Since the 1800's students from around the world have traveled to the towns of Wilbraham and Monson to avail themselves of excellent teaching. A tradition of acceptance and diversity dates back to the founding of the two academies. Wesleyan Academy was the first coeducational boarding school in the country, and in 1847 Monson Academy became the first American school to enroll Chinese students. Soon afterward, students from Thailand began to attend Wilbraham Academy. Alumni Memorial Chapel was part of the Underground Railroad and the Academy has enrolled students of color since before the Civil War. Monson Academy, founded in 1804, is the anchor of our history. Wilbraham Academy, originally Wesleyan Academy, was founded in New Market, New Hampshire, in 1812 and relocated in Wilbraham in 1825. Although both Wilbraham and Monson were boys’ schools for a time, coeducation returned with the merger of the two schools in 1971. The number of young women at WMA has been steadily increasing ever since.