$50 Million Bequest from Alum Will Expand Financial Aid, Support for Faculty

GILL, Mass., Jan. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Northfield Mount Hermon, an independent school in north-central Massachusetts with a longstanding commitment to a diverse and global student body, has received its largest-ever gift and one of the largest donations ever to an independent school. The $50 million bequest from the late John Mitchell, who graduated in 1956, will endow need-based scholarships and expand support for faculty.

Mitchell arrived at the Mount Hermon School for Boys in 1952 as a scholarship student from a home in a small town in eastern Massachusetts. Recognized early as academically gifted, he participated in several sports and graduated as class valedictorian. He earned degrees from Yale and NYU and went on to a distinguished career as president of global manufacturing at Pfizer. Head of School Brian Hargrove noted that Mitchell credited his time at the school as a turning point in his life and "held tight to the habits and values nurtured there – hard work, critical thinking, lifelong learning, and service."

From its earliest days, Northfield Mount Hermon enrolled students from all races and ethnicities, a tradition that has endured across the school's 150-year history. Sixteen Native Americans were among the first 100 students at what was originally known as Northfield Seminary for Young Ladies, and the first graduates of the Mount Hermon School for Boys included a formerly enslaved person as well as students from China, Sweden, England, Ireland, Canada, and Japan. Today, 37% of the school's domestic students are people of color and 23% of students are from countries other than the U.S. Some 40% of students receive scholarship aid, which totals more than $13 million.

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About NMH

Northfield Mount Hermon is a coeducational boarding school serving 630 students in grades 9 through 12. In addition to a rigorous academic program, every student's experience includes a "workjob" in which they might prepare meals, tutor peers, or work on the school's farm. Notable alumni include poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, literary critic and activist Edward Said, poet June Jordan, singer Natalie Cole, senior advisor to President Barack Obama Valerie Jarrett, actor Laura Linney, and co-founders of Dogfish Head Brewing Company Mariah and Sam Calagione.

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SOURCE Northfield Mount Hermon