HISTORY 

While it was his original intention to enter the ministry, Charles S. Wieand succumbed to the urgings of a local clergyman to open a private school in the Perkiomen Valley to supplement the limited education opportunities provided by the public school system. With financial backing from the clergyman and a dowry inherited by his bride, Mr. Wieand purchased a small plot of ground on the border between East Greenville and Pennsburg and built a combined house and school on the site of Kriebel Hall.

The first students enrolled in 1875 and, for eight years, Mr. and Mrs. Wieand operated the school. However, they were continually in financial distress because the state normal schools could take boarders at much lower rates than Perkiomen Seminary as it was named. Then, during the Christmas recess of 1883, diphtheria struck the Wieand family, taking the lives of three of their four children in five days. Mr. Wieand himself was so weakened that the school did not reopen after the holidays.

There were several abortive attempts to operate the school in the following years, but it was not until 1892 when the General Conference of the Schwenkfelder Church purchased the property that any continuity was established. The Reverend Oscar S. Kriebel, pastor of the Palm Schwenkfelder Church, was named principal and the Seminary reopened on October 3rd of that year with a faculty of four (including the principal and his wife) and nineteen students. By June of 1895 things were progressing so nicely that the Schwenkfelders raised sufficient funds to build the rest of Kriebel Hall. The enrollment increased during these years and by 1902 surpassed 300 and the faculty numbered nearly thirty. To handle the existing numbers, two additional buildings were erected: Kehs Hall in 1906 and the Library in 1913.

While Perkiomen had been co-ed during these first years, the Trustees decided in 1916 to change the name to Perkiomen School and gradually phase out female students. The school remained an all boys' school for 47 years, but in 1969 the Trustees voted to accept day student girls with boarding girls scheduled in 1971.

Unfortunately, the national depression and Dr. Kriebel's death in 1932 caused the school to suffer hard times. The financial backing behind the school was simply too small and the question arose as to whether it would survive. But, then, the words of Daniel Webster were heard echoing out of the past: "It is a small school and yet there are those who love it." Following the one year appointment of Dr. Webster Stover, the Trustees appointed the Reverend Clarence E. Tobias to be headmaster in 1934.

During his ten years on campus, Reverend Tobias steered the school safely through the aftermath of the depression, made many capital improvements, held together a fine faculty, and increased the enrollment. Upon his departure Mr. Albert Rogers was appointed Headmaster and he served the school for seven years continuing the programs of his predecessor. With the selection of Stephen W. Roberts as headmaster in 1951, the school was to take on a wholly new physical dimension. Initially, Dr. Roberts set out to enhance and repair the already existing buildings on campus. This was followed by a development program that was to see the completion of five new buildings in seven years and over a thirty percent increase in enrollment. Poor health caused him to resign in 1966 and Mr. Andrew Berky was appointed to succeed him. With the building program completed, Mr. Berky concentrated his attention on academic policies and practices, in particular the school's attempt to meet the individual needs of students.

In August 1968 the Board of Trustees asked Mr. Berky to assume the title of President of the School. This new position was created to provide a liaison between the school and community, industry, colleges, and the alumni. For the position of Headmaster, the Trustees appointed Reverend Jack Rothenberger, who had been working at the school for the previous seven years as Chaplain and Director of Admissions. After one year Reverend Rothenberger resigned to become Minister of Education at one of the Schwenkfelder churches. The Board of Trustees chose Mr. James O. Brown, Assistant Headmaster and Director of Admissions at the Pennington School, to succeed Reverend Rothenberger on September 1, 1969.

With the coming of Mr. Brown the school returned to a co-ed enrollment policy and the first five girls of the Class of 1973 were admitted as day students in September 1969.

Unhappily, in January of 1972 Mr. Brown decided to leave Perkiomen to pursue other opportunities. The choice was made somewhat easier, however, when the Search Committee of the Board of Trustees was able to announce that Mr. Howard K. Deischer, formerly principal of Emmaus High School and highly respected member of the school's mathematics department since 1963, had agreed to serve for two years as interim headmaster while the Committee carried on its search for a permanent headmaster.

Mr. Deischer assumed his new duties in August of 1972 and his quiet expertise and experienced leadership provided the stability needed to bring the changes begun during Mr. Brown's tenure to healthy maturity. In the meantime the Search Committee continued its work and hoped that the appointment of the new headmaster would be announced early in 1974.

In the spring of 1974 the Search Committee completed its work and the Board of Trustees announced the appointment of John B. Hewett, former head of Bordentown Military Institute as the twelfth headmaster of Perkiomen School.

Under Mr. Hewett's guidance the School was able to modernize the Business Office and start an Alumni and Development Office.

George K. Allison was appointed the thirteenth headmaster of Perkiomen School on July 1, 1985. There have been a number of changes on the campus since that time including the renovation of the Health Center, landscaping upgrades throughout the campus, remodeling of faculty residences, the bookstore being relocated to Roberts Hall, Kehs Hall remodeling, and the renovation of Roberts Hall. A devastating fire in April 1994 was by far a defining moment for the school. Kriebel Hall was re-built for $9.7 million dollars with a capital campaign raising $3 million dollars. While the re-building was taking place students were housed in trailers that formed a dormitory and trailers for offices were placed on campus as well. All classrooms, dorm rooms, and offices were wired with fiber optics that year to keep the school up to the latest standards of technology, with the rest of the campus following with installation of fiber optics and a T-1 line in 1996 and 1997. The maintenance facility was acquired in 1997 and the Lewis House on Third Street in 1998. A renovation of the kitchen in Parents Hall took place in 1998. To meet the needs of a growing campus, a new road was built from Third Street in East Greenville to the Hollenbach Science building. The purchase of the Gruelich Property (55 acres) in 2000 assures that the campus will remain protected from housing developments and have open space. The Christman House was purchased in 2001 and serves as faculty housing. There have been countless changes on the campus including sprinkler systems installed on athletic fields, upgrades in faculty housing and dormitories, and upgrades to the computer needs.

The Moving Forward Campaign has transformed the Perkiomen School Campus. Plans that at one time seemed so far away are now a reality. The $13.5 million dollar campaign is by far the largest campaign in Perkiomen history. Trustee, Drew Lewis, was the driving force in setting and meeting the ambitious goals. The objectives of the campaign were to create an academic center, improve landscaping, increase endowment, and renovate Carnegie Library and Hollenbach Science Hall.

Robert M. Schumo Academic Center
Since 1994, the size of our student body increased and we were faced with the need for more academic space. The science laboratories in Hollenbach Science Hall were woefully outdated. It was obvious that we needed more classrooms with the ability to adapt to new technologies.

A lead gift from Peg Schumo P '78 made the construction of a new facility possible. The Robert M. Schumo Academic Center is named to honor Peg's late husband Robert and their son Robbie, class of 1978. The 36,000 square foot building houses the mathematics, social studies, computer science and science departments.

The Spiezle Architectural Group (Trenton, NJ) designed a building with a traditional brick to match the original campus and the southwest side of the building will be a curved glass wall to blend with the modern side of campus. The glass wall is topped with an observation deck. Access to the observation deck is from the science floor.

Trustee Jim Schultz '81, P '02, '10 led the construction committee. The expertise of the contractor V.J. Scozzari and Sons (Lawrenceville, NJ) added all the extras such as terrazzo floors and cherry paneling. The building is wireless with laptop carts per floor provided by a generous grant from the E.E. Ford Foundation. Additionally, each classroom has an interactive teaching board. This building is the center of learning in the school.

Landscaping/ Land Acquisition
Perkiomen should have an attractive main entrance that welcomes visitors to the campus. Trustee, Ridge Goodwin's '60 leadership and passion for excellence have focused the campus-landscaping plan. Our plan increases visual appeal and safety throughout the campus, including restoring the Arboretum, re-designing the Seminary Street corridor, landscaping the new quadrangle in the heart of the campus, and improving walkway and lighting systems.

New trees were planted from Carnegie Library to Schumo. The area between Kehs and Schumo is well landscaped. The courtyard includes a mosaic of the school seal in the sidewalk, veterans' memorials, a pergola, beautiful plantings and seating areas. All of the construction areas feature new sidewalks and lighting.

Rain Garden
Behind Kriebel Hall the looming HVAC chilling tower hardly created a welcoming feeling. Over several summers, a rain garden was created to surround the tower. The garden features include water plantings (river birches and bald cypress), a bridge and aquatic life.

Marian Stefano Meditation Garden
A beautiful meditation garden was developed to honor the life and contributions of Marian Stefano, known by thousands of graduates from Perkiomen School for her love, sympathy and understanding. A generous gift from her son, Frank Stefano '48 helped to create the garden.

Carnegie Library
The library at Perkiomen is the only secondary school library in the United States ever funded by Andrew Carnegie. This historic building, however, has had few structural changes since its dedication in the fall of 1913. In this phase of renovation the upper floor was converted into classrooms. Chris Scott, Director of Purchasing, acted as the construction manager with a team of local contractors to complete the project. The glass pyramid is lighted and provides a view from the main floor to the sky.

The Middle School
Ever since the Middle School (grades five through eight) re-opened in 1986 it has lacked a physically distinct home. The construction of the Academic Center and the relocation of the science department to that building allowed us to completely renovate the Hollenbach Science Building and create a comfortable home for the Middle School. The 13,000 square foot building houses a library/media center, art room, music room, science laboratory and six classrooms. Each classroom has an interactive teaching board. Additionally, the building is wireless with a cart of laptops for classroom use. This project was also designed by The Spiezle Architectural Group and built by V.J. Scozzari and Sons. This setting provides our younger students with a healthy sense of identity and a learning environment designed especially for them.

Endowment
Even though Perkiomen's endowment has increased substantially in the last twenty years, it must continue to grow without interruption. Currently thirty-two percent of the student body receives scholarships or financial aid. Our goal is to raise the level of endowment enough to provide even greater financial support and enable us to continue to enroll students based solely on their talents, drive, and initiative. In addition, we must be able to offer salaries that will attract and retain top-flight faculty members.

Stauffer Tennis Courts
The Schumo Academic Center was designed to create an academic core in the heart of the campus. The original tennis courts were located on Seminary Street, the center of the campus. The construction of Schumo Academic Center required the removal of the old courts. A lead gift from the Stauffer family facilitated the construction of six new lighted tennis courts. The courts' new location behind Hollenbach Athletic Center provides access to locker room facilities and creates an athletic core as well.

"This campaign had embodied the school motto "Solvitur Vivendo"... it is solved by living. The Moving Forward Campaign touched all aspects of Perkiomen living," stated Headmaster George K. Allison

Christopher R. Tompkins was appointed the fourteenth headmaster of Perkiomen School on July 1, 2008.