Indian Springs School: Difference between revisions

From Bhamwiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
mNo edit summary
m (Corrected year established)
Line 15: Line 15:


==History==
==History==
Indian Springs School was founded in [[1952]] by Birmingham businessman [[Harvey G. Woodward]], who left the funds and instructions for creating the school in his will at his death in [[1930]].
Indian Springs School was founded in [[1925]] by Birmingham businessman [[Harvey G. Woodward]], who left the funds and instructions for creating the school in his will at his death in [[1930]].


Woodward wanted to make the school available to both Alabama's elite and rural poor (though he stipulated that only white male gentiles should be admitted). These restrictions have all been challenged and abolished.
Woodward wanted to make the school available to both Alabama's elite and rural poor (though he stipulated that only white male gentiles should be admitted). These restrictions have all been challenged and abolished.

Revision as of 16:20, 15 July 2009

Indian Springs School
Established 1925
School type Private
District N/A
Grades 8-12
Director Gareth Vaughan
Enrollment 289 (2007)
Colors red and white
Mascot Springs
Location 190 Woodward Drive
Pelham
Website www.indiansprings.org

Indian Springs School is an 8th-12th grade boarding and day school at 190 Woodward Drive, at the base of Oak Mountain in Indian Springs Village, Shelby County. As of 2007 the school has 289 students. The school's director is Gareth Vaughan.

History

Indian Springs School was founded in 1925 by Birmingham businessman Harvey G. Woodward, who left the funds and instructions for creating the school in his will at his death in 1930.

Woodward wanted to make the school available to both Alabama's elite and rural poor (though he stipulated that only white male gentiles should be admitted). These restrictions have all been challenged and abolished.

He also instructed that the school should champion a holistic approach to learning (the school's motto is "Discere Vivendo'," or "Learning Through Living"). During its first years, students tended to the 350-acre working farm on the property when not in class. Though the farmwork was soon eliminated from the curriculum, the concept of integrated learning remains central to the school's mission.

Indian Springs opened with ten staff members and 60 students. The first director of the school was Louis E. Armstrong. He made several changes to Woodward's original plans for the school, most notably Woodward's request that the school not be prepatory. History teacher Mac Fleming, still teaching in 2007, was part of the original faculty.

By the 1970s, the school had grown to include equal numbers of day students and boarders. An 8th grade was added, and the school became coeducational in 1975.

Indian Springs School was the first boarding school in the U. S. to be recognized by the Malone Family Foundation, which provided a $2-million grant to underwrite tuition and other expenses for gifted students whose families could not otherwise afford an independent school.

In 2005, Indian Springs School had 274 students from 12 states and 7 countries, 76% of whom were day students and 24% of whom were boarders. There were 136 girls and 138 boys.

Indian Springs School was the inspiration for the novel Looking For Alaska by alumnus John Green.

Directors

Notable alumni

References

External links

Retrieved from "http://bhamwiki.com/w/index.php?title=Indian_Springs_School&oldid=48355"