Hyde's Mr. Burroughs

[Guest]

I guess the good Mrs. Burroughs is now the Director of Admissions.

http://www.schools.com/directory/adv_se ... cfm?id=224
[size=16px]Hyde School[/size] (request information)

616 High Street
Bath, ME 04530

Mrs. Melissa H Burroughs
Director of Admission

Phone: 207-443-7101 / 888-234-4933
Fax: 207-442-9346
Email: bath.admissions@hyde.edu
Website: http://www.hyde.edu

Hyde Schools, with campuses in Bath, Maine, and Woodstock, Connecticut, are independent, co-educational, college-preparatory boarding schools with an emphasis on character development. Serving students in grades 9-12, Hyde offers a fully integrated curriculum through which students have the opportunity to connect with the positive influences that will drive them toward reaching their fullest potential. All students participate in academics, athletics, performing arts, community service, and wilderness experiences. The program is rigorous, with 98% of students receiving college admittance.

School Details:
Religious Affiliation: None
Boarding Grades: 9-12, PG (Day: 9-12, PG)
Enrollment - Boys: 134 Girls: 64
Boarding: 196 Day: 2
Year Founded: 1966
Campus Size (acres): 145
Accredited by: AISNE

School Type:
Coeducational
Secondary

Programs Offered: (where checked)
ESL
Learning Differences
International Baccalaureate
Five-Day Boarding
ADD/ADHD
[*]AP Courses (4)
[*]Post Graduate Year
[*]Summer Sessions

Application Fees for 2007-2008
Domestic Fee: $100
International Fee: $100

Endowment Information
Current endowment: $8,500,000

Academics
Average class size: 12
Number of full time teachers: 26
Percentage of faculty with advanced degrees: 15%
Student/Teacher ratio: 7:1
Distinctive programs offered: Family Education

Advanced Placement Courses Offered:
Calculus AB
English Language
Physics B
US Government and Politics
US History

Interscholastic Athletic Programs:
Basketball
Crew
Cross-Country Running
Football
Lacrosse
Nordic Ski Racing
Soccer
Swimming
Tennis
Track and Field
Wrestling

Recreational Athletic Programs:
Camping
Canoeing/Kayaking
Dance
Hiking
Ice Climbing
Ice Skating
Mountain Biking
Outdoor Education
Rock Climbing
Sailing
Snowboarding
Ultimate Frisbee

Clubs and Organizations:
Community Service
Dorm Proctors
Habitat for Humanity
Honor Council
Jewish Student Organization
Outing Club
Peer Counseling
Peer Tutoring
Student Activities
Yearbook
Yoga

Arts & Music Programs (Extracurricular):
Dance
Rock Band
Tech Crew
Theater or Drama

[Guest]

That post was for Bath. I guess Woodstock is a little different. Here's Woodstock:


http://www.schools.com/directory/adv_se ... cfm?id=628
[size=16px]Hyde School[/size] (request information)

P.O. Box 237
Woodstock, CT 06281

Mr. Jason Warnick
Director of Admission

Phone: 860-963-4736 / 888-717-4168
Fax: 860-928-0612
Email: woodstock.admissions@hyde.edu
Website: http://www.hyde.edu

Hyde Schools, with campuses in Bath, Maine, and Woodstock, Connecticut, are independent, co-educational, college-preparatory boarding schools with an emphasis on character development. Serving students in grades 9-12, Hyde offers a fully integrated curriculum through which students have the opportunity to connect with the positive influences that will drive them toward reaching their fullest potential. All students participate in academics, athletics, performing arts, community service, and wilderness experiences. The program is rigorous, with 98% of students receiving college admittance.

School Details:
Religious Affiliation: None
Boarding Grades: 9-12, PG (Day: 9-12, PG)
Enrollment - Boys: 111 Girls: 66
Boarding: 177 Day: 0
Year Founded: 1996
Campus Size (acres): 120
Accredited by: NEASC

School Type:
Coeducational
Secondary

Programs Offered: (where checked)
ESL
Learning Differences
International Baccalaureate
Five-Day Boarding
ADD/ADHD
[*]AP Courses (7)
[*]Post Graduate Year
[*]Summer Sessions

Application Fees for 2007-2008
Domestic Fee: $100
International Fee: $100

Academics
Average class size: 12
Number of full time teachers: 28
Percentage of faculty with advanced degrees: 32%
Student/Teacher ratio: 6:1
Distinctive programs offered:

College Placement
Percentage of graduates who attend college: 98%
Top college/university choices:
1. Boston University
2. Bates College
3. Gettysburg College
4. University of Vermont
5. Wheaton College

Advanced Placement Courses Offered:
Calculus AB
English Literature
Environmental Science
French Language
Spanish Language
US History

Interscholastic Athletic Programs:
Basketball
Cross-Country Running
Football
Horseback Riding
Ice Hockey
Lacrosse
Martial Arts
Soccer
Tennis
Track and Field
Wrestling

Clubs and Organizations:
Dorm Proctors
Horseback Riding
Student Activities
Yearbook

Arts & Music Programs (Extracurricular):
Dance
Drama Club
Theater or Drama

[Guest]

Hyde is great, Hyde is good.
The girls at Hyde harden my wood.

[Edgah Allen Popo]

I get harder then a Chinese Elm
when I dream of the sweet Mama at the helm.
But some times I dream of those sweet Hyde boys.
Bending them over was such a joy.
There are many choices when you choose to ride,
bareback or safe: you can get them all at Hyde.

[Ursus]

Here's something that may or may not mean anything: different accreditation sources attributed to Bath vs. Woodstock?

First, I checked for Bath, ostensibly accredited by AISNE. I checked on AISNE's website, no mention of Hyde School, neither campus. That, in and of itself, does not necessarily mean anything since, at least for AISNE,

Membership is open to any elementary or secondary school which is not-for-profit, nondiscriminatory, governed by a board of directors, and fiscally sound. Potential new members must have been, or be willing to be, accredited through AISNE (elementary schools only) or the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (all schools).
http://www.aisne.org/member_services/ab ... t=overview

In other words: Hyde, being a secondary school, really needs to be accredited by NEASC in order to qualify for accreditation by AISNE.

Incidentally, AISNE is not exactly a very transparent organization. It would appear that they do not want to be contacted by the public. There are very few contact links on their website (and the few that there are, are first names only), and certainly no section designated as such. The BOD is hidden in a members only section, which requires a password to enter.

On to NEASC, which is a whole different ballgame. This is a far more professional organization, with everyone's name, background, and contact details fully disclosed, usually multiple times throughout the website. Since NEASC covers not only elementary and secondary schools, but also specialty, international, and vocational schools in addition to colleges and universities, there are consequently a number of subsections. Hyde falls under the section termed CIS:

[size=14px]Current Profile: Accredits 1, 933 Members[/size]
• Accredits 255 degree-granting colleges, universities and other post-secondary institutions in New England through the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE) and the Commission on Technical and Career Institutions (CTCI)
  
• Accredits more than 628 private, independent schools through the Commission on Independent Schools (CIS)
• Accredits 652 public secondary schools through the Commission on Public Secondary Schools (CPSS)
• Accredits approximately 157 public elementary and middle schools through the Commission on Public Elementary and Middle Schools (CPEMS)
• Accredits 88 vocational-technical schools through the Commission on Technical and Career Institutions (CTCI)
• Accredits 153 American/International schools in 65 nations through the Commission on American and International Schools Abroad (CAISA)
• Serves as a clearinghouse for the public and its policy makers
http://www.neasc.org/neasc/aboutneasc.htm

According to NEASC, Hyde-Bath was first accredited in 1970, and was last reviewed in 2000.
http://www.neasc.org/roster/mea.htm

Hyde-Woodstock was first accredited in 2002, and has not be reviewed yet.
http://www.neasc.org/roster/cta.htm

[Guest]

According to NEASC, Hyde-Bath was first accredited in 1970, and was last reviewed in 2000.
http://www.neasc.org/roster/mea.htm

Hyde-Woodstock was first accredited in 2002, and has not be reviewed yet.
http://www.neasc.org/roster/cta.htm

Is NEASC an organization that students or parents could complain to?

[Ursus]

According to NEASC, Hyde-Bath was first accredited in 1970, and was last reviewed in 2000.
http://www.neasc.org/roster/mea.htm

Hyde-Woodstock was first accredited in 2002, and has not be reviewed yet.
http://www.neasc.org/roster/cta.htm

Is NEASC an organization that students or parents could complain to?

HMmmm... that's a tough one, IMO. On the one hand, NEASC's primary focus appears to be on ensuring that some minimal standard is met re. the academics. On the other hand, if they receive enough complaints, or complaints of an egregious enough nature, I imagine that some sort of an investigation would be in order.

NEASC appears to be sufficiently large that cronyism should be mitigated. I say this because it certainly appears as though Hyde School has taken steps to insinuate itself into the hierarchy of these types of organizations. Take a look at Mal's resume/profile posted in one of the entries on ZoomInfo:

Malcolm Gauld

President of The Hyde Schools, Malcolm Gauld oversees Hyde's two boarding campuses (Bath, ME and Woodstock, CT) and several public school initiatives, including The Hyde Leadership Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. (1999), a K-12 school serving 800 students, and Hyde-Bronx, a school that will open in New York City in September of 2006.

In 1999, Malcolm and his wife Laura established the Biggest Job® parenting workshops, a program they have presented to audiences of parents across the country. Their book, The Biggest Job We'll Ever Have - The Hyde School Program for Character-based Education and Parenting (Scribner) was published in March, 2002.

A Hyde graduate, Gauld received his B.A. at Bowdoin College and his Masters at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. As a Visiting Head of School, he was a Klingenstein Fellow at Teachers College, Columbia University.

He began his professional career at Trinity-Pawling School (NY), where he was a teacher, coach and dormitory supervisor. During the past twenty-five years he has served in many roles at Hyde - history teacher, coach of championship teams in four different sports, administrator - including twelve years as headmaster at Hyde's flagship Bath, Maine campus (1978-98). From 1995-98 Gauld served as president of the Independent Schools Association of Northern New England, an organization of more than 50 schools in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. In 1998, Gauld became president and CEO of the Hyde organization.

A life-long athlete, Gauld plays lacrosse and basketball, is a marathon runner, and an avid surfer. He is passionate about music, especially rock, jazz and blues. He and Laura, married 22 years, make their home in Bath, Maine with their three children: Mahalia, Scout, and Harrison.

http://www.zoominfo.com/Search/PersonDe ... D=12201275

[Ursus]

Unlike NEASC, or even AISNE (for elementary schools only), ISANNE does not accord accreditation. Rather, it is an organization that promotes the interests and concerns of its member schools.

Membership to the Independent Schools Association of Northern New England is open to any secondary or elementary independent school in Maine, New Hampshire, or Vermont and is conditional upon being accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) or by being a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). *
http://www.isanne.org/about/school/

3.2 Its Core Values – Professional Support – the Corporation's primary objective is to provide professional support to school heads and all school leadership dedicated to the future vitality of Northern New England independent schools...
http://www.isanne.org/about/laws/

The seeding of ISANNE's ranks with Hyde School personnel goes beyond Malcolm's serving as its president from 1995-98. Laurie Hurd is currently on its Board of Directors. I have no idea who has been involved during the interim.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Tom Lovett | St. Johnsbury Academy
William Cooper | Wolfeboro Camp School
Douglas Cummings | ISANNE
John King | Hebron Academny
James Clements | Tilton School
Laurie Hurd | The Hyde School
Brian Morgan | White Mountain School
Daniel Lee, Jr. | Fryeburg Academy
Charles Scranton | Burr & Burton Academy
Richard Hilton | Lyndon Institute
Kent Bicknell | Sant Bani School
http://www.isanne.org/about/officers/

* Note: being a member of NAIS "requires accreditation by an NAIS approved accrediting body."

[Guest]

Woodstock and Bath are both members of NAIS, too.

[Ursus]

Some more muckings-about along these lines...

The following is primarily about John Dewey Academy in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. First, some background, i.e., some other posts re. John Dewey Academy. The Search function here is still kinda loused up, so I haven't been able to find too many...

i went to cedu john dewey academy and work in therapy now-
cedu sucked and john dewey destroyed what was left.
http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?p=298367#298367

Hey, I was looking up criticisms of John Dewey Academy on the net, and very suprisingly i found almost none. This isn't to say that JDA is not a beneficial school for those who complete it, but my story as a very brief student there (a few years ago by now) was outright ridiculous. When my parents came down to help me out after I was having trouble in my second week, Mr. Bratter called my Mother a "stupid bitch" because she disagreed with his idea of making me wear an eight inch dildo around my neck, to signify that I was going to be raped if i ever left the school. Then i was also told that I would be selling myself out on the street to make a living as a 15 year old boy. Tom Bratter may have helped a lot of people out, and I don't deny it, but I just want people to have a better idea of the bullshit that he will pull when provoked (and i certainly did provoke it) By the way i was also threatened to go to Elan, and managed to convince my parents to turn back about 40 minutes from the entrance. Thank fucking God
http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?p=43636#43636

yeah, i was stouched by an angel instead of a fucking Mainer Heroin addict. Maine Sucks worse than a vietnamese jizz whore.
OH yeah, i forgot to mention this, Tom's desk drawer and the "leave at anytime policy is bullshit" i left and Tom called the cops on me, only to bring me back so he could tell me "think of me when you're getting raped" and then sent me to the police station.
http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?p=43769#43769

have you ever heard of the john dewey school? It sounds alot like hyde. All the students "vote" on wether to accept you......weird
http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?p=299441#299441

Hey... my name's Josie and I went to John Dewey, ran away, then got sent to Elan. I graduated from Elan and then my mom sent me BACK to JDA. She said that she didn't want me to go home and fuck up again. Well, I ran away again. That place made no sense. It was like, we would have these groups and Tom would get in my face and tell me I wasn't getting to my issues, and I was like, "what issues? Please tell me what you're talking about it, and I'll do the best I can to work through them." Well, he never did. I just used to sit in groups and cry while he screamed at me for something, I have no idea what.
I called up Tania M crying, telling her it wasn't fair that I busted my ass at Elan and then I was back at that fucking place. It was nice, it was a castle, but there was something not right about it, you know? Did you ever go in the basement? It was an old slaughterhouse and there was a big hook hanging from the ceiling.
My first time through, I was in with the girl that ended up suing him for abuse. I don't think that she would have lied about it. Tom B was a creep from hell. I can't believe that he still runs that place. He should be locked up.
http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?p=76142#76142

Next, this lil snippet from their website seems awfully familiar. Brother's Keeper, anyone?

The concept of responsible concern is the quintessential value implicit in the social contract of the caring community. "Since I care, I promise to confront not only to prevent you from harming yourself or others, but also to help you to help yourself." Thus, we promote moral growth and development of both confronter and confronted.

And finally, the following news bit is from the StrugglingTeens site re. when John Dewey Academy was pushing to get accredited back in 1993... check out who was the chairman of the accreditation committee:

===============================================

http://www.strugglingteens.com/archives ... ews02.html
[size=18px]News & Views - Oct, 1993 Issue #24 [/size]

[size=14px]JOHN DEWEY ACADEMY ACCREDITATION[/size]
Great Barrington, Massachusetts
413-528-9800

A year ago, a team of six educators visited The John Dewey Academy for three days. Malcolm W. Gauld, Head of the Hyde School, served as the chairperson; Christopher Norris, Assistant Head of Proctor Academy, served as co-chair of this committee. Other members were John N. Buxton, Assistant Headmaster of St. Paul's School; Nancy Juliano, Foreign Language Department Head, The Ethel Walker School; C. Jay Readinger, Business Manager, Moses Brown School; and Joyce Wilson, Mathematics Department Head, Suffield Academy. The committee read a 1450 page report, interviewed students, faculty, and parents, observed classes, studied policies and student files before submitting a 28 page report which concluded, "The Visiting Committee departed Great Barrington inspired by what it saw and excited for the future of the School."

The John Dewey Academy not only has the smallest enrollment but also is the first proprietary school to receive accreditation from The New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The John Dewey Academy is a residential, twelve months, college preparatory, therapeutic high school which provides intensive educational and counseling for self-destructive, acting-out, gifted adolescents who possesses superior innate intellectual and creative potential. Some students had been hospitalized. Many arrive medicated, though none currently are.

Dr. Thomas Bratter, president, states, "The New England Association of Schools and Colleges has demonstrated its integrity and courage by approving this quality school because in view of my personal legal difficulties, the decision could have been delayed. Quite understandably the entire John Dewey Academy appreciates and is honored to become the newest accredited school by NEASC.

[size=10px]Copyright © 1993, Woodbury Reports, Inc. (This article may be reproduced without prior approval if the copyright notice and proper publication and author attribution accompanies the copy.)[/size]

[Guest]

so much for:

NEASC appears to be sufficiently large that cronyism should be mitigated.

[Ursus]

so much for:

NEASC appears to be sufficiently large that cronyism should be mitigated.

YUP!!!! I am finding that the more I read about some of these accrediting organizations, the less credence I give to that rubber stamp... I guess "some minimal standard" must really mean minimal in some cases...

Here's something else I noticed about that aforementioned accreditation visit to John Dewey Academy... Again from the ST piece, colored emphasis mine:

Dr. Thomas Bratter, president, states, "The New England Association of Schools and Colleges has demonstrated its integrity and courage by approving this quality school because in view of my personal legal difficulties, the decision could have been delayed. Quite understandably the entire John Dewey Academy appreciates and is honored to become the newest accredited school by NEASC.
http://www.strugglingteens.com/archives ... ews02.html

And just what, pray tell, might those personal legal difficulties have been? Might they perchance have something to do with the following?

Who are you???? That you went to JDA?? I went there...ugh....
Were you there around the time...when Tom Bratter was getting acussed of molesting a girl in Scarsedale? I looked it up online to see if I could find any stories about it but I couldnt find it.
I remember, when I first met him with my mom, and heard he was being accused of those rape charges, I felt he was capable of those things, from thevibe I got from him....(If your a girl, you can get vibes from men by the way they look at you) ewwww.....
He used to plan outings, which involved going to his actual house!
What kind of owner at a theraputical boarding school, plans an all day event at his personal house? I remember we all went to his house, we had a huge bar-b-que, and me and like 2 girls and a couple of guys and Tom Bratter, sat in this huge jacuzzi/hot tob on his back porch...
Anyways--
what else can I say? Mike should call him up and say"Hey I was intrested in sending my daughter there, although I was a little concerned because I heard the owner(Tom Bratter) was acussed of molesting a girl at JDA....
http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?p=44175#44175

Hey... my name's Josie and I went to John Dewey, ran away, then got sent to Elan. I graduated from Elan and then my mom sent me BACK to JDA. She said that she didn't want me to go home and fuck up again. Well, I ran away again. That place made no sense...
My first time through, I was in with the girl that ended up suing him for abuse. I don't think that she would have lied about it. Tom B was a creep from hell. I can't believe that he still runs that place. He should be locked up.
http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?p=76142#76142

I imagine that Hyde School might be in a very good position to negotiate the sticky particulars re. circumstances involving sexual abuse charges. They certainly have enough experience at it! Must have something to do with all the great examples of character and good family values trotting around campus, eh?

[Ursus]

Hey, I never did update y'all on how Tom Bratter's sexual abuse charges panned out. I came across this material in another thread, so thought it perhaps best if I tied up the loose ends here as well.

Turns out he had another incident a few years after the above-mentioned one, both summarized below. This is from a September 14, 2004 article in the Boston Globe titled "Teacher in abuse suit defends actions," and which is actually about yet another case they had involving a different teacher/therapist. The material about Bratter presumably provided some context towards the end. That full article re-posted HERE.

...The suit has also cast a spotlight on Bratter, who has been accused in the past of having inappropriate sexual contact with two female students.

In 1995, Bratter pleaded no contest in Connecticut to a state charge of second-degree unlawful restraint, which involved his relationship with a 17-year-old girl. As part of a plea agreement, he received a suspended one-year sentence and was required to perform 500 hours of community service and donate $50,000 to a charity that helped victims of crime or abuse. The father of the girl later filed a civil suit against Bratter, which was settled out of court.

After being charged with indecent assault and battery on a 17-year-old girl in 1999 in Great Barrington, Bratter pleaded guilty to assault and battery in June 2002. He was placed on probation and ordered not to have unsupervised contact with girls under 18...

[Ursus]

It would appear that the righteous Mr. and Mrs. Burroughs will soon be returning to the Green Mountain State:

—•∞|•◊•0•◊•|∞•— —•∞|•◊•0•◊•|∞•— —•∞|•◊•0•◊•|∞•—

The Burlington Free Press
Movers and shapers in the news

March 30, 2009

<snip snip>

• St. Johnsbury Academy has named Jeffrey S. Burroughs, a former Vermont resident now serving as director of Curriculum and Instruction at the Hyde School in Bath, Maine, as the academy's new assistant headmaster for academics, beginning July 1. A graduate of Champlain Valley Union High School, Burroughs grew up in Williston, and was awarded a bachelor's degree from Clarkson University and a master's degree from the University of Vermont, both in the engineering field.

[ex kool aide drinker]

He is really not so bad which explains why he got passed over for the Head of School @ Bath. Good for him. There are some sensible down to earth folks up in the Northeast Kingdom. A couple of high plain Vermont winters at St J will beat the Hyde out of him and he will be as good as new.