Five Decades in Words & Images

50 MILESTONE MOMENTS

1970s

September 2, 1971

A small group of committed individuals saw the unique potential of creating Marin County’s first coeducational independent high school on the former San Rafael Military Academy campus and met to create the school we know today.

April 6, 1972

The Board of Trustees changed the school’s name from The Marin Academy to Marin Academy; the “The” was just too pretentious.

September 5, 1972

On MA’s first day, 59 students–half boys and half girls, half from Marin and half from San Francisco, half from public schools and half not, became the first students of the newly formed school.

Fall, 1974

The Wildcats—a nickname chosen to honor the feral cats that took over Foster Hall in 1971—won their first league championships, one in boys cross country and one in girls volleyball.

Fall, 1975

MA’s sequoia tree logo was first used. The logo was designed by MA’s first visual art teacher, Barbara Gardner.

Spring, 1977

The yearbook was published as a paperback for the last time. All of its photographs are black and white.

Spring, 1979

Minicourse became a spring-only program. Initially, there was a two-day Minicourse in the fall and a week-long Minicourse in the spring.

Fall, 1979

The school purchased a Terak 8510A computer, one of the first personal desktops capable of processing images. Imagine a student body sharing one computer!

1980s

Spring, 1981

The Wilderness Quest program, formerly called Vision Quest, began as a Minicourse option.

Fall, 1981

MA held its first bike-to-school day to promote alternative transportation and environmental stewardship. The student-led effort was covered extensively in the Marin Independent Journal.

1982-1983

The four San Rafael Military Academy dorms surrounding The Circle were demolished; these World War I-era barracks were no longer deemed safe.

1984

Bruce Shaw became MA’s second head of school.

Fall, 1985

MA's first community service program began, led by Spanish teacher Glenn Stanfield. It required twenty hours of service to be completed before the start of the senior year.

1985-1986

Marnie McClure '86 became MA's first student body president.

1986-1987

MA opened its first full computer lab, composed of 15 Apple II GS's.

1987-1988

MA's Latin program ended after a two-year experiment.

1989-1990

Funding from the Buck Trust and the Marin Community Foundation allowed MA to begin The Open Door program. The program for middle school students was created to support disadvantaged students' preparation for high school and college.

1990s

1990-1991

Thacher Hall of Science opened after two years of construction. It opened with allgirls' science classes, a decision that won national recognition for the school.

February, 1992

Russian students from Leningrad/ St. Petersburg's School of the Arts visited MA on a three-week exchange in February after MA's students went to Leningrad in the summer of 1991. The exchange was an important example of MA embracing the post-Cold War world.

1993-1994

MA adopted its "think, question, and create" slogan. The words quickly permeated the community’s life each and every day.

January, 1993

MA's first Literary Festival was held. Inaugural guests included poets Cecelia Wallach and Al Young. As the program's importance grew in subsequent years, featured guests included Martin Espada, Jane Hirshfield, Maxine Hong Kingston, Armistead Maupin, Adrienne Rich, Kay Ryan, and Gary Snyder.

1994-1995

The beginning of two new programs on campus: 1) a selective chamber music ensemble known as Chamber Gladiators; and 2) a co-ed water polo team, which took the nickname "Wilddogs."

Fall, 1995

Bodie Brizendine began her tenure as head of school.

1998-1999

The New Gym opened, and MA's first synthetic turf athletic field was installed, saving 2 million gallons of water a year.

Fall, 1996

Students formed MA's first affinity group based on sexuality and gender called the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Youth Support Group. The group was led by David Samas '97 and Franzi Dickson '98.

1997-1998

Founders Hall opened with MA's first lecture hall, upgraded classrooms, and new computer labs. The building, which was initially the San Rafael Military Academy’s senior dormitory, was damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake and was used for storage for several years.

1999-2000

MA and San Francisco's Balboa High were featured in a KQED documentary about college admissions and educational opportunities. The program generated many important conversations on equity, race, and privilege at MA.

2000s

Fall, 2000

Boys soccer won MA's first North Coast Section title, defeating Branson. The victory marked a major turning point for MA athletics.

2001-2002

This school year witnessed the creation of two signature programs, Crossroads and Math Night. Crossroads is a year-round academic support and enrichment program for middle school students attending public Middle Schools in San Rafael. Math Night allows students to present unusual math problems alongside professional mathematicians who are leaders in the discipline.

May, 2001

The Performing Arts Center opened, giving MA a performance facility worthy of the innovative work of the dance, music, and theater programs.

2002-2003

The Visual Arts Center (VAC) opened, replacing an old house attached to an allpurpose room that was the Marin’s Jewish Community Center in the 1960s. The VAC's two buildings provided visual artists with vastly improved facilities for ceramics, drawing, painting, and photography.

2003-2004

The Conference on Democracy begins, highlighting the MA Mission Statement's call for the community to "accept the responsibilities posed by education in a democratic society."

2004-2005

The girls' volleyball team won the state title, MA's first in any sport.

2005-2006

The new library building opens, with nine classrooms on the top floor and a 7,000+ square foot library below.

2007-2008

Dick Drew served as Interim Head of School.

Spring, 2007

MA marked its 35th anniversary with a concert by the Doobie Brothers, the Bodie Brizendine Leadership Center (BBLC) opening, and Bodie's departure.

Fall, 2008

Travis Brownley began her tenure as MA's fourth head of school.

2009-2010

MA moved away from an Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum to embrace a more experiential, dynamic, and differentiated instruction.

2010s

May & June, 2011

The school year concluded with all grades participating in culminating End-of-Year (EOY) projects.

2011-2012

Travis announced special funding to promote technological risk-taking in the classroom, pushing faculty members to try new ways of teaching to expand MA's educational methodology and take advantage of technological innovations.

2012-2013

The school's directory and student newspaper, The Voice, are moved online.

2013-2014

MA designated a faculty liaison to offer translation services for Spanishspeaking families, and Mandarin Chinese replaced Japanese in the World Languages Department.

2014-2015

The BlendEd Program, which combines online and in-person classes, began in conjunction with Athenian, College Prep, Lick- Wilmerding, and Urban. This expanded MA's curricular offerings and educational opportunities and promoted cooperation between rival independent schools.

2015-2016

825 solar panels are installed on building roofs around campus to promote environmental sustainability.

2016-2017

Led by seniors Hailey Todhunter and Tule Horton, about half the student body and many adults participated in a unity march in reaction to the 2016 presidential election results. After marching through downtown San Rafael, the event concluded with all participants joining hands around The Circle.

2017-2018

The Science and Innovation Center (SIC) opened after two years of construction; in conjunction with this, the first cohort of students in the Marin Academy Research Collaborative (MARC) graduated.

2018-2019

On the first day of school, the senior class welcomed the community back by forming a carnation tunnel through which the rest of the student body and employees passed.

2020s

March, 2020

As a result of the COVID-19 epidemic, Math Night became the first school program held over Zoom instead of in-person.

March, 2021

The golf team became the first team from Marin County to compete in an interscholastic contest since COVID-related closures.

Summer, 2022

MA's new Aquatics Center opened, providing both MA and the San Rafael community with an outstanding swimming and water polo facility.

Fall, 2022

MA becomes the first school west of the Mississippi River to join the University of Pennsylvania's School of Education's Independent School Teaching Residency Program. The program allows MA to have two teaching fellows—one in math and one in world language—in residence while earning their master's degree from Penn.