Malcolm Gauld
I often run into people who want a quick-and-easy explanation on our work at Hyde. While Hyde and quick-and-easy might seem like an oxymoron to those who know Hyde, here is my take for those who don’t.
Family-Based Character Education
An AP Calculus teacher in the 50’s and 60’s, Joseph Gauld once found himself giving his highest grade to a very bright student with a poor learning attitude and his lowest to a classic “plugger” with genuine curiosity who embodied and upheld those qualities the school espoused. Finding his priorities in conflict with the status quo, he founded Hyde School (1966) in Bath, ME to test a new approach, one that values attitude over aptitude, effort over ability, and character over talent. He identified five words – Courage, Integrity, Leadership, Curiosity and Concern – and a cardinal principle: Every individual has a unique potential that defines a destiny. He then began to experiment with these founding concepts in trial-and-error fashion.
Nearly a half-century later, the Hyde of today continues to uphold these principles as core values in a growing number of schools and communities. The program of today has evolved to focus on three emphases:
1. A fully integrated program of character development.
Character is not an “add-on” at Hyde. It permeates everything we do. In our view, character is inspired rather than imparted. Each one of us – students, teachers, and parents – must regard our own character development as a lifelong pursuit. “Use it or lose it.”
2. Family renewal resulting from real parent participation.
While parents begin Hyde with an enrolled child, we are determined that they will depart with a stronger family than they ever could have imagined. We like to say, “School is for kids; Hyde is for families.”
3. College Preparation– over 95% of Hyde’s graduates attend four-year colleges.
We seek to do everything possible to help you gain admission to a college that you will be both proud and excited to attend.
Although some schools might excel with one of these emphases singularly, Hyde is the only choice for prospective families who seek to accept the challenge of all of them collectively.
Onward, Malcolm Gauld
