2013 Catalog - The Taft School

The Taft SchoolEstablished in 1890 by Horace Dutton Taft, brother of President William HowardTaft, the Taft School quickly earned a reputation as a school for the education ofscholars and leaders. The School’s motto, “Not to be served but to serve,” has beenan important hallmark of Taft’s special niche in the development of well-roundedmen and women. The School’s 6,000 living alumni are engaged in virtually everyphase of the world’s work—business, industry, the professions, and public service.“…..the program was sowell organized and allthe teachers are veryresponsible and careabout the students’growth and progress.”FacilitiesTaft’s 220-acre campus includes sixseparate dormitories, the 53,000-volumeHulbert Taft, Jr. Library, the Ivy KwokWu Science and Mathematics Center,a modern infirmary, and the 527-seatBingham Auditorium.The Arts and HumanitiesCenter contains classrooms, facultyoffices, the Student Union, a largedance studio, special practice rooms,spacious art rooms, and featuresa black box experimental theaterwhich seats 200 people. The StudentUnion has ping-pong and pool tables,large screen televisions, a completesnack bar, and spaces for students tosocialize and relax.The McCullough Athletic Centercontains a field house for basketballand volleyball, four indoor tenniscourts, a state-of-the-art strengthtraining center, full locker facilities,and nine squash courts; all of whichare suitable for international play. Inaddition to Taft’s athletic fields, twelvetennis courts, and an all weatherrunning track are available.The Lady Ivy Kwok Wu Scienceand Mathematics Center openedas the School’s “gateway to the 21stcentury” in 1997. This new buildingis Taft’s response to growing studentinterest and changes in methods ofinstruction. Its imaginative designjoins the new building to the HulbertTaft, Jr. Library, creating a unifiedlearning center housing the library,science and mathematics classroomsand faculty offices.June 30–August 35