Benchmark School
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| Benchmark School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, Co-Educational |
| Established | 1970 |
| Head of School | Ralph Wales (Interim) |
| Enrollment | 182 students total |
| Student to teacher ratio | 3:1 |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Blue, White and Green |
| Website | www |
Benchmark School (BMK) is a private day school located in Media, Pennsylvania, 25 miles Southwest of Philadelphia.[1] It ranges from First Grade through Eighth Grade.
History[edit]
The school was founded in 1970 by Dr. Irene W. Gaskins, as a part-time program. The school eventually moved to its Media, Pennsylvania campus. In 2007, Dr. Robb Gaskins became Head of the school.[2]
Following the 2018–19 school year, Gaskins was replaced by Ralph Wales as the interim Head of School until a long-term head of school could be found. Wales previously spent 24 years as the head of school at the Gordon School in East Providence, Rhode Island and was the interim Head of School at St. George's Episcopal School in New Orleans, Louisiana. Wales was formerly the President of the Association of Independent Schools in New England.
In 2019, the school announced that Chris Hancock had been selected as Benchmark's third Head of School in school history and would begin in that position during the 2021–2022 school year. Hancock's extensive background includes serving as the Assistant Head of School for Student Life at Eagle Hill School in Hardwick, Massachusetts and the Assistant Director of Admissions and Diversity Coordinator at Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Massachusetts.
Athletics[edit]
Benchmark School offers soccer and basketball team at the Varsity and Junior Varsity Levels. Soccer is open to both Lower School and Middle School, while basketball is only open Middle School students. Benchmark's opponents consist of Torah Academy, Montgomery School, Upland Country Day School, Delaware Valley Friend's School, French International School, Interboro and Media Providence Friends School. The school formerly had a baseball and wrestling team.[3]
Campus and facilities[edit]
Benchmark School is located on a 23-acre wooded campus. The Benchmark School is made up of 6 buildings including The Main Building, The Dorrance Hill Hamilton Middle School Building, The A. Palmer West Performing Arts Center, The Ralph C. Preston Memorial Wing, and The Gymnasium. The school has Lower School and Middle School classrooms, math rooms, two libraries totaling 20,000 books in volume, three science labs, an art room with a state-of-the-art kiln and an all-purpose room. The school has two soccer fields, a kickball/baseball field, a gymnasium and an outdoor heated swimming pool. Finally, the school has a 40-foot high, 35 event Outward Bound course with a 250-foot zip-line. In 2004 a new middle school wing was added and the pre-existing rooms were renovated. The project won the 2004 AIA Chesapeake Bay Chapter Honor Award.[4]
At the start of the 2018–19 school year, a state-of-the art $2 million learning facility known as The Benchmark Innovation Space was built. The Benchmark Innovation Space is composed of two spaces, one for the Lower School and the other for the Upper School. The Lower School space is located in the former Music Room while the Middle School space will be located on top of Atterbury Plaza. The space has a variety of items including 3-D Printers and laser cutters. [5]
Prior to the start of the 2019–20 school year, the school updated their dining hall to include a state of the art kitchen. It aims to serve food that is fresh, healthy and tasty.
Extra-curricular activities[edit]
Clubs incldue:
- Activities Club
- Art Club
- Cheerleading Club
- Junior and Senior Golf Clubs
- Indoor Soccer Club
- Robotics Club
- Running/Hiking Club
- Sports Club
- Ukulele Club[3]
Special events[edit]
Benchmark School often has special events for students as well as their families. These events, include the Ice Cream Social, Fall Picnic, Family Math Night, Family Gym Night, the Middle School Musical, Mini-THON, Grandparent and Special Guest Morning, the West Family Speaker Series, the Lower School Arts Festival, and the "30 Days Out" Breakfast for graduating 8th Grade students. [6]
Notable alumni[edit]
- Kane Kalas- Professional poker player, singer and broadcaster
- Andrew Repasky McElhinney- Producer, writer and director
- David Caporaletti- Director of Operations for Penn State Nittany Lions basketball
- Joshua A. Bell- Curator of Globalization at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
- John Alex Brinson- Actor in shows including Travelers, Prison Break and The X-Files
- Emily Kimelman- Author of the Sydney Rye series of mysteries
- Joe Caruso- Founder of FOCUS Wine Foundation[7]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Alumni return to Benchmark for inaugural career day".
- ↑ "Benchmark School -> About -> School History". Archived from the original on 2017-04-06. Retrieved 2017-04-05. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Benchmark School -> School Life -> Extracurricular Activities".
- ↑ "Benchmark Middle School, Media, PA".
- ↑ "Benchmark School -> About -> Our Campus".
- ↑ "Benchmark School -> School Life -> Special Events & Traditions". Archived from the original on 2017-04-06. Retrieved 2017-04-05. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Benchmark School Graduates Class of 2015 and Honors Its 2015 Outstanding Alumnus". 2015-06-16.
External links[edit]
Coordinates: 39°56′47″N 75°24′04″W / 39.946526°N 75.401173°W
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