Why Boarding School?

In conversation with families, we are frequently surprised that more students don’t have boarding schools on their radar screen. Why is that? Could it be that the perception of this type of educational experience is stuck in the past? Or, is it that families simply don’t understand what they have to offer?

To answer these questions, we invited our colleagues at Great Boarding Schools (GBS) to share their perspectives on the benefits of a boarding school education.

The Benefits of Boarding School…

Who we are…

The Great Boarding School group consists of fifteen top boarding schools from the Northeast. We come together as a consortium to offer interested families a look at a wide spectrum of benefits and options of the various signature programs and 21st-century teaching and learning models embodied by the individual member schools.

Our goal is to help enlighten families regarding boarding school options including; educational philosophies, academic curriculum, extracurricular offerings, single-gender education, and residential life curriculum. We share a unified belief in the positive outcomes a boarding school experience can have on your child.

So, as you embark on the admissions process, let’s answer that refrain ‘why boarding school?’ To do this, we narrow in on the four differentiating pillars of campus life that every parent and candidate should examine when contemplating a boarding school education.

#1 Community

Boarding schools are more than just schools — they are communities. Communities made up of talented and diverse students, accomplished and caring faculty and staff members, and loyal and dedicated alumni and families. They are communities designed to challenge and support, encourage and celebrate. Communities built on relationships that extend beyond the classroom and into dorms and dining halls, onto playing fields and stages, and far from campuses. They are communities that enhance all aspects of the educational experience, instilling in students the value of connection and collaboration, and preparing them to be leaders in the years to come.

#2 World-Class Academics

The Goal: To foster academic exploration, feed curiosity, and challenge students as independent learners and thinkers. 

Small class sizes help students learn to share ideas, ask questions, and work collaboratively as they build relationships with their peers and with faculty. Students are encouraged to self-advocate and their needs are seen and understood by teachers who are engaged, passionate, and dedicated to each student’s individual growth and development. Learning continues beyond the classroom at boarding school. Faculty live on campus and serve as coaches, club sponsors, and dorm parents. This affords the opportunity to create teachable moments beyond the classroom - further enriching the student academic experience.

#3 Athletics

Athletics at a boarding school is about more than wins and losses. No matter what your path in life, physical activity plays an important role in your health and well-being. 

Under the careful mentorship of our experienced and passionate coaches, you learn important life lessons that transcend sport. Our varsity squads routinely compete against the best competition, but also offer great sub-varsity options for developing talent. Whether you play for the love of the game or are bound for college glory, we have a team for you.

While many students choose to play team sports all three seasons, each school offers athletic alternatives and recreational sports.

#4 Arts

The opportunity to engage in creative endeavors like music, dance, theater, and visual arts is one of the hallmarks of a boarding school education.  Each boarding school has a unique arts curriculum complete with light-filled studios to provide the perfect setting for students to immerse themselves in the creative process.  Whether you want to explore the basics of many different art forms or immerse yourself in your particular passion project, there is something for every kind of artist at boarding school.

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Find out more at upcoming GBS Workshops

One last thing…if boarding school is on your child’s horizon, it’s never too early to start the search process. To help you on your way, GBS is hosting a series of virtual workshops on May 4, 6, and 11. These interactive discussions will provide an excellent opportunity for parents and prospective candidates to meet students, who will talk about their personal experience with dorm life and co-curricular programming. Admissions officers will also be available to address topics such as:

• How COVID-19 has changed the way that students and their families research, identify, and select boarding schools

• Tips on how and when to visit a campus

• Applying and interviewing

• Financial Aid

Click here to register for any or all of these events. And if you’d like to dig in deeper, email us at KQ any time!

The GBS member Schools are:

• Bishop’s College School

• Cardigan Mountain School

• Emma Willard School

• Gould Academy

• Holderness School

• Kimball Union Academy

• Milton Academy

• Northfield Mount Hermon School

• Pomfret School

• Proctor Academy

• Salisbury School

• Tabor Academy

• The Governers Academy

• Westminster School

• Williston Northampton School

Reflections On The School Admissions Process

Independent school admissions decisions are out and deposits are in, and the verdict... accepted, waitlisted or denied. For some, the outcome was just what they wanted, a spot at the school of their dreams. For others the decision was disappointing because they are on  a waitlist , or worse yet, denied. So what does this all mean?

Before I go on, I should tell you that my approach to school admissions is centered on self reflection and acknowledgement. I challenge you as parents, to take a non-linear approach to the school search by not making the process about a means to an end. Instead, push yourselves outside the box and use this as an opportunity to help your child build life skills. Life skills? What do they have to do with applying to schools? First, let us think about a few: admissions interviews, applications, school research, writing a resume, and time management. These are skills that all of us have to develop and use throughout our lives. So, why not start early?

“Learning without reflection is a waste. Reflection without learning is dangerous.”

-Confucius

The first step in this exploration starts with your child and getting them to understand who they are as an academic, a person, and general member of society. At this point, you are probably wondering at what age children can start identifying these skills. A middle schooler, with coaching, can easily start pinpoint some of their characteristics and qualities. Do not underestimate your child’s ability to recognize their strengths and weaknesses! 

I would argue that regardless of the admission decision, it’s important to reflect on the school selection process. What did you learn about yourself as a parent? What did you learn about your child? And last but not least, what should you be doing as a family going forward? For parents of middle or high school students, this should be viewed as an opportunity for your child to reflect upon their profile. Okay, so this sounds interesting... but, where do I go from here?

Take a step back before you move forward and ask yourself or your child:

• What did I or my child learn about their character?

• Did I/they discover anything new about their academic profile?

• Are extracurricular activities a significant part of the child’s life?

• Should we consider academic support or enrichment?

• Have I/we adequately researched and addressed the school programs that are a “best fit” match?

• Did we put enough emphasis on the school community and environment?

• Was the application process an emotionally balanced experience?

• Did I empower my child in their school search?

Do not feel like you have to have one big conversation about this. Instead, use this as an opportunity to start a dialogue. You might want to consider putting pen to paper before engaging in conversation to show that you put time and thought into understanding their school search. We all know how hard it is to strike a conversation with our middle or high school students. Seize the moment!

While many of you might be thinking, “my child has a spot in their first choice school so what’s all of this reflection about?” These are questions every parent should be asking themselves periodically as their child navigates their educational journey. Take a pulse along the way, and make sure that your child’s school is still appropriate based on how they are developing not only as a student, but as a person.

For those of you who are still waiting for a spot or are planning on going through the school application process again next fall, turn a negative into a positive, and use this time to reassess your child, and their school list. You might find yourself wondering if you should have done things differently. Remember, it’s never too late to redirect your thought process, and change your plan.

Jacquie Quigley | Partner | Keating Quigley Educational Advisors

COVID: will it impact school admissions?

What a spring! For any of you with school-aged children, you know how your life changed almost overnight right around March 11, the day that the state of Connecticut asked K-12 schools to close. At Country School, we were two days away from the beginning of spring break so, while startling in some ways, beginning vacation early didn’t seem all that bad and many went home and started to pack.

Here in the admission office, my team and I lingered for two more days to wrap up our end-of-term business which now included leaving slightly different messages on our voicemails and email auto replies:

Greetings! Following the State of Connecticut’s orders, Country School is closed to visitors for the next two weeks during which time we are also on spring vacation. We are due to reopen and begin classes again on Monday, March 30, if allowed; otherwise we will begin our Distance Learning program until further notice. Alongside Distance Learning, the admission office will also be working remotely however we continue to welcome your calls and emails in anticipation of working with you this spring! …

Messages in place, we were delighted to issue five more offers of admission on Friday the 13th (they all accepted our offer a week later!) on our way out the door - our satchels now filled with laptops and memo pads - imagining that we’d be working from home for just a couple of weeks…

You know the rest of the story. Few traveled for break and if they did, they did so with an awareness that they might not return for a long time. We hunkered down at home, bracing for the unknown. Looking back, I continue to be amazed at the nimbleness and ability to pivot that our faculty and families employed this spring. And my admission colleagues across Fairfield and Westchester Counties followed suit, continuing to host information sessions, conduct interviews and administer assessments, all Zoom.

With a little bit of time to breathe, admission directors are all turning our attention to the fall as we prepare to return to campus. This is indeed the plan for most of us, at least in the state of Connecticut. With new guidelines and protocols in place, admission teams are plotting our 2020-21 “seasons” with excitement and hope, if also a little trepidation. Having attended several “Fairchester Admission Directors” meetings this spring and summer, I’m confident that, collectively, we are committed to conveying the uniqueness of our schools, providing thoughtful admission and selection processes and ensuring that our prospective families feel known and supported throughout the experience. We are committed to clear and timely communication, adherence to new safety norms, creativity and flexibility, access for a variety of families, and collaboration school to school in the spirit of helping our families create choice and reduce stress.

So, what will the admission season look like this year? Much the same in some ways, and quite different in others is the answer. A typical season entails the following steps - here’s my sense of what each of these may look like this season:

1. Campus visit/tours: Be prepared for modified tours, possibly to include an online tour coupled with some kind of on-campus tour. Campus tours - if they happen at all - will vary from school to school depending on each school’s best judgment about adhering to their standards of safety. You should anticipate anything from no tours at all to outside only tours to quick walk-throughs of one building to tours of empty buildings on weekends.

2. Other programming: Open Houses, receptions, information sessions, etc. These, too, will vary from school to school and may well be online as often as in person. Again, school’s individual interpretations of health standards will shape their programming.

3. Interviews: It’s my guess that many of us will conduct interviews via Teleconference rather than bringing people to campus. If family tours are offered, certainly this is a time to get acquainted but don’t be surprised if you’re still invited to chat by phone or Zoom. The same will apply for student interviews.

4. Assessments: Depending on the age of student, assessments have always varied. Older students tend to take the ISEE or SSAT and that will likely continue (stay tuned as to how students will take those tests…) and younger students have often come to campus for their assessments. In the COVID environment many of us shifted to online assessments (facilitated by our teachers and usually with a parent present on screen) for our younger students and/or issued prompts for video recordings - at home - which then allowed us to evaluate our youngest learners. This is probably the area about which the least has been decided to date, but by the fall schools will post their instructions and, where possible, even collaborate among themselves in order to reduce “testing time” for our applicants.

5. Notification, Revisits and Decision Timelines: A typical schedule for most of us is application deadlines of January 15, notifications in mid to late February and Family Decisions are due in mid-March. It remains to be seen whether some schools may accelerate their timelines in order to provide families with the reassurance of a decision sooner in the year, or push deadlines back in order to allow for enough time - particularly as campuses may have to close at various times in the winter months - for families to investigate all of their options. Admission directors are working as we speak to come to a broad agreement about timelines - my bet is that they will remain largely the same as the past with the anticipation of rolling admission as space is available into the spring...

As prospective families prepare for the year ahead my final counsel, in addition to what I mentioned earlier, is to do what you’d always do:

• Articulate why you’re looking at the independent school option and determine what your criteria is for the right kinds of schools (mission, culture, academic options, specialized focus, commutable distance, etc.)

• Explore websites, ask questions (of the schools, of your friends) and become acquainted with an array of places in the spirit of creating good choices

• And, this year especially, get creative - if you can tour one school but can’t tour another, maximize other tools (website, word of mouth, conversation with admission parent volunteers, etc.) as a way to become acquainted with schools. Don’t immediately conclude that because one school hosted an Open House and another didn’t, you need to eliminate the latter. This is a year like none other and we all need to be patient, flexible and understanding as we prepare to work together.

• And finally, remember that your children will follow your lead. If you exhibit curiosity, flexibility and a sense of adventure, they’ll surely enjoy the process. If you are tense, distraught, irritated, they’ll wonder why and begin to imagine that this whole private school thing may not be right for them!

Good luck, and have fun!

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Written by Pam Safford | Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid at New Canaan Country School

Pam Safford joined Country School in 2016. She has extensive experience in admission and enrollment management work, most recently having served as Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Deerfield Academy and, prior to that, as Associate Head for Communications, Enrollment and Planning at Concord Academy. She held previous roles in admission at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Northfield, MA and Shattuck-St. Mary’s School in Faribault, MN. She holds a Master of Science degree in School Leadership from University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. of Sociology and Anthropology from Carleton College. Pam is a founding trustee and former board chair for the Association of Independent School Admission Professionals (AISAP). She currently sits on the Enrollment Management Association (EMA) board and the Ethel Walker School (her alma mater) board, and is the treasurer for the Fairchester Admission Group. Committed to supporting professional development among her peers, Pam has presented at various national conferences including IECA, NAIS, EMA and TABS.