 | At Cushing Academy, tradition and change are both in the air. The rolling lawns of our campus are steeped in tradition, and the values we uphold are timeless, yet we are thinking and moving like a young school, full of energy and blessed with clear vision. This has made Cushing a very exciting place to be.
Cushing has a tradition of embracing the best of the future. We were founded in 1865 as a coeducational boarding school, more than a century before many other schools went co-ed. In the 1920s, Cushing was one of the first schools in the country to embrace globalism by recruiting foreign students, and today we proudly display the flags of the 76 countries from which our students have hailed. In the middle of the 20th century, Cushing was also one of the first schools in the nation to build a program that supports and mainstreams students with learning differences, a program we proudly continue today in our Academic Support department.
Cushing Academy has many other proud traditions, including the numerous championship banners that hang from the rafters of our athletic facilities and the phrase, “HCF,” which, for more than a century, has stood for “Happy Cushing Family,” because our nurturing community has always been a hallmark of the Cushing Academy experience.
Today’s high school students have witnessed the dawning of a century that promises to be marked by extraordinary opportunity for those who can adapt, and Cushing is proud to once again be leading the way in providing our students the most far-sighted, visionary education for successful lives and leadership in a changing world. The 21st century will require of today’s students vastly different skills and resources from those of their grandparents and even their parents. Perhaps more than any other school in the country, Cushing is today building the educational model that will offer its young men and women a chance to catch this wave of change, understand its evolving environment, and unlock its fullest potential. They will emerge prepared to excel in the 21st-century landscape that awaits them.
Our programs have been highlighted nationally on ABC News, National Public Radio, USA Today, and many other news outlets as a leading example of educating today’s students for tomorrow’s promise. Cushing is once again the model that other schools emulate as the best of the new woven seamlessly into the rich tapestry of tradition.
I invite you to visit Cushing Academy, walk our green lawns where education knows no boundaries, view our “smart” technology classrooms and near-infinite e-library resources, learn about our unique collaborations with partners like the James Martin 21st Century School at Oxford University, cheer on the mighty Penguins at the ice arena or on our many playing fields, and see for yourself the safe and nurturing “HCF” at this classic independent school.
And, when you visit, be sure to stop by my office to say hello. My door is always open to students and families, and I’d be delighted to talk with you more about how Cushing daily transforms young lives for the better.
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| | "Our goal is nothing short of transforming secondary education across the country and around the world as we better prepare students for a new age of globalization and technological revolution."
Dr. James Tracy became Cushing’s eleventh headmaster on July 1, 2006.
Dr. Tracy is a leader in the independent school world whose educational vision has been highlighted in national and international media, ranging from The New York Times to Toronto's Globe and Mail and Korea’s Chosun; from National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” to ABC World News and the Danish Broadcasting Corporation.
He has written two books and edited three books, including The NAIS Guide to Principles of Good Practice, and Why Change? What Works? The NAIS Guide to Change Management. Dr. Tracy has also written dozens of articles on educational issues, particularly 21st century secondary education.
Prior to joining Cushing, Dr. Tracy served as headmaster of Boston University Academy for six years. He previously served on the faculty of the Hotchkiss School, where he was also a coach and dorm parent.
Dr. Tracy received his M.A. and Ph.D. in American History from Stanford University and also earned his M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration and his MBA in Nonprofit Management from Boston University. He has been a Visiting Scholar in the Department of History at Yale University, has been a Klingenstein Fellow of Teachers College at Columbia University, and received an Executive Certificate in Strategy and Innovation from the Sloan School of Management at MIT.
Dr. Tracy’s wife, Janet Sargent Tracy, is the Foundation and Corporate Grants Manager at Cushing.
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