Indian Mountain School provides a traditional education for boys and girls from Pre-K through grade nine in a boarding and day environment. We promote moral growth and personal academic excellence in a setting that fosters a respect for learning, the environment, and each other. We celebrate our international and culturally diverse community. We guide and challenge students through balanced elementary and middle school scholastic, athletic, and arts curricula, combining instruction and coaching with a system of personal support. We involve students in our Adventure Education and community service programs, which tie into the spirit of IMS. We help our students gain confidence in their own innate abilities and develop the necessary academic and personal skills to be successful in secondary education.

A well-defined and articulated set of values--honesty, compassion, respect, and service--is at the heart of Indian Mountain School.

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In 1916, Francis Behn Riggs purchased land and buildings on the site of the present Upper Campus. Educated at Groton and Harvard, Mr. Riggs was deeply affected by the First World War and believed that the prevention of another such conflict lay in the eradication of urban poverty and ignorance. To this end, he opened the Riggs School, a proprietary corporation committed to the operation of an agricultural high school. This school combined a college entrance curriculum with coursework designed to instruct students in all aspects of farm management. Tuition was kept low and summer vacations were shortened so that a portion of each season was spent on the farm. Each boy was ?required to earn a total of $60 per year through productive work and earned the nominal rate of from 2 cents to 10 cents per hour.?

By 1922, it was clear that Mr. Riggs?s social experiment was not a sound financial adventure. On the advice of his former headmaster at Groton, Reverend Peabody, Riggs changed the name of his school and its direction. Taking the name of the hill behind the property, Riggs opened a younger boys boarding school designed to prepare students for the entrance examinations of secondary boarding schools, most of which were individualized. Classes and dormitory space were located in a large building adjacent to and south of the present tennis courts; Hadden House served as a gymnasium and faculty housing. The boys ranged in age from eight to fourteen and received semi-tutorial instruction and the benefits of country living. Indian Mountain School enrolled eight boys that first year.

From these beginnings, Riggs gradually constructed the basis of today?s School. His curriculum was a traditional one but also included such extras as carpentry and dramatics. The motto, ?Life Through Service? was adopted from the Riggs School and applied to the new Indian Mountain School. The farm continued to operate for the benefit of the school kitchen, and boys engaged in an active outdoor life. By 1928, the enrollment had reached 30 boys. Near disaster was weathered when that November the main school building burned completely. Riggs was able to raise the substantial funds to construct the present fireproof brick and cement structure in time for the opening of school in September 1929, just months ahead of the Stock Market Crash. At the same time, the school was incorporated not for profit and chartered under the laws of Connecticut to ?maintain forever a school for the training and education of boys and young men.? The new building, designed for forty students and their instructors, was full that fall.

The Depression and the early war years must have been difficult ones. By the end of the decade, Riggs had decided that it was time to retire and did so in June 1939, after 23 years at the school. The trustees appointed William M. Doolittle to be the School?s second headmaster. By remarkable coincidence Mr. Doolittle had, while a young master at Salisbury School ten years earlier, followed fire trucks up Indian Mountain Road and had helped empty the contents of the burning school building.

Mr. Doolittle began the year with only 18 boys enrolled, but the situation improved steadily. For the first time, boy day students were accepted, and in 1941 girls were taken as day scholars. In 1942, Mr. Doolittle was given a leave of absence to serve in World War II. In his place, Louis H. Schutte, former headmaster of the Rumsey Hall School, served as Acting Headmaster for four years.

In 1946, Mr. Doolittle began a fourteen year program of building and expansion. The enrollment that year was evenly split between day and boarding students. For eight of those fourteen years, Doolittle oversaw the operation of the Indian View School, the first instance of girls boarding on campus. During his tenure, the younger grade levels were gradually phased out, field space was increased, the mountain was crisscrossed with ski trails and lifts, and the curriculum was expanded. At the School?s fortieth anniversary in 1962, the enrollment stood at 130 students. In 1968, a ninth grade was added, thereby arriving at the configuration of the grade levels which remained until the addition of the Town Hill Campus in 2003. By 1969, a new classroom wing, auditorium/gymnasium, dining hall, and dormitory had been added to the original structure to accommodate the increasing population.

Throughout this period, the purposes of the School were stated as follows:

?The purpose of Indian Mountain School is to prepare its students for leading secondary schools. Real preparation aims at both admission to secondary school and success thereafter. Thus we maintain not only high scholastic standards, but also concern ourselves with all other aspects of each student?s development. For a student must gain a respect for serious effort, good habits of day to day work, and an understanding of how to live and play happily in a group, if he is to continue successfully throughout his educational program.?

In July 1970, Mr. Doolittle and his wife, Constance, who had served the school as a teacher since 1941 and as co-Head since 1967, retired. They had spent more than 30 years at the helm. The school of 18 boys and a handful of buildings had grown to a coeducational community numbering 150 students on a sprawling country campus.

In the subsequent 34 years, Indian Mountain School experienced more than its fair share of poverty and prosperity. The enrollment rose and fell and rose again. Facilities were added, interior spaces reworked or renovated, field space increased, and the mountain became an outdoor education center. Three of the four headmasters in that period were removed from their posts amid uproar and public scrutiny. Yet the school and its mission endured.

Richard W. Rouse was first to follow Mr. Doolittle and moved into the newly constructed headmaster?s residence. During his six years as head, Doolittle Dormitory was built and dedicated, and the enrollment remained fairly constant. His successor, Peter Carleton, oversaw the addition of a new gymnasium and Stockton dormitory, while pushing the school?s enrollment to its highest point. Moreover, during Mr. Carleton?s administration the size of the endowment increased significantly. During the subsequent administration of Mark Fish, the school reinstituted a girls' boarding program, constructed an Adventure Education facility on Indian Mountain, and dealt with a precipitous drop in both enrollment and endowment.

C. Dary Dunham was appointed in 1992. He assembled a faculty dedicated to the future of the school and the fulfillment of its mission. The enrollment increased steadily, the curriculum was reviewed and reworked, and the reputation of the school grew stronger. In 2000, the school completed the building of a new library and science wing, which significantly increased the physical size of the school. Two years later, in 2002, the school also added a new music wing and expanded the auditorium to add much needed stage and seating space. Outdoor athletic space was also increased, adding a new baseball field located beyond the new library and science wing and a new girls playing field. On July 1, 2003, Indian Mountain School experienced a major transition. The school merged with the neighboring pre-k through fourth grade school, formerly known as Town Hill School.

The Town Hill School began in the 1930?s as Mrs. Tracy?s school, named for its founder, the wife of a Hotchkiss teacher. In 1938, a group of Hotchkiss parents and others in the community, convinced of the present and future need for a strong elementary school, founded the Town Hill School. Early benefactors provided funds for the original school building, and the Hotchkiss School donated the land. Ground was broken on June 18, 1938, and the two-room school building opened three months later. The school opened that first year with an enrollment of twenty-two children in grades one through eight. Miss Penelope Oyen was Town Hill?s first Headmistress. She was assisted by Connie Garrity, who became Headmistress in 1942 and served Town Hill until her retirement in 1978.

The original two-room, two-teacher school had eight grades, which were divided into grades one through four and grades five to eight. In 1946, Indian Mountain School and Town Hill agreed that Indian Mountain would begin offering grades five through nine, while Town Hill would concentrate on grades kindergarten through four. Town Hill attracted an increasing number of families as its reputation grew. As a result of the increased enrollment, the Board of Directors approved an expansion of the original building and two classrooms were added during the summer of 1976. A pre-kindergarten was established for the 1987-1988 school year.

Following Connie Garrity?s retirement, the school experienced a series of administrative changes. Mrs. Tameson Andrews served as Headmistress from 1981 to 1983. Mrs. Martha Hansen served the school from 1983 to 1986. Mrs. Belle Carney was the school?s headmistress after the departure of Martha Hansen for one year and was replaced by Mrs. Betsy Roak for an interim spring. Mrs. Nan Balser worked as Headmistress from 1988 to 1992 and was succeeded by Mrs. Mary King for the spring of 1992.

In 1992, Judy Boynton became the sixth Head of School. Judy worked closely with trustees, faculty, and parents to increase enrollment, balance the budget, and improve curricular continuity. Enrollment stabilized between 55 to 65 full time boys and girls. In 1995 a modular classroom was added to the original school building to accommodate the growing student body.

Judy Boynton resigned as Head of School at the end of the 1996-1997 school year. Richard K. Brown, a Town Hill parent and trustee, served as interim Head for the 1997-1998 school year. William Osier took over as Head of School in June of 1998 and served the school until 2002. Nancy Elting served the school for one year as an interim Head. Abbey Newlin was hired during that year, and began her work as Lower School Head in the fall of 2003.

During William Osier?s time at Town Hill the school moved to its present campus. In September 1997, ground was broken on the twelve-acre site. The school moved to its new campus in August of 1998.

In 2002, the trustees of the Town Hill School introduced the subject of a merger to the trustees of Indian Mountain School. The merger was approved and became official on July 1, 2003. We now exist as the Indian Mountain School with two campuses and serve students in grades pre-k through nine.

Since the merger in 2003, Abbey Newlin departed the school and was replaced by Trish Hochstetter. Trish was formerly the Learning Skills Specialist on the Lower Campus. She continues to serve in that capacity, while working as the Lower School Head. In July 2006, Mark Devey became Indian Mountain?s eighth Head of School. He immediately oversaw the expansion of the girls? dormitory, pushed for the addition of new technology to the math and science departments, and introduced a new film project titled, ?IndiMountain Films.? The school maintains its commitment to serving children in a supportive and nurturing environment.


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A welcome from the Headmaster:

Welcome to Indian Mountain School. I hope you use these Web pages to explore and learn more about our independent, co-ed, pre-k through ninth grade, day and boarding program. While the photos and information on the site will give you a sense of the environment, visiting our more than 600 acres of land on two distinct campuses is the best way to truly capture the spirit of Indian Mountain.

When I first walked through the front door of Indian Mountain School, I felt at home. I was struck by how welcoming the students were and by the strong connection between the students and teachers. I knew then that it was not only a place where I wanted to work, but also a place where I wanted to raise my children.

Ever since the first headmaster Francis Riggs welcomed eight young boys to Indian Mountain School in 1922, the ideals of honesty, compassion, respect, and service have served as a foundation for the School. Today, Indian Mountain continues to provide structure and support in a child-centered environment that exposes students to a wealth of opportunities inside and outside of the classroom. Combining the enthusiasm and the imagination of girls and boys in grades pre-K through four with the energy and spirit of students in grades five through nine creates a powerful dynamic. What sets our School apart is that words like respect and character are not just terms we define, they are qualities by which we all live and work. We understand the value of a traditional education, and at the same time we embrace innovation and new technologies that will prepare our students for the ever-changing world.

The combination of day and boarding students at IMS deepens the daily experience for all. We are not only a school, but also a home for everybody, students and faculty alike, whether they actually live on campus or not. We are enriched by a diverse collection of students from across the country and also welcome a group of international students to Lakeville, Connecticut. The cultural exchange allows students young and old to share information about their own experiences and learn more about the world. Most of our dedicated faculty members live on our Upper Campus. To them, Indian Mountain isn?t just their workplace, it is their home. You can feel that commitment in their work.

If you are intrigued by what you read or see, spend a day with us and experience Indian Mountain School. If you are like my family and me, you will want to stay.

All the best,

Mark A. Devey
Head of School
Indian Mountain School

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Students learn to be active and responsible participants in their own education. Teachers ask questions, draw out opinions, and engage students in the conversation of learning. Students gain confidence in expressing themselves, in defending their opinions, and in public speaking.

A well-developed academic program, combined with a system of personal support, promotes study skills, reinforces good study habits, and gives students the foundation in writing, reading, and math that they need for future success. Small classes (usually 10 to 12 students) allow students to receive the individual attention they need.

The Arts

The arts are considered an integral part of every student?s course of study. We focus on creativity and the spirit of imagination. Students are encouraged to explore new themes and to develop their own creative methods. While the atmosphere is intentionally filled with levity and fun, productivity and expressiveness are both encouraged and expected. We offer film, drama, studio arts, and music programs that reinforce our goals of honesty, compassion, respect, and service.

Many of our students find their love of the arts here and go on to pursue their passions in secondary school and beyond.

Community Service

Service to others is the cornerstone on which Indian Mountain School was built more than 85 years ago. Every member of the Indian Mountain School community is encouraged to live the school motto, life through service. Throughout the year, teachers, advisors, coaches, and administrators guide and challenge students to participate in community service projects that benefit others in our school, our local towns, and the world at large. We walk miles to combat world hunger, shoot hoops to collect food for our local food pantry, and empty our piggy banks to donate money to animal shelters. Students routinely volunteer their free time and talents to participate in fund raisers and benefit concerts for many different charities and child-centered organizations. They also create cards and artwork for people who need support, visit nearby nursing homes and hospitals, and participate in our school-wide recycling program. Children learn to think of others, to consider how their actions affect others, and to help make a difference in their community. Our goal is to support the moral growth and personal development of each student as they embrace the values of compassion and respect for others.

Adventure Education

Adventure Education is an exhilarating and dynamic part of the Indian Mountain School experience that takes advantage of the natural resources and beauty of our 600-acre campus. Children in pre-k through grade four begin on the climbing wall at the lower campus and graduate to more challenging wilderness experiences on the Upper Campus. Low and high ropes course elements, camping and hiking in the wilderness, and rock climbing for students in grades five through nine provide group and individual challenges that often place students in situations that they have never encountered before. We de-emphasize competition and encourage problem solving in ways that build and enhance confidence, leadership, teamwork, and goal-setting. Considerable time is devoted to processing the experience and reflecting upon how individuals and the group handle different situations. A state-of-the-art ropes course, featuring 36 high and low elements, is located on our mountain. There is also a 40-foot climbing wall on the Upper Campus with two different faces for multiple levels of challenge. We venture off campus to hike on the Appalachian Trail, camp in the White Mountains, whale watch, and sail schooners along the coast of Maine. All adventures are overseen by a staff of trained and accredited instructors using the strictest safety measures.

Technology

Indian Mountain School's technology resources, such as desktops, laptops, portable devices, tablets, wireless, and audio visual equipment, open up a world of possibilities for our students and faculty.

The technology department provides support services and assists with the use of technology necessary for academic excellence in an honest, respectful and resourceful fashion. Classrooms, labs, common rooms, and our libraries are equipped with technologies that cater to students? different learning needs, styles, and ages.

We use tablet PCs, projectors, wireless access, email, and Internet resources that help teachers communicate classroom lessons effectively. Whether they are writing their class notes on tablets that project the information onto a white screen or posting class news and notes on our Web site for parents, students, and tutors to view, the technology department is available to facilitate the exchange of information via technology. The technology department is also on hand to enhance school activities, student programs, and alumni events through creative uses of technology.

Residential Life

With approximately 75 male and female boarding students entering grades six through nine from many different states and countries, the Indian Mountain School residential life program is warm and vibrant. Students live with dorm parents and their families in four single-sex dormitories where they experience the value of our motto: "Honesty, Compassion and Respect." Academically, our boarders participate in a structured and supportive system of study halls, help classes and enrichment sessions. On weekends, students can sign up for various trips including professional sporting events, skiing, fishing, hiking, movies, bowling, etc. as well as relax on our campus and enjoy our 600 acres of fields, trails and ponds.

Dormitories
The dormitories serve as a "home away from home" for our boarding students. Dorm parents and their families live in the dormitories with the students and integrate much of their lives with those of the students. Other members of the faculty work in the dormitories on a regular basis and make up the six person dorm teams. There is a faculty member "on duty" at any time when the dormitory is open. Even in the middle of the night, students may knock on a dorm parent's door for emergency reasons.

Dorm parents are a vital component of the success of our Residential Life Program. They wake up our students in the morning, get them ready for school, eat breakfast with them and then welcome them home in the afternoon following sports. Our dorm parents are experienced and compassionate faculty members who have chosen to live and raise their own families with our boarding students. The bonds that are created between boarding students and their dorm parents are among the strongest at our school.

Boarding students participate in a Weekly Work Program that includes jobs such as monitoring the food closet, taking out the trash and recycling and cleaning the common rooms. Every Wednesday evening after study hall each dormitory has a Dorm Meeting to discuss any issues or concerns as well as any upcoming activities and events. Students are often invited to make suggestions for weekend activities as their input is valuable in our planning of fun and appropriate recreation. Elected members of the Dormitory Council serve as representatives to the Office of Residential Life and the residential faculty for all student issues. The Dormitory Council meets on a weekly basis.

Support Services

The purpose of the Student Health Center is to provide supportive, not primary, clinical care for students within the context of a school dispensary. The school?s physician will typically hold clinic on Monday and Thursday to see students for health issues.

Nursing staff will provide immediate care for emergencies. Students going off campus for emergency treatment will be accompanied by an adult chaperone. Sharon Hospital is utilized for emergency treatment of students on campus. Parents are notified of Emergency Room visits and other health concerns by the Health Center staff or IMS administration.

Health care is not offered for overnights, extended illnesses, or severe problems. Students who are too ill to attend classes will stay in the Health Center, returning to the dormitory at the end of the day. Students who are too ill to remain in the dormitory, and do not qualify for hospitalization, will return home.

Students who leave for psychological treatment must be approved by the attending physician and the IMS Health Team for return to school. Likewise, students who become ill or injured while at home or on vacation must return to school healthy and be approved for return by a physician.

Parents are responsible for all charges related to prescription medication, treatment, diagnostic tests, referrals and transportation for illness and injuries outside the scope of care rendered by the nursing staff.

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IMS Board of Trustees
Luke L. Fowler
?71,P?05?06 President
Elisabeth Childs Gill ?66,P?96?99?02 Vice President
Susan D. Ginkel, P?10?11 Secretary
Miguel de Bragança ?65,P?01 Treasurer

George A. Benington, III ?81
Michael S. Cady P?00,?02
Chisholm S. Chandler ?81,P?13?16
Christopher B. Clow P?01
Mark A. Devey P?14?16
Lionel Goldfrank III P?93
Laura H. Harris ?71
John W. Ingle, Jr. P?97?02
Caroline Merison P?07?10?12
Helen Blodgett Moore P?08?11
L. Keith Mullins P?15?17
Jessica A. Palmer P?02
Jeremey D.C. Peele P?00?07
Samuel F. Posey Jr. P?97?02
Emile M. Pryor P?10?13
Edith D. Schechter P?06
Rosellen W. Schnurr P?96?97?04
John S. W. Spofford P?90
Thomas D. Steiner P?07?09?09

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From New York City (100 miles)
Take the Henry Hudson Parkway (West Side Drive) to the Saw Mill River Parkway north to I-684 to Route 22 in Brewster. Stay on Route 22 north (for about an hour) to Millerton. Turn right at the light onto Route 44 east. Continue on Route 44 through the town, and less than 1/2 mile past the NY/CT state line, take a right fork onto Route 112. Turn right at the first flashing light onto Indian Mountain Road. The school is one mile up on the right.

From New Jersey
Take the Garden State Parkway north to the Tappan Zee Bridge and follow to Saw Mill River Parkway to I-684 north. Follow directions above from I-684.

From Boston (156 miles)
Take the Mass. Turnpike to Exit 2. Continue west on Route 102, south on Route 7, and west on Route 44 to Lakeville. From the center of Lakeville, stay on Route 44 (about 1 1/2 miles), and take the first left onto Indian Mountain Road. Follow straight through the blinking light. The school is one mile up on the right.

From New Haven (70 miles)
Take Route 34 west to Route 8 north (exit 15) to Route 254 northwest to Route 118 west to Litchfield. Proceed north on Route 63 through Goshen to Route 126 west to Route 112. Pass through Lime Rock and by the Hotchkiss School campus. At the second flashing light, turn left onto Indian Mountain Road. The school is located one mile up on the right.

From Western Connecticut
From Middletown, take Route 66 west to I-691 to I-84 west to Waterbury. Take route 8 north to Route 254 and follow directions above from New Haven.

From Bradley Airport/Hartford-Springfield
The nearest airport to IMS is Bradley International Airport, located in Windsor Locks, CT. Take Route 20 west to Route 219 to Route 44 in New Hartford, CT. Continue on Route 44 through Norfolk, Canaan, Salisbury and Lakeville. From the center of Lakeville, stay on Route 44 (about 1 1/2 miles) and take the first left onto Indian Mountain Road. Follow straight through the blinking light. The school is located one mile up on the right.