A BRIEF HISTORY OF MARIN ACADEMY

A BRIEF HISTORY OF MARIN ACADEMY

At a Sausalito restaurant in September 1971, a group of visionaries set out to create a different type of school. College preparatory, of course, but not a conventional prep school. Instead, students would develop “a love of learning for its own sake” because it would be a place “for ‘doers,’ not sitters.” The atmosphere was to be “informal, friendly, flexible, industrious,” and the environment an “enthusiastic” and “happy” one so that students could “work to the best of their individual capacities… academically, athletically, and artistically.”

Bill McCluskey, Marin Academy's first head of school

The founding Board hired WILLIAM “BILL” MCCLUSKEY as MA’s first head of school. Bill envisioned the school as a family, which meant that it would be based on respectful dialogue and an utter lack of pretense.

There was a tremendous amount of work to do before classes could begin in September 1972. Students had to be recruited, a faculty hired, and a curriculum set. There were roofs to patch, walls to paint, and pipes to replace. The heavy cannons that the San Rafael Military Academy left guarding The Circle had to be hauled away, and the clowder of feral cats who had taken up residence in Foster Hall had to be shooed away. It was a time when everyone rolled up their sleeves with a can-do spirit.

MA’s proud tradition in the arts also began with the school's founding. MA’s theater productions were sophisticated and bold from the beginning. Theater directors did not shy away from controversial topics; by spring 1976, the tradition of studentdirected One Acts was established. Students demonstrated their interest in poetry, music, and visual arts in various ways. MA’s first yearbook purposefully included pictures of student art and poetry. The school’s first literary magazine, Sifted From Thoughts Swept Under the Carpet, was published in 1974- 75, including drawings, paintings, and photographs as part of its content documenting the graceful power of MA’s early dance program and the refined skill of MA’s first visual artists. The senior project program was introduced in May 1974, and many students relished the chance to devote whole days to the arts. Still, others sought internships and community service opportunities, just as seniors do today.

So many of today’s signature programs find their origins in MA’s first years. The Outings Program, for example, offered trips on eleven of the twelve available weekends in fall 1972, and Minicourse was initially offered twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring, as a way of affirming the school’s deep commitment to experiential education and personal growth. MA’s athletic program began with a modest start in fall 1972 with four teams: boys cross country, boys soccer, girls tennis, and girls volleyball, but soon MA athletes were finding success: MA brought home its first Bay Counties League titles by fall 1974.

These programs attracted more and more students as the years passed. Even by spring 1975, MA was not the same place it was in fall 1972, as it had grown from 59 students to 210 students. The school was transforming and reflecting the changing world around it.

MA’s second Head of School, BRUCE SHAW, recognized the changing landscape; his solution was to infuse the academic program with greater sophistication. While MA had long offered courses like Calculus, French 5, and Spanish 4, all of which were “geared toward Advanced Placement testing,” Bruce wanted something more. The school began offering AP courses that would earn students high test scores while furthering the school's academic reputation. Honors courses were added in foreign languages, math, and science in the freshman, sophomore, and junior years. Latin was also introduced to attract more academically-oriented students. In 1989, MA hired its first full-time college counselor to help students through the increasingly challenging college process and improve its national visibility among colleges.

In July 1995, BODIE BRIZENDINE arrived on campus as MA’s third Head of School. She believed the school possessed a unique ethos and an enormous potential to become a topchoice school in the Bay Area, but the campus’ facilities had to be improved. Bodie had a clear mission, and over her twelve years as Head, she transformed the campus as campaigns under her leadership built new buildings and renovated old ones. Bodie’s tenure was about more than bricks and mortar. Programs like Crossroads, which provides academic support for low-income middle school students in San Rafael, and the Conference on Democracy, which focuses on its commitment to “accept the responsibilities posed by education in a democratic society,” were inaugurated. Bodie ushered in important diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, supporting employees to work more effectively with MA’s increasingly diverse student body. Bodie’s years also witnessed notable increases in school spirit, athletic championships, and national attention. MA became known as the Bay Area independent school full of joy.

In July 2008, TRAVIS BROWNLEY became MA’s fourth Head of School. Just two months into her tenure, the national economy plunged into its most profound economic crisis since the Great Depression. Still, Travis worked with the Board of Trustees to support financially impacted families, ensuring that no MA student would lose their space due to financial hardship. It was a profound statement that set the tone for Travis’ ongoing commitment to doing what is right for the community, even in the face of great tumult.

Travis also made a commitment to technological innovation and the development of STEAM education early in her tenure. In 2012, she announced funding to promote technological risktaking by teachers, and by fall 2015, all students were bringing a laptop to class. A new Design Lab and the cutting-edge Science and Innovation Center opened in fall 2017, giving MA an unparalleled facility for learning and research opportunities, including dedicated lab stations for the Marin Academy Research Collaborative (MARC). 2017 also witnessed the Board publishing a strategic plan that called upon MA’s administration and faculty to create an innovative, progressive educational model that would reconceptualize education while making the school more equitable.

By 2018, a team-taught transdisciplinary course was in place, and the school began moving away from traditional grading and student evaluation systems. The new educational focus encouraged students to work towards mastery of five competencies in addition to their concept mastery. Even the COVID epidemic could not stop the progress, as teachers and students learned new ways to use technology to help realize educational goals.

As MA begins celebrating its first fifty years of classes and athletic championships, artistic creativity and service to others, Outings and self-discovery, we see the founders' vision reflected in the life of MA students and teachers each day. As Bill wrote in 1980, MA is a “wonderful place to be–humane, vital, productive,” and this remains as true as ever over forty years later. Today, we stand as an innovative, joyful school with a bright future ahead.

Written by DEREK ANDERSON, Library Director and member of the History Department since 1989.