Our History
More Than A Century Of Educational Excellence
Indian Mountain School was founded in 1922 by Francis Behn Riggs.
Deeply impacted by World War I, Mr. Riggs felt that education was the path out of global hostilities and challenges. In this spirit, he created a school where young students would engage in intellectual and philosophical debate, develop the confidence to share their ideals and beliefs, learn to be good stewards of the land, and experience the joys of childhood.
Life Through Service
Our Founding Story
It is no accident that the words “Life Through Service” are carved into a plaque that hangs in the Upper Campus Main Building. Indian Mountain School was founded by Francis Behn Riggs in 1922 on the simple idea that education has the power to create change and end conflict. Originally known as The Riggs School, Indian Mountain School began as a working farm and school for “boys of modest means.” Students studied core academic subjects, agricultural practices, and the importance of selflessness and giving back. Their education was rooted in traditional learning experiences and drew on the natural beauty and resources of the land. The motto “Life through Service” was at the core of the School’s mission, and continues to guide the program and experience at Indian Mountain School today.
In 1922, Francis Behn Riggs restructured and renamed his inaugural “Riggs” school. “Indian Mountain School,” named after the mountain on campus, became a boarding school designed to prepare boys for the entrance to secondary school and college. Still deeply affected by the First World War, Mr. Riggs adopted his motto “Life Through Service” and applied it to Indian Mountain. Students became stewards of the land, learning about agricultural best practices and continuing to supply the School’s kitchen with vegetables from the farm. By 1928, the enrollment reached 30 boys.
That November, tragedy struck when the main school building burned completely. Riggs was able to raise the substantial funds needed to construct the present structure in time for school in September 1929, just months ahead of the stock market crash. At that same time, the School was incorporated not-for-profit and chartered under the laws of Connecticut to “maintain forever a school for the training and education of boys and young men.” After donating his farm and home to the school, Mr. Riggs transformed the once secondary school into a junior boarding school for children in grades 1-8, the idea of service at its core. The new building, designed for forty students and their instructors, was full that fall.
By the end of the decade, following the Great Depression and the early years of the war, Riggs decided to retire after serving the school for 23 years. In June, 1939, Mr. William M. Doolittle was appointed as the School’s second Headmaster, and over the course of more than 30 years brought significant changes and expansions to IMS. For the first time, day students were accepted under Mr. Doolitte’s leadership, and in 1941 the school enrolled its first female students, eventually leading to Indian View School, a boarding school for girls.
Throughout the years, Indian Mountain School has remained true to its founding motto. “Life Through Service” represents more than a plaque on a wall. Our founding motto endures as a motivating principle for our community and program. As we move into our next century, we are looking closer at what “service” truly meant to our founder Mr. Riggs, and what it means to us today. Recently, a group of IMS administrators sought to examine the relevance of our motto and its place within the school in the 21st century. The driving question was, “Why Service?” Their answer speaks volumes about our motto’s lasting purpose and the way it informs the IMS experience.
Why Service?
Service is compassion in action. It is making one’s respect for the world and its inhabitants manifest. It’s the honest, altruistic response to the indisputable fact of our interdependence. At IMS, we cultivate students whose sphere of concern starts at home, but extends to neighbors and the people of every nation.
Honoring Our Land
And Those Who Came Before Us
IMS Land Acknowledgement Statement
Drafted October 2021
We acknowledge that Indian Mountain School is located on the ancestral land of the Mohicans, currently referred to as the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians, “the people of the waters that are never still.” We thank them for their strength and resilience in protecting this land, and aspire to uphold our responsibilities according to their example.
Our School Name
Why "Indian Mountain School?"
Our school has borne the name “Indian Mountain School” since 1922. It is named after the mountain on which it was established. In 2023, the Board of Trustees initiated a comprehensive review of the school’s name, reviewing historical records, examining school archives, engaging in conversations with IMS alumni, faculty, staff, and parents, as well as gathering input from persons of indigenous heritage, including indigenous alumni, and staff of cultural institutions honoring the legacy of indigenous populations in the U.S. Overwhelmingly, indigenous persons and experts in indigenous history interviewed as part of the Board’s review have urged that we should not change the school’s name out of concern that changing the school’s name would simply contribute to further erasure of the history of people indigenous to the region. Rather, they have encouraged that Indian Mountain School should draw upon its name as an opportunity to raise awareness of the history of indigenous populations from our region.
By retaining the name Indian Mountain School, the school does not claim to share cultural heritage with the indigenous community; rather, the school was named after the mountain on which it sits, and the school’s name authentically reflects our values to live in harmony with nature and to promote environmental sustainability.
Campus Traditions
Then and Now
We believe that when school is a joyful place, children’s potential becomes limitless.
Our beloved school traditions help our students build community, find success, and reach new heights. Some of our time-honored traditions include Mountain Day, LEAP Day, Winter Carnival, Commencement, and, of course, our Maroon and Gray Competition.
Mountain Milestones
Our View of the Future
Courage means something different to each student. Learn how it’s shaping the collective IMS experience now and in years to come.