Getting to Know Bridgton Academy

Peter Baron By Peter Baron on February 16, 2010 17 Comments
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Chris Webb, Bridgton Academy (Bridgton, ME), Director of Admission, elucidates how the academic, social, and athletic of their post graduate population shape Bridgton’s programs. The school’s the only prep school for postgraduate young men.

All of Bridgton’s students hold high school diplomas and they (and their families) have come to the decision that an extra year of post-high school work will better prepare them for college- academically, socially, and/or athletically. Bridgton tailors its programs to this specific student population.

Paraphrasing Chris Webb, “We’re going to treat you as and older student and expect you to behave like one as well.” Bridgton works instill students with a solid academic routine that is rigorous, academic and supportive- offering college level material with structure. Athletically, Bridgton also offers athletics beyond high school. Many Bridgton teams compete year-round and at the collegiate level. “Bigger, faster, stronger- athletically and academically.

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About the Author
Peter Baron

  • Lewis

    Smoke and mirrors. Bridgton Academy falls far short of its claims.We found the teaching staff in particular to be rushed and disinterested with our son except in the athletic setting. He spent hours and hours of time traveling out of state to compete resulting in less time for study. Many of the staff were a few years older than my son, former grads, and working as interns. They did not deliver on the promise of individual attention and problem solving unique to each student. In short it was a waste of money.

    • http://karenbumpus.cocm Karen Bumpus

      I know that it is easy to bash a school, especially if your kid doesn't seem to do well at it. It is always easier to point the finger at others than look to the primary source: the student. If your kid does not do well then it is natural to want to point the finger elsewhere but I think in this instance the disappointment felt by this family is focused on their child's failure to take advantage of all of the help that Bridgton Academy has to offer. I know first hand because my son is a current student at the school and he has had the best of all possible experiences. I would like to address some of the issues that the Lewis blog brought up.
      Last year our son was picked as one of the top one hundred lacrosse players in the nation by US lacrosse. He came from a high school where he was captain hockey team (D1 state champs2008), captain of lacrosse team, all American for two years. Although he got great scholarships to colleges, for lacrosse, he was young and his grades were not that good. After visiting Bridgton Academy he decided that he needed a year to learn to study. Frankly, I was not one hundred percent convinced that he shouldn't just go right to college but my husband and I let him follow his heart.
      My son Kam, like the Lewis boy, spent hours and hours, everyday playing lacrosse at Bridgton. He was up at 6:00 am in the morning (a kid who does not like to get up early) and he did this daily. He spent hours and hours on bus rides as the lacrosse team played a full schedule this fall travelling to Rhode Island and upstate New York for games and tournaments. Kam still found the time to study and get this: for a kid who never once in his entire k-12 career made honor role, he has made HIGH HONORS both terms and is one his way, term three to another high honors rating. When I asked him why now, why not in the past, he said, "Because now I like my teachers. They know me and help me." Our son is thriving under the individual tutoring of his teachers. I went to campus and met the teachers on parent weekend. Not only did they all know and like my son, each teacher knew his individual learning style and taught to it. As a former teacher, i was very impressed with the caliber of teaching staff. The age range of teachers went from young to old and he has one teacher who is a former rocket scientist and is teaching because he loves math and helping kids.
      My son has had excellent college offers again this year, but in reality, Bridgton Academy is far more than just a one year prep school. It is a totally unique experience found nowhere else in the country. The students are there for one year only and must make new friendships, new bonds with teachers and they must perform to their utmost potential. All the people are there, in place, to make that happen but in the long run, the student must take advantage of what is offered. My son, Kam Bumpus, has made life long friends at Bridgton and I believe this actually might be the most important year of his life to date. I am sure that in the future he will look back upon this year as one of tremendous growth both academically and personally. It has been life changing for him and as a family we have truly come to admire and, well yes, love Bridgton Academy. If you are thinking of having your son go there, you couldn't ask for a better experience.

  • Lt. L O'Keefe

    I am writing to express my sincerest gratitude to the staff at Bridgton Academy. My son Tyler attended BA two years ago and had the privilege of playing Lacrosse while there. Since leaving BA, Tyler has been playing lacrosse at Springfield College down in Mass. As a freshman he played a significant amount, at least to me he did, and also got to play into the second round of the NCAA Tournament. However, the most remarkable thing is that my son who graduated high school with a 1.9 GPA now has a 3.04 GPA and last semester he finished with a 3.29 GPA. He now cares about things like making the Dean's list and being a Pilgrim League Academic All-American. I call him at school and I am still amazed when I ask him what he is up to and he says, "Studying for a Class", words that never came out of his mouth before Bridgton Academy.
    I have to tell you the first day we came to Bridgton and we sat in the office for an interview Tyler noticed the NCAA Tournament Medallion on Coach Bamann’s wall and he said to me, "Dad, someday I am going to have one of those", and thanks to BA, Tyler reached that goal his freshman year. He has now set new goals like the Dean's List and Academic All-American and I truly believe that his values were very much influenced by his Year at BA and wonderful Mentors and Coaches.
    I still wear my BA athletic apparel around and I am always wonderfully surprised every time I am stopped by a BA Graduate, no matter where I am, who always tells me their own wonderful stories about Bridgton Academy and how it too, changed their lives.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/RWW_MD RWW_MD

    I am writing, on behalf of my family, to express our enthusiastic support for the staff and philosophy of Bridgton Academy.

    From our interviews through orientation, BA never claimed to be a cure for academic malaise. Rather they
    were very forthright about presenting the BA experience as an opportunity to create a positive difference in each individual young man's life. BA students are afforded multiple avenues to improve their lives athletically, socially and academically. But even at Bridgton, just as in life, progress and success doesn't happen by osmosis.

    We found the faculty at BA to be extremely invested in our son's well being and growth in all aspects of his life. As a result of the support,acceptance and guidance of his skilled faculty contacts, our son prospered and achieved unprecedented academic success, stategies to sustain that success at the next level as well as remarkable social growth and raised strength of self and purpose.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/RWW_MD RWW_MD

    part 2: However,the catalyst to his accomplishments at BA and henceforth has been the enhanced determination, discipline and work ethic nurtured within the Bridgton experience and philosophy.
    Because of BA and his own hard work, he was prepared to compete and succeed at colleges that were
    unavailable to him coming out of high school. He assimilated many of these successful academic and life skills from the many encounters with BA faculty of various ages and perspectives. Each teacher, advisor and/or coach had their own unique wisdom and knowledge that they collectively shared with our son and the other students.

    Our family will always be grateful that the staff at Bridgton saw the wonderful qualities in our son, obvious to his parents but overlooked by his high school, and chose to offer him a chance to spend a year making a difference in his life. We are equally grateful that our son had the wisdom to recognize the unique opportunity that presented itself and put forth the effort to truly have a difference making year.

  • George Bumpus

    SMOKE AND MIRRORS??? should have the courage to post his name. My name is George Bumpus, phone number 617-319-8746. My email is : bumpusbuilt@hotmail.com. My son Kam has been lucky enough to attend BA this year and his success there is easy to measure. He graduated from high school with just average grades. Kam has “bought into the programs” offered at Bridgton. Hard work, studying, meeting new friends from all over the country and working closely with his academic advisors and coaches have enabled him to make the HIGH HONOR list. He is a very good lacrosse player and when he returned home for weekends or school breaks, he would often talk about LAX with his three older brothers. He now talks about his courses, grades, teachers and his classroom experiences before he gets to lacrosse. Bridgton not only helps a young man to mature for a year and improve his study habits, it also recognizes work well done. Kam has also taken up snow boarding, skeet shooting, fishing, and has acquired a new love of the outdoors, all experiences provided by BA. These aren’t courses offered by the school but are activities that some faculty participate in and offer to introduce to any boys that would like to experience them. Kam has already been accepted into colleges that would have been beyond his reach last year. No learning institution can be all things to all students, but “Smoke and Mirrors” it is not. Bridgton Academy has been the BEST thing to happen to my son!!!!

  • Don Knezick

    My wife Suzanne and I are very pleased with the education our son is receiving at Bridgton Academy. His experiences in the classroom and on the athletic field have prepared him to excell when he enrolls at Ohio State University next fall. I certainly would not be as confident in this assessment had he not spent a post graduate year at Bridgton.

  • Lewis

    No one is bashing anyone. That was our experience. I'm not anonymous my name and email are public. Find it odd though that 4days ago when I happened onto this site there were no posts and now 4 days later there are all these parents responding? Are all these parents MONITORING what is said here? Or is it smoke and mirrors again? BTW my son made high honors…not hard at a pass or fail school.

  • http://www.bridgtonacademy.org Sven Cole

    Lewis, I appreciate your comments. I work for the school and feedback, both positive and negative is important to the ongoing improvement of any organization. Regarding the number of comments, we (the school) posted this interview on our sites in hopes of encouraging the exact conversation that we are having here. The hope of course, is that potential students and their families will see this interview as well as the ongoing conversation and be able to get a better feel for Bridgton Academy based on stories and feedback from students and parents who have gone through the year. I certainly don't feel that doing so is "smoke and mirrors". I would point out that your comments are there for the world to see and we are not hiding from them. I would also be very interested to speak with you about where you feel Bridgton Academy can improve, my email is: sven.cole@bridgtonacademy.org. I would also encourage you to not disparage your son's hard work to make high honors, that is not an easy task. Other than SAT Prep and Study Skills, I can't think of any other Pass/Fail courses that we offer. I hope your son is finding, or found success in college. Thank you again for providing your feedback. Sven Cole, Bridgton Academy

  • Al Lewis

    Having worked at BA and seen it from behind the scenes, I can tell you that Lewis (coincidence, entirely) is exactly right. I'd say more were it not but for the current students who might find some way to make it out unscathed.

  • mr. reed

    i have read comments by lewis, and al lewis. i must agree with them. the behind scene at the academy is just as they has stated. too bad such a school with such a glorious past has gone so far astray from what it was ment to be and not what it claims to now be.

  • Tammy

    I will keep this short and sweet. Bridgton Academy changed my sons life!!!!! Everyone and I mean everyone there was 100% supportive of him!!!!! By far, the best decision we have ever made for him!!! He is currently a student there and will attend an outstanding four year college next year. Because of what he has learned at BA, there is no doubt in my mind that he will be successful!!!!

  • Johanna K.

    My God, what strong disagreements … I recently heard about your school through an aquaintance who is very pleased with the program but says that it is very strict and structured. I have a son who gets average grades in a high school which prides itself in having the most AP students in the country. I am not sure I agree with the "rush" to work "up" towards the college level. My son is on the older side having been born in Sept. — and will be a junior next year .. Would your school consider a concentration in the musical arts? (maybe collaborating with Portland area artists and programs etc.) If not, what would you suggest?… My son has a primary passion for music … percussion and jazz, world music and classic rock … he reads the Rolling Stone magazine and yes, he plays Varsity soccer and competes in Varsity sailing and loves to ski… hike the wilderness and embraces the sea … My point is that a gap year is a potential for my son, who could improve his study skills, but I would also like to match the school to his passions and willingness to embrace all aspects of himself, not just work for the "grade". That said, I think if there is one gift to grant a college bound student it is STRONG WRITING SKILLS. I guess I am just putting this all out there in case your school is open to moving toward a more progressive program and not just the formula of "highly competative sports and study" … Any and all comments welcome, Johanna

  • http://www.teen-boarding-school.com boarding school

    i see that bridgton really has produced skilled and responsible students and with only a year in school, then the teaching staff is really effective and takes time to know their students. i would love to send my kid to bridgton soon before going to college. hopefully, he'll do good like the rest of your kids did but of course i won't force him, it's totally up to him if he wants to take on the challenge. kudos to bridgton academy.

  • Brian

    i see that there are many opinions here. I went to bridgton in 07" a friend went last year. The deference to me was night and day. I made honor roll but so did 2/3 of the school it helped to motivated students who maybe never gotten any academic praise before. I graduated and went on to St John which i would have never done without the help of some fine teachers none of whom are there anymore. The Economy has force hard decisions for everyone, Schools and parents both. Although there are mostly interns in training i don't think they are any less motivated to help the students albeit without the life experiences of a seasoned educator. i am currently having trouble finding employment in this economy and am finding it hard to justify the money spent there at B.A. Its a crap shoot. So I can understand some of the post that say the experience at Bridgton was not as they claim it to be. good luck to us all in the hard times ahead.

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  • Lou

    We found it to be very difficult to get coaches to follow through on some of the recruitment claims.Never could get transcripts to the right people or school for that matter. Lou did go to college though so I guess that’s something! We never thought he would make it. Finding a job will be the next hurdle. Good Luck all

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