Grand River Academy

Independent boarding high school in Austinburg, Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States

Slogan"Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up"Athletics conferenceLake Effect ConferenceSportsSoccer, Golf, Cross Country, Basketball, Wrestling, Bowling, Baseball, Lacrosse, TennisTeam nameEaglesAccreditationsISACS & ODEAnnual tuition$57,650AffiliationsNAIS^[1] & TABS^[1]Websitegrandriver.org

Grand River Academy, formerly known as the Ashtabula County Institute of Science and Industry and then the Grand River Institute, is an independent, nonsectarian, boarding high school for boys located in Austinburg, Ohio. It serves students in grades eight through twelve, with a post-graduate option.

History

Grand River Academy was founded in 1831 by prominent leaders from the Austinburg Congregational Church. The school was initially intended to prepare young men for ministerial vocations, but in 1840, it began to admit female students. Betsy Mix Cowles was appointed as the school's first female principal in charge of the Women's Department, a post she held from 1843-1848. The institution's name and location changed in 1836 at the behest of Joab Austin, a wealthy citizen who pledged a sizable endowment for the school.

Curriculum

The school teaches in small classes and offers many programs, such as the Foundations of Learning Program^[2] where students learn how they best learn and manage time to succeed in the classroom and the Productive Growth Center.^[3]

To graduate, students must obtain 21 units of credit. In addition, all seniors must be accepted by an accredited college before graduation.^[4] Students have been accepted at 75 different colleges.^[5]

Grand River is accredited by the Ohio Department of Education, North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and the Independent Schools Association of the Central States.

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

As a member of the Lake Effect Conference, GRA offers a full range of athletic programs, consisting of 9 varsity, 4 junior varsity, and 1 club team.

Fall Sports

Soccer (V, JV)
Golf (V)
Cross country (V)

Winter Sports

Basketball (V, JV)
Bowling (V)
Indoor soccer (club)
Wrestling (V)

Spring Sports

Baseball (V, JV)
Tennis (V, JV)
Lacrosse (V)\

Campus

In addition to classroom and sports facilities, the school has a gymnasium, the Robert Morrison Lecture Center, and the Bud Field Student Center. Students are accommodated in one of five dormitories: Shepard Hall, Mastin Hall, West Hall, North Hall, and Warren Hall.

Notable alumni

Politics, government and law

Clarence E. Allen, U.S. Representative from Utah^[6]
John Brown, Jr., eldest son of abolitionist John Brown, member of the Kansas Territory legislature.
Julius C. Burrows, U.S. Representative and a U.S. Senator from Michigan^[7]
Theodore Elijah Burton, U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator^[8]
Edwin Cowles, publisher of The Cleveland Leader, Vice-President of the 1884 Republican National Convention, postmaster of Cleveland
Albert Gallatin Egbert, Democratic U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania.
Alphonso Hart, U.S. Representative from Ohio
Ralph Hill, U.S. Representative from Indiana and lawyer.^[9]
John Philo Hoyt, American politician and jurist
Elbert L. Lampson, Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and former state Senator^[10]

Business

Alfred Cowles, American economist, businessman and founder of the Cowles Commission
Benjamin Goodrich, American industrialist, founded BF Goodrich

Notable staff

Betsy Mix Cowles, an American abolitionist^[11]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Grand River Academy". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
^ "The Learning Center | Grand River Academy". grandriver.org. Archived from the original on 2013-02-16.
^ "Productive Growth Center | Grand River Academy". grandriver.org. Archived from the original on 2016-01-11.
^ "Grand River Academy Graduation Requirements" Archived 2008-07-12 at the Wayback Machine, Grand River Academy, accessed 10 May 2008
^ "The Grand River Academy College Acceptances" Archived 2006-11-16 at the Wayback Machine, Grand River Academy, accessed 10 May 2008
^ Whitney, Orson F. (1904). History of Utah: Comprising Preliminary Chapters on the Previous History of ... G. Q. Cannon. p. 687. OCLC 4995807.
^ United States Congress. "Julius C. Burrows (id: B001142)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.. Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
^ United States Congress. "Theodore E. Burton (id: B001159)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.. Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
^ United States Congress. "Ralph Hill (id: H000604)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.. Retrieved on 2008-05-10.
^ Smith, Joseph P. (1898). History of the Republican Party in Ohio. Lewis Publishing. p. 581. OCLC 12634256.
^ Geary, Linda L. (1989). Balanced in the Wind: A Biography of Betsey Mix Cowles. Bucknell University Press. pp. 46–47. ISBN 0-8387-5154-7.