¡HOLA MIAMI!
$5.00 NOVEMBER 2014
¡HOLA MIAMI! THE DOWNTOWN MIAMI SKYLINE, GLOWING WITH ENERGY
questmag.com
THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE
E D U C AT I O N This spread: Léman Manhattan students having fun in the classroom. The school is committed to educating, empowering, and inspiring students to be confident, independent, critical thinkers. Opposite page, from top: a Léman classroom; Léman’s lower school at 41 Broad Street; students signing each other’s yearbooks.
94 QUEST
COURTESY OF LÉMAN MANHATTAN
MANHATTAN PREP SCHOOL CHOICES BY ALEX R. TRAVERS
CO U RT E S Y O F K E V I N R A M S E Y A N D T R I N I T Y S C H O O L ; © T R I N I T Y S C H O O L / CO U RT E S Y O F L É M A N M A N H AT TA N
IF YOU OR YOUR children were to be granted acceptance to every elite preparatory school in New York, with cost being no object, which offer would you accept? Where would you even begin? New York City is, after all, known for having some of the best schools in the world, which may make the choice even more difficult. Back in May, I took a tour of Léman Manhattan’s campus and I was pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm of the students, awed by the amenities and the exquisite views from the classrooms. I spoke with Head of School Drew Alexander whose time as an educator has taken him from Alaska to Singapore. With world-class teachers and a focus on molding students into global citizens, it’s clear Alexander is steering Léman in the right direction. One interesting fact about Léman is that it’s the only boarding school in New York City. It’s co-educational, too. And while it may be a new school, its curriculum is rooted in tradition. As part of the Meritas Family of Schools, founded by Mac Gamse, Léman boasts 50 years of international learning through its schools in the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia, connecting students to international opportunities at sister campuses in Switzerland and China. There seemed no end to the programs and facilities students are offered, including the option to participate in the Meritas Academic Olympiad, an academic competition that brings together outstanding students from Meritas schools around the globe. Those who admire tradition, and I’m one of them, may be interested in Trinity School, an institution “called to challenge the minds, fire the imaginations, and train the bodies of the young people who have been entrusted to us,” according to Head of School John Allman. Trinity, co-educational like Léman, was founded in 1709. The first classes met in Trinity Church at the head of Wall Street. During its first 200 years, Trinity moved many times as the population of both Manhattan and the school grew. Throughout the 20th century, it expanded its offerings in academics, the arts, and athletics, and its facilities for learning and for play saw many improvements. Even older than Trinity is the Collegiate School, an allboys prep school founded in 1628. Its mission: “Collegiate School strives to educate each boy to reach his highest level of intellectual, ethical, artistic, and physical development.” The institution, known for its academic rigor, plans on moving to New York’s Riverside South neighborhood in 2016. Two schools founded in the early 20th century are the Chapin School and the Dalton School, and they are both highly regarded. Chapin, an all-girls school on the Upper East Side, is famous for its energetic academic program. Dalton, co-educational, is committed to founder Helen Parkhurst’s original goals to create not only academically strong graduates but also ones who will become informed, intuitive, and responsible citizens. I know, choices like this aren’t easy. But it’s never too early (or late) to start thinking about school for you or your children.
E D U C AT I O N
Opposite page, from top: The Chapin School’s façade at 100 East End Avenue; a Trinity School student practices the violin; an entrance to the Dalton School (left); the October 1998 cover of Quest, which featured a story on New York’s “Seven Sisters”; a hallway inside the Collegiate School. This page: Students converse at Léman Manhattan’s high school cafeteria; known for its bright arts program, a group of students rehearse for a play. Léman’s prime location allows the school to teach beyond the classroom (inset).
NOVEMBER 2014 97
¡HOLA MIAMI! THE DOWNTOWN MIAMI SKYLINE, GLOWING WITH ENERGY
questmag.com
THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE
E D U C AT I O N This spread: Léman Manhattan students having fun in the classroom. The school is committed to educating, empowering, and inspiring students to be confident, independent, critical thinkers. Opposite page, from top: a Léman classroom; Léman’s lower school at 41 Broad Street; students signing each other’s yearbooks.
94 QUEST
COURTESY OF LÉMAN MANHATTAN
MANHATTAN PREP SCHOOL CHOICES BY ALEX R. TRAVERS
CO U RT E S Y O F K E V I N R A M S E Y A N D T R I N I T Y S C H O O L ; © T R I N I T Y S C H O O L / CO U RT E S Y O F L É M A N M A N H AT TA N
IF YOU OR YOUR children were to be granted acceptance to every elite preparatory school in New York, with cost being no object, which offer would you accept? Where would you even begin? New York City is, after all, known for having some of the best schools in the world, which may make the choice even more difficult. Back in May, I took a tour of Léman Manhattan’s campus and I was pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm of the students, awed by the amenities and the exquisite views from the classrooms. I spoke with Head of School Drew Alexander whose time as an educator has taken him from Alaska to Singapore. With world-class teachers and a focus on molding students into global citizens, it’s clear Alexander is steering Léman in the right direction. One interesting fact about Léman is that it’s the only boarding school in New York City. It’s co-educational, too. And while it may be a new school, its curriculum is rooted in tradition. As part of the Meritas Family of Schools, founded by Mac Gamse, Léman boasts 50 years of international learning through its schools in the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia, connecting students to international opportunities at sister campuses in Switzerland and China. There seemed no end to the programs and facilities students are offered, including the option to participate in the Meritas Academic Olympiad, an academic competition that brings together outstanding students from Meritas schools around the globe. Those who admire tradition, and I’m one of them, may be interested in Trinity School, an institution “called to challenge the minds, fire the imaginations, and train the bodies of the young people who have been entrusted to us,” according to Head of School John Allman. Trinity, co-educational like Léman, was founded in 1709. The first classes met in Trinity Church at the head of Wall Street. During its first 200 years, Trinity moved many times as the population of both Manhattan and the school grew. Throughout the 20th century, it expanded its offerings in academics, the arts, and athletics, and its facilities for learning and for play saw many improvements. Even older than Trinity is the Collegiate School, an allboys prep school founded in 1628. Its mission: “Collegiate School strives to educate each boy to reach his highest level of intellectual, ethical, artistic, and physical development.” The institution, known for its academic rigor, plans on moving to New York’s Riverside South neighborhood in 2016. Two schools founded in the early 20th century are the Chapin School and the Dalton School, and they are both highly regarded. Chapin, an all-girls school on the Upper East Side, is famous for its energetic academic program. Dalton, co-educational, is committed to founder Helen Parkhurst’s original goals to create not only academically strong graduates but also ones who will become informed, intuitive, and responsible citizens. I know, choices like this aren’t easy. But it’s never too early (or late) to start thinking about school for you or your children.
E D U C AT I O N
Opposite page, from top: The Chapin School’s façade at 100 East End Avenue; a Trinity School student practices the violin; an entrance to the Dalton School (left); the October 1998 cover of Quest, which featured a story on New York’s “Seven Sisters”; a hallway inside the Collegiate School. This page: Students converse at Léman Manhattan’s high school cafeteria; known for its bright arts program, a group of students rehearse for a play. Léman’s prime location allows the school to teach beyond the classroom (inset).
NOVEMBER 2014 97
