Maplebrook School celebrates 75 years of educational roots

AMENIA — Students returning to Maplebrook School at the start of the academic year in September 2020 were bound to hear the ringing of the school bells across campus, which held more meaning then they realized as 2020 was also Maplebrook’s 75th year anniversary of providing education and tradition in the local community.

Tracing Maplebrook School’s origin back to 1945, the school was established through the collective vision of Sunny Barlow, Majorie Finger and Serena Merck, all of whom worked at the Barlow School (which later became the Kildonan School) in Amenia. Around the time the trio envisioned their own boarding school for students with learning challenges, the Barlow School changed direction and Merck looked to enroll her son in a school that would better serve his needs, said Maplebrook School Executive Director Lori Hale.

As their vision continued to take hold, Barlow, Finger and Merck decided to turn their dream into reality by purchasing the Thompson Farm, located at 5142 Route 22, from Barlow’s brother, Rex Armin. As Barlow secured the property for the school, the former chicken farm was soon transformed into the Maplebrook School campus, with Finger serving as the first head of school and Merck working as the financier handling tuition.

Hale, who has been at Maplebrook since 1982, spoke of the stimulating educational environment that since its opening has provided for a unique spectrum of students that helps them become independent adults, nurturing their vocational, educational and social potential while teaching them character education and other valuable skills as they focus on their vocational and life plans.

“Maplebrook, I believe, has maintained those core values of providing that education to students who learn differently and gives them the chance to participate in the same program as a typical high school student  in a small setting where you can individualize what the learning challenges for each student are,” Hale said. “Those core values have stood the test of time.”

Hale remarked on how  students benefit from the social setting of being surrounded by others who learn differently, especially those students who come to the school needing medication. Students are also exposed to a wider circle in the community through on-the-job training at local businesses.

Today, Maplebrook School currently has between 60 and 70 students enrolled from the local area as well as from half a dozen countries. Students between the ages of 11 and 18 receive their education through the school’s academy program while students between the ages of 18 and 21 receive their education through its Institute for Collegiate and Career Studies. Class sizes range from four to eight students and lessons are individualized according to the students’ learning styles.

“It’s been so rewarding for me personally and professionally,” Hale said, “and I think I speak for a lot of the faculty and staff members that have been here.”

Granted, Hale admitted that it’s not always easy to work in a boarding school, saying that, “it’s not a job but a way of life,” as many staff live on campus with the students. Nevertheless, she remarked that being involved has been “incredibly rewarding as it’s a community within itself and we all chip in.”

Like many schools in the Harlem Valley, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Maplebrook’s operations, with a reduction in student enrollment and a shift from in-person to remote instruction. Following a period of remote learning and holiday vacations, students returned to campus on Sunday, Jan. 10, though they had to have proof of negative COVID-19 tests before coming back. As a safety precaution, the school is not currently accepting any day students, and students on campus have adopted pod quarantining, keeping within their groups and practicing social distancing.

When asked how the pandemic has impacted the students who rely on routine, Hale said, “Our students usually do better with routine and sometimes that change can be unsettling for them, but I have to say they’ve been remarkable… and I think it’s somewhat easier for boarding schools than for others to operate in a pandemic, at least for our type of students who are very compliant, eager to please and don’t challenge the establishment so much.”

Hale spoke highly of Head of School Jennifer Scully’s vision for Maplebrook becoming a premier 21st century school, including making its global footprint and developing global relationships and becoming a more green and sustainable school all while providing a quality education while integrating and inviting new ways for students to learn.