Author

Perry Babcock

Date of Award

11-1-2003

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS)

Department

Liberal Studies

First Advisor

Gregory Pfitzer

Second Advisor

Sandra Welter

Abstract

Northwood School is an example of a secondary boarding institution whose history mirrors the many changes in private education over the last one hundred years. As was the case with many of these private institutions, Northwood had to contend with the issue of isolation. The school's remote location caused it to evolve its own regional character. The school struggled financially as a not-for-profit institution that relied on tuition revenues and donations to maintain its stature in the competitive boarding school world. Northwood School also found itself challenged to sustain an educational philosophy when its market share dwindled and athletics became a more dominant identity for the school. Northwood School has had to reinvent itself a number of times over the one hundred year history, as other private schools have done. The school found itself in a paradoxical position regarding world affairs as it attempted to maintain its isolationist position while expanding its cultural programs. Yet despite these challenges, Northwood School survived because of its commitment to the core values written into the original charter of the Lake Placid Club Educational Foundation. Those core values are still maintained today.

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