We are delighted to celebrate our 50th anniversary—a year where we will honor the traditions of the past, while celebrating what the future will bring for the TPS community guided by our strategic vision. Our all-school theme for the year, Roots to Branches is a nod to our 50th history, which will guide all of our celebrations throughout the year. We hope you join us for a tremendous year of exciting events where we will:
-
Reflect, on our our 50 year history and traditions
-
Reconnect, with past and present TPS constituents
-
Rejuvenate, the community and build inspiration for the next 50 years
Our History
Once, there lived in the city
Some people who wanted to find
A school where their children could gather,
With city and country in mind
The Philadelphia School Song, Susie Bulova, Carl Goodman, Janet Kalkstein, 1982
In October 1970 two long-time friends, Caroline Simon (Laden) and Lynne Berman, attended the funeral of John N. Patterson, a businessman and leader in the battle for quality education in Philadelphia. Also present at this event was Rudi Lea, who had recently returned from several years of teaching at the John F. Kennedy Bilingual School in West Berlin where he had been immersed in new and exciting educational theory and practice. Devoted to an urban life after growing up in the suburbs, Carolyn and Lynn wanted to find a way to keep families of school-age children in the city. Both were interested in the possibilities of alternative, nonsectarian educational settings for both elementary and high school students. After several more meetings with like minded parents and educators, the idea of founding an innovative, academically challenging school whose diverse student body would use the city’s cultural and educational resources as well as nearby outdoor facilities, as extensions of the classroom, was born.
School Prospectus-1970
Founders Lynne Berman and Cal Simon
50th Anniversary Events
Year-Long Root Sponsor
