New England Boarding Schools
Vermont Academy Featured for its Green Initiatives
The blog, Green Is Sexy, highlights Vermont Academy environmental initiatives and policies as part of their CFL Spotlight series. Of course it took me a second to get the CFL reference.
VA is on top of their eco-concious practices and policies with a Bottled Water Initiative, composting, recycling, organic and local source movements.
Most interesting about [...]
Both Sides of the Prep School Basketball Coin: Athletics and Academics Boys Class A Basketball Concludes
With the boarding school basketball season finished, we’ve come across a couple of highlights that provide an interesting picture of the intensely competitive Boys Class A level.
Class A basketball hosts an unusual combination of athleticism and academic preparation.
For loud, unbridled, super athletic, basketball, take a look at this YouTube video of the Boys Class A [...]
A Laugh Out Loud Olympic Parody
Don’t miss the two part parody “Ribbon: The Thin Red Line Pts 1 & 2″ done by Pete Hodgin, Kents Hill School history teacher.
These videos are Saturday Night Live worthy.
Hodgin hits all the right notes and skewers the seriousness with which some of the more odd sports are presented and brings laughable absurdity to the [...]
The Unsung Part of Westover School’s Green Cup Accomplishment
Westover School recently held a ribbon cutting for its newly installed 158.60 kW solar energy system.
Motivated by Green Cup Challenge competition and a school-wide commitment to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, Westover’s consumption of grid electricity has declined by 37.5%.
Creative financing- like many non-profits, Westover’s capital spending has come under pressure from market declines [...]
Student Tour Guides Take Viewers on a Tour of Vermont Academy
Vermont Academy is a 1:1 tablet school with students using tablet computers in classrooms, throughout the curriculum, and in most of their academic lives. Sophie and Julia show viewers that VA is far more than technology.
VA is very much about its connection to the school’s surroundings and its people.
Getting outside whether through an environmental science [...]
Landmark Students Recognized: 2010 Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards
Landmark School students received 23 Gold and Silver Keys and Honorable Mentions in this year’s competition which included 6,500 individual and 500 portfolio submissions.
Beth Jamieson, Head of Landmark School’s Art Department said in a school release:
“It is very exciting and affirming for our students to have been recognized by the Boston Globe Scholastic Art & [...]
Hyde School: Focus on Fundamentals
NBC Connecticut reporter Brad Drazen published a piece titled “A School to Shape Character as Well as Mind.”
While we’ve covered Hyde School quite a bit, one part of Drazens’ article stands out. It provides a succinct, presentation of Hyde’s fundamental belief and teaching that attitude, work ethic, and character provide the foundation from which [...]
Afternoons at Proctor Academy: Many Talents, Many Perspectives
Editor’s note: we’ve covered the benefits & importance of afternoon athletics and activities in several posts. Physical recreation, drama productions, and club meetings provide outlets adding richness and breadth of experience to boarding school students. Kim Hurlbutt of Proctor Academy’s development office contributes this piece presenting Proctor’s thinking on the broadening of afternoon and activities [...]
Read MoreGetting to Know Vermont Academy
Sean Brennan, Vermont Academy’s Head of School talks about the strengths and underlying values of VA that he has come to understand during his first year as head.
Relationships knit VA into a tight community. VA students benefit from healthy relationships with involved adults. Everyone helps; kids help; adults help. Paraphrasing Brennan- Everyone working [...]
Getting to Know White Mountain School
Josh Lawton, White Mountain School, Director of Admission talks about the special opportunities and experiences available to WMS students.
WMS is the only school offering outdoor certification in Wilderness First Responding and Rock and Ice Climbing under the aegis of the American Mountain Guides Association.
Fundamentally, WMS believes that its consciously small, tightly knit community provides the [...]
Getting to Know Bridgton Academy
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 [...]
Green Cup Challenge Video Contest
An optional video contest is part the annual Green Cup Challenge between schools. The student written and directed films must inform and motivate students regarding their choices and consumption habits:
Purpose: A student written and directed video for presentation to the school community to create awareness, excitement and motivation about the Challenge.
Theme: Creativity and [...]
Students Share their Perspectives on a Hyde School Education
Four Hyde School-Woodstock students share their perspectives and experiences about Hyde’s contributions to their personal and academic growth.
Ranging from a new ninth grade student to seniors preparing college applications, the students share the ways their Hyde lessons affect their daily lives and decisions and how they will carry these lessons to college and beyond.
A Vignette For Frustrated Parents
When I wore the dean of students hat at a boarding school in NH, I spent a good chunk of my time talking to parents about how their kids were doing and feeling.
From parents, the communication was often concern that their students weren’t listening, growing, and or assuming responsibilities as fast, or to as large an [...]
Temple Grandin, Hampshire Country School Alumna, Subject of HBO Movie
Autistic; she thinks in pictures; she has difficulty reading social situations with people; author; and noted large animal veterinarian.
You listen to Temple Grandin speak and wonder “how did all of this complexity get wound into one person?”
Grandin is the subject of the upcoming HBO movie “Temple Grandin,” (Saturday, 6 February, 8-10 PM). Reviewing the [...]
