The Park School


The Park School is an independent day school in Brookline, Massachusetts, for boys and girls in PreKindergarten through eighth grade. Founded in 1888 as Miss Pierce's School, it is a 34-acre campus in Brookline, Massachusetts near Jamaica Pond.

History

Park's roots go back to 1888, when Miss Caroline Pierce began a proprietary school on Walnut Street in Brookline. In 1923, it was incorporated and named to commemorate Julia Park, principal from 1910-1922. A gift of land from Dr. and Mrs. James M. Faulkner, former Park parents and grandparents, provided the opportunity for the School to move in 1971 from Kennard Road in Brookline to a 34-acre, country-like setting near Jamaica Pond and opposite Larz Anderson Park.

Campus

Park's facilities span a 34-acre campus.
Park's library contains 30,000 volumes and audiovisual materials.
Across the campus at 255 Goddard Avenue is Faulkner House, which provides office space and the After-School Program's main facility.
https://www.parkschool.org/about/our-campus

Construction

The school's main building was constructed in 1971 from a modern architectural design by Earl Flansburgh & Associates under the direction of then Headmaster Robert S. Hurlbut, Jr. Built of reinforced precast concrete as a stack of modular classroom and office spaces with wall-length windows for more natural illumination of rooms, it exemplifies the brutalist concrete construction style pioneered by Swiss architect Le Corbusier. But its brick wall accents and its preserved oaks and Roxbury puddingstone outcroppings pay homage to historical New England building traditions and topography. The building features an inner courtyard with a "Space Churn" stainless steel mobile sculpture by George Rickey, donated by a Park parent in 1971. In 1996, the West Building designed by Graham Gund and Associates, added two full-sized basketball courts, three modern science labs, and four mathematics classrooms to the school's facilities. In 2008, the school completed a major expansion and renovation of all of the pre-kindergarten – grade 5 classrooms. A new wing houses Grade 4 & 5 classrooms, after-school program space, a conference room, and adjoins the newly renovated 5,400-square foot library.
In 2008, the school completed a major expansion and renovation of all of the PreKindergarten – grade 5 classrooms. A new wing houses Grade 4 & 5 classrooms, after-school program space, and adjoins the newly renovated 5,400-square foot library.
During the summer of 2018, several renovation projects took place including significant updates to the Early Childhood classrooms, the accompanying Early Childhood/Discovery Playground, and the transformation of a Conference Room into a state-of-the-art Makerspace.

Program

The Park School is composed of two Divisions - Lower Division and Upper Division
Hallmarks of Park's Lower Division
Park’s Upper Division strikes a balance between academic rigor and creative exploration; high expectations and emotional support; preparing for the future and preserving the simplicity and sincerity of childhood. After Park, students enter the world with a developed sense of confidence, a joy of learning, and a hunger for the next intellectual endeavor.
Hallmarks of Park's Upper Division
https://www.parkschool.org/academics/upper-division-grades-5-8

Schedule

At Park, the academic year runs from September to June. School begins at 8:15 a.m. for all students. On Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, school is dismissed at 3 p.m.; Tuesday at 2 p.m. PreK is a half-day program until 12 noon. Kindergarten is dismissed at 12 p.m. on Monday and Friday, 2p.m. on Tuesday, and 3 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.

Extracurricular activities

Various extracurricular activities are offered in the After-School Program for PreK – Grade 5. Families may sign up for two to five afternoons per week; pick-up times are 3 p.m., 4:30 p.m. or 6 p.m.
Students in Grades 6 – 8 are encouraged to participate in elective sports or after-school drama. In addition, clubs and a quiet study hall are offered until 4:30 p.m. Park offers three seasons of sports, as well as three seasons of theater production, that students may participate in.
Sports include Flag Football, Soccer, Field Hockey, Volleyball and Cross Country in the fall, Basketball, Wrestling and Ice Hockey in the winter, and Lacrosse, Softball and Track and Field in the spring.
Theater choices change term to term and include both modern and classical theater, with a musical in the winter term.

Annual events

School-wide events include Grandparents' & Special Friends' Day on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving; Yule Festival – a longstanding holiday assembly that acknowledges both the common and varying traditions of the school's diverse community in songs and readings that capture the principles and spirit of Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa; and May Day – a special assembly welcoming spring for students in Pre-K through Grade 5. Graduation is held in June and features an alumnus/a speaker.

Notable alumni

Distinguished graduates of The Park School include: