Manhattan Country School
| Manhattan Country School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| New York, NY and Roxbury, NY | |
| Information | |
| School type | Coed, Private |
| Established | 1966 |
| Head of school | Michèle Solá |
| Faculty | Approximately 60 members, both full-time and part-time |
| Grades | PreK-8 |
| Enrolment | 190 |
| Color(s) | Red, White |
| Athletics | Soccer, basketball, track, softball, tennis |
| Athletics conference | American International Private School League |
| Affiliations | NYSAIS, ISAAGNY |
| Website | manhattancountryschool.org |
Manhattan Country School is a private coeducational PreK-8 school with its main location in Manhattan and a farm in Roxbury, New York. Founded in 1966, it is distinctive because of its multicultural and progressive educational philosophy, the diversity of its student body, its sliding scale tuition system, its incorporation of farm experiences and the activism of its students.
Manhattan Country School's origins are rooted in the social, ideological, and educational principles of the 1960s. Founders Gus and Marty Trowbridge were encouraged by judicial decisions in favor of equal opportunity and inspired by the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The curriculum at MCS is very rigorous, demanding, and sufficiently challenging for students. Until the 6-7s (1st grade), students are not given any homework. Once students reach the 6-7s, homework is given to them weekly on Wednesday. The amount of homework starts to slowly increase while students are in the Lower School. In the 8-9s and 9-10s (3rd and 4th grades), students are assigned to read a certain amount of books every year, and record their weekly reading process in a reading log.
From Pre-K until the 8th grade, there is a theme or central focus in the year's curriculum. For example, the 8-9s, the focus is on Native Americans, and eventually branches out to European Explorers. Students must put on plays inspired by the explorer that they have been assigned to study. In the 9-10s, the primary focus is Migration to the Americas, and students take class trips to Washington Heights and even Ellis Island. The themes and focuses in the classroom become more complex as students enter the Upper School. In the 5th grade, students study Sumarian life, environmental issues, and also Egypt. Toward the end of the year, an Egyptian market (which 5th graders put together), is held in the school Library. All classes can come and visit. In the sixth grade, students learn about the Civil Rights Movement, by delving into autobiographies, watching documentaries, and even putting together a play, which is presented at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. assembly. In the 7th and 8th grade, History, Science and English are taught with a mixed group of 7th and 8th graders in the classroom. An alternating two-year program is put together for these three subjects. For example, an entering 8th grader would be learning about the topics that the last year's graduates learned about when they were in 7th grade).
The English Department is particularly strong at MCS. Students read a wide variety of novels, and with 7th and 8th graders, a Shakespeare play is incorporated in the year's curriculum annually. Novels and plays that students have read as part of the curriculum include, The Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird and Romeo and Juliet .
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