees announced that Patrick Gallagher would officially assume the role of headmaster, following an eight-month search period.[12]
House system
University School has a House system, similar to that of British tradition. Every student is assigned to one of ten houses, which integrate students from all grades and provide a structure for the boys to connect between grades with each other for companionship and support.[13] Each house has a faculty head, the Head of House, and a senior leader, the Prefect.[14] One student from each house is elected during his junior year to lead the house for his senior year as a Prefect. The ten houses, honoring notable previous headmasters, faculty, or students, are listed below:
Anderson House
Cruikshank House
Goodwillie House
Hawley House (Formerly Brown House)
McCarraher House
McKinley House
Murray House (Formerly Pickands House)
Peters House
Pettee House
Sanders House
Each house competes annually at Founders' Day. Held each fall, this event lets all students in grades 6 through 12 compete in field day-like activities at the Upper School.[15] Games played include capture the flag, soccer, tug-o-war, the egg toss, and more.[16] Students compete against members of the other houses. The winner of Founders' Day gets house points that go towards the end of year House Cup.
Publications
The University School Journal is published twice a year for the alumni, parents and friends of the school.
The US News is published monthly by students. Founded in 1898, it is the oldest school newspaper in Ohio.[6] In 2014, The US News became digital.
The Record, released annually, is a compilation of the artistic and literary achievement of University School boys including poetry, short stories, photography, and, more recently, drawing.
The Mabian is the Upper School's yearbook, published every year since 1919. The first three letters of the name "Mabian" come from the school's colors, maroon and black, and "...ian" means "of the"; "of the maroon and black."[citation needed]
The Tower is the Lower/Middle School counterpart of The Mabian.
Athletics
The school traditionally has a rivalry with Western Reserve Academy, with the football games being the highlight of each school's season throughout the 20th century, starting with the first meeting in 1895. It is most well known for its success in swimming.[17]
US fields varsity teams in thirteen sports, five in the winter season and four in the fall and the spring seasons: football, soccer, cross country, and golf in the fall; ice hockey, wrestling, swimming, squash, and basketball in the winter; and lacrosse, tennis, track and field, and baseball in the spring.
University School competes in the Premier Athletic Conference (PAC), an eight-team conference. The cross country, wrestling, basketball, track and field and baseball teams began competing in this conference in 2009. Football began its PAC schedule in the fall of 2011.[18]
The 81,000-square-foot (7,500 m2) Kilroy Field House at the Hunting Valley Campus is a multi-purpose indoor practice facility featuring two basketball courts, three squash courts, a 200-meter cantilevered indoor track, and practice areas for track events. The complex also includes a fitness center.
Wrestling rooms, a gymnasium and 25-yard indoor swimming pool with a separate diving well complete the indoor facilities at the Hunting Valley Campus. Outdoors there are a football stadium and a new turf football field, an all-weather track, four soccer and other practice fields, two baseball diamonds, and seven tennis courts.
The physical education facilities at the Shaker Campus include a football field; 400-meter track; three baseball fields; two soccer fields; eight tennis courts; double-size gymnasium; wrestling room; four-lane, 25-meter indoor swimming pool; and a rock climbing wall.
In 2013, University School's student-created and student-led sports broadcasting network, USPN, started streaming live coverage of the school's football, soccer, basketball, hockey, lacrosse and baseball games.
In 2014, University School's squash team won the Division IV national championship at the U.S. High School Team Squash Championships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[19]
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