The Grove School Unveils New Alice Chorney Education Center

The Grove School recently unveiled its new 8,500-square foot education center at a naming ceremony honoring the President and CEO's mother.

The Alice Chorney Education Center features nine classrooms, with the capacity for 10 students each, featuring modern furnishings that promote student collaboration; a science lab with 12 lab stations and a teacher work station; media center with high-speed Wi-Fi Internet access, 12 desktop computers and multiple stations for laptop users; glass-walled conference room; and, several administrative offices. It is named in honor of school President and CEO Richard Chorney's mother, Alice Chorney, who was the first in her family to attend college and became a special education teacher. Alice began her career teaching in a one-room school house and also taught special education for more than 20 years in New Haven, Conn. She was honored as Teacher of the Year by Winchester School.

The recent naming ceremony for the new education center featured remarks from The Grove School's President and CEO, Richard Chorney and Associate Director, Kelly Webster. Administrator and former student, Alex Klein, and current students Rachel Raybin and Dennis Sullivan reflected on the role that Grove School plays in their lives and the strong relationships that define the community.

"I am excited to expand our academic facilities and pay tribute to my mother with The Alice Chorney Education Center," said Richard Chorney, President and CEO, Grove School. "My mother has served as a tremendous source of motivation and inspiration during my career and I hope that students will feel that same sense of empowerment as they begin reaching their own personal milestones in the new facility."

The Alice Chorney Education Center features an original design conceived by Richard Chorney and Barry Svigals from Svigals and Partners in New Haven, Conn. The concept for the building is rooted in the idea of Synesthetic Design, which refers to a merging of the senses and was designed to enrich students' perceptual experience by encouraging the use a variety of senses. The artistic, metal sculptures and frieze along the roof line of the building contain images that represent learning and growth, two important facets of The Grove School.

The entire campus has been updated to reflect the vision of the new education center. Among the upgrades are the addition of a full sports court behind The Alice Chorney Education Center and transformation of the lawn in front of the building into a collegiate-like quad featuring lawn areas and a field stone sitting wall that provide venues for socialization, relaxation, reading, reflection and leisure sports. In addition, Madison Earth Care has landscaped the grounds with new trees, grass, shrubs, bushes and other plantings, which Grove students assist the Maintenance Staff in keeping up. Grove School has also redesigned its Academic Annex and is renovating an existing building to create a new Welcome Center. John A. Matthews Architecture & Planning of Madison Conn., who is also planning a redesign and expansion of the school's Visual Art Studio for 2011, led both projects.

The Grove School is a co-educational, therapeutic boarding and day school for adolescents in grades 7-12. To learn more, visit www.groveschool.org.