Lawrence Academy (Groton, Massachusetts) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lawrence Academy |
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| Address | |
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26 Powderhouse Road
, 01450
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| Coordinates | 42°36′14″N 71°33′58″W / 42.60389°N 71.56611°W |
| Information | |
| Motto | Omnibus lucet (Let light shine upon all) |
| Established | 1793 |
| Head of School | Dan Scheibe |
| Faculty | ~80 |
| Enrollment | 400 |
| Campus type | Exurban |
| Color(s) | Red and Blue |
| Nickname | Spartans |
| Rivals | Tabor Academy, Groton School (Unofficial) |
Lawrence Academy at Groton is a private school in Groton, Massachusetts. It's a boarding school, meaning some students live there. It's also a co-educational school, welcoming both boys and girls. The school helps students get ready for college.
It was started in 1792 as Groton Academy. The governor, John Hancock, officially approved it in 1793. Lawrence Academy is one of the oldest boarding schools in the United States. It's the third oldest in Massachusetts.
Many successful people have gone to Lawrence Academy. These include a president of Harvard University, the CEO of America Online, and a federal judge. People who started important universities like the University of Kansas and Gallaudet University also studied here.
Contents
History of Lawrence Academy
How it Started
On April 27, 1792, about 50 people from Groton and Pepperell decided to create a "Publick School." They wanted a place to educate young people, both boys and girls. Students would learn English, Latin, Greek, writing, math, geography, and more.
This new school was called Groton Academy. Important people like Oliver Prescott and Timothy Bigelow helped start it. Samuel Lawrence also gave money, starting a long connection between the school and the Lawrence family.
The school officially received its charter in 1793. In 1797, the state gave it land in Maine to help support it. The main goal was to teach students from the local area. Groton was a busy town back then. Even though some students came from far away, the school always focused on its local community.
In the early days, not many students went to college. Teachers often stayed for only a year or two. Still, Groton Academy became well-known. Between 1801 and 1870, about 50 students went on to Harvard College. This made it one of the top schools sending students to Harvard. Some famous teachers worked there, too. These included Asahel Stearns, who helped start Harvard Law School.
Early graduates included James Walker, who became president of Harvard University. Another was John Prescott Bigelow, who became mayor of Boston. In 1879, Lawrence Academy welcomed its first Black graduate, Robert H. Terrell. He later became the first Black honors graduate of Harvard and the first Black federal judge.
The Lawrence Family's Support
On February 28, 1846, the school changed its name to Lawrence Academy at Groton. This was to honor the Lawrence family. All eight children of Samuel Lawrence had attended the academy.
In 1838, brothers Amos and William Lawrence began to support the school. They were rich merchants from Boston. Amos gave books and science equipment. He also gave money to make the schoolhouse bigger. In 1844, William donated $10,000 to help the school forever. By 1850, Amos had given the school a whole library of books.
Over their lives, Amos and William Lawrence gave nearly $65,000 to the school. That's like $2.6 million today! Their brothers, Luther and Samuel, also led the school's board of trustees.
The Lawrence family's money also helped the academy connect with other good colleges. They set up scholarships for Lawrence Academy graduates. These scholarships helped students attend Williams College, Bowdoin College, and Wabash College.
Changes Over Time
In the mid-1800s, the school faced challenges because of disagreements about religion in the town. The school's leaders were mostly from one religious group. The town had more people from another group. The town tried to make Lawrence Academy a public high school, but the school's leaders said no. In 1860, Groton opened its own public high school.
The school also had money problems and closed twice. First, it closed from 1869 to 1871 after its schoolhouse burned down during a Fourth of July celebration. It cost a lot of money to rebuild it. It closed again from 1898 to 1899. During this time, it changed to become an all-boys high school. The first female principal, Kate Mann, had just been hired the year before.
In 1899, Lawrence Academy changed its focus. It became a school that prepared students for college. Tuition went up, and the classes focused on college entrance exams. It stopped admitting girls and focused on students who lived at the school.
The school's money situation got better in the 1940s. But the campus burned down again in 1956.
In 1971, Lawrence Academy started admitting both boys and girls again. Better fundraising in the 1980s and 1990s helped the school a lot.
Today, many students at Lawrence Academy are from the local area. Many also come from other countries. About half of the students are day students, meaning they go home after school. About a quarter of the boarding students come from outside the U.S. In the 2021-22 school year, 424 students attended the academy.
Athletics
Lawrence Academy's sports teams play in the Independent School League. Many great athletes have gone to the academy.
Ice Hockey Players
- Laurie Baker, won an Olympic gold medal in 1998 and a silver medal in 1992.
- Jim Campbell
- Greg Crozier, won two NCAA championships.
- Doug Friedman
- Steve Heinze, played on the 1992 U.S. Olympic team.
- Vic Heyliger, a famous coach at the University of Michigan. He won six NCAA championships.
- David Jensen, played on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team.
- Rand Pecknold, head coach at Quinnipiac University. He won an NCAA championship in 2023.
- Jeff Serowik
Basketball Players
- Shabazz Napier, won two NCAA championships.
- Richard Roby
- Antoine Wright
Other Athletes
- Jonah Bayliss (baseball)
- Tyler Beede (baseball)
- Guillermo Cantú (soccer)
- A. J. Dillon (football)
- Cynthia Ryder (rowing)
Famous Alumni
- Tim Armstrong, class of 1989, former head of AOL.
- William Bancroft, first President of the Boston Elevated Railway.
- Charles Beecher, a minister and writer.
- Henry Adams Bullard, U.S. Representative from Louisiana.
- Richard Burgin, author and editor.
- Karyn Bryant, TV personality and news anchor.
- Bruce Crane, president of Crane & Co..
- James Dana, 5th mayor of Charlestown, Massachusetts.
- Eric Gaskins, a fashion designer.
- Samuel Abbott Green, a doctor, librarian, and 28th Mayor of Boston.
- Donald L. Harlow, a high-ranking officer in the Air Force.
- Edward D. Hayden, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.
- Frederick "Moose" Heyliger, a World War II soldier featured in Band of Brothers.
- Chase Hoyt, an actor in movies, TV, and plays.
- Amos Kendall, 8th Postmaster General and founder of Gallaudet College for the deaf.
- Abbott Lawrence, a member of Congress and founder of Harvard University's engineering division.
- Amos Adams Lawrence, who fought against slavery and founded the University of Kansas and Lawrence University.
- Amos Lawrence, an industrialist and giver of money to good causes.
- Charles H. Mansur, a U.S. Representative from Missouri.
- Cat Marnell, a writer.
- Julie Mason, a journalist for newspapers and radio.
- Page McConnell, a musician from the band Phish.
- Audrey A. McNiff, a managing director at Goldman Sachs.
- Albert E. Pillsbury, President of the Massachusetts State Senate.
- William Adams Richardson, 29th Secretary of the Treasury.
- Maria Rodale, a publisher.
- Ether Shepley, a politician and Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
- Jim Sokolove, a TV attorney.
- Huntley N. Spaulding, a giver of money to good causes and Governor of New Hampshire.
- Charles Warren Stone, a politician from Pennsylvania.
- Frank Bigelow Tarbell, a historian and professor at University of Chicago.
- George Makepeace Towle, a lawyer, politician, and author.
- Dr. James Walker, a minister and 21st president of Harvard University.
- William B. Washburn, Governor of Massachusetts.
- William Channing Whitney, an architect.
Notable Faculty
- Samuel Adams Holyoke, the first headmaster of the school.
- Robert V. Bruce, won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1988.
- Brian Feigenbaum, founder of Food Not Bombs.
- Paul Zukauskas, a former football player who coached at Lawrence Academy. He led the team to many championships.
