So, beyond school sites, I resorted to scanning the signings lists at Rivals.com and I found a few prep school players who signed.

The group doesn’t seem as numerous, or deep, as it has in the past but that may be from a lower profile more than anything else.

Remember this list is by no means exhaustive or thorough. If you’ve know a boarding school player who should be on the list, by all means add him to the comment section.

• Isaiah Battle (Fork Union Military Academy)
• Aharown Campbell (Hargrave Military Academy)
• Nevin Cyr (Cushing Academy)
• Taylor Gadbois(Fork Union Military Academy)
• Cardale Jones (Fork Union Military Academy)
• Jake Kiley (New Hampton School)
• Jamar Lewter (Fork Union Military Academy)
• James Meagher (Trinity-Pawling School)
• Cam Shorey (Philips Exeter Academy)

T-P ran short news post and photo covering Meagher’s commitment to West Point.

Photo credit: acaben

This list isn’t exhaustive. If I didn’t find someone, please add them to the comments.

Danny Aiken, long snapper for the New England Patriots, did a PG year at Fork Union where coach John Schuman taught Aiken the art of long snapping- a specialty that can earn a player a career. Aiken played collegiately at the Univerisity of Virginia and played with the Bills prior to coming to the Patriots.

Victor Cruz did a postgraduate year at Bridgton Academy in 2005. Un-hearalded coming out UMass, Cruz has developed in to a consumate slot receiver and one of Eli Manning’s primary targets.

Fellow New York Giant D.J. Ware did a post grad year Hargrave Military before attending the University of Georgia. Ware has been with Giants since 2007 and already has a Super Bowl ring.

Additional resources:

Bridgton Academy football program

Fork Union Military Academy football program

Hargrave Academy football program

Boarding schools in ME

Boarding schools in VA

The Williston Northampton School head, Robert Hill, talks about Williston’s new mission statement- how it came about and how the new statement informs and reflects school life.

Built on three concepts that are innate parts of the Williston community- purpose, passion, and integrity- the entire Williston community now harnesss these core values to sharpen daily life and practices. Purpose, passion, and integrity inform everything that Williston does, how the community, and how each individual goes about life at the school.

Building the new mission statement was an inclusive nine month process beginning with faculty examining and giving expression to the fundamental tenets of the Williston experience.

“The Williston Northampton School inspires students to live with purpose, passion, and integrity.”

Additional resources:

The Williston Northampton School – www.williston.com

Boarding schools in MA

Set in the physical plant of the former Millersburg Military Institute, Forest Hill hopes to welcome an initial cadet class of 65 made-up of both boarding and day students. Female day-student cadets will make the school coeducational.

Col. Joseph Land, heads the private group behind the schools founding, the United States Army Cadet Corps Inc.

“We said we’d make it happen in five years, and we’re actually going to be a year ahead of schedule next August…

It took us two years of work before we could even think about opening a school here. We’ve taken very steady steps because we wanted to make sure we did the job right. But now we’re ready to move head. It’s very exciting,” Land told Lexington Herald-Leader reporter Jim Warren. (LH-L)

United States Army Cadet Corps has made $1.5 million in improvements to the campus and has operated the campus as “its national headquarters and training center for its nationwide cadet programs for boys and girls ages 12 to 18.”(LH-L)

Reporter Jim Warren writes:

“in three to five years, the cadet corps hopes to expand the new school into a two-year junior college that would qualify students for an Army commission as a second lieutenant upon graduation. Only seven junior colleges in the country offer that now…”(LH-L)

ESPN’s 2011-12 GEICO ESPNHS Basketball Showcase confirms just how good New England prep school basketball is (watch the clip above from last year’s New England championship).

Five New England boarding school teams appeared in the Five Star Preseason Top 25. Four of them, St. Mark’s School, Tilton School, New Hampton School, and Brewster Academy are scheduled to play in this year’s showcase.

The northern New England slate of the 2011-12 GEICO ESPNHS Basketball Showcase airs on Sunday January 15:

2 p.m. No. 23 Friends Central (Pa.) vs. St. Marks (Mass.) Blake Arena, Springfield, Mass. ESPNU
4 p.m. Brewster (N.H.) vs. Tilton School (N.H.) Blake Arena, Springfield, Mass. ESPN
7 p.m. New Hampton Prep (N.H.) vs. Notre Dame Prep (Mass.) Blake Arena, Springfield, Mass. ESPN3

See “2011-12 GEICO ESPNHS Basketball Showcase: 16 Games Plus Skills Competition” for the roster of teams and schedule.

Additional resources:

Boarding schools in New England
Boarding schools in Massachusetts
Boarding schools in New Hampshire 

The Neil Building at Fox River Country Day School in Elgin, IL, emulates the prairie style of Frank Lloyd Wright protégé, John Van Bergen.

What happens when a school closes? Cold realities get played out and one such reality is the sale of the campus.

The 62 acre Fox River Country Day School campus is on the market.

Back in June we wrote a brief story on the closing of Fox River Country Day School in Elgin, Illinois. Few knew that Fox River had a small junior boarding program and, as such, this is a turnkey campus.

The Neil Building (2005) has lineage connected to Frank Lloyd Wright. The Neil Building, which housed the school’s assembly hall and kindergarten through-5th grade classrooms, references the hallmarks of famed architect and Frank Lloyd Wright protégé, John Van Bergen, who designed, among others, the school’s administration building (1929).

The campus also includes everything necessary for a school- library, dining hall, arts building, gym, and pool.

Fox River opened with a mission to operate as a working farm and to educate and assist depression-era orphaned children, largely from the Chicago stock yards.

Here’s hoping that this facility, again, finds a noble purpose.

Riverside Military Academy

Grand Marshalls Ross McCall James Madio- of the HBO series Band of Brothers- presented the award.

“This victory is the culmination of hundreds of hours of dedicated preparation and training by our cadets,” RMA Commandant LtCol J. Kevin Jarrard, USMCR said of the award.

Additional resources:

www.riversidemilitary.com
Military boarding schools

Things have changed.

It used to be that prep/boarding school teams, with PG players, weren’t included in high school rankings. PG basketball existed in its own world- not high school and not college.

High school player movement and PG’s are now just and accepted part of the larger basketball-industrial complex, receiving an astounding amount of time and coverage.

Inside of this complex, we find the prep and boarding schools playing high level basketball with players destined for high level college programs and even professional leagues. New England boarding school boys teams are loaded with talent for the coming season.

The Five Star Preseason Top 25 includes five traditional New England Boarding Schools:

1. Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, NH)
3. Tilton School (Tilton, NH)
8. New Hampton School (New Hampton, NH)
16. South Kent School (South Kent, CT)
20. Vermont Academy (Saxton’s River, VT)

Four of these five, traditionally compete in the Lakes Region League (although PG basketball takes them outside of the league). These teams will play unbelievably competitive schedules as well as in some of the best high school tournaments in the country.

This is an amazing concentration of basketball talent and it doesn’t include lower level class A teams, some very good class B teams, and quasi boarding programs (day schools with a few boarders).

Take a look at the blurb covering each team. The talent is something.

Additional resources:

Boarding schools in New England

Basketball boarding schools

Photo credit: GonchoA via Creative Commons

We’ve seen three five six seven eight head searches for summer 2012 appointments concluding in the past few weeks and we suspect that we’ll see a few more announcements in the coming month, or, so. Rather than string-out the announcements, we’ve chosen to group these together.

Congratulations to all.

John Palfrey to Become Phillips Academy’s 15th Head

John Palfrey has been named to succeed current Phillips Andover‘s head Barbara Chase upon her retirement at the end of the 2011-2012 school year.

Palfrey comes to Andover from the Harvard Law School where he currently serves as the Henry N. Ess III Professor of Law and Vice Dean for Library and Information Resources at Harvard Law School. Additionally, Palfrey is a co-director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, having served as its executive director from 2002 to 2008.

Andover trustee and search committee chair Peter L.S. Currie said of Palfrey’s appointment:

“The trustees were captivated by John’s intelligence, warmth, passion and outstanding record of accomplishment…As we got to know him over the last several months, it became clear that he has the essential qualities and characteristics to lead this Academy well. Among them, John is instinctively collegial and has a collaborative leadership style. He has immense intellectual curiosity, works to make himself extremely well-informed, and acts with great care.”(PA)

Timothy Viands Named Grand River Academy Headmaster

Timothy Viands will take his post on July 1, 2012 upon outgoing head Randy Blum’s retirement. Viands comes to Grand River Academy from St. Thomas More School (Oakdale, CT) where he is both Dean of Students and Academic Dean.

Zack Lehman Chosen The Hill School’s 11th Headmaster

Lehman comes to The Hill School from Gould Academy where he is the assistant head of school for advancement- a post he has held for the past six years.

Beyond his administrative work at Gould, Lehman also stays active in all areas of school life teaching filmmaking, coaching boys’ varsity lacrosse , serving as an academic student adviser, and working in the dormitories.

On coming to The Hill Lehman explains:

“I am inspired by the extraordinary opportunity to live, learn, and lead at The Hill School…In addition to the exemplary leadership of David and Kay Dougherty, I admire the School’s strong reputation for excellence in academics, athletics, and the arts. During our visit to The Hill, Amy and I further experienced the tremendous warmth of the community; the School’s pride in its history, traditions, and alumni; and the genuine enthusiasm of a very talented faculty and staff.

The students at The Hill define the School’s true character — they seize opportunities, embrace diversity, champion integrity, and value hard work…I look forward to partnering with the Board of Trustees, collaborating with the faculty and staff, and rallying support from dedicated members of The Hill School’s extended family to ensure the permanence of that distinctive student experience.”(THS)

Margaret Jablonski Named Miss Hall’s Tenth Head

Margaret “Peggy” Jablonski comes to Miss Hall’s from the University of New Haven where she is the vice president for student affairs.

In Jablonski, Miss Hall’s trustees find a kindred spirit who embodies a great combination of administrative experience and success as well as a life-long academic and personal interest in women’s education.

Miss Hall’s trustee president Susan O’Day ’77 writes in her letter announcing Jablonski’s appointment:

“During the course of her career, Dr. Jablonski has demonstrated passion for the education of young women, including the academic and out-of-classroom experiences required for them to become effective leaders. In the process, she has mentored hundreds of women students on academic, career, and personal issues and has been a vocal advocate for education. Throughout her career, Dr. Jablonski has also continued to teach, including graduate courses in higher education policy, women’s issues, leadership theory, and student affairs. Additionally, she has worked closely with boards of trustees, faculty, staff, and students to raise funds and design major campus facilities, and she understands the complexities of leading an academic institution. Furthermore, during the course of our conversations with her, it became clear to us that Dr. Jablonski exemplifies our own values of authenticity, honor, respect, and growth.”(MHS)

Peter Saliba to Head Tilton

Saliba will take over as Tilton’s head of school upon the retirement of Jim Clements this coming summer.

Saliba comes to Tilton from Berwick Academy (ME) where he currently serves as the upper school director. Saliba brings a background of wide experiences to Tilton having served as assistant head at Sage Hill School (CA) where he was invlolved in growing the young school to its present 450 student size. Prior to moving west, Saliba worked in teaching and technology roles at Holderness and Western Reserve.

Tilton trustee chair, Kirk Wheale remarks of Saliba’s appointment:

“The Board of Trustees couldn’t be more enthusiastic about Peter’s appointment and the future of Tilton School. Peter’s background in growing and advancing schools demonstrate his proven leadership capabilities, including his academic leadership, admissions expertise, financial acumen and marketing and development insight. Furthermore, Peter’s experiences speak to his natural ability to forge partnerships with the many constituents responsible for making a school successful.” (TS)

Matthew Ruby to Lead Gould Academy

Ruby will arrive at Gould Academy this coming summer (2012) from his current appointment as the associate head of school at Shattuck-St. Mary’s (MN) where he has also been the director studies. He has also taught at the Breck School (MN) and in the Minneapolis public school system. Before beginning his educational career Ruby worked in the private sector and served as US naval officer.

“Gould has an abundance of assets – healthy tradition, natural beauty, habits of innovation, strong faculty and community, and a humane spirit – that set the stage for great success in the decades ahead. It will be a privilege to lead this school,” Ruby remarked upon his appointment.

Stephen Brotschul to Lead West Nottingham Academy

Brotschul will arrive on the WNA campus this coming summer from The Kiski School where currently serves as the Associate Headmaster.

A Hill School alumnus (’90), Brotschul, has fifteen years of independent school educator experience under his belt in variety of roles including work on the business and academic sides of schools. He has worked in fundraising, strategic planning, program creation and implementation, residential life, school finance, faculty development, school admissions, teaching, and coaching.

“Stephen has the energy, passion and experience it takes to lead West Nottingham through the challenges and opportunities of the Academy’s future,” board president, Paul McIntyre, commented.

Brotschul’s professional stops include The Webb Schools in Claremont, California, CEDU Schools in Running Springs, California, The Leelanau School in Glen Arbor, Michigan, and The Kiski School.

Bud Patel Chosen to Lead Brentwood College School

Bud Patel will succeed the retiring Andrea Pennells, whose thirty years at Brentwood include the final twelve as Head of School.

Patel comes to Brentwood College from St. George’s School, Vancouver BC where he serves as the deputy headmaster and principal of the senior school. In this role he has been involved and played active roles in all phases of school management from daily operations to strategic planning.

A graduate of Shawnigan Lake School (’85), Patel returned to his alma mater to begin his teaching career after earning his BS from the University of Victoria. He also earned his MA from the University of Victoria in 2000.

A gift from alumnus Herbert V. Kohler, the $20 million center will house 15-20 juniors who will be divided into teams that will compete in their efforts to live in a net zero manner- “that is, they can’t consume more energy than the building produces.”(FC)

The Center generates power through its “325-kilowatt photovoltaic array, a roof-mounted solar water-heating system, a geothermal heat pump, a water-recycling system, and waste vegetable oil.”(FC)

Stationary bicycles might also be installed so that students can generate electricity/charge batteries while exercising.

“the facility will be equipped with a sophisticated energy-management system. That, in itself, is not unusual, but this one will not only be highly visible but responsive too. Students can monitor the building dashboard, get information on the center’s energy online, or watch it fluctuate on their smartphones. If one team is surging ahead, the other could, conceivably, choose en masse not to shower (showers, Wyatt says, can consume 75% of a building’s hot-water supply). Or they could lower the thermostats. Who knows how far a group of motivated teenagers will go to win? “(FC)

Kohler Center director Howard Ernst told Tischler, “There’s simply nothing like it.”

Ernst also explains that well being is part of the Center’s equation. Tischler, with Ernst, again:

“Ernst says the center’s live-in advisers will monitor the students and make sure the place doesn’t turn into a sort of chilly Lord of the Flies. Besides, he says, extreme deprivation isn’t the point. ‘We won’t measure the success of the experiment on energy output alone,’ he says. ‘Satisfaction with the experience is equally important. If we have to shower every other week to meet our goals, that’s not success.’

In other words, to create a truly sustainable energy-efficient environment, it has to account for not just electricity consumption but a measure of happiness as well. And Choate plans to monitor that too. ‘We’ll be asking, If the students are happy, are they using more or less energy?’ Ernst says. ‘Is there a relationship between energy use and satisfaction, and what is the direction of that relationship? In that sense, the students will be both the independent and dependent variables in the experiment.’”(FC)

Like me, Ernst has seen plenty of LEED and environmentally friendly buildings but the Kohler Environmental Living Center seems to be the first with a residential component at its core and students as the experiments independent and self determining variables.

(I must say, the Kohler Center’s demands and requirements of students seem quite similar to the ways that Midland School students live and work. Midland students just do it in a more rural, less architecturally fancy setting.)

There’s a certain power in living and working together- sharing assumptions and working toward a common goal. Although, I’m interested in seeing how the net zero goal works out, I’m most interested in the human piece- how smoothly decisions can be made, how competing interests are resolved, and how far individuals are willing to set aside personal wants and comforts for the greater good (in this case the experiment’s success).

So many of us are all for everything for which Kohler Environmental Living Center stands until the sacrifice must be ours.

Additional resources:

Boarding schools in CT
LEED certification
www.choate.edu