science, electives, and college guidance. 1976: during Thanksgiving vacation, fire made the new Upper School wing, built in 1968, unusable. School started the following Monday in makeshift classrooms. The trustees had to make whether to renovate or relocate. 1978: the trustees, having decided to relocate, purchased a 21-acre estate at 5204 Roland Avenue, adjacent to St. Mary's Seminary. 1980: the school began using its new facility. The students marched up Roland Avenue from their old to their new campus. 1981: because of a drop in the male birth population and limited space, RPCS terminates admission for young boys. 1987: RPCS, Gilman School and Bryn Mawr School begin to coordinate Upper School classes in the Tri-School Coordination program. 1992: Jean Waller Brune, class of 1960, was appointed head of the school, the first RPCS alumna to be so appointed. 1996: Mary Ellen Thomsen became the first female president of the board of trustees. 1996: RPCS completed construction of an Arts Center, a new Upper and Middle School library, science labs, classrooms, a computer center, and an expanded athletic center. 1998: Celeste Woodward Applefeld, class of 1964, became the second female president of the Board of Trustees and the first alumna to hold the position. 2001: RPCS celebrated its centennial and dedicated its new building: Lower School additions, the Smith Middle School, new science laboratories and new Upper School classrooms. Also, the school purchased a building, which had been rented out for squash playing, to use as a squash facility. 2008: RPCS completed construction of its Athletic Complex. 2016: Caroline Blatti became the seventh head of RPCS. Academics Roland Park Country School (RPCS) has a dual emphasis, one of which is “academic achievement.” The school has 85 classroom teachers, 85% of whom hold advanced degrees. Their average class size is 15 students. The student–teacher ratio is 9:1 compared to a national average of 13:1. RPCS is divided into four schools, each with its own head: Pre-school, Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School. All four offer math, physical education, and science. Pre-school The Pre-school is open to three and four-year-old girls and boys. The curriculum includes language arts, library, music, art, foreign language, and computer. Lower School The Lower School includes kindergarten, pre-first grade, and grades 1-5. The courses offered include language arts, French, social studies, Spanish, computer, Mandarin Chinese, music, dance, art, and library. Middle School The Middle School includes grades