The Fenn School

The Fenn School is an all-boys private school in Concord, Massachusetts serving grades 4-9. Founded in 1929 by Roger Fenn, the school has been educating boys from in and around Concord with various artistic, athletic, and academic programs, known as the "3 A's" in school nomenclature.
About Fenn School
Created as an alternative to the local public school system, the Fenn School offers courses in Math, Science, Foreign Language, English, Social Studies, and the Arts. Sports are required during all three seasons along with a required elective art class. Students begin taking foreign languages from grade 6 onward, and may choose between Spanish and Latin (French was replaced with Spanish beginning in the 2001-2002 school year). The student body is divided between the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools—referencing grades 4-5, 6-7, and 8-9.
Academics
Students in the Lower School, grades four and five, have a daily curriculum of Math, Science, English, and Social Studies.
During grade 6 students begin taking a foreign language. Students take five weeks of Latin and five weeks of Spanish in grade six before selecting a language to study from the seventh grade on.
In the Middle School, English and Social Studies courses are combined into a single class, known as Integrated Studies (IS), which meets twice as often as a single one.
The ninth grade social studies program is devoted exclusively to Middle Eastern studies; this is a new course replacing the previous Russian History course. The decision to phase out Russian History, long popular with Fenn seniors and former students, was based in part on the September 11 attacks, and also with a desire to modernize the curriculum (Russian having been implemented as a response to the Cold War).
Sports
Fenn competes in athletics against other local private schools and occasionally scrimmages with the Concord Public Middle Schools. Its two main athletic rivals are the Fay and Fessenden Schools.
Fall
:Soccer
:Football
:Cross-Country
Winter
:Wrestling
:Hockey
:Basketball
Spring
:Track & Field
:Lacrosse
:Baseball
:Tennis
The school also has a sports alternative program to allow students to fulfill their sports requirement without participating in the sports programs offered through the school. The athletic director of the school is Bob Starensier, a coach of youth soccer, baseball, and basketball, whose inspirational leadership is featured in the film "Climb the Mountain".
Arts
Fenn offers art courses in Web Design, Drama, Photography, Digital Music, Rock Ensemble, Woodshop, Oil Painting, Video, and Steel Drums. There are also extracurricular arts such as the various school bands and choir. The band is directed by Miss Lien. The Oil Painting, Woodshop, Photo, and more participate in showing work in the Kane Gallery. Fenn students produce a yearbook called "The Lantern" during a specially-assigned academic period.
In addition, since circa 1990 there has been a group of students, organized by Mr. Rude, who have participated in the Fenn radio show. (All radio work is done during extracurricular time.)
The Fenn Radio Show is a variety radio show. The show is aired on WIQH (88.3 FM), a station which is based out of the Concord-Carlisle High School.
The show broadcasts once a month during most of the regular school-year, on a Tuesday evening from 7 to 8 pm.
Regular features on the show include: the "Candy Bar Trivia Challenge," a popular call-in segment; Pro Sports and Fenn Sports updates; a segment with news from either the Lower or Middle School, typically alternating from show to show; several music segments throughout the hour; movie or book review; a discussion on a controversial issue in national politics; and a feature interview with a faculty member of the school. Occasionally (twice a year or so), there will be a show where all the music played is by one particular band or individual, or follows one theme.
Throughout the 2007-2008 season, the school rock band, "Altitude Zero" was a guest on a few shows, performing live. Misc. student guitarists have performed live over the years.
The school puts on four major productions a year: an Upper School fall drama, a fall play for the Middle School, the winter/spring musical (jointly performed with the Nashoba Brooks School), and a spring Upper School comedy. The Upper School pieces, with the exception of the musical, are actually part of an arts elective you can choose to sign up for. The parts are then assigned by audition.
Past musicals have included:
*Fiddler on the Roof (2011)
*Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat(2010)
*Bye Bye Birdie (2009)
*Beauty and the Beast (2008)
*Good News (2007)
*Working (2006)
*' (2005)
*The Music Man (2004)
*' (2003)
*Fiddler on the Roof (2002,)
*Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2001)
*My Fair Lady (2000)
*Brigadoon (1999)
*Bye Bye Birdie (1998)
*Crazy for You (1996)
Previous Middle School Plays include:
* Toby Tyler (2008)
* Kimchi Kid (2007)
* Treasure Island (2006)
* Tom Sawyer (2005)
* The Comedy of Errors (2004)
* Steal Away Home (2003)
* Toby Tyler (2001)
* A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1999)
* Columbus (1998)
* The Prince and the Pauper (1994)
Alumni
*Steve Carell, actor and comedian
*Jarrod Shoemaker, Olympics 2008

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