Pomfret School - Review #6

What made attending Pomfret such a great experience for me was the sense of community. Being a student at Pomfret, you feel like you are part of a big family. Each day there is a school-wide gathering of some sort, either in chapel, school-meeting, or sit-down lunch. Now, at a bigger school, I miss being able to greet each person by name!

At Pomfret, I really came into my own. I grew into a stronger, more confident person with my own set of morals and standards. I feel that I was challenged in every aspect - academically, athletically, socially, and spiritually. I learned so much about other people's lives and cultures, as it is such a diverse campus. I am forever grateful to Pomfret for helping me develop my own beliefs.

The advice I can offer other kids is to take advantage of every opportunity you are given, and don't be afraid to try things that are different from what you are used to or what your friends are doing. The difference between Pomfret and other schools is that you are free to try new things - sometimes those things end up becoming a huge part of your life. If I had not tried singing in the chorus, I would have never gotten over my fear of singing because I would not have had the experiences with the chorus or met the people that I did.

Overall, I liked the people at my school. Everyday I was motivated by the other people that were around me. We were all very different from each other, but that helped each of us to grow and learn so much from each other. I made friends at Pomfret, both students and teachers, that I know I will have forever.

Take one afternoon to go sit at the top of the hill by the baseball field and watch the sunset over the hill with the golf course. I watched that when I was a prospective student and it took my breath away...

I did well academically at Pomfret, but nothing came easily. I challenged myself with some honors and AP classes, which were a lot of work, but each was well worth it because I learned great work habits with managing time and studying for tests. What is so great about the learning atmosphere is the teachers. I liked being so comfortable with my teachers that I could always ask for help when I needed it. The teachers at Pomfret are definitely of a different caliber; you know that they love what they teach and they want to help you learn in any way they can.

Athletics became a huge part of my life while I was at Pomfret. Pomfret requires that you participate in a sport/extracurricular each trimester, which is a great aspect about the school. I felt that each sport in which I participated was a different experience, but each was very team-oriented. I became so close with each of the teams for which I played; it's another example of the community at Pomfret. Even though sporting events take place at the same times on Wednesdays and Saturdays, I felt that there were always people - parents, faculty, fellow students - there supporting my teams. I felt an immense sense of pride playing sports for Pomfret. My senior year was a huge year for my athletics, as I was preparing for the Naval Academy. I worked out with my crew coach during the fall to prepare for the physical test I needed as part of my application, and she helped me get a lot faster and stronger for the test. My basketball coach also assisted me in becoming stronger, both for basketball and for my future of doing lots of push-ups and such. The relationships I had with my coaches and teammates helped to mold me into the person I am today.

I entered Pomfret absolutely terrified of singing in front of anyone. However, by the time I was a senior, I was a member of the a capella group and also had a solo! It was through the experiences at Pomfret that I gained the confidence to overcome my fear and find something that is now a huge part of my life. I am currently in four singing groups in college and have a lead role in the winter musical - six years ago, I would have never imagined this.

There are so many extracurricular activities at Pomfret that I couldn't even name them all if I tried. I look back at my yearbook and I'm amazed at all of the ambitious students at Pomfret - even though there are so many groups, each group is extremely dedicated to its cause. I felt like there were always announcements for canned food drives and fundraisers for different causes or organizations. It's pretty impressive.

I was a day student at Pomfret. I think I had the best of both worlds because I was able to go home each night, but I really only went home to sleep - I was always at school, whether for sports practice, study groups, student council meetings, or just hanging out with my boarder friends. I would have loved to board there though, having seen the bonds my friends had who lived together.

The dining hall was great - there was always food out, even between meals, even if just fruit or bagels. During mealtime, there was always something for any type of appetite. I loved the main meals, which always consisted of several types of hot food, and there was always a few desserts set out next to it. The salad bar was extensive, as well as the sandwich bar, and there was always spaghetti, cereal, and toast/bagels. I never went hungry while I was at Pomfret!

The surrounding town is beautiful, very colonial, very quaint. Pomfret School is basically on top of a hill, hence the common phrase "on the hilltop." The Vanilla Bean is a popular cafe about half a mile from the school. The students always liked to walk there after school or on Sundays, as there's basically a path of grass to follow all the way down the road to The Bean. There is also an Xtra Mart just past the Vanilla Bean, also within walking distance. The school is great about taking shuttles to nearby Wal-mart and other stores that are in ten minutes away in the town of Putnam.

I liked how there are always social events going on, from a simple game of ultimate frisbee out on the quad to a dance in the art studio (yes, the art studio). The weekends always bring something fun, like a concert, dance, comedy show. I was never bored at Pomfret, and seldom did I hear others were.