Milton Hershey School Honors Our Founders by Raising the Bar

By Dr. Freda Martine, Senior Vice President of Education and Student Life and Elliott Robinson, Vice President of Administration 

The Milton Hershey School community is honored to carry out the legacy of our founders, Milton and Catherine Hershey. The Deed of Trust they signed on Nov. 15, 1909, guides our school today. 

Hershey Industrial School, our original name, admitted its first four boys in 1910. Today, MHS provides a home and school for more than 2,000 male and female students. While much has changed, our purpose and foundational elements have largely remained the same for 115 years. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hershey built our school on two pillars: Character Development and Career-Focused Education. In an article published on Sept. 13, 1924, Liberty Magazine quoted Mr. Hershey as saying our school’s purpose was to: “To give as many as possible real homes, real comforts, education, and training so they would be useful and happy citizens. It isn’t worth much unless love is thrown into it.”  

A full century after that interview, Mr. and Mrs. Hershey’s vision remains an exceptional method for preparing students for the future while also adapting to modern ways. Our foundational elements—the Ten Commandments, Golden Rule, School Pledge, Sacred Values and Definition of Success—hang in all student homes, Transitional Living buildings, and classrooms as a reminder of what our founders intended. 

Milton Hershey did research before designing our school and decided that a dormitory model would not provide the warm, safe, and stable home-like environment he and his wife had envisioned. Instead, students live in student homes on an open campus with nurturing houseparents. Today’s homes are equipped with Wi-Fi, fire suppression, and security systems. Our 24/7 Campus Safety department is accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, a recognition few schools in the entire country have achieved.  

Our internet technologies, facilities, and support services use an interdisciplinary approach to set priorities and ensure efficient services. We constantly evaluate our methods to provide our students with the best possible care.  

The Hersheys’ Deed of Trust stated: “All children admitted to the school shall be fed with plain, wholesome food; plainly, neatly, and comfortably clothed, without distinctive dress, and fitly lodged.” Those words are etched on the walls of our Supply Center, which houses our Food Services and Clothing teams.  

MHS houseparents nurture and care for students, model our Sacred Values, and guide, love, and encourage our children. Houseparents help students talk about their feelings, consider the perspective of others, and show empathy and kindness. These are important social and emotional skills that support student and adult success.  

In 2020, we built our strategic plan, also known as The MILT Plan, on Mr. Hershey’s pillars of character development and Career-Focused Education. The vision of our founders is more relevant than ever.  

In the last five years, MHS has transformed pre-K-8 career exposure and Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways to prepare students for the changing global workplace and educate them on the full range of life-altering career options, including those not requiring a four-year college degree.  

We have scaled Hershey community partnerships with Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, The Hershey Company, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning, and internal MHS departments to expand pre-K-12 career exposure, exploration, and preparation. All seniors now have the opportunity to complete a half-day capstone internship tied to their career goal with one of the Hershey entities.  

At the high school level, we redesigned our CTE model to allow students to complete accelerated career pathways. This included:  

• Aligning all MHS career pathways to high-value labor market needs and embedding credentials of value and college-level coursework into each.
• Implementing new in-demand pathway programs, including IT Support Specialist, Certified Nursing Assistant, Child Development Associate, Manufacturing/Production Operator, and Emergency Medical Technician.
• Adding new cybersecurity, Federal Aviation Association Remote Pilot, and welding pathways, as well as a Switch Electric Vehicles program for seniors enrolled in engineering or automotive pathways.
• Creating and executing a strategic plan with each Hershey entity to develop job pipeline and placement programs for MHS students, graduates, and CHS parents/guardians.

As a result, the Class of 2025 will graduate with foundational knowledge of coding, along with having completed a CTE pathway, credential of value, authentic work experience tied to their career goal, and some post­graduate work.  

MHS takes great pride in honoring the Hersheys’ mission and working to break the cycle of poverty by preparing all students for success in a global workplace.  

Teachers engage in professional curriculum development, anchored in best practices and educational research, to ensure their instruction equips students with the skills to think, communicate, and contribute globally.  

All Home Life staff participate in weekly professional development in which they learn about best and promising practices for meeting children’s social, emotional, health, and wellness needs.  

The Compass Project, our transformational character and leadership program, helps ensure that students develop the life and character skills to achieve their career and personal aspirations. Through Career-Focused Education, students gain the academic, critical thinking, and occupational skills to meet their goals. Through academic, coding, and CTE courses, authentic work experiences, and some postgraduate work, students graduate demonstrating self-sufficiency, career skills, and employability.  

At MHS, we align everything—our programs, practices, and assessments—to this balanced definition of student and graduate success.  

We evaluate our success by the success of our graduates. Our graduate surveys demonstrate that their experiences at MHS prepared them to achieve their career and life goals and to lead fulfilling and productive lives.  

The 2024-25 MHS school year theme, Raise the Bar, inspires our campus community to continuously pursue excellence in all we do. Teachers, houseparents, and administrators constantly remind our students and staff that we are to create a new normal of high expectations.  

As we Raise the Bar, we honor our founders, Mr. and Mrs. Hershey, who first established our school’s commitment of shared ownership, accountability, and investment in our mission. Each and every day, we believe we are making the Hersheys proud. 

Explore the MHS Foundational Elements