Windsor Mountain School: A Beloved Berkshire Institution

When their Jewish heritage and progressive philosophies made the Bondy family a target of the Nazi regime, they were forced to sell their school and start anew in America. Max and Gertrud Bondy first opened their innovative school in Windsor, Vermont, and moved the campus to Lenox, Massachusetts, in 1944. Windsor Mountain School was ahead of its time—the faculty honored diversity, and it became the first co-ed integrated boarding school in Berkshire County. Families like the Belafontes, Poitiers and Campanellas were attracted to the school for its multicultural and international curriculum. From its golden age to the rock-and-roll era, Windsor Mountain strived to stay true to its mission until hard financial times forced the school to close in 1975. Roselle Kline Chartock captures the spirit of this Berkshire boarding school that still lives on in the hearts of its alumni.