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Chestnut Hill Academy

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Chestnut Hill Academy
Location
Map
Philadelphia
,
Pennsylvania

United States
Information
TypePrivate
Motto"Education for Boys"
Religious affiliation(s)None
Established1861
HeadmasterFrancis P. Steel, Jr. '77
Faculty77
Enrollment551
Average class size~55
Student to teacher ratio7:1
CampusUrban/Suburban
Color(s)Light Blue and Dark Blue
AthleticsInteracademic League
MascotHillers (Unofficial: Blue Devils)
Websitehttp://www.chestnuthillacademy.org

Chestnut Hill Academy (Established in 1861), commonly referred to as CHA, is a Pre-K to 12 all-male independent college preparatory school located in northwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

History

The school's current home on 500 West Willow Grove Avenue was formerly known as the Wissahickon Inn. Built by Henry H. Houston (1820–1895), the Inn opened for business in 1884. Across the street, Houston also built the Philadelphia Cricket Club, and additional acreage across the street originally played host to the Devon Horse Show (back when it was known as the Philadelphia Horse Show). These became popular tourist attractions for those in the Philadelphia area and brought much business to the Inn.

In 1897, the Inn's business began to decline when the Philadelphia Horse Show moved out, and improved transportation caused guests to seek more distant travel spots. In 1898, Chestnut Hill Academy moved to the Wissahickon Inn from its previous residence on 8030 Germantown Avenue. The school and the Inn functioned simultaneously, the school making use of the inn's facilities during its off season, and the Inn doing business when students had gone home for the summer. The Wissahickon Inn went out of business in 1901, and Chestnut Hill Academy took permanent possession of the property.

The Wissahickon Inn is listed on National Register of Historic Places, and the school retains many of the Inn's original structures today.

Academics

Chestnut Hill Academy is a Pre-K to 12 college preparatory boys’ school. The school provides a traditional liberal arts and broad-based academic curriculum, where each boy is exposed to a wide variety of disciplines, programs, activities and opportunities. They balance this approach with an understanding of what is best for boys, fully integrated and complimentary technology, and knowledge of the latest research in current teaching methods. CHA is proud to provide a developmentally appropriate and academically challenging program across the divisions.

Athletics

Chestnut Hill Academy's athletic teams play in the Interacademic (Inter-Ac) League which, since its inception in 1887, remains the nation's oldest interscholastic athletic conference.

While the nickname for all CHA teams has been the Hillers since before 1900, a more popular choice – the "Blue Devils" – has been the school's de facto mascot since the 1960s.

Chestnut Hill emerged as one of the most vaunted soccer programs in Pennsylvania under celebrated coach Jim Talbot during the late 1980s, winning eight consecutive Inter-Ac championships between 1987 and 1994.

The Blue Devils would go another five seasons before their next Inter-Ac title, winning consecutive league crowns in 1999 and 2000 under Bob DiBenedetto. Among the star players on these teams were Dan Gargan '01 (Georgetown/Colorado Rapids) and Jeff Larentowicz '01 (Brown/New England Revolution).

In addition to success in soccer, the school has reeled off several MASA and Inter-Ac squash titles within the last 5 years. In the last 5 years, the squash program has been the most successful athletic program at CHA.

The Arts

CHA is well-known for its visual and performing arts programs.

The Upper School division's performing arts groups is known as The Players, and works in coordination with Springside School, the all-female sister school located down the street. The Players put on two productions a school year, which are generally met with rave reviews. For the 2005-2006 season, The Players performed High Society and James Thurber's A Thurber Carnival. There is a Middle School drama program for grades 7-8, also working with Springside, which has two productions during the winter time when The Players are not in season.

The main performance space at CHA is the Albert B. Conkey Center for the Performing Arts, well-known to the CHA community as "the Rec." The facility previously served as a stable for the Wissahickon Inn.

Students are encouraged to train in music and singing throughout their school careers. Boys in grades 3-8 may participate in the CHA Boychoir, which performs a concert in the winter season and a musical production in the spring. CHA also has its own men's a cappella singing group, exclusive to students in grades 10-12 who pass an audition. Called the "Hilltones," the group is often featured performing at major school events and functions, as well as in concert and on tour outside of school. The Hilltones also frequently perform with Springside's a cappella group, called "Laurelei." Together, the Hilltones and Laurelei form a coed SATB ensemble known as the Chamber Singers.

Miscellaneous

CHA has just initiated a massive campaign with the hopes of completing a brand new lunchroom and gym by fall 2006, a fully functional fieldhouse by 2007/2008, and a brand new science facility by 2009/2010.

The school was one of the filming locations for the motion picture Stealing Home. The film's director Steven Kampmann is a graduate of CHA, and the film featured then-student Thacher Goodwin as the young version of Mark Harmon's character.

Notable alumni


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