was opened in 1860 and is still serving students today. Dr. Torsey also opened a female collegiate institute - the "Female College" - one of the first of its kind to offer degrees to women at the time. Dr. Torsey is also credited with introducing baseball to the school in 1861. Bearce Hall was completed in 1873. James G. Blaine, who later served as Secretary of State under President Benjamin Harrison, donated a bell for the bell tower, both of which become important school symbols. To this day, the bell is rung to celebrate school victories and important occasions. During the next fifty years, the school added a conservatory of music as well as a working farm. During the Second World War, Headmaster Bill Dunn inaugurated a ski program next to nearby Torsey Lake. The students cleared the land, and Kents Hill established an alpine racing program that endures to this day. The O'Conner Alpine Center boasts alpine racing and snowboarding facilities, complete with digital timing, night lights, snow-making equipment, and a ski lodge. Beginning in 1990, Headmaster Rist Bonnefond oversaw further expansion of the school, its programs, and its facilities. In addition to growing the school's curriculum to include 12 Advanced Placement programs, the school added an Environmental Studies program and graduation requirements. Since 1998 the school has added several new buildings and outdoor areas, including the Liz Cross Mellen Ski Lodge, the Alfond Athletics Center, the Hansen Quadrangle, the Colhoun Plaza, the Williams Woodworking Studio, Reed Hall, and several new faculty residences. Davis Hall, the Alpine Center, and Bearce Hall have all been updated and renovated. In the fall of 2008 the school opened the Harold Alfond Turf Fields, one of the largest turf field complexes in New England. In 2009, the Bodman Performing Arts Center opened in the renovated Newton Gym. In 2012, the Waters Learning Center was renamed the Akin Learning Center and a new campus facility opened to house the school's Learning Skills Program. Historic register The school was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Five buildings were included: Newton Gymnasium (1932), Blethen Hall (1883–84), Bearce Hall (1873), Ricker Hall (1893–94), and Sampson Hall (1858–60). Francis H. Fassett, Maine's leading architect in the middle of the 19th century and an important figure in the rebuilding of Portland after the 1886 fire, designed Bearce and Ricker halls. Academics The student-to-faculty ratio at