Canterbury School, USA Call : +91-8828912891

CBURY AT A GLANCE

Founded in 1915 and still guided by lay Roman Catholics, Canterbury is a college preparatory, coeducational boarding and day school for students in grades 9-12. The School prides itself on creating a community based on its Five Values--Honesty, Respect, Compassion, Spirituality, and Self-Reliance--where students and faculty forge lasting bonds and every student experiences a broad and challenging program in a small school setting. The School’s educational environment fosters academic rigor, athletic development, artistic enrichment, and spiritual growth and strives to ensure a superior experience that prepares students for leading colleges and universities and for life.

With its rigorous and humane approach to students, both in and out of the classroom, Canterbury’s program inculcates vital intellectual and ethical habits of mind. The School sees all students as individuals, encourages them as necessary, challenges them as appropriate, and inspires them to become moral leaders in a complex, secular world.

History

Canterbury was founded in 1915 on the aspiration of two men: Henry O. Havemeyer, scion of a wealthy family which made its fortune in sugar refining, and Nelson Hume, a Catholic schoolmaster. They intended to establish a Roman Catholic school where young men could be guided in their religion and be prepared to attend Ivy League universities.

The school was established in New Milford, Connecticut, on the location of the former Ingleside School for Girls. Hume became the first headmaster of the school. From its start with 16 enrolled students, Nelson Hume guided the school through two world wars and the great depression until his death in 1948. He was succeeded as headmaster by Walter Sheehan, John Reydel in 1973, Roderick Clarke in 1978, Thomas Sheehy in 1990, and Rachel E. Stone in 2016. Canterbury became co-educational in the fall of 1971. The school now enrolls more than 350 boarding and day students on its campus in New Milford. Canterbury School celebrated its centennial in 2015.

OUR MISSION

Founded in 1915 and still guided by lay Roman Catholics, Canterbury is a college preparatory, coeducational boarding and day school for students in grades 9-12. The School prides itself on creating a community based on its Five Values—Honesty, Respect, Compassion, Spirituality, and Self Reliance—in which students and faculty forge lasting bonds and every student experiences a broad and challenging program in a small school setting. The School’s educational environment fosters academic rigor, athletic development, artistic enrichment, spiritual growth and strives to ensure a superior experience that prepares students for leading colleges and universities and for life.

With its rigorous and humane approach to students, both in and out of the classroom, Canterbury’s program inculcates vital intellectual and ethical habits of mind. The School sees all students as individuals, encourages them as necessary, challenges them as appropriate, and inspires them to become moral leaders in a complex, secular world.

Canterbury School encourages community integration to ensure that every student has the experience they are seeking. Currently, of Canterbury School's 320 students, 15% hail from 16 different countries. These students play an integral part in the makeup of our community, contributing to all aspects of campus life as leaders in the classroom and dorms as well as on the athletic fields, the stage, and in the art rooms and music studios around campus.

Canterbury School invites students from all over the world to submit an application. If English is not the student's first language, the TOEFL test is required in addition to the other components of the application.

Notable alumni/faculty

• Jack Arute '68, ESPN sports announcer
• Cofer Black '68, Vice-Chairman, Blackwater USA
• Joseph Campbell '21, Mythologist, Professor, Author
• David C. Copley '70, President Copley Press
• Mike Dunham '91, NHL goaltender
• Dominick Dunne '44, Writer, Producer, TV personality
• Mel Ferrer '35, Actor, Producer, Director
• Tom Gerety '64, Educator, NYU Professor, former President of Trinity and Amherst Colleges
• William Randolph Hearst III '67, Venture capitalist; Trustee of Hearst Trust
• John Hemingway '79, Author
• John F. Kennedy, attended, President of the United States
• Thomas T. Riley '68, U.S. Ambassador to Morocco
• Dan Rusanowsky '79, Play-by-play announcer for the NHL's San Jose Sharks
• Sargent Shriver '34, Diplomat, Peace Corps Organizer, Vice-presidential candidate
• Gerard C. Smith '31, Diplomat and Chief negotiator of SALT I
• Trevardo Williams '09, NFL Linebacker

Facilities

Athletic

We believe in the value of the athletic experience in our students’ education. The pursuit of excellence is at the heart of our program, but developing and strengthening the values of sportsmanship, accountability, leadership, and perseverance are major goals. Our program will increase a student’s sense of confidence and self- discipline as well as instill an awareness and respect for life-long fitness and wellness. We believe that daily physical activity is important not only for improving health but also for helping our students perform better in the classroom.

Our athletic tradition is a strong and proud one, best witnessed by the effort, character and spirit Canterbury teams display. The Saints have won both individual and team New England and Western New England Championships over the years and have hosted many championship events as well as annual tournaments. Competitions are usually held on Wednesdays and Saturdays with practices on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Our competitive teams are the foundation of our program. Third and Fourth Formers participate in three seasons--fall, winter, spring--of athletics. Fifth and Sixth Formers may choose to participate in an alternate activity for one season. These options are: media arts, music, theater, managing a team, and strength and conditioning. Provided consent of the Athletic Director, students may opt to participate in a sport off campus that Canterbury does not offer to fulfill the athletic requirement.

Canterbury offers 18 sports and sponsors approximately 35 teams that reflect level of ability and experience. Boys may play interscholastic sports in the following: football, soccer, cross-country, water polo, basketball, swimming & diving, ice hockey, wrestling, squash, baseball, golf, lacrosse, track & field, tennis, and crew. Girls may play interscholastic sports in the following: field hockey, soccer, cross-country, volleyball, basketball, swimming & diving, ice hockey, squash, golf, lacrosse, track & field, wrestling, tennis, softball, and crew.

Canterbury’s outdoor athletic facilities include five grass playing fields, one synthetic turf field, one baseball diamond, one softball diamond, eight tennis courts, and a 440 cinder track used for practice. Home track & field meets are run at the local high school. Our crew team rows on nearby Lake Lillinonah, and 20 ergs are available on campus for workouts. The golf teams play at Lake Waramaugh Country Club. Indoor facilities include an ice rink, four basketball courts, five international size squash courts, an eight-lane 25-yard competitive swim and dive pool, a 60’ x 40’ wrestling room, a weight room complete with free weights and strength and cardiovascular machines, and a fully staffed training room.

Student Life

Canterbury’s energetic students lead busy lives but still find time for extracurricular activities. We offer the following clubs and organizations: Admission Ambassadors, Cantuarian (Yearbook), Carillon (Literary Magazine), Community Service, Drama, Mentoring, Peer Counseling, Student Activities Committee, Student Government, The Tabard (School newspaper), and Women of Canterbury.

For our boarders, life revolves around the dorms—a place to relax and do homework, develop close friendships, and enjoy impromptu social times and good talks with dorm mates and faculty residents.

Third and Fourth Formers participate in the Work Program at such jobs as working in the dining hall, helping in the library, or sorting mail.

Beyond a required theology course each semester and attendance at Sunday Mass, students practice their faith and attend to their spiritual lives as they choose. Form retreats and shared prayer provide opportunities for spiritual growth. Pizza and Prayer, a dinner gathering to accommodate both boarding and day student schedules, is a discussion-level event in which students socialize and engage in conversation centering on spiritual topics. Participants also host special events to honor holy seasons such as Stations of the Cross and Reconciliation Services during Lent and student Sacristans act as leaders in Campus Ministry events.

Weekend Activities

Canterbury weekends provide an exciting and fun selection of activities for boarders and day students alike. The Office of the Student Activities Coordinator plans activities such as dances, intramural sports, comedian/hypnotists, game shows, community events, professional sports games, and other off-campus excursions. Saturday night trips to the movies and Sunday afternoon outings to the mall are predictably popular.

On any given weekend, students and faculty chaperones might be heading to New York City for a musical, hiking the Appalachian Trail, or taking a trip to Six Flags New England in Massachusetts. Dotted with state parks, scenic roads for biking, and quaint villages, the surrounding countryside is a wonderful area for exploring. Day students often invite boarders to their homes for the weekend or for holiday celebrations such as Thanksgiving or Easter.

Program

The curriculum serves a range of academic abilities. We offer 16 AP courses and 26 Honors sections as well as support for students who benefit from extra help with coursework. Technology, a powerful tool for learning, is integrated into courses across the curriculum. Each classroom has a SMART Board, and teachers use iPads and Apple TVs to enhance teaching. The Director of the Copley Library is current with 21st century research options and serves as a valuable resource to faculty and students. A faculty committee monitors the school’s curriculum and encourages the incorporation of current, sound practices.

Old School House contains the language and history departments; the majority of language and history classes are held here. Canterbury offers Spanish, French, Mandarin, and Latin.

Hume Building contains the theology and mathematic departments on the upper level, and the science department on the lower level. The Hume building also houses Canterbury's Maguire Auditorium on the upper level.

Steele Hall was completely renovated in 2009. It contains the library, Admission and administrative offices on the upper level, and the student lounge, snack bar, mailroom, faculty room, dining hall, and lecture room on the lower level.

Duffy House contains art space and studios renovated from the old dining hall.

The Old Gym's first floor space has been renovated for the Stephen '43 and Lacey Hume Music Center, the L. Michael Sheehy '56 Choral Classroom, and rehearsal spaces.