Rocky Hill School
| Rocky Hill Country Day School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
530 Ives Road Warwick , Kent County 02818 | |
| Coordinates | 41°39′31″N 71°25′22″W / 41.658677°N 71.4226587°W |
| Information | |
| Founded | 1934 |
Rocky Hill Country Day School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory day school located on 84 acres along the Potowomut River and Narragansett Bay in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. It educates in grades nursery through grade 12.[1]
History
[edit]The school was founded in 1934 by Dorothy Marshall as a local preschool.[2] Three years later, the first official schoolhouse was constructed to serve preschool through third grade. Nathan Hale, a descendant of the Revolutionary war hero of the same name, purchased the school in 1941.[3] and changed the school's name to Rocky Hill Country Day School[4] Four years after, the school’s first ninth grade class graduated. In 1945, Rocky Hill Country Day School moved 245 students to the former Hopelands country estate,[5] which was later acquired by the school and incorporated as a non-profit.
Uniforms and yearbooks were instilled as well as the development of the School’s Alma mater after Robert C. Smith became the headmaster in 1962. Five years later, the first 12th grade class graduated.
In 2001, the first laptop classroom was implemented and a student laptop program was later launched in 2004.[6]
Educational model
[edit]This is a coeducational school that comprises three divisions
- Lower School: Serving nursery- grade 5
- Middle School: Serving grade 6 - grade 8
- Upper School: Serving grade 9- grade 12
The Rocky Hill Country Day School Model encourages all students to articulate and champion their own ideas to strive towards intellectual independence and a lifetime of learning.[1] Through integrating technology in the classroom, outside learning[7] and the implementation of the Harkness methodology (Grades 6-12) where students and teachers sit at a round table encouraging discussions and involvement.[8][9]
Heads of School
[edit]Dorothy Knott Marshall - Headmistress - 1934 – 1941
Nathan Hale - Headmaster - 1941 – 1962
Robert Smith - Headmaster - 1962 – 1967
Hugh Campbell - Headmaster - 1967 – 1975
Alan Flynn Jr - Headmaster - 1975 – 1991
R. Leith Herrmann - Headmaster - 1991 – 1995
James Young - Headmaster - 1996 – 2013
Jonathan Schoenwald - Headmaster - 2011 – 2013
Peter Branch - Headmaster - 2013 – 2016
James Tracy - Headmaster - 2016 – 2018
Diane Rich - Head of School - 2018 – 2024
Dan Rocha - Interim Head of School - 2024 – 2025
Christine Heine - Head of School - 2025 – Present
Facilities
[edit]- Perkins Hall[10]
- Gibson Hall
- Sharpe Gymnasium
- Carriage House
- Hale Science Center
- Alan F. Flynn, Jr. Academic Center
- Hopelands
- Brickhouse
- Academic Center for Enrichment
- Marshall House (Preschool)
- Pony Barn
- Campbell Center
- Pump House
- Head of School residence
Notable alumni
[edit]- Rudy Tanzi ’78[11]
- Mena Suvari ’97[12]
- Rome Kirby ’07[13][14][15]
- Damian Rivera '21
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Rocky Hill School". www.aisne.org. Archived from the original on March 31, 2017.
- ^ "Hopelands, Rocky Hill School 3". January 12, 2012.
- ^ Breed, Donald D. (1 August 1998). There's a lot of history behind these East Greenwich walls, Providence Journal
- ^ "Rocky+Hill+country+day+school"+1934 "Private Independent Schools". 1963.
- ^ "hopelands country estate - National Park Service Search Results".
- ^ "School History". Archived from the original on February 18, 2017.
- ^ "Rocky Hill School has been teaching independence for 75 years". October 2009.
- ^ "The Harkness Table: Schools". Archived from the original on May 10, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
- ^ "What is the Harkness Program at Rocky Hill School?". August 5, 2013.
- ^ "Rocky Hill School History- Top Private School in RI". Archived from the original on February 18, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
- ^ "East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Rocky Hill School - PDF Free Download".
- ^ Unknown[permanent dead link]
- ^ Salit, Richard (October 19, 2013). "America's Cup winner Rome Kirby visits alma mater, Rocky Hill School". Providence Journal. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
- ^ "Rocky Hill Alum, Rome Kirby, the Sole American Sailor on the Victorious, America's Cup Oracle Team". October 2, 2013.
- ^ "Team Oracle USA, Rome Kirby visits alma mater - ABC6 - Providence, RI and New Bedford, MA News, Weather". Archived from the original on February 28, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
