Roland Park Country School

The neighborhood of Roland Park in Baltimore, Maryland, was established in 1891 by the Roland Park Company. A school was soon neededEden Unger Bowditch, Growing Up in Baltimore: A Photographic History (Arcadia Publishing, 2001), 56. and in 1894 the company established the Roland Park School and installed teachers Adelaide and Katherine Howard at 410 Notre Dame Avenue (now 4810 Keswick Road). The school opened there on September 25, 1894. The company hired “a high-quality staff” and turned the school into a “first-rate college preparatory institution.” It became the “first fully accredited independent school for girls in Baltimore.”Judy Colbert, Insiders’ Guide to Baltimore (Rowman & Littlefield, 2010), 165.

• 1905: the school was moved to its second location, 210 Roland Avenue (later renumbered 4608). It remained there until 1916. It was a girls’ school, but it admitted boys up to the fourth grade.Marsha Wight Wise, Baltimore Neighborhoods, Volume 4 (Arcadia Publishing, 2009), 31. The principal, Bertha Chapman, instituted a college preparatory curriculum. The first graduating class was in 1907, a class of one.
• 1907: the first graduate, Katherine Jones Harrison, graduated from a class of one.[http://2329.bbnc.bbcust.com/pages/about-rpcs/history RPCS-Timeline.]
• 1908: the Roland Park Company ended its sponsorship when the school was incorporated as a no-profit under Maryland laws.
• 1915, ground was broken in October for a new open air school.[https://books.google.com/books?id=PjZDAAAAYAAJ&dq=roland+park+country+school&pg=PA108 Atlantic Educational Journal, Volume 11:2, October, 1915 (Globe Publishing and Printing Company, 1916), 108.]
• 1916: construction was completed, so the school moved to 817 W. University Parkway.[http://www.rolandpark.org/ThenAndNowWest Roland Park, MD. “Then and Now: West”] The school remained in that location until 1980. A fire destroyed 75% of the school in 1947:Eden Unger Bowditch, Growing Up in Baltimore: A Photographic History (Arcadia Publishing, 2001). 56. There was another severe fire on the campus in 1976.
• 1918: the school expanded from seven to eight grades in the Main School. There continued to be four grades in the Primary School. Also, RPCS's Alumnae Association was organized.
• 1921: a student government was formed.Eden Unger Bowditch, Growing Up in Baltimore: A Photographic History (Arcadia Publishing, 2001), 57.
• 1932: the president of the Alumnae Association became the first alumnae representative to the Board of Trustees.
• 1947: on the night after the June Commencement, 75% of the school was destroyed by fire. The trustees make an immediate decision to rebuild. The school opened, as scheduled, in September.
• 1963: RPCS changed its admission policy to read: “Application without discrimination for all qualified applicants."
• 1975: the school hired its first headmaster. It also decided, again, to enroll boys in preparatory through 3rd grade. The curriculum expands with added science, electives, and college guidance.
• 1976: during Thanksgiving vacation, fire made the new Upper School wing, built in 1968, unusable. School started the following Monday in makeshift classrooms. The trustees had to make whether to renovate or relocate.
• 1978: the trustees, having decided to relocate, purchased a 21-acre estate at 5204 Roland Avenue, adjacent to St. Mary's Seminary.
• 1980: the school began using its new facility. The students marched up Roland Avenue from their old to their new campus.
• 1981: because of a drop in the male birth population and limited space, RPCS terminates admission for young boys.
• 1987: RPCS, Gilman School and Bryn Mawr School begin to coordinate Upper School classes in the Tri-School Coordination program.
• 1992: Jean Waller Brune, class of 1960, was appointed head of the school, the first RPCS alumna to be so appointed.
• 1996: Mary Ellen Thomsen became the first female president of the board of trustees.
• 1996: RPCS completed construction of an Arts Center, a new Upper and Middle School library, science labs, classrooms, a computer center, and an expanded athletic center.
• 1998: Celeste Woodward Applefeld, class of 1964, became the second female president of the Board of Trustees and the first alumna to hold the position.
• 2001: RPCS celebrated its centennial and dedicated its new building: Lower School additions, the Smith Middle School, new science laboratories and new Upper School classrooms. Also, the school purchased a building, which had been rented out for squash playing, to use as a squash facility.
• 2008: RPCS completed construction of its Athletic Complex.
• 2016: Caroline Blatti became the seventh head of RPCS.{{Cite news|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/north-baltimore/ph-ms-caroline-blatti-profile-20161011-story.html|title=Caroline Blatti takes over as head of all-girls' Roland Park Country School|last=Heubeck|first=Elizabeth|work=Baltimore Sun|access-date=2017-02-26|language=en-US}}
• 2024: Previous Head of Upper School, Joan Smith, becomes the eighth Head of School.

Roland Park Country School (RPCS) has a dual emphasis, one of which is “academic achievement.”

The school has 85 classroom teachers, 85% of whom hold advanced degrees. Their average class size is 15 students. The student–teacher ratio is 9:1 compared to a national average of 13:1.[http://www.privateschoolreview.com/roland-park-country-school-profile Private School Review. Accessed March 7, 2016.]

RPCS is divided into four schools, each with its own head: Pre-school, Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School.[http://www.rpcs.org/Page/Academics RPSC:Academics. Accessed March 3, 2016.] All four offer math, physical education, and science.

Pre-school

The Pre-school is open to three and four-year-old girls and boys. The curriculum includes language arts, library, music, art, foreign language, and computer.[http://mainsite.rpcs.onmessagestaging.com/Page/Academics/Preschool RPSC:Pre-school. Accessed March 21, 2016.]

Lower School

The Lower School includes kindergarten, pre-first grade, and grades 1-5. The courses offered include language arts, French, social studies, Spanish, computer, Mandarin Chinese, music, dance, art, and library.[http://mainsite.rpcs.onmessagestaging.com/Page/Academics/Lower-School RPSC:Lower School. Accessed March 22, 2016.]

Middle School

The Middle School includes grades 6-8. The courses offered include Chinese, lab skills, civics, French, geography, Spanish, art, ancient history, Latin, music, Technology, dance, English, library, and theater.[http://mainsite.rpcs.onmessagestaging.com/Page/Academics/Middle-School RPSC:Middle School. Accessed March 30, 2016.]

Upper School

The Upper School comprises grades 9-12. Courses required or offered as electives include foreign language, college prep, public speaking, English, laboratory science, in three sections regular, accelerated, and honors, history, fine and performing arts, affective education, and SAT preparation. Advanced Placement courses are available in twenty-six subjects.[https://rpcs.myschoolapp.com/ftpimages/752/download/download_1476214.pdf RPSC:Upper School. Accessed March 22, 2016.]

RPCS offers a Foreign Language Certificate to Upper School students who meet its formal study and its experience of immersion in a foreign language requirements. The formal study requirements entail studying two languages simultaneously during a student’s Upper School years. The experience of immersion in a foreign language includes participation in one of the student exchange program, attending a foreign language summer camp or studying abroad in a foreign language.[http://mainsite.rpcs.onmessagestaging.com/Page/Academics/Upper-School/Foreign-Language RPSC:Foreign Language Certificate. Accessed March 7, 2016.]

RPCS includes the STEM Institute, as a “school within a school” with its own director. Its purpose is to train Upper School students in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Graduation requirements include formal course work and “a series of semester-long research apprenticeships.” The course work must include two Advanced Placement STEM courses, four full years of science, and four full years of math.[http://mainsite.rpcs.onmessagestaging.com/Page/Academics/Upper-School/The-STEM-Institute RPCS:STEM Institute. Accessed March 11, 2016.]

In Tri-School Coordination, adopted in 1987, Upper School students are allowed to take courses at Gilman School and the Bryn Mawr School. This provides students in the three schools a choice of 95 electives. Pedestrian bridges connect the three campuses.[http://mainsite.rpcs.onmessagestaging.com/Page/Academics/Upper-School/Tri-School-Coordination RPSC:Tri-School Coordination. Accessed March 25, 2016.]

Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope Lifelong Learning at Roland Park Country School was established in 1947 “to create outreach programs for alumnae, their friends and the Baltimore community”. “Courses, book talks, trips, and summer camps are offered in the fall, spring and summer semesters. Over 100 Kaleidoscope educational programs and entertainment options with 1,000 participants are hosted each semester.”[http://www.rpcs.org/Page/Kaleidoscope RPSC:Kaleidoscope. Accessed March 1, 2016.]

In 1963, RPCS changed its admission policy to read: “Application without discrimination for all qualified applicants." As a result, the school enrolls a diverse student body as shown in the following chart.[http://www.greatschools.org/maryland/baltimore/1478-Roland-Park-Country-School/details/#Sources Great Schools-RPCS.]

Roland Park Country School (RPCS) has a dual emphasis, one of which is “athletic accomplishment.”

Athletic sports have been “formally” a part of RPCS since World War I. The sports offered by the school include badminton, basketball, crew, cross-country, field hockey, golf, indoor soccer, lacrosse, soccer, softball, squash, swimming, tennis, volleyball, and winter track.[http://www.privateschoolreview.com/roland-park-country-school-profile Private School Review] The school is member of the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland.[http://www.rpcs.org/Page/Athletics/Director-Welcome RPCS-Athletics.]

RPCS began its Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006 to honor those who have made significant contributions to the school’s athletic program.[http://www.rpcs.org/Page/Athletics/Athletic-Hall-of-Fame RPCS-Athletic Hall of Fame.]

Facilities

Having completed construction of its Athletic Complex in 2008, the school’s athletic facilities include two turf fields, an indoor rowing tank, and a fitness center.

Championship teams

RPCS fielded at least one championship team starting in 1981 through 2015 with the exception of six years. In four of these years, four championship teams were fielded as follows:[http://www.rpcs.org/Page/Athletics/Championship-Teams RPCS-Championship Teams.]

• 2005: golf, crew, field hockey, tennis
• 2009: badminton, golf, crew, tennis
• 2010: golf, crew, squash, tennis
• 2013: volleyball
• 2014: badminton, Indoor soccer, softball, volleyball

{{alumni|date=October 2018}}

• Sally Buck, baseball team owner and philanthropist
• Adena Friedman, business executive, CEO of Nasdaq, Inc.
• Virginia Hall, undercover Allied agent in France during World War II
• Emily C. Hewitt, former chief judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims (2009–2013)
• Josephine Jacobsen, writer of poetry, short stories, and non-fiction
• Peyton List, actress
• Nicole Ari Parker, actress
• Jane Randall, semi-finalist on America's Next Top Model (cycle 15)
• Adrienne Rich, poet
• Melissa Stark, sports commentator
• Toni-Ann Williams, Olympic gymnast

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• [http://www.rpcs.org www.rpcs.org – Official school website]

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Category:Preparatory schools in Maryland

Category:Educational institutions established in 1900

Category:Girls' schools in Maryland

Category:Private schools in Baltimore

Category:Private K–12 schools in Maryland

Category:Roland Park, Baltimore

Category:1900 establishments in Maryland