Milton Hershey School
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The Milton Hershey School is a private philanthropic (pre-K through 12) boarding school founded by Milton S. Hershey of the Hershey Foods Corporation and his wife Catherine "Kitty" S. Hershey. The school was originally named the Hershey Industrial School.
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History of the School
Unable to have children of their own, Milton and Catherine Hershey decided to establish a home and a school for fatherless or orphaned boys. The Deed of Trust for the school was signed on November 19, 1909. In 1910, four boys were enrolled in the school and began to live and attend classes in Hershey's birthplace and childhood home, the Homestead. Hershey gave his entire personal fortune ($60 million) to the school in 1918, and continued to be involved in the school's operations until 1945. He was quoted as saying "The School was Kitty's idea. If we had helped a hundred children it would have all been worthwhile."
In essence, the school is chartered to provides free education, career training, housing, clothing, meals, health care, and counseling to needy children. While originally these children were orphans, the school later broadened its admissions criteria to include "social orphans," meaning, roughly, children living in poverty. The school also changed its policies from those initially stated to accept minority children (1968) and girls (1976).
Admissions policy is set out by the school's Deed of Trust, which has been restated several times to be more inclusive of a broader range of students. The current restatement of the Deed of Trust, from 1976, contains five major admissions criteria: (1) Age, (2) Financial Need, (3) Social Need, (4) Potential To Learn, and (5) Geographic Preference.
The school's curriculum initially focused on preparing children for a successful life in agriculture or trade, and was notable for its combined mix of chores, farm work, and classwork. Over time, the focus of the curriculum has changed to college preparatory training. A notable effect of this change occurred when, in 1989, the school's dairy/farm chore program, which required students to tend and milk dairy cows, was phased out.
Students and Student Life
Most students at Milton Hershey come from Pennsylvania and nearby states. As of 2004, the student population of the school is 1,300, of which 46% are Caucasian, 28% African American, 12% Hispanic, and 14% other, with an equal number of boys and girls.1 (http://www.mhs-pa.org/default.asp?id=366)
When not attending classes or participating in extracurricular activities, students live in "student homes" varying in size (with a maximum of about 20), under the care of full-time "houseparents."
While the Milton Hershey School is not officially affiliated with any religious sect, students attend a weekly non-sectarian chapel services, which often feature speakers in the Protestant Christian tradition, and many of the school's administrators, faculty, and alumni identify themselves as Christians.
School Finances
Financing for the Milton Hershey School is provided by the Hershey Trust, which controls a majority of the voting shares in Hershey Foods Corporation and maintains 100% control of other Hershey assets, including Hershey Park. In 2002, the Trust's assets were US$5.9 billion. The size of the endowment has allowed the school to create a well-staffed, and well-maintained campus of student homes, academic facilities, and athletic facilities.
The Campus
Before the 1990s, the campus of Milton Hershey School spanned several thousand acres, with student homes and school buildings dispersed across several miles within those holdings. Much of that land is leased to local farms.
In the 1990s, an initiative to centralize the campus was underaken, and now student homes, academic buildings, and other facilities are mostly located within rough walking distance of one another. The centerpiece of the campus is Founder's Hall, an auditorium with a capacity of 1600 attached to a very large rotunda, faced in marble. A statue of Milton S. Hershey with a child is located within the rotunda, and serves as the symbol of the school.
Recent History
The recent history of the school, from the late 1990s until this writing in 2004, has been marked by controversy between members of the school's alumni association and the school's administration.
The financial management of the Hershey Trust. Multiple issues regarding the Trust's management of its funds have been raised by alumni over the last 5 years, with questions regarding funds allocation, executive compensation, and board membership requirements.
Changes in admissions policy. Several changes in admissions policy, including grade requirements, were placed on incoming students. The alumni association felt that this focus was contrary to the Deed of Trust, and put a focus on college preparatory training which was not in keeping with the school's original mission of trade education. Following protests from the alumni, the school agreed to drop this requirement in coming years.
The centralization of the campus. The centralization of the Milton Hershey campus was seen as an unnecessary expense by many alumni, particularly as it meant abandoning several large buildings (most notably Senior Hall, the high school) and dozens of student homes which were in active use. Despite alumni protests, the centralization was completed in [???].
The age demographics of student homes. Several student homes were established in the 1990s which mixed student ages to a greater degree than had ever been seen before at the school. Students were previously segregated by school age: elementary, middle, and high school students lived together in homes. Several incidents of sexual and physical abuse took place in these mixed-age homes, with the age difference between students seen as a contributing factor. (TK Outcome not known.)
The potential sale of Hershey Foods. In 2002, the Hershey Trust considered selling the Hershey Foods corporation. Widespread press coverage, as well as pressure from the Hershey community and Milton Hershey School alumni, led to the sale plan being abandoned.
External links
- Milton Hershey School (http://www.mhs-pa.org/) official website
- A timeline of Milton Hershey School (http://www.mhsaa.org/4rum/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=&TOPIC_ID=1555) from an alumni activist's viewpoint