As you probably already know, Chestnut Hill Academy and The Springside School are combining their institutions fully by 2012. Beginning in the 2012-2013 school year, the Upper Schools of both schools will be combined into one large independent schools, mixed with boys and girls.
Previously, freshmen and sophomores at both schools took only single sex classes with the exceptions of languages and arts/music. Juniors and Seniors took combined classes with students from Springside and CHA. Starting in the fall of 2012 Freshman through Senior years will all include students from both of the schools and the Upper School will be fully by integrated by then.
Next year the two schools will name a head department chair in each subject, either a current CHA teacher or a current Springside teacher. For the 2011-2012 school year, the schools will combine their departments and develop a new curriculum that will be taught to both schools. In the 2012-2013 school year, the school will open with their new, fully integrated schooling program for the Upper School.
Personally, I like this change for a simple reason. I like taking classes that have girls in them. I came from the Upper Dublin public school system and entered CHA freshman year. It was extremely tough to transition to an all-boys school. I would have loved to have this new program go into effect when I was a freshman.
Many of my classmates, however, feel differently than I do. The students who came as new students freshman year feel differently from the students who have lifer status at CHA. Lifer status means that they have attended CHA since Kindergarten and have never experienced any other type of schooling. Lifers went to CHA for a reason, and people pick CHA because it's one of the few all-boys school in the Philadelphia area and it has so many unique traditions.
Lifer Dylan Tracy, Class of 2010, says "It's not a bad idea; it has to be done for the school to move forward. They need to come together in the upper school, yet at the same time continue the individualistic traditions that is a part of the CHA life."
Ryan Ansel, Class of 2010, came new as a freshman but says he's not sold on the merger.
"The culture of the two schools are different and in joining the two there will be traditions lost. There are too many things that are not determined or public at this point for me to go to far either way."
Marissa Rohner, Springside Class of 2010, says she likes some of what the new school will bring, but wonders about other things: "I really enjoyed having co-ed classes with you guys, and I wish we all could have spent more time together," she says. "But I think it could bring up some other issues in the future, like co-ed graduations, co-ed yearbooks, like there will be problems."
When I was in the process of choosing between Upper Dublin High School and CHA, I was leaning towards Upper Dublin. The main factor was that I had close friends there, but secondly I knew CHA was an all boys school. Obviously I put the whole girl thing behind me and decided to just suck it up and attend CHA knowing that I would be going to a prep school for the the education not the girls.
The teaching staff has other thoughts on the integrating of the two schools. Mr. Stan Parker, the head of the History department at CHA, Dean of Faculty, and Head Varsity Baseball Coach, has been teaching at CHA for more than 25 years and even graduated from CHA. Here is what he thinks of the integration of the two schools. He believes there will be positive aspects and negative aspects of the combining of the two schools. On the positive side he believes there will be closer integration amongst the students in the upper school. He referenced how the CHA boys learn different note taking skills than the girls do and this is a little thing that will be resolved as the curriculum's combine. On the negative front he believes the beauty of the school could be lost and being a long tenured teacher at CHA I can see why he would be concerned. Also, the functions he believe will drastically change and the beauty of the school and the functions can ultimately be lost.
By integrating the Upper School with boys and girls I think CHA and Springside will be even better schools than they already are. It will make it better because more students will be intrigued to go to an institution where you can get a college prep education with girls and boys in the classrooms.
I like that CHA is still keeping the tradition of an all boys schools in the younger grades because it is extending the legacy of being one of the few all boys schools in the area. Overall I think the plan is just "OK". Even though I personally like the change to girls in the classroom, that doesn't mean that the whole plan is great. Teachers that I became to like, are getting laid off because less teachers are needed. Also, I feel for the people who previously went to CHA and that the school they went to will never be the same as when they graduated and legacy will be lost. I understand that money these days is not easy to come by, and by combining the schools it will be better financially. Overall this is a drastic change in the area and I personally still look forward to returning to CHA in years to come and see what has changed and what has stayed exactly the same.
-Ed Trockey, CHA '10
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