North Country School

Founded: 1938

Ages/Grades: 4th - 9th grade

School Setting: Located just outside of Lake Placid, NY in the heart of the Adirondack mountains.

School Size: 87 students

Classroom Size: 15 average

Student/Teacher Ratio: 3-1

Tuition: $48,800

Financial Aid: Yes

Departments:

Math, Science, English, History, Arts, Theater, Dance

Curriculum:

A co-ed boarding and day school offering a mix of traditional curriculum and creative programming. Of the many things we are to children, we are first and foremost a school. Providing a solid base of skills and coursework, the academic program is ambitious, challenging and supportive. Daily outdoor activities vary from a game of Capture the Flag to skiing on our ski hill.

Percentage of Graduating Class: 100%

Support Services: ESL program, an academic Learning Lab, Computer Lab, Library, full arts program

Camp Programs: Yes

After School Programs: Yes

Computer Capabilities:

17 workstations and 20 lap tops for classroom or study hall use

School Championships:

N/A

School Clubs:

We have an extensive outdoor program where children participate daily in many activities, including: hiking, horse back riding, alpine and nordic skiing, rock climbing, ice skating, soccer, basketball, ultimate Frisbee and working on work jobs at the farm and in the gardens.

Parking Spaces/Availability: N/A

Uniform Guidelines: casual and comfortable—warm

Admissions Requirements:

Complete online application found at: admissions@northcountryschool.org

Mission Statement:

North Country School and Camp Treetops strive to create a community that gives children the self-confidence, knowledge, skills, and values to lead satisfying and productive lives while contributing to their world.

Philosophy/Belief Statement:

Statement of Philosophy

HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF NORTH COUNTRY SCHOOL

Walter and Leonora Clark founded North Country School in 1938. They were offered the opportunity to open their school on the one hundred and sixty acres of Camp Treetops by Leo’s sister and brother-in-law, Helen and Doug Haskell, who had been directing the camp on the Lake Placid site since 1928. The school opened with six students and four adults—Walter, Leo, and Henry and Bessie Haskell. In the fall of 1938 work had not been completed on the new school building, so they opened their school using the Camp Treetops main house which was not winterized. They borrowed a wood burning stove from a neighbor and used blankets to cover the windows to seal out the cold drafts. From these modest beginnings they cultivated the school that exists today.

Walter and Leo directed the school until their retirement in 1970. Since then there have been six other directors—Harry and Betty Clark Eldridge, Jeff Moredock, Roger Loud, Frank Wallace, and the current director David “Hock” Hochschartner. The philosophy of the school has changed very little in the more than seventy years of its existence. In fact, the following statement of philosophy written by Walter and Leo Clark continues to ring true today more than forty years after it was originally written.

“The welfare of his children is naturally one of man’s greatest concerns. We want them to be strong, skillful, sensitive beings, respected and appreciated by their associates. The best hope of achieving these ends is to provide them with an environment where they can be guided toward such fulfillment in day-to-day living. The setting should capture the curiosity, imagination, and intelligence of children and lead to exciting adventure.

All children have an eagerness to learn and a capacity to grow. Their development flourishes in an atmosphere friendly to them, where responsibilities are realistic and situations offer challenge and satisfaction. While we view participation as the most vital learning process, we strive not to lose the sight of the need which adults and children share for open acceptance and a daily measure of happiness.

North Country provides an environment where children have a maximum opportunity for growth and development. Daily contact with the natural world and its patterns gives a child a reassuring sense of stability and helps develop a life-long capacity for wonder and delight. Much of our surroundings remain in as natural a state as modern life permits. Every effort is made to inspire in our children a respect for this environment and the extraordinary opportunities and experiences it provides.

The effectiveness of an academic program depends primarily on two factors: the strength and wisdom of teachers and the choice of a course of studies. As an independent school we enjoy leeway in our curriculum planning and in our selection of teachers. We set high standards of scholastic achievement, and preparing children for admissions to the best secondary schools is an essential objective. North Country School graduates have been consistently admitted to over a hundred of America’s leading independent secondary schools. A more important and less easily defined objective is to satisfy the natural curiosity of children about varied aspects of their universe to help them understand themselves and to communicate. Children’s inquisitive minds must be nurtured and stimulated in ways which can open them to new and exciting avenues of learning and appreciation. Our program is divided into categories of study primarily for convenience. Since we use related knowledge and skills from many “fields” in facing most needs of life as adults, it seems sensible to minimize arbitrary divisions in the school life of a child.

In addition to making his bed and cleaning his room, every child does some daily work about the place. Part is assigned, part volunteered, and all held within the pupil’s range of ability. Every job that has to be done is potentially an opportunity for the children to help, learn, and grow. Pride is attached to every job well done, no matter what kind it is, so long as it is necessary, socially useful work. It is remarkable how eagerly children accept these responsibilities and how hard they try to perform well. One has only to see them busily working to realize how important they feel. This feeling of usefulness and importance is a great help in the development of self-confidence and strong character. It adds exuberance to life and tends to diminish the artificial line of demarcation which too often exists between learning and living, work and play.

Children are physical creatures. They need abundant opportunity to use muscles and bodies, to run, jump, kick, throw, push, pull, and lift. Some of this is best as sheer fun, recreation, and sport. some is best as useful, productive work. We strive for balance between the two categories, with an average of one and a half hours daily for strenuous outdoor activity. The value of competitive sports in fostering unselfish teamwork is not overlooked, but stress is placed on developing pride and proficiency in more individualized sports suitable to life-long participation and pleasure.

While work and studies are often fun, they have to be done whether or not they are. Children meet these demands more easily and have more enjoyment doing so when there is regard for “free” time. It is precious time for a child, whether it be spent loafing in his room, reading by the fire, working in shops and studios, making or hearing music, engaging in a strenuous sport of clearing a new ski trail. Friendships grow in these times, confidences are exchanged, and initiative and independence flourish. Many of the most ambitious and surprising endeavors are carried on during free time. They may not be constructive by some standards, but for the children they are always vital learning and growing experiences.

North Country School has no dormitories. As much as possible, a family like living arrangement is sought. Individual house units of six to ten children are under the supervision of a teaching staff couple, some of whom have their own families. The strongest relationships formed between students and adults are most likely to develop in these intimate groupings where the houseparents assume the highly sensitive responsibility of directing the emotional, physical, and academic growth of “their” children.”

-Walter and Leonora Clark
Statement of Philosophy

School History: HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF NORTH COUNTRY SCHOOL Walter and Leonora Clark founded North Country School in 1938. They were offered the opportunity to open their school on the one hundred and sixty acres of Camp Treetops by Leo’s sister and brother-in-law, Helen and Doug Haskell, who had been directing the camp on the Lake Placid site since 1928. The school opened with six students and four adults—Walter, Leo, and Henry and Bessie Haskell. In the fall of 1938 work had not been completed on the new school building, so they opened their school using the Camp Treetops main house which was not winterized. They borrowed a wood burning stove from a neighbor and used blankets to cover the windows to seal out the cold drafts. From these modest beginnings they cultivated the school that exists today. Walter and Leo directed the school until their retirement in 1970. Since then there have been six other directors—Harry and Betty Clark Eldridge, Jeff Moredock, Roger Loud, Frank Wallace, and the current director David “Hock” Hochschartner. The philosophy of the school has changed very little in the more than seventy years of its existence. In fact, the following statement of philosophy written by Walter and Leo Clark continues to ring true today more than forty years after it was originally written. “The welfare of his children is naturally one of man’s greatest concerns. We want them to be strong, skillful, sensitive beings, respected and appreciated by their associates. The best hope of achieving these ends is to provide them with an environment where they can be guided toward such fulfillment in day-to-day living. The setting should capture the curiosity, imagination, and intelligence of children and lead to exciting adventure. All children have an eagerness to learn and a capacity to grow. Their development flourishes in an atmosphere friendly to them, where responsibilities are realistic and situations offer challenge and satisfaction. While we view participation as the most vital learning process, we strive not to lose the sight of the need which adults and children share for open acceptance and a daily measure of happiness. North Country provides an environment where children have a maximum opportunity for growth and development. Daily contact with the natural world and its patterns gives a child a reassuring sense of stability and helps develop a life-long capacity for wonder and delight. Much of our surroundings remain in as natural a state as modern life permits. Every effort is made to inspire in our children a respect for this environment and the extraordinary opportunities and experiences it provides. The effectiveness of an academic program depends primarily on two factors: the strength and wisdom of teachers and the choice of a course of studies. As an independent school we enjoy leeway in our curriculum planning and in our selection of teachers. We set high standards of scholastic achievement, and preparing children for admissions to the best secondary schools is an essential objective. North Country School graduates have been consistently admitted to over a hundred of America’s leading independent secondary schools. A more important and less easily defined objective is to satisfy the natural curiosity of children about varied aspects of their universe to help them understand themselves and to communicate. Children’s inquisitive minds must be nurtured and stimulated in ways which can open them to new and exciting avenues of learning and appreciation. Our program is divided into categories of study primarily for convenience. Since we use related knowledge and skills from many “fields” in facing most needs of life as adults, it seems sensible to minimize arbitrary divisions in the school life of a child. In addition to making his bed and cleaning his room, every child does some daily work about the place. Part is assigned, part volunteered, and all held within the pupil’s range of ability. Every job that has to be done is potentially an opportunity for the children to help, learn, and grow. Pride is attached to every job well done, no matter what kind it is, so long as it is necessary, socially useful work. It is remarkable how eagerly children accept these responsibilities and how hard they try to perform well. One has only to see them busily working to realize how important they feel. This feeling of usefulness and importance is a great help in the development of self-confidence and strong character. It adds exuberance to life and tends to diminish the artificial line of demarcation which too often exists between learning and living, work and play. Children are physical creatures. They need abundant opportunity to use muscles and bodies, to run, jump, kick, throw, push, pull, and lift. Some of this is best as sheer fun, recreation, and sport. some is best as useful, productive work. We strive for balance between the two categories, with an average of one and a half hours daily for strenuous outdoor activity. The value of competitive sports in fostering unselfish teamwork is not overlooked, but stress is placed on developing pride and proficiency in more individualized sports suitable to life-long participation and pleasure. While work and studies are often fun, they have to be done whether or not they are. Children meet these demands more easily and have more enjoyment doing so when there is regard for “free” time. It is precious time for a child, whether it be spent loafing in his room, reading by the fire, working in shops and studios, making or hearing music, engaging in a strenuous sport of clearing a new ski trail. Friendships grow in these times, confidences are exchanged, and initiative and independence flourish. Many of the most ambitious and surprising endeavors are carried on during free time. They may not be constructive by some standards, but for the children they are always vital learning and growing experiences. North Country School has no dormitories. As much as possible, a family like living arrangement is sought. Individual house units of six to ten children are under the supervision of a teaching staff couple, some of whom have their own families. The strongest relationships formed between students and adults are most likely to develop in these intimate groupings where the houseparents assume the highly sensitive responsibility of directing the emotional, physical, and academic growth of “their” children.” -Walter and Leonora Clark

Notes/School Information:

Founded in 1938, we continue to grow. Our “greener than green”
new student residence will be open in September 2010!
A co-ed day and boarding school for children in grades 4-9, our 200-acre campus is located in the
heart of the Adirondack high peaks, just outside of Lake Placid.  A North Country School education
is active and all-encompassing. Let our challenging curriculum, extensive arts program, farm
and gardens expand your child’s curiosity and creativity.

We are a school where children love to learn.

“The only bad question is the one that is not asked.”~David Hochschartner, Head of School