Benchmark School
The Benchmark School (BMK) is a private day school located in Media, Pennsylvania, 25 miles Southwest of Philadelphia. It ranges from First Grade through Eighth Grade.
History
The school was founded in 1970 by Dr. Irene W. Gaskins, as a part-time program. The school eventually moved to its Media, Pennsylvania campus. In 2007, Dr. Robb Gaskins became the Principal of the school.
Athletics
The Benchmark School offers soccer and basketball team at the Varsity and Junior Varsity Levels. Soccer is open to both Lower School and Middle School, while basketball is only open Middle School students. Benchmark’s opponents consist of Torah Academy, Montgomery School, Upland Country Day School, Delaware Valley Friend’s School, French International School, Inteboro and Media Friends School. The school formerly had a baseball and wrestling team.
Campus and Facilities
Benchmark School is located on a 23-acre wooded campus. The Benchmark School is made up of 5 buildings including The Main Building, The Dorrance Hill Hamilton Middle School Building, The A. Palmer West Performing Arts Center, The Ralph C. Preston Memorial Wing and The Gymnasium. The school has Lower School and Middle School classrooms, math rooms, two libraries totaling 20,000 books in volume, three science labs, an art room with a state-of-the-art kiln and an all-purpose room. The school has two soccer fields, a kickball/baseball field, a gymnasium and an outdoor heated swimming pool. Finally, the school has a 40-foot high, 35 event Outward Bound course with a 250-foot zip-line. In 2004 a new middle school wing was added and the pre-existing rooms were renovated. The project won the 2004 AIA Chesapeake Bay Chapter Honor Award.
Extra-Curricular Activities
- Activities Club
- Art Club
- Board Games Club
- Cheerleading Club
- Genius Club
- Girls Club
- Junior Golf Club
- Senior Golf Club
- Indoor Soccer Club
- Confidence Course Club
- Robotics Club
- Running/Hiking Club
- Sports Club
- Ukulele Club
Special Events
The Benchmark School often has special events for students as well as their families. These events, include the Ice Cream Social, Fall Picnic, Family Math Night, Family Gym Night, the Middle School Musical, Mini-THON, Grandparent and Special Guest Morning, the West Family Speaker Series, the Lower School Arts Festival, and the "30 Days Out" Breakfast for graduating 8th Grade students.
Notable alumni
- Kane Kalas- Professional poker player
- David Caporaletti- Director of Operations for Penn State Nittany Lions basketball
- Joshua A. Bell- Curator of Globalization at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
- Andrew Repasky McElhinney- Film Director and Producer
- Ted Levin- Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the University of Maryland’s Department of Linguistics
- John Alex Brinson- Actor in shows including Travelers, Prison Break and The X-Files
- Emily Kimelman- Author of the Sydney Rye series of mysteries
- Jane Hawkins- Aerospace Engineer at Rolls-Royce
- Tori Schelling Gregson- Radio City Rockette
- Joe Caruso- Founder of FOCUS Wine Foundation
College List
Below are some of the top colleges attended by Benchmark Graduates.