The Prairie School

The Prairie School is a preschool through grade 12 private school in Wind Point, Wisconsin, in the Racine metropolitan area.[2]

For the architectural style associated with Frank Lloyd Wright, see Prairie School.
The Prairie School
Address
4050 Lighthouse Dr, Wind Point, WI 53402

Wind Point
,
Wisconsin

United States
Coordinates
Information
TypePrivate school
Established1965
CEEB code501918
Head of schoolNathaniel Coffman
GradesK–12
GenderCo-educational
Color(s)Red & Navy    
Athletics conferenceMetro Classic[1]
MascotHawks
NicknamePrairie
Websitewww.prairieschool.com

History

The school first opened in 1965.[3] It was co-founded by Imogene "Gene" Powers Johnson (died March 3, 2018),[4] wife of Samuel Curtis Johnson Jr.; and Willie Hilpert, wife of Frank Hilpert.[5]

Initially the school founders intended to convert the 2300 Washington Ave. residence into a school facility and grow it at that site, but they could not overcome complying with building codes and conversion logistics, so a different site was chosen. Taliesin Associates designed the school buildings, with Charles Montooth as the lead designer of the original and subsequent buildings up to 2004. The school founders selected Taliesin's designs because they contrasted to other square/rectangular-based ones of the time; their other proposal from architects in Milwaukee, Wisconsin had the ordinary design.[6]

Johnson continued to serve as the director and chairperson of the school after its establishment.[4] Michael Burke of The Journal Times described her as "one of the Racine community’s major benefactors".[7] Samuel Curtis Johnson served as the school's Chairman of the Board until 1983, when he was named Founding Chairman Emeritus, a position he held until his death.[8]

By 2004 there had been ten additions to the school facility.[6]

John H. ("Jack") Mitchell was the first Headmaster. Mark Murphy served as the headmaster from 1993 until June 30, 2014.[9] Nathaniel Coffman, previously the headmaster of the York Country Day School, became the new headmaster at that time.[10]

Campus

The magazine Buildings described the campus as being "Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired".[11] Imogene Johnson, one of Prairie's founders, was the wife of the eponymous head of SC Johnson corporation, based in Racine. The Johnson family and company commissioned many Wright buildings, such as their corporate headquarters Johnson Wax Headquarters, the Wingspread conference center very near the school, and others.

The first building became the Middle School, and is a complete circle surrounding a small courtyard. The Lower and Upper School buildings were soon added, which are curved arcs attached to the Middle School by hallways. Other early additions included a small gymnasium, a circular cafeteria, and a teardrop-shaped art department with a second story for offices and small student workspaces with excellent lighting. Most Prairie School buildings are single story, made of brick, and colored red, and emphasize circles. With the exception of the field house, there are hallways connecting them.[12]

In 1969 the H.F. Johnson Fieldhouse opened. There was a $14 million planned 25,000-square-foot (2,300 m2) addition, built circa 2004, added to the fieldhouse's north, with engineering done by Zimmerman Design Group and general contracting being done by Bukacek Construction. The addition includes a two-story atrium connecting it with the original building as well as basketball courts, a multipurpose room used for dance classes, a running track inside the building, and a weight room.[6]

Athletics

The following sports are offered in the Upper School:[13][14]

Further reading
  • Hertzberg, Mark (2003-06-04). "Celebrating the life of a legendary architect". The Journal Times. Retrieved 2019-07-02.

References
  1. https://schools.wiaawi.org/Directory/School/Search
  2. "Village Map". Town of Wind Point. Retrieved 2019-07-02.} or "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Wind Point village, WI" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2019-07-02. // Note that the street address is: "4050 Lighthouse Drive Racine, WI 53402", and this is actually in Wind Point even though the city name of the address is Racine.
  3. "Village History". Village of Wind Point. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
  4. Mauk, Alyssa (2018-03-13). "Hundreds gather to remember Imogene Johnson". The Journal Times. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
  5. Exclusively Yours, Volume 45. Patten Company, 1991. Snippet view on Google Books (page number unstated): "When two area women, Mrs. Samuel (Gene) Johnson and Mrs. Frank (Willie) Hilpert, conceived the Prairie School idea in the 1960s, it came as no surprise that Taliesin Associates (the firm[...]"
  6. Hertzberg, Mark (2004-03-06). "Prairie's creator returns to oversee another expansion". The Journal Times. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
  7. Burke, Michael (2018-03-04). "'Gene' Johnson, widow of the late Sam Johnson, dies". The Journal Times. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
  8. "Cornell benefactor Imogene Powers Johnson dies at 87". Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  9. Fiori, Linsday (2013-02-06). "Prairie School headmaster to retire". The Journal Times. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
  10. Bullock, Lindsay (2013-09-30). "Prairie School picks new headmaster". The Journal Times. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
  11. "Low-Maintenance Fixtures Secure 53% Savings for Historic School". Buildings. Stamats Communications, Inc. 110 (4): 22. 2016-03-28. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
  12. Sides, Phyllis (2001-10-22). "Buildings from Wright disciples scattered about area". The Journal Times. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
  13. "High schools: Prairie fall sports meeting, starting dates". Journal Times. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  14. "The Prairie School". www.metroclassicwi.org. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
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