Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Spring 2010 | Page 2

From The Headmaster
Dear Alumni and Friends,
On the eve of Thornton Academy’s bicentennial, we find ourselves in the midst of public discourse. Who
will make up Thornton’s student population? Will we continue to serve all the students from Saco and
Dayton? Will Arundel families keep choosing to send both their middle and most of their high school students to Thornton? The new school consolidation law creates a host of questions for us.
Though crucial to our future, such questions are not new to Thornton. Our student population has
changed and grown continuously over our 200-year history. In 1811 we opened with fifty students, some
from right here in Saco, others from as far away as Nantucket. That TA was a boarding school in the early
19th century is somewhat ironic as we return to those roots with the addition of dormitory accommodations on campus.
Thornton Academy has a fundamental commitment to several communities here in southern Maine. We
are the largest school in the area – indeed, the largest school in Maine. Our connection with Saco and
Dayton is positive and historic; in fact, our historian Cathy Coffman tells me that Dayton students attended Thornton Academy while their town was still officially part of Hollis! Our Arundel affiliation is more recent but has grown steadily; we value these relationships highly. We are working purposefully to maintain
our association with all three communities. We would welcome new connections as well.
At Thornton, we take nothing – and no one – for granted. A school that has remained active and vibrant
for 200 years needs the ability to reinvent itself as situations change over time. Thornton has done just
that, so well that we look forward to celebrating next year’s bicentennial anniversary with all of our alumni and friends. As conditions demand a new response, often related to economic circumstances, our trustees have thoughtfully analyzed the factors most relevant to Thornton’s future. Now under the capable
leadership of President Eric Purvis, who draws on his prior years of trusteeship along with the lessons of
experience from former President Nelson, our Board of Trustees forecasts as accurately as possible what
will “come down the pike” next. This future orientation is at the heart of Thornton’s historic success; it
may even be what most distinguishes us from our public school colleagues.
Dependable long-term leadership, financial plans that span years rather than months, and a committed
foundation of supportive alumni allow Thornton Academy leaders to respond in ways that are consistently ahead of the curve. For example, when we correctly identified a pending decrease in the number of
school-age children in Saco and Dayton, Thornton developed a new partnership with Arundel. We answered that community’s space needs by adding a small community-oriented middle school at TA. We did
so in the belief that their middle school experiences would encourage more Arundel students to choose
Thornton for high school as well, which would then answer our need for a robust student population.
That is exactly what has happened. In June the faculty and families of Thornton Academy Middle School
wrap up the school’s fourth successful year, with nearly all the 8th graders now enrolled in TA’s incoming Class of 2014.

Photo courtesy of Bruce Haskell Photography

Change may not be easy but it is inevitable. We are confident that, with
new alliances among our communities and Regional School Unit boards
challenged to find an effective balance of services among their constituents, Thornton Academy will continue to play a substantial role in the
education of students in more southern Maine communities.

Sincerely,

Carl J. Stasio, Jr.
Headmaster