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Article by Bimol

A lot of adult people thinking about sending children to some kind of to get quality education are very often biased against this kind of educational facilities; especially if they have not yet done any real boarding school research. The same is true for high schools students, too. As it was discovered by corresponding polling and surveys, the majority of people do have a definite preconception of what is like. The foundation of such preconception has been predominantly created by books like “Catcher in the Rye” or “A Separate Peace” that you might have read, or probably you might have got a prejudice against through watching such movies as “Dead Poets’ Society” or “School Ties”. Those are fine books and movies, really, there is no arguing about it – but the they depict have little in common with modern facilities of this kind.

The storylines of those books and movies that we have mentioned above are quite entertaining, but the events depicted in them take place at old-time and therefore the picture a reader (or a viewer) gets is old-fashioned, its totally out-of-time! The settings of a present-day are very much different from the one you get through those stories. We have composed a short, but, as we believe, quite comprehensive list to summarize the most obvious differences, so a person interested in the subject can differentiate between myths originated by fictional boarding schools and realities of the modern facilities. The overall evolution that dramatically transformed the environments of universities and colleges of USA during several past decades, have touched upon the too. The perception of a boarding school in public eye is gradually changing for the better, still old lingering myths die too slowly, so be careful not to make a mistake regarding the decision of taking a boarding or whether you would fit in it or not.

1. In the first place you should realize that the old-time image of a boarding school depicted a place that represented the very essence of any adolescent’s discontent: some kind of a cold and distant place, where parents drive their children in September, drop them off and happily forget about the unruly brood till next June. What happens in between is not their concern at all, there are schoolmasters to take care about getting it done!

You surely remember Holden Caulfield, the main character of “Catcher in the Rye” novel. Well, Holden would be getting a HUGE surprise if he were to return to his in our days. He would realize that his familiar world of proctors and prefects, dorm teas and Mr. Chips has experienced a really dramatic change and transformation. Nowadays the predominating number of students at boarding schools (on the average about 35,000-40,000 a year) are quite willingly leaving their homes and parents – not to mention the fасt that online communications and daily e-mail messages, as well as cell phones, guarantee their constant and practically free of charge communication with their moms and dads. Taking into account the growing selectivity and competitiveness of admission it is quite likely that your son will share a room with a real prince of Thailand or with the fresh prince of Bel Air! The old-fashioned scenery that included rather monastic life-style with its formal dinners, daily chapel and cold showers has been transformed into much more dynamic and debonair way to spend time and make it real fun: international theme meals, contemporary ecumenism and inter-dorm dances!

2. You must realize that nowadays you do not have to be very wealthy to go. If you happen to suffer some financial difficulties can always provide a grant or a student’s loan or some other kind of financial aid for you. Actually, about one third of all boarding school students enjoy the beneficial financial aid programs nowadays. Naturally, the volume of the aid will to a greater extent depend on the school and your family’s situation. With each year more and more boarding school students emerge from public schools and families with average level of income. The boarding schools nowadays take great care to provide financial aid grants so they become accessible for as wide range of students as it is possible. The financial aids come in several kinds, including student’s loan programs, K-12 private school loans and merit awards/scholarships. The financial aid has made boarding schools much more affordable for not so wealthy families and their kids! In the terms of demographic, geography and ethnic representation the boarding schools have become much more diversified today than they were thirty or forty years earlier!

3. A lot of people are sure that diversity is rare at boarding school. Nothing is far from the reality as far as modern schools are concerned. In fact, the boarding schools are generally more diverse than public schools – over 25% of boarding students are international students or students of color. The boarding schools do not depend on local neighborhood population with its rather uniform ethnic or socio-economic structure. Besides, they create much better conditions for different students to get to know each during a year than ordinary public or private schools, since the diversity of geographical or ethnic representation is significantly higher among them.

4. Another popular belief is that boarding schools do not care about kids having fun while there. Well, surely, the rigorous academic discipline, as well as curfews and sticking to a certain set of rules will be part of life at any boarding school. That is only natural. Still modern boarding schools take great care to create a positive and inspiring environment for making the time spent in them good fun – think just about what incredible friends you will have an opportunity to make there and what fun it could be all along!

Boarding schools aim at both academic and personal development and maturing of their students and after-classes activities play the key role in this process: meeting new people, developing some personal interests and hobbies and so on. This side of boarding school life is always well-provided for.

5. Another common myth about boarding schools is the idea that mostly kids with some problems and troubles at home or at a common school are usually sent there. This myth was generated by certain confusion in the public mind, since the boarding schools are actually of two types: college-preparatory boarding schools and therapeutic boarding schools. And those two types often get mixed up though they should not – the aims and objectives of those two schools types are considerably different.

The boarding schools of college-preparatory type are aimed at education and motivation of students who are planning to explore new opportunities of college education and career-building. Such students usually benefit from finding new challenges and surmounting them. Surely, a student with some kind of personal problem – such as drugs or alcohol, or behavioral problems – should not be admitted to college-preparatory type schools, since that would be totally wrong strategy to employ.

Students with personal problems should be sent to therapeutic boarding schools – such schools also prepare students for college, but it is not the only objective, since the stuff of such schools and the entire environment are better equipped to handle students with behavioral / emotional problems, substance abuse, as well as those with learning difficulties. As a rule, they are listed in a special division of therapeutic boarding schools, in order not to be mixed with college-preparatory type facilities.

6. It is widely believed that students at boarding schools find it difficult to keep in touch with their families and friends outside the school and that often scares prospective students away. Though it could be the case in the times before the advent of online Web communications, when students were offered a rather modest choice of writing letters, sending telegrams and making long-distance phone calls, the situation, in total, has changed dramatically in this respect.

But in our age there is nothing easier than to stay connected at the world-wide scale. All quality boarding schools provide regulated Internet access to their students, in their rooms or at special premises. Since the access is regulated the students are restricted from online communications during certain hours but in general are welcome to make good use of Internet to keep in touch with the families and friends on daily bases. Another good way of world-wide scale communications are cell-phones, though their use is usually regulated by schools polices too.

The best way to learn what the modern boarding schools are like would be to visit the campus and see it for yourself, getting in touch with actual students and learning their comments and testimonies. It is important to keep an open mind so you can make a correct choice, in the long run!

Article by Rachel Henderson

Article by hi joiney

HistoryThe school was founded in 1913 by Ela Hockaday in response to parental demand for a preparatory day school for girls. She added a junior college in 1931 which operated until 1951. While the school is noted for its students’ continuing on to universities, earlier in its history it sent many girls to Smith College. The first class consisted of only ten students. Sarah Trent was one of the first teachers at the school and was influential in its development.Hockaday founded her school on four cornerstones that were to form the basis of the students’ educations: character, courtesy, scholarship, and athletics. Today, the Founder’s Day award is the most noteworthy award a graduating senior can receive; the honor is given to young women who best exemplify these four cornerstones. Hockaday todayHockaday has occupied its campus in a residential area of northwest Dallas since 1961. The enrollment is approximately 1000 students from pre-K to 12, about 450 in the Upper School. The student to faculty ratio is approximately 10:1. Hockaday students enjoy also a 100% acceptance rate to college.[citation needed]The school colors are green and white, and the current school uniform for Upper and Middle School consists of saddle-oxfords, white dress shirts or polo shirts, and a uniform green and white plaid skirt. Green blazers are added on “dress uniform days” for grades 5 11, while seniors gain the privilege of wearing white blazers. It is viewed as a rite of passage to earn one’s white blazer, along with the senior ring, at the end of junior year.The school crest bears a unicorn, but the official mascot is the daisy. Students are frequently referred to as Hockadaisies. AcademicsThe minimum graduation requirement for upper school students is 16 course credits, although virtually all students exceed this criterion[citation needed] and pursue additional study in particular areas of interest. Students must complete four years of English, 3 years of math, 3 years of the same foreign language, 2 years of history, 3 years of science, and 2 years of fine arts, as well as a physical education requirement each year.The faculty consists of 118 full-time teachers and 13 part-time teachers, of whom 68 have a master’s degree and nine hold doctoral degrees. The average tenure of the faculty is 11.5 years.[citation needed] The school has introduced a laptop program (all 6th through 12th grade students are issued laptop computers to use in and out of school for their assignments) as well as the addition of Smartboard technology to each classroom.The school follows a semester system with 80-minute classes that each meet three times in a six-day rotation. Exams for upper school students take place only once per school year, in mid-March immediately prior to Spring Break.The ranges of SAT scores for the middle 50% of the Class of 2008 were 590-740 (Critical Reading), 610-740 (Math) and 610-750 (Writing).[citation needed] BoardingHockaday’s Residence Department boards 78 students from 10 states and 10 countries. Girls who board live in one of the School’s two dormitoriesorgan and Trent. Hockaday Boarders take advantage of the educational offerings of Hockaday as well as extracurricular activities, including sports, clubs and organizations, and community service. The Host Family Program involves the School’s faculty and parents as surrogate families to a resident, providing support in athletic activities and inviting them to join in family activities. Campus facilitiesThe academic classrooms for the Middle and Upper Schools are held in two adjoining and parallel two-story buildings near the center of campus recently renovated in 2005. They house Hockaday Middle and Upper School Foreign Language, History, English, and Math classes in addition to two student commons and break-out study rooms.The Crow Science Building has chemistry, physics, and biology labs as well as a greenhouse and Clements Lecture Hall.The Horchow Fine Arts wing features a classroom for Hockaday art and music history courses; music and practice rooms; a black box theater and rehearsal space; a ceramics studio with kilns; photography labs; and an art studio. It is also home to Hoblitzelle Auditorium.Completed in 2002, the Liza Lee Academic Research Center, known as the ARC, is a facility that houses Hockaday libraries, technology hub, science exploration lab, audiovisual editing bays, and publications rooms.The Lower School Gym, known as the Small Gym, contains two basketball courts, Hockaday indoor pool, and a variety of equipment. Middle and Upper School physical education and wellness classes take place in the Penson Athletic Center.Adjoining the Penson Athletic Center, Hockaday’s Wellness Center, completed in 2003, includes the 5,000-square-foot (460 m2) Hill Family Fitness Center, a 1,800-square-foot (170 m2) aerobics room with aerobic and resistance equipment, and athletic training facilities that are equipped for the treatment of sports-related injuries.Hockaday athletic fields are located east of Penson Athletic Center. They include five playing fields, a softball diamond and an all-weather six-lane track. The tennis center includes a covered gallery and 10 tennis courts, some of which are lit.The Ashley H. Priddy Lower School building adjoins the Liza Lee Academic Research Center. The artwork of Lower School students lines the hallways; and a large common room is the stage for special events, such as Pioneer Day and the Medieval Festival. The Lower School building also houses an art room and several music rooms as well as a French caf.The Lower School Addition, which houses pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and primer classrooms, opened in the fall of 2001. Each room features hand-painted tiles created by the Lower School girls themselves and child-height cooking and food preparation areas. The space is finished with a wall of windows that look out on Hockaday playground, the duck pond, and the new Wellness Center. TuitionThe tuition averages ,220 – ,850 for each Upper School day student (not including books). For resident students, costs are approximately ,311 – ,995. Financial aid is granted on the basis of demonstrated family need and the school’s availability of funds. In 2008-2009, 169 students received financial aid. AthleticsAthletics are another aspect of student life at Hockaday. The school participates in 14 interscholastic sports as a member of SPC (Southern Preparatory Conference). In the 2007-2008 school year, Hockaday varsity athletic teams captured championships in field hockey, basketball, soccer, swimming/diving, golf and lacrosse. The remaining spring sports teams finished in the top five in SPC with lacrosse in 2nd place, tennis winning 3rd, and track and field in 4th, the team’s highest finish ever. Eight Hockaday seniors signed letters of intent to play a sport at the collegiate level.From age four, girls participate in daily PE classes, and even in high school, students must participate in either physical education class or athletics (varsity, junior varsity, or out-of-school with demonstrated level of intensity) during every quarter. Clubs and organizationsSome of the more popular clubs are Quizbowl, JETS (Junior Engineering Technical Society), Fashion/Advertising/Design, Mosaico (the Spanish literary magazine), Crossword Puzzle Club, Environmental Awareness, Video Yearbook, and ROAR (a school spirit booster organization). If a particular club does not exist, students may enlist a faculty sponsor, recruit members, and create a chapter on campus.Middle School and Upper School schoolers are given the opportunity to contribute to various student-run publications. In Middle School students learn leadership and responsibility in addition to journalism skills as they write, edit and conduct interviews for Newsway, a student-run newspaper that is published several times a year. Currently, Newsway is an option on elective choices. It is not required for Middle Schoolers to attend this elective, but those who choose it may. The Middle Schoolers also put out Banner, a literary magazine which teaches them skills in editing and drawing, layout and design, cooperation, and public speaking. In Upper School, students have the opportunity to experience the atmosphere and process of a professional newspaper while working on The Fourcast. The Vibrato literary magazine showcases the works of upper school students. It was recently inducted into the NSPA (National Scholastic Press Association) Hall of Fame for earning 10 All-American ratings in an 11-year stretch. The school yearbook, “Cornerstones,” is produced entirely by students and as such, students are responsible for the design, layout, copy, and photographic content.Beginning in the fifth grade there are areas for extracurricular leadership by serving as a club officer or participating in an elected council. Middle schoolers may participate in student government, community service board, or the honor council; the opportunities expand in Upper School to include athletic board, fine arts board, technology board, form council (grades 9-12 are referred to as forms I-IV), academic council and house council (boarding department governing system) as well.The school has a community service program, which operates in conjunction with St. Mark’s, and which requires every upper school student to perform at least 15 hours of service every year, although many students far exceed this quota. H-Club, the school’s hosts and tour guide society, is a popular program. Another notable organization is Hockaday’s debate team, which ranks in the top five nationally for secondary schools. Notable alumnaeBarbara and Jenna Bush (attended until their father’s election as Governor of Texas)Dixie Carter ’82. Businesswoman; president of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.Victoria Clark ’78. Tony award-winning singer.Farrah Forke ’86. Actress.Nasreen Pervin Huq. Prominent women’s activist and campaigner for women’s rights and social justice.Lisa Loeb ’86. Singer-songwriter.Dawn Prestwich ’78. Television producer and screenwriter for FX series The Riches, among other projects.Patricia Richardson ’68. Actress.Lyda Ann Thomas ’54. Mayor of Galveston, Texas. References^ Associated Press (2000-04-04). “Bush used private school option”. http://quest.cjonline.com/stories/040400/gen_private.shtml. Retrieved 2006-08-22. ^ “Cheryl Hall: Ex-Hockaday girl wrangles wrestlers”. Dallas Morning News. 2005-09-27. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/columnists/all/stories/092805dnbusHall.113f6aee.html. Retrieved 2006-08-22. ^ The Hockaday School (2005-06-20). “Hockaday Alumna Wins Tony Award”. Alumnae News. http://www.hockaday.org/alumna/home/detail.asp?newsid=178802. Retrieved 2006-08-22. ^ NNDB. “Patricia Richardson”. http://www.nndb.com/people/577/000044445/. Retrieved 2006-08-22.  External linksThe Hockaday School websitev  d  eSouthwest Preparatory ConferenceAll Saints Episcopal School Casady School Cistercian Preparatory School Episcopal School of Dallas Episcopal High School Fort Worth Country Day School Greenhill School Hockaday School Holland Hall John Cooper School Kinkaid School Oakridge Saint Mary’s Hall St. Andrew’s Episcopal School St. John’s School St. Mark’s School St. Stephen’s Episcopal School Trinity Valley School Categories: High schools in Dallas County, Texas | Middle schools in Texas | Elementary schools in Texas | Independent Schools Association of the Southwest | Private schools in Dallas, Texas | Boarding schools in Texas | Educational institutions established in 1913 | Girls’ schools in the United StatesHidden categories: Articles needing additional references from November 2007 | All articles needing additional references | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from June 2008 | Articles with unsourced statements from May 2008 | Articles with unsourced statements from August 2008 | Texas articles missing geocoordinate data | All articles needing coordinates

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Article by hi joiney

HistoryConfederation S.S. was built as a Canadian Centennial project in the mid-1960s. It officially opened its doors for the first time in February 1968 making it the first English Secondary School in Valley East, Ontario. FootballLike all sports teams at Confederation, the mascot is a Charger. Football at Confederation began in 1968 with a Junior Program but due to financial constraints and a serious injury to one of its players, the team was discontinued in the mid 1980s. Confederation was without football from that time until the fall of 2002 when it fielded a varsity team which posted a respectable 2-4 record in its first season. This was considered quite an accomplishment as the last expansion team of Sudbury District Secondary School Athletic Association, the St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School Bears, had to wait a full 7 seasons before their first win. The Chargers have become a regular member of the post season every year since. In 2003 they made the playoffs for the first time and knocked off the perennial powerhouse St. Charles College Cardinals by a score of 30-16. They then handed the previously undefeated Lasalle Secondary School Lancers their only loss of the season in the championship game by a score of 14-7. Interest in football all across Greater Sudbury then spiked as several high schools hoped to duplicate Confederation’s success. The Sudbury Secondary School Northstars took the field for the first time in over twenty years in 2003, but were unable to match the Chargers’ success, going winless in three of four seasons and subsequently folding in 2007. To replace them that fall was the Lively District Secondary School Hawks who have traditionally fielded excellent flag football teams. However, in their first season they also went winless. Outdoor EducationSituated in beautiful Northern Ontario’s Boreal Forest, Confederation is ideally suited to offer an outstanding Outdoor Education program.These courses provide unique opportunities to develop a personalized approach to healthy active living through participation in classroom activities combined with strenuous outdoor experiences. Students are expected to explore and demonstrate appropriate knowledge, skills, and attitudes within 3 interconnected themes: Outdoor Skills necessary for safe comfortable outdoor experiences in all seasons, Personal Development team-building and leadership skills which stress understanding, respect, and appreciation for self and others, and, Environmental Understanding awareness and respect of all living things and an understanding of basic ecological processes.Students learn wilderness skills such as first aid, Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, winter camping, wilderness survival, ecology, hiking, orienteering, backpacking, swimming, canoeing, weather interpretation, teamwork, and leadership. Each semester the classes take canoe trips through the Temagami wilderness, hiking trips in Killarney Provincial Park, and a winter camping trip where they sleep in quinzhees they have constructed themselves. MusicConfederation is the home of the famous Evolutionary Rock Band. It was started and run by teacher Norm McIntosh since 1979 (when it was still known as the Confed Rock Band). Norm was the inaugural recipient of the Canadian Music Teacher of the Year Juno award. He was also presented 000 for the band’s many costs on behalf of the musicians’ band-aid program.The band consists of 4 vocalists, a 8-piece rhythm section, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, 2 alto saxes, 4 tenor saxes and a 15-member stage crew. The crew can be farther divided into various jobs including sound technicians, guitar effects technicians, light and effects technicians, a fog technician, 2 spotlight operators and a crew manager. Evolutionary band and crew member students are between the ages of 14 and 18. The band was featured on Canada AM in April 2007 for its success in breaking the Guinness world record for ‘deepest concert below the Earth’s surface’. The record was broken at 742 m (2,434.4 feet) below sea level at 3400 level of CVRD Inco’s Copper Cliff North Mine, Copper Cliff, Ontario.In 2008, Evolutionary was recognized as Junior Citizens of the Year at the Community Builders Awards of Excellence for the City of Greater Sudbury.Evolutionary has been visited by such artists as The Tragically Hip, Hedley, Keisha Chante, Sloan, Suzie McNeil, The Trews, Three Days Grace, music publishing executives Mike McCarty, and Deane Cameron and record producer Bob Ezrin.Confederation is also home to the only full scale recording studio in Valley East and is the only school in Ontario that offers recording as a full credit course. Students are taught how to use the most up-to-date recording software and get experience working on short CDs for local artists and learn how to make radio commercials. Evolutionary is a full-credit course. AcademicsToday Confederation is a diverse school that blends academic excellence with athletic and extra-curricular activities available to all of its students. AdministrationThe school is overseen by the Rainbow District School Board. 2006-2007 Administration: Principal: Mike Mirka Trustee: Marco Antonacci See alsohttp://www.rainbowschools.ca/schools/confederationSS/index.phpv  d  eRainbow District School BoardChair of the Board: Dena Morrison  Director of Education: Jean HansonElected Trustees: Gary Bass  Ron Burdenuk  Tyler Campbell  Doreen Dewar  Jeanna MillerElementary SchoolsA.B. Ellis Public School  Adamsdale Public School  Alexander Public School  Algonquin Road Public School  Assiginack Public School  Carl A. Nesbitt Public School  Central Manitoulin Public School  Charles C. McLean Public School  Chelmsford Public School  Churchill Public School  Copper Cliff Public School  C.R. Judd Public School  Cyril Varney Public School  Ernie Checkeris Public School  George Vanier Public School  Jessie Hamilton Public School  Lansdowne Public School  Larchwood Public School  Levack Public School  Little Current Public School  Long Lake Public School  MacLeod Public School  Markstay Public School  Monetville Public School  Northeastern Elementary School  Pinecrest Public School  Princess Anne Public School  Queen Elizabeth Public School  Redwood Acres Public School  R.H. Murray Public School  R.L. Beattie Public School  S. Geiger Public School  Valley View Public School  Wanup Public School  Webbwood Public School  Wembley Public School  Westmount Public SchoolHigh SchoolsChelmsford Valley District Composite School  Confederation Secondary School  Espanola High School  Lasalle Secondary School  Lively District Secondary School  Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School  Lockerby Composite School  Manitoulin Secondary School  Sudbury Secondary SchoolAlternative SchoolsCecil Facer Secondary School  Gatchell Public School  Ruth MacMillan CentreRelated articlesSudbury Catholic District School Board Categories: High schools in Greater SudburyHidden categories: Canada articles missing geocoordinate data | All articles needing coordinates

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