"Headmaster"
Looking Outward at a Boarding School & Why it Matters
Two Head of School pieces in the last few days share a topic that I’ve talked about with administrators over the past few months at a couple of conferences and in conversations- making sure that someone in school leadership bears the responsibility for observing and communicating with the outside world. First, congratulations to Alex Curtis, [...]
Read MoreJ.D. Salinger Dies; musings on teaching The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger is of course noteworthy in this space because The Catcher in the Rye ranks as one of the great boarding school books of all time. Salinger’s protagonist, Holden Caufield, presents a mid-twentieth century picture of teenage angst and cynicism. Often taught as Holden losing innocence and becoming disillusioned, I find the book much [...]
Read MoreGetting to Know Fryeburg Academy
Headmaster Daniel Lee talks with us about Fryeburg Academy‘s special opportunities as both an ‘Academy’ and as a boarding school drawing students from around the world. -Founded in 1792 as part the the “Academy” movement, the school predates public education. -Distinctly diverse school. Fryeburg is, simultaneously, the local public school and a boarding school. -Americas [...]
Read MoreA Conversation with Asheville School’s Jonathan Hopkins
As winner of the AdmissionsQuest for the Best Student Video Contest with his short “What Is Asheville School?” we wanted to hear a bit more about how Jonathan Hopkins came to Asheville School (Asheville, NC); how his short grew out of his Asheville experiences and where he wants to take his talents? Check out Jonathan’s [...]
Read MoreOur First Year
After writing frequently last year about our daughter’s search for a boarding school, it seemed timely now to post an entry about how her first year is progressing. Our daughter, now 14, looked at a number of schools last year, both in New England within driving distance of home and in California. The California school [...]
Read MoreSims 3 & the Boarding School Mom
Now that we have had several months to play the hit video game of the summer, Sims 3, the reviews are in. And the critics are raving (at least at our house). With homework, after-school sports, and all the drama of middle school, we’re too busy for computer games these days, but somehow my Sixth [...]
Read MoreBoarding Schools Confront Flu Season
With community members living in close proximity to each other boarding schools present an environment in which flu and other bugs can spread quickly and easily. However with some planning and use of flexible scheduling Chatham Hall and Hargrave Military Academy were recently subjects of a local news story (Boarding Schools Face Tough Flue Challenges) [...]
Read MoreThe Sims & Boarding School?
The latest craze at our house this summer is The Sims, the wildly popular “life simulation” video game. Our 11-year-old daughter, who normally does not go in for gaming, has spoken of little else this month. Her big sister, just home from her junior year of boarding school at The Madeira School, has more urgent [...]
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