Solebury School

Solebury School is a co-educational private boarding and day school located on a 140-acre (57 ha) campus in Solebury Township, Pennsylvania (near New Hope). Solebury School's academic program features a college-preparatory curriculum, with courses and electives in various subject, with a focus on interdisciplinary and experiential education models.

Solebury School
Location
Solebury Township, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40.3802°N 74.9892°W / 40.3802; -74.9892
Information
TypeBoarding
Established1925
Head of schoolTom Wilschutz
Grades9 - 12
Enrollment235 total
CampusRural
Athletics conferencePenn-Jersey Athletic Association
Websitewww.solebury.org

History

Solebury School was conceived by Laurie Erskine, Julian Lathrop, Robert Shaw and Arthur Washburn in the early 1920s. It opened in September 1925 in a rented quarters with four boys and four teachers. A year later, the founders purchased Michener Farm, which remains the institution's site today. In 1949 the school merged with another local school, the Holmquist School for Girls, which had a similar educational philosophy and often shared events and productions.[1]

Solebury is often described as a socially progressive or liberal institution. In the 1980s, local activist and noted anarchist Abbie Hoffman would give speeches to the student body.[2] The school is vocally supportive of its LGBTQ students; it produced an entry for the It Gets Better Project in 2011 and has an active campus club which pertains to gender and sexuality.[3][4] By participating annually in a local AIDS fundraiser walk, Solebury School has raised thousands of dollars in fundraisers to benefit AIDS patients.[5]

Sexual abuse

After several alumni came forth with claims that they had been sexually abused as students at Solebury, the school issued a letter of acknowledgement and apology publicly online and to alumni by mail in 2014. In a second letter to alumni and parents, the school revealed one of its founders had a sexual relationship with a student. A Philly.com article detailed the school's view on the process:

"I know we unleashed a process when we sent that letter," [headmaster] Wilschutz said in an interview. But he said the school's goal was to help victims while living up to its values, including transparency. "When we were given this information, we took action," he said. "We believed the allegations. And we believe, as great a school as Solebury is, we have to live up to our past."

— Ben Finely, Philly.com[6]

On January 26, 2017, Bucks County published the results of a 2015 grand jury investigation detailing testimony considered credible by the district attorney from six former students alleging sexual abuse at Solebury School from the 1950s through 2005,[7][8] identifying nine living adults formerly connected with the school who could be prosecuted.[9] The report was critical of the Solebury School's campus culture as facilitating the abuse.[10]

Prior to this, the only public sexual abuse scandal at Solebury was an affair between a music teacher and an underage student, which occurred in the mid-1990s and was settled in a civil suit in 1998.[11]

Notable faculty
  • Chris Langhart - formerly head of the theatrical technical department at New York University, and served as technical director for the 1969 concert at Woodstock.[12] He leads the school theater crew in light, sound, and stage building, and teaches related courses.
  • Anna Whelan Betts - famous late 19th and early 20th century illustrator in the Victorian style.[13]

Notable alumni

Sex abuse case
  • Seymour, Kara (February 2, 2017). "Decades Of Sexual Abuse At Bucks County Prep School Detailed In Grand Jury Report". Newtown Patch. Patch Media.
  • Bucks County Investigating Grand jury report on sexual abuse at the Solebury School

References
  1. "History - Solebury School". Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  2. Richardson, Clem (27 September 2004). "The World is his Punch Time". New York Daily News. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  3. "Solebury School: "It Gets Better"". It Gets Better Project. 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  4. "Club List". Solebury School. Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  5. Reed, Valerie (14 November 2014). "Goal for Breast Cancer Bingo: $10,000". Philly.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  6. Finley, Ben (11 October 2014). "Grand jury said to be examining alleged abuse at Solebury School". Philly.com. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  7. Bloomquist, Sarah (February 1, 2017). "Grand jury: Decades of sexual abuse at Solebury School". 6abc.com. American Broadcasting Company. Retrieved February 10, 2017. The grand jury heard from six former students — a 7th case was already prosecuted. They described sexual activity with faculty and staff members, both on campus and in cities miles away...
  8. Bucks County Investigating Grand jury report on sexual abuse at the Solebury School
  9. McDaniel, Justine (February 1, 2017). "'No boundaries' for teachers enabled decades of sex abuse at elite Bucks school, report finds". philly.com. Philadelphia Media Network. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  10. Longo, Brandon (February 1, 2017). "Scathing Report Reveals Sex Abuse At Pa. School Spanning 55 Years". CBS Philly. CBS Broadcasting. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  11. Finley, Ben (15 December 2014). "Solebury School failed to act on initial abuse rumors". Philly.com. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  12. Perone, James (2005). Woodstock: An Encyclopedia of the Music and Art Fair. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 132. ISBN 0-313-33057-3.
  13. Reed, Walt (2001). The illustrator in America, 1860-2000. Society of Illustrators. p. 9.
  14. Gerard C. Wertkin (2 August 2004). Encyclopedia of American Folk Art. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-95614-1.
  15. "Peter Hobbs obituary". Los Angeles Times. 2011-01-15. Retrieved 2011-01-16.
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