For Students

For dance students with dreams of pursuing their art form professionally, the high school years are a crucial time of preparation. Whether they go to dance camps over the summer or attend competitive dance high schools, many students use this time to take important steps to prepare for higher levels of dance. You may be wondering if you’ve outgrown your local dance studio, or whether you want to continue juggling a hectic schedule that requires you to commute back and forth between your school and your studio. If you’re looking for other options, here are five reasons why you should consider attending a boarding school for dance.

Professional training

The top reason to join a dance boarding high school is the rigor of training you’ll receive. The best dance boarding schools have programs specially designed for students who are interested in dancing in college and/or professionally. The boarding school difference is evident in the caliber of the material you learn, the faculty who work with you, and the fellow students who become your peers.

“My local company was somewhat intense, but I definitely felt that I could be pushed more and I could be challenged more,” says Maxwell Pfluger, a junior at Interlochen Arts Academy majoring in Dance. “I wanted to go to a place that could meet my needs.”

Lindy Sloan, a freshman studying dance at Interlochen, explains another major difference: the opportunity to work

Preventing Teen Suicide

Teen suicide is preventable. Boarding school communities have both the opportunity and responsibility to create an environment in which students feel supported, understood, and empowered to seek help. Recent research shows that school-based prevention programs are making a measurable difference - students at schools with comprehensive prevention programs are 25% less likely to attempt suicide, 13% less likely to make a suicide plan, and 10% less likely to have suicidal thoughts

Understanding the Current Landscape

Every year, there are reports of high school students taking their own lives.

• Suicide casts a terrible pall over any school community. It just seems so pointless, so senseless.
• I fonlymembers of the community acted on the signals the young person was most likely sending, that suicide could have been prevented.
• The academic work in boarding school is heavy.
• The pressures to succeed, get into the best college, and not let parents and others down, combined with the reality of adolescent uncertainties, can create a climate for depression.
• Depression can lead to suicide.

However, suicide is preventable.

Warning Signs and Risk Factors

Suicide is the 3rd largest killer of young adults between the ages of 15-24. But teen suicide is preventable. Know the warning signs.

The following information from Kids Health tells you what to look for.

"Suicide among teens often happens after a stressful life event, such as problems at school, a breakup

Academics: Advanced Placement

At some point in your evaluation of boarding schools, you will examine the academics.

• That bucket covers a lot of ground.
• Academics broadly include teaching style and philosophy, the number and depth of subjects offered, and curriculum.
• Let's discuss curriculum and specifically one of the most commonly used, Advanced Placement (AP), as it is known colloquially.

The Advanced Placement logo is a trademark of the College Board and it's in the Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

What is AP?

AP or Advanced Placement Program is a three-year sequence of high school coursework offered by the College Board in over 34 subject areas.

AP courses provide college-bound high school seniors with a level academic playing field. It doesn't matter whether you are a high school student in Dubuque, Iowa, or Darien, Connecticut, because AP courses and their end-of-course examinations are the same regardless of where they are offered.

• The course content is the same.
• The teaching objectives are the same.
• The preparation for the final examinations is the same.

College admissions professionals can compare student academic achievements with confidence because the standard is the same everywhere, and the final examinations are proctored and graded by the College Board.

• They know precisely what AP means when they see it on your transcript.
• They know exactly what your AP scores represent.

That is the intrinsic value

As you work your way through the school search process, you will do your due diligence carefully. A school's website and social media pages are helpful. Visiting schools in which you are interested is very important. Hearing the positive things men and women have to say about the schools which they attended is also instructive.

Here are comments which alumni left on our Facebook page. I have edited them very slightly for capitalization and punctuation. Some alums attended boarding school in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Others are more recent graduates. Some mention the school they attended. Some do not. No negative reviews? Sure. But you can read those elsewhere on social media.

In their own words.

Best thing is if you want to go. I pressed my parents to send me. They didn’t want me to leave home. We loved each other, and I was an only child. But I wanted to go into the Navy and learn about naval school; so they let me go...Ben

I went for 9th-12th grades. At first, I struggled, but by 12th grade, it was like home to me...Nancy

Outstanding school, wonderful experience. The only regret is I was only able to spend my senior year there...Curt

A wonderful education and, although the boarding rules were strict, I made lifelong friendships!...John

Men of Integrity are hard to find these days - but there were many at Choate - I graduated in 1959....Tim

My opinion is that it is the

What's It Like At Boarding School?

At some point in your boarding school search process, your daughter will ask questions about life at her new school. After all, she has her routine at home and in her current school. But when she goes to her new boarding school, that familiar routine will disappear and be replaced by a new one. Naturally, she will have concerns and questions. Here are some general answers to many of the questions which she will have. Always ask the admissions office at her new school for authoritative answers to your and her specific questions.

This video tells you what one student brought to her boarding school.

Can I use my smartphone?

May I use my smartphone at school? McCallie gives a typical answer in its handbook: "Students are encouraged to use both common courtesy and common sense in the use of technology. " And, by the way, the school handbook is your guide for 95% of your daughter's questions. The rules and regulations contained in the school handbook will be explained thoroughly during orientation. Mailing or receiving calls, texting, and sending emails are generally prohibited in classrooms, dining rooms, and other public places.

Can I use my laptop and tablet?

Boarding schools have Acceptable Use Policies that govern the use of computers at school. These policies will be explained during orientation. Discuss them with your child so that he knows