It’s very sad news.

I spent time on Sedbergh’s campus this summer (I want to thank them one more time for hosting my visit) and have developed a deeper understanding/appreciation of the school through the blog posts of the school’s Director of Admissions, Cory Awde.

Cory began contributing to onBoarding Schools this fall and over the course of the school year has thoughtfully educated readers about the value & unique opportunities available in a (Canadian) boarding school community. Nicely done, Cory.

Unfortunately, Sedbergh seems to have been caught in spiral from which the school’s trustees see no relief- high tuition, a small school with limited economies of scale, and a $1 million debt burden.

Patrick Trent, chair of Sedbergh’s trustees told the Ottowa Citizen (Dwindling enrolment, debt load forces Montebello school to shut after 71 years):

“Convincing parents to send their kids to boarding school might be a bit more difficult in the North American environment right now. Values change. People have different ideas about how they want to raise their children…Boarding school is a very different thing from what most people are used to these days…

…The school has a long and very proud history, and one of the reasons we want to close the school (in an orderly way) and announce the closing of the school to everyone, is to protect the reputation of the school.” (OC)

“Sedbergh has 71 year history of combining “academics with athletics and outdoor education on a 1,200-acre, wooded campus.” OC

We wish the very best to the Sedbergh community as it work through the emotions of  the June closing and as students, teachers & staff begin the search for new schools.

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 the happenings at VA are the extent to which environmentally sound practices are becoming school policies rather than small movements or initiatives by a few community members.

VA seems to be pushing toward living its values and beliefs.

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 tournament final game between Winchendon School and Brewster Academy.

Brewster won the championship 72-69. A lot people go through life without ever seeing this much talent on a single floor.

In his article at masslive.com (Northfield Mount Hermon Boys Basketball Team A Success Story), Bill Wells writes about the success of Northfield Mount Hermon School’s boys team. While certainly talented in terms of basketball, Carroll highlights the academic preparation and achievement behind this team.

“…Coach John Carroll has three players bound for the Ivy League…

…Laurent Rivard (Harvard), Matt Brown (Harvard) and Joe Sharkey (Brown) are all headed for the Ivy League. Hector Harold has signed to play at Pepperdine…

‘The number one thing we pride ourselves on is being the best combination of basketball and academics in the country,’ said Carroll, who has 26 former Northfield players competing at the Division I level.” (Masslive)

I’ve seen Tressel’s interview with Outlook Columbus noted at Yahoo Sports and at ESPN.com.

Writing for Yahoo Sports, Dan Wetzel captures this issue tightly:

“Competitive Athletics is on of the last bastions of accepted homophobia. Even the military is considering repeal of its ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. In sports, it’s still just ‘Don’t Dare Say A Word.’” (Yahoo Sports)

With his Outlook Columbus interview, Tressel tackles the issue head-on.

Tressel seems to teach and work from highly developed principles regarding personal development and achievement. He’s a Football Bowl Series coach; make no bones about it football is important, but Tressel comes across as more than a coach.  He expresses a genuine desire to see his players mature and develop, foremost, as human beings – each with unique talents and perspectives.

Quoting Tressel secondhand:

“What we have, quite often, with our athletes, and with a number of young people in any sport, is that from the time they were 6 or 7 years old, their identity has been through sports. You’re the tallest, you’re the fastest, you’re the best player. All their feedback has come in terms of their role as a player, and they are often hesitant to go beyond that narrow role. … The greatest achievement we can have as coaches is that a young man leaves us with a concept of who he is, what he wants from life, and what he can share with others — someone who is ‘comfortable in his own skin,’ and that identity can go in a number of directions.” (ESPN.com)

Reflecting on how his program and his team would respond to an openly gay team member, Tressel answered:

“We strive to teach and model appreciation for everyone. One, we are a family. If you haven’t learned from your family at home that people have differences and those strengthen the whole, then you are hopefully going to learn it as part of the Ohio State football family.

“Two, every part of our team is important and every role has value — no job is too small and no person is irrelevant — that’s a great lesson that transcends into society. When I think of the diversity we’ve had on our team the past few years, it goes way beyond just a racial, sexual or ethnic mix. We’ve had players who had different religions, players who came from different economic backgrounds, players who are parents, who are spouses, who are caring for ailing parents, who are wheelchair bound, who are battling cancer, and on and on. Whatever a young man feels called to express, I hope we will help him do it in a supportive environment. Everybody is important, and maturity is learning to find and appreciate those differences in others.” (ESPN.com)

The persistent analyst in me asks ‘why now?’ Why is it now time for Tresel and Smith to speak out?

Two primary reasons, I think. First, the world is ready. Tolerance and acceptance have taken root as guiding principles. In short, we know that they are the right things to teach.

Secondly, and a bit cynically, draw and recruiting. If coaches and administrators create and foster an environment accepting and open to all, more athletes, and the type of athletes you seek, will find your institution. The is FBS football and Division I athletics.

Motivations aside, (They’re always complex and scrutable; look no further than LBJ and the Voting Rights Act) the fact that Tressel, and Ohio State are willing to publicly advance diversity and acceptance, along with their beliefs in individual uniqueness, contribution, and growth sends the message that others might have some catching-up or growing of their own to do.

Yahoo’s Wetzel’s makes these spot-on observations:

“…His answers were typical Tressel. There’s nothing particularly colorful or bold. It wasn’t like he was advocating for the legalization of gay marriage.

His opinions were deep on substance though. They carried a measure of thoughtfulness. Tressel did more than enough. The message was in the messenger…

Tressel’s interview isn’t going to bring football out of the dark ages. Not even the open mindedness of a guy who’s won five consecutive Big Ten titles can reverse things overnight. Sports is decades behind society. Football may be even decades behind that.

It did just take a small step in the proper direction thanks to a coach who might be the most conservative in the game.” (Yahoo Sports)

How is this connected to boarding school? Several very good boarding schools have been practicing and preaching actions and principles similar to Ohio State’s for some time.

The best boarding schools (paraphrasing Tressel)- teach and model appreciation for everyone; they are a family.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wdpg_share/ / CC BY 2.0

Many thanks, Mark, for the kind words.

For those who live, eat and breathe boarding schools on a regular basis, it is easy to forget how foreign such schooling is to the average American.

For 99% of the population who have never set foot on a campus, their view of the who, what and why of independent boarding has been framed by a handful of news reports, old movies or Harry Potter novels.

We know that the news reports typically report the infrequent bad news, old movies convey images of old money and elitism, and I’ve yet to see a boarding school with coursework in Divination or Defense Against the Dark Arts.

It has been a continual struggle for boarding schools to get out the right image… the true story: critical thinking, community action, diversity, and the like.

onBoarding Schools, hosted by AdmissionsQuest has been a wonderful eye into the world of boarding education.

We’ve been able to see student videos, learn about curricular advancements, see student accomplishments academically, artistically and athletically, discover new building projects, even follow along as students headed to Washington, DC and other locations, seeing, hearing and reading about the experience through their own expression. One can learn not only of new research into curriculum and program design, but see how schools implement theory into practice in creative and dramatic ways.

Anyone who has kept up with onBoarding Schools, as I have, has their view of boarding schools transformed. It has become THE running chronicle of what boarding education is… and where it’s heading.

It has played another role, I suspect, beyond helping the general public to a clearer view of boarding schools. It has become essential reading for those in schools: a place to learn of innovative programs, new courses, community outreach, character education initiatives, among other successes. Such sharing means that great ideas can be replicated as never before, assuring that great innovations reach more students and families.

onBoarding Schools has become essential reading for educational consultants. This group must stay up-to-date on advancements and developments on campuses from coast-to-coast. While campus visits are essential, one is likely to visit a school once every 4 to 5 years. Reading school viewbooks, websites and student publications allows for some insight, but nothing beats onBoarding Schools for timely, immediate, continuing updates about the best in school developments.

Reading this one might think I overstate the impact. After all, I started by noting that boarding schools directly impact fewer than 1% of the student population. But we also know that the influence of boarding schools is dramatic beyond enrollment numbers: they often have led the way in educational reforms and innovation and graduates play an outsize role in their contributions to government, business and service.

I wish continued success to onBoarding Schools, AQ and those who dedicate their lives to boarding schools, and look forward to reading this blog regularly… as I sit in Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade drinking my butterbeer.

About Mark Sklarow:
Mark Sklarow has served as Executive Director of the Independent Educational Consultants Association for 15 years. Previously he was director of an international/multi-cultural youth exchange organization, served as director of Presidential Classroom and was an independent day school teacher in Social Sciences and Dean of Students in Philadelphia.

But for high school students at many Canadian boarding schools, the unique programs that are offered at these schools, teach every student about the dedication and discipline that is required to complete such a task.

An example of this took place on the Sedbergh School’s campus during the weekend of February 12th and 13th.

The Canadian Ski Marathon (CSM) is a cross country skiing event, which covers a total of 160km (99.4194 miles) of cross country skiing over two days. That is the equivalent of skiing from New York City to Philadelphia over a weekend.

Joining approximately 7,000 other skiers, every Sedbergh student (many of which had never skied prior to coming to the school) took to the trails to push themselves to the limit and reach their maximum distance. Jahel, a grade 11 student from Angola was asked her views on the CSM and she said:

“The CSM eluded me from the very beginning. The thought of it terrified me. I had no idea what to expect. I just hoped that I was prepared enough. Once it started I realized that it wasn’t so bad. Having a ski buddy was great because I had someone to keep me going when I felt like giving up. The food at the end of the sections was great too. Seeing those red flags when I finally completed a section was one of the best feelings in the world.”

For her first time participating in the CSM, Jahel’s impressive 95.2km result is something that should be recognized, but what is also important is the preparation, dedication and practice that took her from a new cross country skier to completing almost 100kms. This is something that cannot be taught in the classroom, and as this is a mandatory event, all students get the opportunity to push themselves to their limit and learn these important values.

The CSM, and cross country skiing is very much a Sedbergh tradition, but many boarding schools across the country execute a variety of events and activities to prepare all of their students in much the same way.

Bishops College School hold’s has the oldest continually active Cadet programme in Canada. This compulsory program for all students provides immense dedication by all students and since it is primarily run by the Senior Cadets, progression through the ranks allows for exceptional opportunities for students to develop essential leadership skills.

A similar program is offered at King’s Edgehill School in Windsor, Nova Scotia, where a cadet corp of 330 cadets are organized into two Rifle companies and three Platoons each; a Band, a precision Drill Team, and a School Flag Party.

These programs take a great deal of regular preparation and training to run effectively and as a result, all students have the opportunity to grow as individuals outside of the classroom as well as in. Other examples include the rowing program at Brentwood College School, and the Hockey Program at Harrington College.

These are just a few examples of boarding school programs that in addition to high quality academic programs take “College/University Prep” outside of the classroom and challenge all students to participate, in order to develop essential life skills.

As discussed, it has been argued that it takes someone 10,000 hours to become an expert or to excel at something, and unfortunately your time in high school may not be long enough to reach that pinnacle.

Not every student is going to choose cross country skiing as their chosen path however; what these programs do is challenge every student and teach the skills that are necessary to reach that peak in whatever discipline they may choose.

About Cory Awde
Mr. Cory Awde, AdmissionsQuest’s first Canadian blogger. Mr. Awde is the Director of Marketing and Admissions at Sedbergh School, in Montebello, Quebec Canada. Before completing a MA in Communication at the University of Ottawa (MA, 2008), Cory held various roles within the recruitment and liaison office at his Alma Mater, Brock University (BSM, 2005).

With first round admission and financial aid letters due to arrive to families in the next few days, it’s time think about perspectives, plans, and responses depending on the offers you receive from schools.

It’s always best to have one’s ducks in a row and plan, or have a series of plans, based on all the outcomes.

Of course everyone wants to be accepted by their first choice school with a full-award financial aid package. Schools balance and spread their financial aid to the best of their abilities and that can mean that not every student can receive as much as they might need.

Over the years, we’ve written several admission decision and financial aid articles (along with a prep school admission ebook) that can help with your planning. These references can help families consider their options.

1. The Admission Process: Decision Time!
   
2. Accepted Student Re-Visit Days
   
3. Waitlisted at a Private School?
   
4. Tips for Students Accepted at a Private School

Program Chair, Dr. Susan Carrese describes the program this way:

“Globalization is a 21st century reality…At FVS we believe it is essential to embrace the world beyond our campus, our borders and our mindset. Our goal is to move beyond mere tolerance of diversity, to genuine engagement as school and world citizens.” (FVS Announces New Global Scholar Program, FVS)

The GSD program experience is something akin to a college major with students working through a course of study interconnected and bound by topics, themes and perspectives.

“…Requirements for the Global Diploma include taking several classes with a global component, an international immersion experience, active participation in a globally or culturally focused on-campus club, participation in community service projects that require direct encounters with individuals from other countries or cultures, attending global speaker and/or film events, and completing a capstone course that includes research, a leadership initiative and a presentation…” (FVS)

Affirming and demonstrating the school’s dedication to the GSD program, FVS Headmaster, Craig W. Larimer Jr. ’69 awarded Dr. Carrese with the Lewis Perry Jr. Chair for the Humanities. This endowed chair provides dedicated funds to program chairs.

Photo credit: _fLeMmA__

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 non-stop stream of human interest stories that accompanies athletes throughout the games.

You will laugh out loud at this fictitious- but, ‘oh, so real’- presentation of Ribbon Dancing.

Ribbon: The Thin Red Line pt1

Ribbon: The Thin Red Line pt2

The question of how open to be is a sensitive one.

Some children who are already in private schools are often surrounded by other kids who are also applying. The chatter about who is applying where, what one’s scores were, and class rank can add pressure to what is already an anxious situation.

Other children are in schools where the majority of their peers are continuing on to public school, and their desire to go to an independent school is baffling at best and considered a sign of elitism at worst.

We encouraged our children to be open and honest about the schools they were considering but also to be sensitive to how they frame their desire to go to boarding school. We firmly believe the kids (and indeed all of us) end up in their right place.

A young public school friend of mine was recently told by a friend “I’m going to boarding school so I can be with other people like me.” Naturally my friend’s feelings were hurt. We encouraged our children to talk about finding the school that is the right fit for them, rather than suggest that one school is better than another. That said, parents and children need to be comfortable knowing that the school that is the right fit for them may not be the most prestigious or the one with the most social cache.

We live in New England, and our daughter attends a terrific, competitive school on the west coast. I was asked once if she was at a school for troubled teens because she is so far away and the questioner hadn’t heard of her school! This is a true story. As we were recently told at a college counseling event, “The bumper sticker on your car is not your grade as a parent.”

I believe it is our responsibility as parents to buffer our kids from the stress, particularly in these last weeks before the admission decisions are mailed. Our confidence that they will be in their right place and enthusiasm about revisiting schools will help our children deal with whatever the decisions are.

My reader’s next question was whether the parents’ collegiate academic credentials influenced an admissions decision.

My sense is that the competitive high schools are very successful in getting their students into the most competitive colleges based on the students own academic records and abilities. It seems that the applicant pools are so large and so talented that legacies no longer carry the weight they once did. I doubt whether where the parents went to college has any bearing on the admissions decisions.

In fact my guess is that with the economic downturn the greatest interest schools have in parents is whether they can pay the tuition and maybe give a generous annual fund contribution. Many schools that were once need blind have had to suspend that policy.

This is merely based on my own observation rather than any hard data. Despite the drop in endowments, many qualified students continue to receive generous financial aid packages from schools committed to attracting a talent and broad-based student body.