Milton Hershey School

The school currently serves 1400 students, and plans to grow to 2000 students by 2013.

HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL

Unable to have children of their own, Milton and Catherine Hershey decided to establish a home and a school for fatherless or orphaned boys. The Deed of Trust for the school was signed on November 15 , 1909 . In 1910 , four boys were enrolled in the school and began to live and attend classes in Hershey's birthplace and childhood home, The Homestead. Hershey gave his entire personal fortune ($60 million) to the school in 1918 , and continued to be involved in the school's operations until 1945 . He was quoted as saying "The School was Kitty's idea. If we had helped a hundred children it would have all been worthwhile."

In essence, the school is chartered to provide free education, career training, housing, clothing, meals, health care, and counseling to needy children. While originally these children were orphans, the school later broadened its admissions criteria to include "social orphans," meaning, roughly, children living in poverty. The school also changed its policies from those initially stated to accept minority children ( 1968 ) and girls ( 1976 ).

Admissions policy is set out by the school's Deed of Trust, which has been restated several times to be more inclusive of a broader range of students. The current restatement of the Deed of Trust, from 1976 , contains five major admissions criteria: (1) Age, (2) Financial Need, (3) Social Need, (4) Potential To Learn, and (5) Geographic Preference.

The school's curriculum initially focused on preparing children for a successful life in agriculture or trade, and was notable for its combined mix of chores, farm work, and classwork. Over time, the focus of the curriculum has changed to college preparatory training. A notable effect of this change occurred when, in 1989 , the school's dairy/farm chore program, which required students to tend and milk dairy cows, was phased out.

STUDENTS AND STUDENT LIFE

Although Milton Hershey students come from 28 states, 3/4 them come from Pennsylvania with most of the rest coming from other mid-atlantic states. As of 2006 , the student population of the school is 1,400, of which 48% are Caucasian, 35% African American, 10% Hispanic, and 7% other, {Link without Title} with a balanced mix according to gender. Approximately 40% of the students have siblings who also attend MHS.

When not attending classes or participating in extracurricular activities, students live in "student homes." The homes vary in size, with up to 13 students in some, under the care of full-time "houseparents."

The Milton Hershey School is not officially affiliated with any religious group, but students attend a weekly non-sectarian chapel service, which often feature speakers in the Protestant Christian tradition, and many of the school's administrators, faculty, and alumni identify themselves as Christians.

SCHOOL FINANCES

Financing for the Milton Hershey School is provided by The Milton Hershey School Trust, which controls a majority of the voting shares in The Hershey Company and owns Hershey Entertainment And Resorts Company outright. In 2006 , the Trust's assets were US$8 billion. The size of the endowment has allowed the school to create a well-staffed, and well-maintained campus of student homes, academic facilities, and athletic facilities.

THE CAMPUS

Before the 1990s , the campus of Milton Hershey School spanned about ten-thousand acres (40 km&²), with student homes and school buildings dispersed across several miles within those holdings. Much of that land is leased to local farms.

In the 1990s , an initiative to centralize the campus was underaken, and now student homes, academic buildings, and other facilities are mostly located within rough walking distance of one another. The centerpiece of the campus is Founders Hall, an auditorium with a capacity of 1600 attached to a rotunda, which is the largest in the Western Hemisphere, faced in Vermont marble. A statue of Milton S. Hershey with a child is located within the rotunda, and serves as the symbol of the school. At the base of the statue, it reads, "Milton S. Hershey His Deeds Are His Monument His Life is Our Inspiration."

RECENT HISTORY

Since the late 1990s , controversy has erupted between the school's alumni association and the school's administration.

The financial management of The Milton Hershey School Trust. Multiple issues regarding the Trust's management of its funds have been raised by alumni over the last five years, with questions regarding funds allocation, executive compensation, and board membership requirements.

Changes in admissions policy. Several changes in admissions policy, including grade requirements, were placed on incoming students. The alumni association felt that this focus was contrary to the Deed of Trust, and put a focus on college preparatory training, which was not in keeping with the school's original mission of trade education. Following protests from the alumni, the school agreed to drop this requirement in coming years.

The centralization of the campus. The centralization of the Milton Hershey School campus was seen as an unnecessary expense by many alumni, particularly as it meant abandoning several large buildings (most notably Senior Hall, the high school) and dozens of student homes which were in active use. Despite alumni protests, the centralization was completed in 2001 .

The age demographics of student homes. Several student homes were established in the 1990s which mixed student ages to a greater degree than had ever been seen before at the school. Students were previously segregated by school age: elementary, middle, and high school students lived together in homes. Several incidents of sexual and physical abuse took place in these mixed-age homes, with the age difference between students seen as a contributing factor.
The school has since dropped the policy of mixed-age homes.

The potential sale of the Hershey Foods Corporation. In 2002, the Hershey Trust Company considered selling the Hershey Foods Corporation. Widespread press coverage, as well as pressure from Pennsylvania's Attorney General, Hershey community, and the Milton Hershey School alumni, led to the sale plan being abandoned and the firing of many on the school's Board of Managers who had voted for the sale.

Child Slave Labor. The trust, which votes 78.8% of Hershey Company will determine the success of a Global Exchange resolution requiring the chocolatier to report all sources of cocoa purchased, broken down by percentage by supplying company. Global Exchange, which owns 80 shares, is seeking to determine if Hershey buys cocoa from Cargill , Archer Daniels Midland and Nestle , contending that each of those companies are being sued for buying cocoa beans from farms that use children as slave labor. Rob Vowler, president and CEO of the trust, will vote against the resolution, contending that disclosure will put Hershey at a competitive disadvantage.

Supreme Court Hearing. The attorney general of Pennsylvania has appealed to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, seeking to overturn a ruling of the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas, on the basis that the MHS Alumni Association has no standing to enforce Hershey's 1909 Deed of Trust. The attorneys general of Maine and Massachusetts have joined in support of the Pennsylvania attorney general, and the attorneys general of New Hampshire and North Dakota have requested permission to join as well, despite failing to meet filing deadlines. The hearing is scheduled for May 9, 2006 . LeRoy S. Zimmerman, former Pennsylvania Attorney General, was named Chairman of the trust in January 2006.

EXTERNAL LINKS

Milton Hershey School official website

A timeline of Milton Hershey School from an alumni activist's viewpoint

Information About

Milton Hershey School