The Storm King School
Cornwall-on-the-Hudson, NY
12520

Phone: (845) 534 9860

http://www.sks.org/

Head Master:
Philip D. Riley

Enrollment:
Boarding: 108
Day: 38

Male: 98
Female: 48

2007-2008 Costs:
Tuition:
Boarding: $34,500
Day: $19,000

The Storm King School
Cornwall-on-the-Hudson, NY 12520

Overview
The Reverend Louis P. Ledoux founded The Storm King School in 1867 as a college preparatory school. In 1928, it was chartered by the Board of Regents of the State University of New York as a nonprofit institution governed by a self-perpetuating 18-member Board of Trustees. The School has an endowment of $2 million. Annual giving stood at $175,000 for 2001-2002.

Storm King seeks to provide a caring, structured residential life and an academic program that stimulates students with collegiate aspirations to stretch themselves by building upon their strengths while realistically acknowledging and addressing their weaknesses. Striving to live, as a productive, pleasant community is central to the School’s philosophy.

The School is located near the crest of Storm King Mountain on the west bank of the Hudson River. The 65-acre campus offers a serene setting and a magnificent view, including a sweeping bend of the river, rolling farmlands, the Shawangunk Mountains, and the distant Catskills. The 3,600-acre Black Rock Forest, a wilderness preserved by environmentalists, adjoins the campus to the south: West Point Military reservation and Bear Mountain Preserve are nearby, as are the estates of several long-established Hudson Highlands families. Stimulating New York City, about 50 miles downstream, is within easy reach via the Palisades Parkway.

The School is chartered by the New York State Board of Regents and accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. It is a member of the Cum Laude Society, the National Honor Society, the New York State Association of Independent Schools, the National Association of Independent Schools, and the College Board.

Academic Life/Programs of Study
Although college preparation is the goal, the School’s emphasis is on the development of present skills and talents as the best way of preparing for the future. The School seeks to discover and extend what a student has learned and to identify and develop what he or she has not. The curriculum focuses on skill development as well as content knowledge. The English and social studies programs stress reading and writing skills and include both required and elective courses: offerings range from creative writing to the British novel, from twentieth-century Europe to psychology.

The School believes that all students can improve their mathematical skills and reasoning ability. The flexible curriculum encourages students to remedy any past deficiencies in mathematics and to move forward. Courses range from basic prealgebra math through algebra and from geometry to AP calculus. The science program includes a basic foundations course, biology, ecology and other electives, chemistry, physics, and computer studies. The French, German, and Spanish programs ensure that all students become familiar with the language, history, and culture of other countries.

The visual arts program offers courses that may include studio art, drawing, painting, printmaking, silk-screening, ceramics, sculpture, photography, and AP art. Campus wide displays of completed work provide continuing artistic stimulation. A theater class provides training in dramatic expression. There is a music program offering both choral and instrumental opportunities and a dance program presenting ballet, jazz, and tap classes.

The library is also The Enrichment Center (TEC), which helps all students develop the skills and self-confidence essential for academic independence. Services include personalized/group remediation or assistance in the classroom setting. The Enrichment Center works collaboratively with teachers in order to plan remedial instruction that is directly related to classroom curriculum. This approach supplements the teaching skills of the classroom teachers and provides the student with a chance to link skills learned in The Enrichment Center with knowledge gained from the classroom.

TEC focuses on building current strengths that students may not be aware of, while improving academics and organization. Study skills work includes note-taking, outlining, researching, test taking, and time management. Accommodations include, but are not limited to, extended time on tests, taping books, class lectures, monitoring student progress, computer instruction, SAT preparation, and content mastery of reading, writing, and math in preparation for the New York Competency Tests.

To graduate, a student must complete 37 trimester credits. The requirements include 4 years each of English and social studies, 3 years of mathematics, 1 year each of biology and a science elective, 2 years or the equivalent of a foreign language, and a credit each in health and in art.

The grading system uses A-F designations with pluses and minuses. An effort grade is also given. These grades are sent to parents six times a year, but, for guidance purposes, each student is evaluated in-house every three to four weeks.

Campus Life and Activities
The Storm King School student body represents a wide spectrum of socioeconomic backgrounds and comes from ten states and nine other countries. In 2001-2002, the student body includes 108 boarding and 38 day students, with 48 girls and 98 boys. There are 20 freshmen, 34 sophomores, 46 juniors, 44 seniors, and 2 students enrolled in our post graduate program. About 60 new students enroll annually.

The Disciplinary Committee and the Headmaster determine punishments for disciplinary infractions, and major offenses may result in withdrawal. Student and faculty groups are consulted in policy formation. Students are expected to be supportive of School policies and to take an active and positive part in the School’s programs and activities.

A behavior reward system is also in place. Students earn privileges (e.g., long weekends, refrigerators in rooms, cars on campus if at least 16 years of age, or dinners off campus) via points for positive participation in School programs. Conversely, points are removed for negative action. Responsible commitment is encouraged.

The Student Activities Committee oversees many extracurricular activities and operates a student-run school store. Among the student activities are the newspaper, the yearbook, and several dramatics productions. A work program involves students in routine chores on campus. Community service opportunities are available off campus.

Classes are 43 minutes long and meet five times a week. The rotating class schedule makes every day a different academic experience for both student and teacher. There are half-day schedules on Wednesday. The day begins with breakfast from 7:15 to 7:45, followed by a service period from 8 to 8:30 and classes from 8:30 to 3 and required sports in the afternoon. Sit-down dinners alternate with buffet-style meals. A 2- hour supervised study period, either in the dorm or in the library, and some free time cap off the evening. The day ends at 10:30 p.m.

The School’s location provides various opportunities for social, cultural, and entertainment activities. Students may attend theater performances and concerts in New York City. An activities director and student committee, plan weekend activities, such as movies, dances, intramural athletics, hikes, horseback riding, visits to museums, and trips to special events. Students may go home any weekend after their student obligations have been met, except on several closed weekends.

Athletics
Athletics at Storm King include recreational and competitive activities. Each student must choose an approved activity in each of the three sports seasons. A minimum of two of the three activities must be chosen from the athletics offerings. The third season’s activity may be either a planned, regularly scheduled group activity or a specially approved individual program.

The gymnasium provides basketball, wrestling, weight lifting, and locker and shower facilities, along with a lounge and a kitchenette. There are interscholastic teams for boys in soccer, cross-country, basketball, wrestling, baseball, lacrosse, and tennis and for girls in soccer, basketball, softball, volleyball, and tennis. The recreational alternatives include karate, skiing and snowboarding, bowling, tennis, and weight lifting. The Wilderness Program takes advantage of the School’s setting, offering outdoor-skill activities (mountaineering, canoeing, hiking, and rock-climbing) as an alternative to sports, as well as a series of weekend backpacking trips.

Multicultural Diversity
Fifty-four students are international. They come from China, India, Korea, Mexico, and a host of other countries worldwide. Clubs and organizations include the African American Latino Alliance and the Asian Student Organization.

Facilities and Services
Stillman Hall (1960) contains mathematics and science classrooms, laboratories, a greenhouse, a darkroom, and department offices. Dyar Hall (1958) provides humanities classrooms. The Ogden Library (1972) is a split-level learning center with study carrels, an audiovisual room, and the Fox Computer Center, equipped with 25 personal computers. The art building is a converted carriage house. The Walter Reade, Jr. Theatre was dedicated in 1984. The Cobb-Matthiessen Astronomy Observatory was dedicated in 1990.

The Allison Vladimer Art Center, a beautiful facility with a spectacular view of the Black Rock wilderness area, was dedicated in October 1994.

Faculty, Advisors
The boarding-school teacher must not only have a genuine enthusiasm for the subject matter he or she teaches but also relate well to the high school student. The entire faculty lives on campus; either in the dormitories or in campus housing; and is available for extra help, especially in the evening. All faculty members are active in advising and counseling students and provide a critical link between the family and the School. There is also a psychologist available on campus. Of the 32 full-time and 2 part-time faculty members, 24 hold master’s degrees and the rest have baccalaureates as their highest degrees. The School provides funds for continuing education.

Philip D. Riley was appointed the School’s fourteenth Headmaster in 1997. He received a B.S. degree form West Point and an M.A. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in guidance. Phil and his wife Gere live on campus.

College Placement
Guidance is a continuing process that takes place throughout a student’s entire stay at Storm King and quite often even after graduation. College guidance begins in the junior year. In-group meetings, students and their advisers discuss what lies ahead; individual conferences take place frequently and often include parents. There are many “right” colleges for each student. In recent years, 2 or more graduates have attended the following colleges, among others: Boston University, Bucknell, George Washington, Hamilton, Iona, Northeastern, NYU, Roger Williams, Skidmore, several campuses of the State University of New York, Syracuse, Tufts, Virginia Tech, and the Universities of Colorado, Hartford, Massachusetts, Miami, Southern California, and Vermont.

Admissions, Cost and Financial Aid
For 2006-2007, costs for boarding students total $33,500, and for day students costs total $19,000. There is no additional cost for books, insurance, and laundry. Students have to pay for transportation to and from the school. The School will bank an account for a student, from which spending money may be drawn.

Financial assistance totaling about $436,000 is awarded annually in the form of grants and loans, according to guidelines determined by the School and Student Service for Financial Aid, to about 44 percent of the student body.

The School accepts students in grades 9 through 12. A few one year-seniors and postgraduates have also been accommodated. Selections are made without regard to race, creed, or national origin and are based upon the applicant’s attitude, promise of success, and past record. An interview at the School is highly desirable. The Director of Admission recommends candidates for consideration by a faculty Committee on Admission.

Initial inquiries are welcome at any time, and campus interviews can be arranged from 8:30 to 4:30 during the week. A nonrefundable fee of $50 must accompany applications. Acceptance notifications are sent as soon as all information is complete. Storm King maintains a rolling admissions policy, accepting student throughout the school year provided space is available.

Admissions Contact:
The Storm King School
Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York 12520-1899
Telephone: (845) 534 9860
Fax: (845) 534 4128
http://www.sks.org/
E-mail: adm@sks.org