In 1965, Dyke Brown opened the Athenian School in the foothills of Mt. Diablo. Unusual for its time, when almost all boarding schools were single gender and not admitting students of color, Athenian was coeducational and successfully recruited students of color and international students.
Brown knew that a community that drew upon the talents of many different kinds of students would best enrich the learning environment for everyone. Originally a boarding only school, Athenian added a Middle School in the late 1970s (day students) and the day student population in the Upper School surpassed the boarding student population in the 1990s.
Brown grew up in the Bay Area. After graduating Piedmont High School in 1931 he spent several months at the Salem School in Germany where he met Kurt Hahn, the school founder. Hahn was known for his visionary approach to education (he also founded Outward Bound and the United World College Movement).
It was Hahn’s educational philosophy–with an experiential approach at the center–that most influenced Brown and the founding of Athenian years later. As Hahn said, “I regard it as the foremost task of education to ensure the survival of these qualities: an enterprising curiosity, an undefeatable spirit, tenacity in pursuit, readiness for sensible self denial, and above all, compassion.”
Brown envisioned a school where students would be able to let their natural and innate curiosity and goodness thrive through their teenagehood so when they did finally “meet” the world, they would have a strong inner core. Athenian has held steadfast to pursuing active learning as it prepares young people for lives of intellectual exploration and meaningful contribution.
Early Days
International Roots & Shared Values
Athenian School was one of eight founding members of Round Square, an international consortium of schools committed to character education and inspired by Kurt Hahn’s ideas. Athenian and Round Square are approximately 60 years old. Over the past six decades, Round Square membership has grown to 270 schools in 50 countries.
Round Square provides opportunities for students around the world to connect and develop global competence. All member schools commit to upholding the six pillars or IDEALS of Round Square: internationalism, democracy, environmentalism, adventure, leadership, and service. At Athenian, these pillars were interwoven into our founding and are infused throughout our program and curriculum. For example, Focus Days in the Middle School often integrate classroom material and a particular pillar, providing a hands-on opportunity to connect content and big-picture concepts. Likewise, in the Upper School, March Term courses, student clubs and student government all connect back to our pillars. And of course, our robust global programs that include international exchanges, conferences, and service projects, all are enriched by our Round Square affiliation and values.
 | Internationalism Students develop an appreciation and respect for other cultrues than theirt own and become global citizens. |
 | Democracy Students develop a desire to do what is right for the greater good and become active participants in the democratic process. |
 | Enviromentalism Students develop an understanding of the natural enviroment and become lifelong enviromental stewards. |
 | Adventure Students develop the confidence to test their perceived limits and discover that they are capable of more than they thought. |
 | Leadership Students develop the skills of ethical leadership and become impactful leaders in their communities and beyond. |
 | Service Students develop the capacity to look beyond their own needs and partner in improving ther circumstances of otherss. |
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