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About US

Welcome to University School

University School is a vibrant independent day school for boys in Junior Kindergarten through Grade 12, with two campuses in Northeast Ohio.

Established in 1890, University School (US) remains true to our founding vision of guiding students in all aspects of their growth, so they may forge their own path to fulfillment with confidence.

List of 10 items.

Our Mission

University School inspires boys of promise to become young men of character who lead and serve. Our dedicated faculty, rigorous curriculum, and experiential programs foster intellectual, physical, creative, and moral excellence. University School is a diverse and inclusive community where each boy is known and loved.

Our mission guides the intentional care and structures the School has built to support each boy in all aspects of his educational journey. Our faculty are invested in every boy's interests and abilities, his mental and emotional health, as well as his academic performance. We believe when a boy is encouraged in a caring environment, there are no limits to what he can do.

University School serves 840 boys and maintains small class sizes across every grade level, for an average 7:1 student-to-teacher ratio. We take pride in our accomplished faculty, 77% of whom hold advanced degrees.
Our Motto

Responsibility, Loyalty, Consideration.

The three values of our motto are woven throughout the University School experience. US teachers and students model accountability, integrity, and respect. Guided by their teachers' example, US boys grow into leaders themselves – taking action in service to their communities while living these ideals. All in the US community strengthen empathy by listening generously, sharing openly, and uplifting others.
Our Community

University School believes that its students learn their most formative and enduring lessons through exposure to and experience with a broad range of perspectives. We recruit and support faculty whose backgrounds and training bring local, national, and international perspectives to our school. We admit and support students who represent economically, culturally, and racially diverse communities within Northeast Ohio. All students have many opportunities to explore their talents and develop their skills in new contexts. During his time at US, each student is encouraged to discover both his responsibility to others and his purpose in the world.
Our Campuses

University School is located on two campuses in the Greater Cleveland area. The Shaker Heights Campus, tucked in a quiet and walkable neighborhood near the heart of this historic suburb, is home to our Lower School (Junior Kindergarten - Grade 4) and Middle School (Grades 5-8). Due east about 15 minutes, our sprawling, wooded 220-acre Hunting Valley Campus is home of our Upper School (Grades 9-12).
Academic Achievement

Advanced Placement Courses - University School offers more than 16 AP and post-AP courses. In 2024, students at the Upper School took a total of 516 AP exams, with 91% earning a score of three or higher. Also in 2024, 94% of the senior class took one or more AP exams, and 32% of this class took 5 or more AP exams during their high school years.

SAT and ACT Tests - A sentence about our philosophy on tests. Data on recent scores. (keep this part off site for now, catching up with Jessica after May 1)

National Merit Scholars - Each year, a high percentage of US seniors are recognized for their achievement in the National Merit Scholarship program, based on their PSAT scores. In 2025, 14 students earned Commended status, and 13 achieved Finalist standing.

College Attendance and Counseling - University School graduates about 100 students each year, and 100% will continue their academic journey at a four-year college. Our College Counseling process is in-depth and individualized, with the goal of finding a good student-college match.
Athletic Excellence

Athletics and physical education are a cornerstone of the US experience. At the Lower School and Middle School, physical education classes are known as Field, and include rotations in the swimming pool as well as instruction in team sports, lifetime activities, fitness, and team-building.

US Athletics supports interscholastic competition for boys beginning in Grade 7. At the high school level, we offer 13 interscholastic programs, and each sport offers at least one JV team. Our varsity athletic teams have won 28 state championships since 1991 and eight national championships. Each year, between 15% and 30% of our graduates go on to compete in intercollegiate athletics.

US coaches and physical education faculty celebrate and encourage the values of self-discipline, respect for others, integrity, responsibility, and sportsmanship. US athletes are also supported by full-time staff members who are certified in the areas of strength and conditioning and athletic training.
Affordability

University School provides need-based financial assistance, and offers merit awards and scholarships to academically high-achieving students, including the Jarvis Scholarship, available to incoming freshmen each year.

The school awards over $9.4 million in financial assistance annually, and about 50% of our families participate in our affordability program.
School Recognitions

University School is perennially ranked as the #1 Private K-12 School in Ohio by Niche, along with several other #1 rankings.

The Ohio Academy of Science selected our Middle School and Upper School for the Governor's Thomas Edison Award for Excellence in STEM Education and Student Research.

Our Upper School was also honored by the Ohio Academy of Science with the Harold C. Shaw Outstanding School Award, one of only 12 high schools in the state to earn this distinction.

US is proud to be recognized as a Top Workplace in Northeast Ohio year after year.
Accreditation and Member Associations

US is accredited by the Independent School Association of the Central States (ISACS) and by the Ohio State Department of Education.

We are a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the Ohio Association of Independent Schools (OAIS), the Cleveland Council of Independent Schools (CCIS), and the International Boys' Schools Coalition (IBSC).
History

Established in 1890, University School has since served as a model for the American independent school. The vision we follow today—of educating a boy's mental and physical capacities, and his reflective side as well as his practical side—can be attributed to founding headmaster Newton Mitchell Anderson.

Raised in Cincinnati, Newton Anderson entered the inaugural class of the newly founded Ohio State College, now The Ohio State University, and studied applied sciences. In 1885, not yet 30 years old, he convinced a group of prominent Clevelanders to create, equip, and support the Cleveland Manual Training School, which opened in 1886 with Mr. Anderson as principal. There was a great need for vocational and commercial education programs at the time, and the city of Cleveland acquired the training school in 1887, setting the precedent for its vocational and technical high schools to follow.

His experience setting up the Manual Training School inspired Mr. Anderson to conceive a new school, this one comprehensive in its aims. This school, University School, would develop each boy's several aptitudes: intellectual, physical, moral, and civic.

Newton Anderson's clear vision evolved into our mission today:

University School inspires boys of promise to become young men of character who lead and serve. Our dedicated faculty, rigorous curriculum, and experiential programs foster intellectual, physical, creative, and moral excellence. University School is a diverse and inclusive community where each boy is known and loved.

School Leadership

List of 12 members.

Mr. Patrick Gallagher

Head of School

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Bio
Patrick Gallagher was named Head of School in September, 2018. For the nine months prior, he served as the school's interim headmaster. Prior to that, Mr. Gallagher was the co-director of the Upper School and Hunting Valley campus for five years. He came to US in 2005 from The Culver Academies, where he taught English and humanities.

At US, Mr. Gallagher began as an Upper School English teacher and later worked with boys and families as part of the college counseling team. Since 2009, he has been the Upper School Dean of Faculty, responsible for the recruitment and development of all part- and full-time faculty. During this time, he also chaired the Upper School Curriculum Committee, comprised of grades 9-12 department chairs and K-12 administrators. He designed, implemented, and oversaw the Faculty Development Program, and served as a liaison with the University School Parents Association leadership for grades 9-12. His tenure has seen curricular expansions such as new AP and post-AP courses, the growth of the computer science program, and the inception of robotics.

Mr. Gallagher received his master of arts degree from Columbia University, where he was a Klingenstein Scholar in Educational Leadership; and his bachelor of arts degree in English language and literature from Princeton University. He grew up in Cleveland and was valedictorian at St. Edward High School.
Mrs. Lindsay Arnoult

Director of the Middle School; Middle School French Teacher

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Bio

As Middle School Director, Lindsay Arnoult oversees the division's day-to-day operations, faculty members, and curricular and co-curricular programs. Prior to joining US in 2003, Mrs. Arnoult taught French at the Landon School in Bethesda, MD, and completed her student teaching at the University School of Nashville. A graduate of Vanderbilt University and fully fluent in French, she has served in a variety of positions at US, including Coordinator of International Programs. An avid traveler, she has visited 34 countries worldwide. Mrs. Arnoult grew up in Washington, D.C., where she attended the Sidwell Friends School.
Mrs. Jen Beros

Associate Head of School

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Bio
Jen Beros, who joined the faculty of University School in 2011, is the Associate Head of School, Lower School Director, and college counselor. Her career in education spans 25 years and has included college counseling, teaching high school history and life skills, teaching middle school social studies and language arts, graduate research, and instruction at the collegiate level. At University School, she has also served as Director of College Counseling and Head of McKinley House.

Mrs. Beros is a member of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors, The Ohio Association of College Admissions Counselors, The College Board, and the Association of College Counselors for Independent Schools. She has presented at the national conference of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors, helped to initiate and coordinate many college programs for Cleveland Independent School students and parents, and attended multiple national and regional conferences.

Mrs. Beros received her B.S. in Education, Cum Laude, from Miami University, her M.A. in Comparative Politics from American University, and her M.A. in Education from Ursuline College.
Mr. Jon Bridge

Assistant Head of School for Advancement

216-292-2152

Bio
Jonathan Bridge is the Assistant Head of School for Advancement where he heads the School's fundraising, alumni relations and marketing teams. Mr. Bridge came to US in 2007 from Denison University where he served as Senior Development Officer in the Office of Major and Planned Giving. He was also Director of the Annual Fund at Denison. Mr. Bridge received his bachelor of arts degree from Denison University where he majored in fine arts. He has studied financial planning and economics at the University of Tulsa, and spent a year at The Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies in New York City.
Mrs. Lisa Cummings

Director of the Lower School

216-321-8260

Bio
Lisa Cummings currently serves as the Director of the Lower School. Mrs. Cummings was formerly the Assistant Principal at Arbor Elementary School in Euclid, Ohio. Prior to her tenure there, for more than 20 years Mrs. Cummings served in a variety of teaching and leadership positions at Bryden Elementary and Hilltop Elementary Schools in Beachwood, Ohio, including as Subject Coordinator, Grade Level Team Leader, and on the district's Equity and Engagement Team. Mrs. Cummings earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Akron, Master of Education degree from John Carroll University, and Master of Arts in Educational Administration degree from Ursuline College. Mrs. Cummings is also the proud parent of US boys Blake '29 and Chandler '25.
Mr. Mike DeGrandis

Chief Financial Officer
Mrs. Sandie Fantozzi-Welker

Director of Human Resources & Payroll

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Mr. Sean McDonnell

Director of Athletics K-12, Basketball Coach

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Bio
Sean McDonnell was appointed Director of Athletics, Jr. K-12 in 2016 and is also the Varsity Basketball Coach at US. He was formerly the Men’s Basketball Coach and an Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University, where he served for 13 years. In addition to his basketball duties, Mr. McDonnell served on the Faculty Senate Compensation Committee, the Faculty Personnel Committee, the Undergraduate Admission Committee, and as the Coordinator of NCAA Eligibility and Compliance at CWRU. Mr. McDonnell earned his BA in English from Boston College in 1996 and his MA in education from Le Moyne College in 2000.
Mr. Rob Pesicka

Director of Marketing & Communications

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Mr. Krystopher Perry

Director of Upper School and Hunting Valley Campus

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Ms. Christina Townsend Hartz

Director of Admission & Financial Aid

216-292-2149

Bio
Christina Townsend Hartz is the Director of Admission and Financial Aid for Grades Junior Kindergarten through 12 at University School, where she has served since 2013. Ms. Townsend Hartz holds a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan University and earned a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Indiana University. With more than 20 years of experience in independent schools, she brings deep expertise in enrollment management, financial aid, and residential life. Her career reflects a longstanding commitment to boys' education and to supporting families through every step of the admission process.
Mrs. Lisa Ulery

Director of Technology & Libraries, Sophomore Class Dean, Archivist, Mabian Advisor

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Bio
Lisa Ulery joined the faculty in 2004, and was appointed Director of Technology and Libraries in 2016. She is responsible to the school’s academic program in technology as well as maintaining an IT infrastructure to support that work. In her time at US, Mrs. Ulery has served as Director of the Wean Research Library, Spanish teacher, Archivist, and Mabian advisor. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Miami University in Spanish and Social Studies Education and a master’s degree from Kent State University in Instructional Technology.