The Kiski School
The Kiski School, formally known as the Kiskiminetas Springs School named after the nearby Kiskiminetas River, is a private, all-male boarding school located in Loyalhanna Township, Pennsylvania, though it has a Saltsburg, Pennsylvania mailing address. It is about 40 miles (64 km) east of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is the oldest remaining non-military all-male boarding school in the United States.
The Kiski School | |
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Address | |
1888 Brett Ln Saltsburg, Pennsylvania 15681 | |
Information | |
Type | Private All-male Boarding |
Established | 1888 |
Headmaster | Christopher A. Brueningsen |
Grades | 9–12 PG |
Number of students | 185 |
Campus | Rural |
Color(s) | Black and White |
Mascot | Cougars |
Endowment | $10 million |
Website | kiski.org |
The school has an enrollment of about 185, including grade 9-12 and postgraduate (PG) students About 35 percent of the student body are international students.
History
Andrew W. Wilson founded the Kiski School in 1888 on a wooded hill overlooking the Kiskiminetas River separating Westmoreland County from Indiana County, on land that had once been a summer resort and mineral spa. Forty-two students had graduated from Kiski by 1894; 26 of them went to Princeton. The original faculty consisted of just Wilson (who had graduated from Princeton and Pennsylvania Law School), and school co-founder R. W. Fair, who taught mathematics.
Dr. W. H. MacColl succeeded Wilson as president in 1930. J. L. Marks and Colonel J. J. Daub were also influential early faculty.
L. M. Clark was elected president of the school's board of trustees in 1941, and was appointed headmaster in 1942. Many campus additions and improvements were carried out under Clark's leadership. Upon his retirement in 1957, the assistant to the headmaster of Deerfield Academy, John A. Pidgeon, was chosen to succeed him.
Pidgeon led the school for 45 years, during which the school underwent additions and improvements to the facilities and a growth in academic reputation, as well as the school's endowment. Under Pidgeon, four new dormitories were built and others renovated, and a new classroom building, dining hall, library, fine arts center, and administrative complex were constructed. Other campus facilities include a baseball field, swimming pool, outdoor track, field house, nine-hole golf course, and the Swank Student Center, opened in 2009. The campus is wireless, and all students are provided with a laptop computer.
In 2005, Kiski reinstated a day student program that allows students to attend without having to reside on campus.
The school requires every student to participate in athletics. Among the sports offered are football, soccer, cross country, golf, wrestling, swimming, basketball, hockey, diving, lacrosse, baseball, track and field, and tennis. The school has 12 sports teams at the varsity level.
Kiski boys live two to a room in one of six dorms. Normally, there are two or more faculty members-as well as their families and pets-in each residence. Every Kiski boy eats meals with a faculty family and adheres to a coat-and-tie dress code.
Notable alumni
- Daryll Clark '05 - Quarterback at Penn State[1]
- James Clark - NFL player for the Pittsburgh Steelers[2]
- Rafael de Medina, 20th Duke of Feria - Member of the Spanish aristocracy
- Curtis Enis '94 - National Football League player for the Chicago Bears (1998-2000); All-American running back at Pennsylvania State University[1]
- Jack Hanna '65 - Zookeeper, television personality; Columbus Zoo and Aquarium director emeritus[3]
- Andy Hastings - All-American running back for the Pitt Panthers 1916 national championship football team
- Richard Kneedler '61 - President Emeritus of Franklin & Marshall College
- Bob Mathias '49 - Decathlete; Olympic gold medalist at the 1948 and 1952 games; Republican U.S. Representative from California's 18th congressional district (1967-1975)
- James P. Moore, Jr. '71 - U.S. Government official, television commentator, Professor of the Practice at Georgetown University, author
- Timothy K. Lewis '72 - appointed by President George Bush to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and also then elevated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
- Jim "Monk" Moscrip - All-American end to the Stanford "Vow Boys" teams of 1934-1936
- John Murtha '51 - Democratic U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district 1972 - 2010[4]
- Harry Stuhldreher '21 - Member of Notre Dame's "Four Horsemen"; football coach for Villanova and University of Wisconsin–Madison[5]
References
- Trescavage, Jamie. "Clark to attend Kiski Prep". Fight on State Website. Retrieved 23 February 2007.
- "James Clark". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
- "About Jack". Official Website of Jack Hanna. Archived from the original on 17 February 2007. Retrieved 24 February 2007.
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- United States Congress. "The Kiski School (id: M001120)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Call, Andy (19 January 2002). "Massillon's Stuhldreher went on to become one of the 'Four Horsemen'". Canton Repository Website. Retrieved 25 February 2007.