Featured: Winchendon SchoolAlumni Review #1, Class of 2001
About the Author:
College Enrolled
Brown University
Home Town, State (Country)
New York City, NY
Years Attended Boarding School
1
Activities During Boarding School
I was very involved in the gay-straight alliance (called "Open Doors"), and then I became the co-leader. I was a peer counselor for new juniors and seniors. I tutored and played with kids at a homeless shelter weekly. I sat on the literary magazine team-- we voted on whether to accept people's work (which was presented to us anonymously). I worked at a public kindergarden in Alsace, France with an exchange program over spring break my junior year. There are very very strong exchange programs at GS, which tend to be affordable. I didn't really play sports, but there was a sports requirement and a PE requirement, althought sports would fulfill PE. As a result, I sat as manager on the 3/4 field hockey team which was an incredible waste of time considering all of the academic work I had to do. There was also something called "Shift" which was working in the kitchen. This was required for one or two semesters for all new students, and it was incredibly time-consuming, boring, and laborious. I had just arrived at GS and I had a LOT of socializing and studying to do, and it was the last thing I wantd to be doing.
1.) What do you think makes your school unique relative to other boarding schools?
I left the school I was at through 10th grade to go to George School because GS has a reputation for being community oriented, having strong values, and being "open minded." These ideals were pretty much correct, and they were rooted in the fact that the school is Quaker. There was a service requirement, as well as weekly "meeting for worship" (which was really "meeting for silence"), a strong work ethic, and a belief that everyone was valuable. Despite this belief, however, or perhaps as a result of it, priority wasn't given to anyone, and there was little to no special treatment. As a strong student, I found this difficult to cope with, since I didn't feel like I was getting the amount of recognition that would boost my confidence enough to allow me to continue to excel. However, all worked out in the end.
In terms of teaching method, teachers had a large amount of autonomy in the classroom, so it really varied. I think this teacher autonomy, however, distinguishes GS from other places.
2.) What was the best thing that happened to you in boarding school?
The best thing that happened to me was that I worked incredibly hard and achieved a lot. The amount of work I did was obscene. I continue to work that hard. I think I set the stage for my life.
3.) What might you have done differently during your boarding school experience?
When I first arrived at boarding school, I got involved with the girl that lived next door to me (like, involved INVOLVED) and didn't make that many friends as a result. Since I was new and vulnerable, I really got swept up in her, because I was seeking approval so much. That was my biggest mistake.
Application process--hmmm, I'm trying to remember it. I would say just EXPRESS YOURSELF. That is what they like to see at GS. They want those people that are going to "think outside the box" or tilt the community in some way. That is actually one really great thing about GS-- if you want to change stuff, if you want to have an impact, it is really easy. You just try-- and people really respond. Especially the faculty. They love to see that.
4.) What would you never want to change about your school?
Basically all the things I mentioned above that I thought weren't that positive. The rules mostly-- they were just too much to take sometimes. I felt so isolated when the school could even override my PARENTS. Like even if my parents were on my side, the school was still against us.
5.) What things could be improved about your school?
Again, the food, the rules, the dormlife... all the things I mentioned above that I was not too thrilled about.
6.) Do you have any final words of wisdom for visiting or incoming students to your school?
there is a river-- you should ask about it. the campus is stunningly beautiful, so you should explore it. there are horses, if you like them. I thought the barn was smelly. hmmm, I'm thinking. Oh-- there is one good thing in the cafeteria. I think it's if you mix the iced tea and the apple juice and put in ice cubes-- it tastes like it's store-bought.
7.) How was your experience as an international student?
I wasn't an international student, but I can tell you that not being able to get back in time for the start of classes, or having short breaks where everyone else leaves and you are stuck isolated on campus were very problematic. (My roommate junior year was from Bermuda). Homesickness was a problem I think. But that is true everywhere.
1.) What did you like best about your school’s academics?
I was part of a program called International Baccalaureate (IB), but there are really 3 tracks at GS, and I don't know that much about the other 2. (One is just a regular track, the other is English as a Second Language). There is not a lot of inter-mixing between people in the different tracks. IB was amazing and challenging and really really time-consuming. I basically studied all of the time. Teachers were constantly telling us that it would pay off, and it really did. I have received a significant number of course credits at Brown (many more than I would have gotten with just APs, which I also did), and I was given the option to accelerate an ENTIRE year, which I don't think I will do.
Teachers are amazing. They care about you and want to help you and you go and meet with them and they appreciate that and they will even set up regular weekly times to work one-on-one with you.
2.) What did you like least about the academics in your school?
I mentioned this already, but really how challenging they were, and how there was just sort of this sense of "jump in" in a lot of classes. It wasn't SAFE the way it had been before. However, on the brighter side, this is a lot more like college!!! In that way it was wonderful preparation.
1.) What did you like best about your school’s athletics?
I do not really know anything about this. Team spirit I guess (?). I really don't like sports that much.
not that competitive because it was Quaker.
Lots of sports available-- I think all of them.
2.) What did you like least about the athletics in your school?
That it was required. PE was a silly waste of time.
Facilites fine, I think, but not sure. PE facilities were kind of gross though.
1.) What did you like best about your school’s art program?
I did photography for two years. The teacher was amazing. What is great about the art program is that you can really, really delve into one art.
Facilities vary from art to art I think. Nice dance studio, I remember, gorgeous woodworking and ceramics studios. Darkroom was improving and computerizing when I left.
Huge commitment on the part of the school to the arts. Pretty impressive stuff came out of it. There was an art requirement for IB so the IB students tended to be especially talented and committed. But that was true for other students as well.
2.) What did you like least about your school’s art program?
What is not great about the art program is that you don't really have the opportunity (at least in my academic program) to do more than 1.
1.) What did you like most about the extracurricular activities offered at your school?
good diversity of activities-- really good. Student participation was committed at times, and not so committed at other times. It was never due to laziness however, more due to people already having a huge number of commitments. faculty leadership always superb. funds were limited, but they did exist. I can't actually remember too many details on that end, to be honest.
2.) What did you like least about the extracurricular activities offered at your school?
Not usually democratic leadership, although it never seemed to pose too much of a problem.
One problem was that because all the activities were within the school itself, or through the school, the school could limit the number of activities you did or were accepted into (i.e. you weren't allowed to be a hall counselor (prefect) and a peer counselor).
1.) What was the best thing about dorm life in your school?
I got a singe senior year.
2.) What did you like least about dorm life?
The number of rules are pretty over the top. Mandatory roommates most of the time-- seniors can get singles if they don't want to be prefects. Curfews were early. Study hall was a nuisance and really just got in the way of my studying and my activities-- call me independent. Late night food access completely non-existent. I was pretty hungry a lot of the time. Hall parties sometiems. Boys were allowed in, I think. I think you just had to get permission, but it was always incredibly bureacratic. leaving for the weekend was hellish, and I always remember being shocked that the school could override my parents. Certain weekends were "closed weekends" where they wouldn't LET you leave. It was really outrageous. Prefects could be dictatorial and were allowed to give detentions if they thought you were being rude. Since they were peers that could be incredibly problematic. Overall I would say that dorm life was less than ideal, at least junior year.
1.) What was the best thing about your dining arrangements?
I can't think of anything.
2.) What did you like least about your dining arrangements?
The dining hall was only open at select times, and I think there was only one other place on campus to get food, which was also only open at select times. The set-up: just a big room. no assigned seating except once a week for "community dinner" where you have to sit with a faculty member and it's family style (silly tradition, I thought. some people liked it). Food was gross-- but isn't that true at all boarding schools?
1.) How welcome did you feel by the other students when you first arrived at the school
It was pretty hard to make friends, but like I said, I entered junior year. I also was completely swamped with work. I think this experience would vary. People were friendly, but it was often superficial. People make friends with the people they live with, I think.
2.) Describe the level of diversity and integration of students in your school:
Lots of diversity. Not so much integration. It was pretty segregated-- lunch tables, living arrangements, activities, all of it. But I think the students sort of like it that way....
3.) Describe typical fun activities you did on a weekend:
Went out to dinner, open mics every couple of months which tended to be really fun, I went home a lot because my family was kind of close by, did activities with the GSA. proms junior and senior year: both a blast. I had a couple of friends I would set up a boom box outside and we would just dance and scream until it was curfew. sometimes it was really necessary to blow off steam. Dances on campus were a blast too. especially the gay dances-- we had a cross-dressing dance (I organized it) which was a huge huge success.
4.) What was the town like?
There was a town (Newtown) and it was walking distance. There were movies and stuff, but good luck finding one that ended in time to get back for curfew.
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