Whitby School is an independent, co-educational private school in Greenwich, Connecticut, that was founded in 1958 and is accredited by the American Montessori Society (through kindergarten), the International Baccalaureate Organization (grades 1-8), and the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools. The Head of School is Dr. John "Jack" Creeden, who joined Whitby in July 2019.
History
The school was founded by Nancy McCormick Rambusch, who founded the American Montessori Society (AMS) in 1960. The founding of Whitby School is credited with initiating a Montessori revival. The school was named after Whitby Abbey in Yorkshire, England, where a traditional story tells of an abbess who recognized the musical talents of a stable boy and brought him into their educational program.
In 1960, the school moved from rented rooms at Sacred Heart School to its own campus. The school, through the AMS, became the first certified Montessori teacher training program in the United States. Rambusch and the AMS promoted a modified Montessori approach that would facilitate transition of the young students to traditional American schools which led to a split from the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI). In 1962, Whitby's first two graduates entered high school. The first graduates then entered college in 1965.
A toddler class, "Stepping Stones," was created in 1975 to serve children between two and three years of age. By 1982, Stepping Stones was accepting children at eighteen months of age. In 1994, the Junior High Division was reconfigured into the present Middle School, and in 2010, Whitby adopted the International Baccalaureate's Primary Years Programme and Middle Years Programme, thus becoming the only school in the United States at the time to be triple-accredited.
Facilities
Whitby School stands on 30 acres of land and its buildings have evolved over the years. In 2013, the school built a four-classroom addition, which provided two classrooms for third and fourth grade, as well as a state-of-the-art design room and science room. This was followed by the construction of a new 11,860 square foot Athletics Center that took place between March 2015 and May 2016 and doubled the size of its predecessor.
In 2016, Whitby acquired an additional five acres of land, bringing the school's campus to a total of 30.3 acres, allowing for an additional 16,000 square feet of building space, and providing the school with flexibility for further development. That year, the school added a Makerspace to its library, expanding on the philosophy that the library is a hub for all shared resources and not just books. The Makerspace includes a variety of tools and supplies for students to create items for class or independently. The school worked with Brooklyn's Situ Studio on the project.
Whitby was certified in 2019 as "School Yard Habitat" that allows for curriculum enhancements and exploration outside the classroom. The habitat is also open to the public.
Student life
Whitby School is divided into three levels, which makes up the N-8 educational curriculum: Children's House (18 months-Kindergarten), Lower School (Grades 1–4), and Middle School (Grades 5–8). The school has a capacity for 450 students. Whitby currently enrolls 300 students and employs 87 full-time faculty.
Montessori Children's House
Whitby's Montessori Children's House is divided into Stepping Stones (ages 18 months to 3 years) and Primary (ages 3-6), which are grouped into multiage classrooms. The curriculum is based on a Montessori method for teaching. Three teachers are assigned to each classroom, allowing for individualized attention. The multiage nature of the classrooms promotes students to learn from their peers and for older students to build confidence and leadership skills.
Lower School
Lower School encompasses Grades 1–4. Through the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme curriculum, the school emphasizes conceptual-based, cross-disciplinary learning. Teachers work to create learning experiences that require using skills from multiple school topics. The end of Lower School is marked by Grade 4 Exhibition. For this assignment, students must pick a topic of their choice to research, consult experts and present to faculty, staff, parents, and fellow students.