Singing the Boarding School Blues

Back At School

2007-09-03T00:34:00.000-07:00

I can't believe summer's over! I already have a ton of homework!

At least this year I have my own room.

Later...

Kate

Trouble and Dorm Politics

2007-06-05T19:26:00.000-07:00

The freshman class actually got into absolutely no trouble this year, which might not surprise you, but it surprises me. Last year our class got into so much trouble, we will have to largest group of people who won't graduate from my school. Maybe next years freshman's are a little more mischievous. A lot of people are hoping so because the school over-accepted students and there are going to be way too many students in that class. They might even turn some singles rooms into doubles. I might volunteer to be a a double room next year because the dorm I got was not my first choice.

There was some politics involved in the dorm assignments. Instead of everyone getting their choice, the faculty decided where people would go best, basically putting troublemakers in the places they could be watched and good students in the notoriously sketchy dorms, which is actually quite amusing because in the end, Andrew Kim was sent to the most jocking dorm on campus and Miranda and Stephenie, two of the most hippyish people I know, were sent to the most pop-culture clothes obsessed group of girls I know. Also, Katy a gigantic ogre of a girl got sent to that same dorm.

My dorm is just a random group, we will see how that works out. I did get the worst group of juniors and probably a ton of freshmen, but hopefully I can avoid them.

Kate

What They Don't Tell You On The Tour...

2007-06-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

I guess this year more people got in trouble than other years. Some things go down in history like when four years ago some one got a DC for repeatedly putting Tabasco sauce in the waffle iron, but other things people just try to forget. Most of these happened this year.

This year was a combination of transgressions of academic honesty, drinking and being obvious and aiding and abetting an idiot on psychedelic mushrooms. Supposedly there is a higher standard for students enrolled in a private institution and cheating is supposedly nonexistent, although it happens anyway.

Similarly, we will never get locks on our doors because in such a community environment, who would dare steal? Well thieves of course. But back to cheating, it is quite a serious deal. Next year's president got caught cheating and well, isn't the president anymore. Some people got suspended and then reverse suspended, which means they get to come back after everyone has gone and make up the work they missed, this is pretty much the worst thing high school students can think of.

This year the number one class to cheat in was senior English in which students took their own work from their sophomore year and turned it in again. Their punishment was relatively mild since the rules on this sort of thing are nebulous (hazy, a word from my vocab energizers). Other classes that made the list were history and AP science classes.

In the same league as "cheating" is "the got caught drunk" category. This is usually a mix of party boys and girls who drank so much they needed to be taken to the hospital or wisely decided to pee outside as a teacher walked by. There's never much privacy and if you do something someone will know about it, guaranteed. the only question is who are they and what are they going to do about it?

Lastly, people on the less common drugs usually, depending on their involvement, just get expelled. A few days before finals several boys got caught on shrooms. Even the boys who let them use their room or gave them some water got in trouble. This also resulted in the first official expulsion of the year....

Kate

They Call this a College Prep School

2007-05-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

They call my school a college prep school, but I am not sure in what way they are talking about. I have tried so hard to see if it is more challenging than my last public high school, but I can't tell. My grades have gotten slightly worse; does that mean the work is harder, or am I just graded harder.

If you can't see the difference, then look closer. If the work is harder then I am learning more, that is the goal we are trying to achieve, but to do the same work and get lower grades, what good is that? In any case the change is not significant enough to make any actual conclusion from it, but it makes me wonder: is it worth it? I have given up my family and my nights at home with my dog on my couch watching a movie with my family or god forbid celebrating Easter with them, or waking up early to make my mom breakfast on mother's day. Instead, I hide in my room just to be alone and even then people come barging in to get their shoes or my roommate comes in to play music very loudly when she sees I was watching a movie already.

Why do I always put the headphones on? There are some who are as interested in getting into college as I am, but I wonder: are they suffering under the same delusion as I am? After all, we have been convinced to buy into a product. There are many others who just want to party constantly. Sex, drugs and alcohol-- in some ways it really is preparation for college. For some, I really wonder, am I surrounded by the best and brightest here. Why is so and so here? He isn't smart, charismatic or good at sports. He doesn't participate in activities. He skateboards? I am not sure why we were chosen. Why was I chosen? Did they look at paper and see me? If they had maybe they could understand my disappointment with some of the people.

I came looking for people who shared some of my ambitions, who were widely cultured and had interest in things other than shoes. Maybe I am being to harsh, every once in a while my mind is changed completely. I begin to think: I am good, let's save the money, I don't need this. Then there is some performance or award, someone shows me that they are worth it. I will never know what is my best course, but I will depend on the counsel of my family and friends to help me make the best decision I can.

Kate

College Spam and where do I want to go?

2007-05-22T17:43:00.000-07:00

I have been getting a ton of mail from colleges which is kind of funny because I am only a Sophomore...my mom says it's good, and she wants me to go to Amherst...I've never heard of it, but it did show up on these lists that I found! I haven't gotten any letters from Harvard! Oh well.

2007 Best Universities and Colleges
(Provided by U.S.News & World Report)
National Universities
(Universities that offer programs up to the doctoral level.)

Princeton University

Harvard University

Yale University

California Institute of Technology

Stanford University

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

University of Pennsylvania

Duke University

University of Chicago

Dartmouth College

Columbia University

Complete list of National Universities Liberal Arts Colleges

Williams College

Amherst College

Swarthmore College

Wellesley College

Middlebury College

Carleton College

Pomona College

Bowdoin College

Haverford College

Davidson College

Wesleyan University

I lost my comment!

2007-05-22T17:36:00.000-07:00

Somebody posted a great comment and I tried to publish it using this $^%%## blogger and it just dissappeared! AAAAAAAHHHHH!

Kate

The Winter Dance

2007-05-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

Hi Dear Bloggie! I forgot my password so I haven't posted! SOOOOOOOO sorry! Here are some old things i wanted to post but couldn't!

The formal dance went off without a hitch. It was absolutely amazing. Every single person looked regal and was beaming with enthusiasm (and sometimes with intoxication), but all in all everyone was on their best behavior. At least at first…After the last traces of food had been cleared away from the tables, the dancing began. The band played oldies and new songs, pop and R&B, nobody really cared as long as it didn’t stop. During the brief intermissions, Mr. N. raffled off prizes. Several people won ipods and other electronic devices. Luckily, the only skateboard was won by a boy that actually skateboards and a girl came in to the possession of “The Titanic”.

While at the dance, I didn’t notice much going on. Janine, a rather muscular tan girl who was one of those none stop singing types made out with Conan for most of the night in the middle of the dance floor, much to the disgust of those around. Gwen, a rather pretty and popular senior girl could be seen grinding with several boys at a time, maybe going a bit too wild, even for a second semester senior. And Christy, also a senior, hooked up with Austen, a notorious womanizer(10th grade). Although, all in all this was a positive thing, it had been a long time since the seniors had gotten much attention. The novelty of the freshman girls was finally starting to wear off. It wasn’t until later in the night that I heard about Kevin Lee getting hammered and puking by the rented chariot or Cassie (10th) leaving her panties in the Science wing after nearly being caught with Steven (the junior).

It didn’t come at all as much of a surprise when in our next sophomore class we discussed STDs and whether or not the school should pass out condoms. Mr. M. asked our opinion on the school sex policy. Someone mentioned that at our rival school, the policy is that get caught and you call your partner’s parents to tell them what you were doing. Many people cringed at this thought. Another student noted that at her friend’s school they keep a bowl of condoms next to the health office sign in book. There, it was customary for a girl to take one back at every visit. Mr. M. said that if on one end of the spectrum is a school that harshly enforces that the no sex policy and on the other is a school that sets aside a “special room” for it to happen, where should our school lie? I personally thought our current standing is the best and least awkward place to be. Austen is in that class with me, but he never talks much. Some people wonder if he’s on something…

Kate

Seaweed

2007-05-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

Did you ever order that seaweed, its fine if you didn't, I was just curious. So i had a great time today, daddy came and took me and three friends out to vietnemese noodles, it was wonderful! and then we went to see "the play about the baby" performed by 4 seniors, it was very good. Also, before I forget, the other day when I volunteered at foster homes, i went to talk with old people and i met this guy from switzerlland who was an international chef and he had all these photo albums of himself doing all these amazing cooking contests in germany prewar and then in the united states at fancy places. it was quite cool, but his son was in vietnam and died later due to agent orange and his twin brother just died, so i felt sorry for him wow that was long...

Kate

More Kids Leaving

2007-02-14T00:07:00.000-08:00

A few days later as we were having our last review day for our history final, one of the Courtneys announced she was leaving to go back to her old school, which happened to be the same one as Kate had gone to. I was a bit puzzled as were others. She was a Sophomore and a day student, she had a lot of friends and had earned the respect of many teachers.

Then, on the next Thursday, my directed studies teacher approached me and canceled that night’s session. She was to attend a meeting about one of the students and she hinted that expulsion might be on the table. I was worried. Who could it be? John, a friend of mine on the boys soccer team, entered the cafeteria meeting at that moment.
“What was the score?” I asked him.
“2:0”, we won” he answered, happily.
“That’s great! Did you score?”
“Actually, I didn’t. Sadly, the first time all year.”

The conversation soon turned and I asked him if he knew anything about who might be facing the boot. He told be he thought it was James Macy. (James was also the name of a small freshman boy who forgot his lines in the Romeo and Juliet play the 9th grade English class put on) I told John that Mrs. Rivers had said the person was a senior, James Macy was a junior. He said she must have gotten confused. It had been found out James stole the $700 from the sophomore guys dorm rooms. He was also a day student and had been suspended last year for drugs. John said he had been checked into a rehab clinic the night before. That sounded pretty convincing. .....

Kate

Jan 23, 2007 - Winter Blues

2007-02-04T17:48:00.000-08:00

I am barely getting used to writing 2007 and already it is obvious how different the new year is going to be. I returned from Winter break and shortly afterwards, found how quickly things can change.

Out of a school of nearly three hundred, there is not usually a gigantic repetition of names. Of course you see several people named some of the more common things, but overall most people’s names rarely overlap. However, my name was one of those names.

In our junior class, there was a Kate O’Brien. She was tall with curly brown hair, tan skin and a large white smile. Overall she was very attractive and popular and resided in one of the more exclusive dorms on campus. The day after Martin Luther King day, I talked to one of the teachers, who happened to be her advisor. He mentioned that she had left to attend one of our rival day schools. I asked him ‘why?’ and he said that he guesses she just wasn’t happy here. I hadn’t really known her so this news didn’t really concern me too much.

The Regurgitater

2007-01-10T02:37:00.000-08:00

Well, no matter how I spell the word above, my spell check underlines it. So, I guess it’s not really a real word, but it is a real person. He is Scottish and strange and has quite a sense of humor. Most of all however, he has a crazy and incomprehensible talent. Today I watched him swallow and bring back up many objects of different sizes, shapes, and states of matter.
First, he swallowed change, spitting out rows of coins like a slot machine. Then, he swallowed an eight ball, a lock and key ( he put the key in the lock and locked it) . He puffed a whole cigarette without emitting any smoke. Then he swallowed a lot of soap and blew bubbled, finally making a big bubble filled with cigarette smoke. We sat in amazement as the cloudy bubble floated around and then popped, allowing the smoke to disperse.
He swallowed rings and tacks, a balloon and a nail. He popped the balloon inside his stomach. He swallowed butane gas! Then he burped it up and set it on fire, in a manner that resembled a dragon’s. We watched, horrified as he asked whether we wanted several gold fish to emerge from his stomach “dead or alive?” Some people said they wanted them flayed, but fortunately he brought them all back up alive. One seemed a bit disoriented for a while though. (You would too if you were trapped in a belly of butane gas) He made someone mark a film canister and then swallowed it. When he brought back up that same canister, there was a fish and water inside.
All I could say was WTF?! Don’t ask me how he did it, I have no idea. We tried to get him down to one of our labs for X-rays but he refused, probably better for his showmanship and for me that I not know.

The Guardian, Pizza and Pot

2006-12-20T02:21:00.000-08:00

We watched The Guardian!
Ashton Kutcher is so cute! The theater was packed. When we all climbed on the bus, most people had puffy eyes. I had to blink back tears quite often myself.
As the bus pulled back into school, we were unloaded on the “Pizza lawn”. I decided to walk back to my dorm when I encountered several shadows approaching. Some of my friends appeared and disclosed they were going to wait for (what else?) a pizza. So we walked back up to pizza lawn and tried to entertain ourselves till it arrived. I really don’t like domino’s that much, but it’s the only place that delivers here. As we were waiting, a car pulled out. Inside the car was a blonde I had never seen before. “Anne” told me her name was Michelle. Apparently, she was expelled last year for doing pot. Don’t get mixed up with the stereotypes this is the real story. She might be invited to re-apply next year. The strangest thing is how much the teacher’s actually accept it, and laugh about it, whereas others are hard-core and spend their time sniffing out students.
Kate

The Best Friends of a Boarder:

2006-11-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

Trader Joes!!! I love their food (for those not from here, it is a mostly organic import store)- they have the best foods to keep in your dorm, from chocolate, lemon meringues, cookies, Thai ice teas and caramelized popcorn to full exotic meals that you just add to water or microwave. MMMMMM!!!
My fridge- Keeps things cool for the summertime and lets me save leftovers from good restaurants. The freezer doesn’t work in any fridge on campus, however. My roommate and I were contemplating if we should get a deep freezer for ice cream etc.
My Laptop- many people have Macs (the new one, and they are awesome) but most people still have regular PCs. Get one!! If you don’t have one because they are like your best friend! Homework, checking mail, myspace, checking the weather, whatever, it’s all right there in this little portable box. Plus, everyone plays and shares music through their laptop.

My Big, Thick, Down Blanket - Keeps me warm on the nights where it just freezes. Apparently in order to get heating, we have to appeal to some higher power, this is a very long process, and we are always cold already in early October.

My Bean Bag! Fun for people who come in my room to chat or for me, when I am sitting on the floor with too much stuff to fit on my desk.

Big Baggy Sweatshirts and Shorts! The most comfortable thing to wear ever, only does not work on formal dinner night.

Flip flops! I wear flip flops everywhere (other shoes are still needed). I have to wear shoes to go to the bathroom because it just grosses me out to think how many people share it, but with flip flops it is very easy!

That’s all I can think of right now….

Kate

Friday the Thirteenth

2006-11-22T10:52:00.000-08:00

In order to understand why today was the perfect day, you have to understand that there have been many unlucky experiences for me over the past few days, even weeks. Therefore, you may understand why, although not superstitious, I approached this day with caution.
When I awoke this morning I found that it was the first time it had rained on school in the morning since I arrived. Consequently, the tennis game, I was elated to find, had been canceled. I would have the whole day free after school!

Classes were the usual. I found I had received a good grade on a history paper and Chemistry included a competitive game as a review for Monday’s quiz.

Afterwards, I had the afternoon free in which to finish up some homework (an early start for Monday is the best strategy) and then take a relaxing shower. I felt good and ready to go on the night’s activity: IN and Out and a movie.

Going to In and Out with approximately 100 people was chaos. The two busses pulled into the parking lot and we eagerly spilled into the restaurant, much to the dismay of some of the families. We did try to be orderly, getting in groups of ten to place ridiculously large orders. I am sure they closed early tonight. I was embarrassed to find some girls from my old school waiting impatiently in line behind us. Needless to say, I hid my face.

My burger was delicious. I watched the fries being made; one of the workers presses gigantic potatoes through these blades and dumps them into the deep-fryer. Everything is very fresh. The local kids taught foreigners about the “secret menu”. This amused me, but I am not big on “animal style” fries; I tried them for the first time tonight. What is kind of sad is that I never even knew about the menu that apparently all the locals know about until I went to boarding school.

Anyway, we had some drama at dinner when one of the teachers (teachers are very involved in our lives) responded to “Christy” asking for another fries, by saying “ I don’t know what “Kevin” sees in you” Many people thought this was going to far. Christy is petite, but she doesn’t eat petite portions (she’s not unhealthy either).

Kate

Classes etc... Continued!

2006-10-26T05:28:00.000-07:00

The diverse population allows for some really interesting perspectives on virtually any subject. Just the other day while studying imperialism, and the question of whether or not the Imperialistic country should change the rituals of the occupied country, a boy from Saudi Arabia was able to give a full account on some of the customs and regulations of that country (although he disagreed with many).

With about 10 students per class, the teacher never misses a confused expression and automatically questions a student, who she recognizes is lost. The teacher is upfront when describing the difficulty of a test, but reassures those who receive an uncharacteristic grade, that they still have opportunities to make it up before receiving grade reports. In my last period class, many A students received C’s. My teacher went through the material and then excused the class early so that those who needed to, could stay behind and ask him questions. There is no opportunity to fall asleep during class, and you have to be on your toes pretty much all the time, but this makes learning a lot easier. For me, Science was always a particularly difficult class. I would listen to the teacher lecture, while doodling on my notes. Therefore, I often missed ideas and was forced to go back and relearn things. Now, when the teacher goes over something, she asks me questions, prompting me to pay attention and testing my knowledge at all stages until we actually take our test.

Homework sucks, it is the same endless stuff, I have always received and there is a lot more of it. I would like to think that it is easier because it was something we already talked about earlier that day. The classes are definitely in a unique set-up, but it is very efficient.

Kate

PS...I need some pictures!

My Classes

2006-10-18T11:25:00.000-07:00

How are the classes at boarding school different from public school? Well, let me first explain to you my schedule. Today, an ordinary Thursday, I only had four classes, spread throughout the day. During free periods I usually do homework or check my email. We only have school every other Saturday. A lot of people complain about this, but it is a lot easier to have a few classes on Saturday since we are here anyway, than it is to have them all piled into the week. We call Friday extended Thursday, but really Saturday is extended. I don’t really miss my Saturday, so much as my Friday nights.

Anyway, we have a ton of discussions. Class time mainly consists of our own opinions and thoughts being voiced rather than the teacher droning on for endless amounts of time. This allows us to better comprehend the material, and often adds to not only our understanding, but the teacher’s as well.

Oops late for class gotta run!

Kate

The Down Side

2006-10-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

All right, now I would be lying if I said that there is no down side, and because I am a truthful person, I would like to paint you a full picture, instead of one half obscured. I am separated from my family and my old friends, this is hard, and communication is sometimes a chore. There is no privacy. People can poke their heads into the middle of your life whenever they see fit. The rumors, though usually not cruelly intended, can be exaggerated cruelly.

I cannot make my own schedule; sometimes it is difficult even to manage my time efficiently because it is not the way I normally would have done things. I miss home cooked meals, watching a favorite TV show with my family, playing with my dogs, going to the grocery store, and other small things that I took pleasure in not too long ago.

Often, students here get bored, sometimes resulting in getting into trouble. It does cost a lot of money, not only the tuition, but other things as well. We had to buy our books, buy supplies for our trips, and pay to use the laundry machines or go on most trips. Your whole way of life changes, so if you aren’t open to change it might not be for you. I would not recommend going because I can’t since I don’t know you, but I will recommend looking into it.

The Rules!

2006-10-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

The rules are strict, but easy to follow. There are expulsions pretty much every year, but the disciplinary committee (comprised of students and teachers) is usually fair and consistent with its punishments. Teachers are very well educated, maybe even overqualified, staying here for many years because they love their job, and taking interest in the well-being of every student.

In my opinion, one of the reasons the colleges accept the students from this school is that they come with high personal recommendations from people who know them well. I do not feel restricted either. Recently, another student decided he would like to learn Latin. He approached a teacher and she began giving him informal lessons. Intrigued, I joined in, bringing along a friend. Now, the three of us meet twice a week and are applying for credits. I have found that it is a very valuable experience in many different aspects.

Kate

Fashion - Keeping up with The Rockefellers

2006-10-11T02:50:00.000-07:00

The next thing that people may be wondering: what about fashion? We don’t have uniforms at my school, some people daily wear cute outfits and some people wear baggy school sweatshirts and jeans. It is not a discriminating factor among us, financial standing does not determine style and mostly it is what they feel comfortable in. More on this later!

Gotta Run,

Kate

The Chow at Boarding School!

2006-10-11T02:46:00.000-07:00

The food here is nutritious, usually, and as long as you don’t get caught in a whirl wind of dorm food and faculty offered cookies, you will find yourself staying healthy. Still, trips out to restaurants are always a joyous occasion. Some useful snacks to have in your dorm: popcorn, chocolates, fruit, chips, water, sodas and some people have quick meals like cup-a-noodle or rice bowls. Personally, I can’t stand those though; they taste like the noodles we get here anyway!

Kate

Sports at Boarding School

2006-10-09T04:03:00.000-07:00

Sports are done for fun mainly, even though they are usually also required. It is not intense, although that varies from team to team. Overall, people choose a sport they are interested in, go with the outdoors program, or do some independent training. As long as that person is active enough to need a shower afterwards, there is no problem. This takes a lot of the stress off, it is still competitive enough to keep you on your toes and progressing as an athlete, but it is also about having fun. Different levels enable people to find where they best fit in.

Kate

The Good Things About Boarding School - Part I

2006-10-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

First, let me tell you some of the advantages. Students who poured themselves into their studies, have every resource at their door, they no longer need to sacrifice their social life for their future. For me, arriving on time to school every morning was an ever-passionate battle between my family and me. Rushing my brother and even my mother out the door at 6:45 in the morning was my heaviest burden as a student because it was a near impossible task and I was always so close to failure. Now, I can role out of bed ( I am the required to make my bed) put on some clothes and walk to breakfast and class. Easy! So, independence is the first good characteristic of a boarding school student. I would say it has already made me more responsible also, but I must confess, I take my laundry home on the weekends.

I live a mere half an hour a way. So, actually, I had a tough decision to make between being a boarding and day student. Day students miss out on a lot, since many of the activities are geared towards boarders, plus often they have to stay here very late anyway. All in all, it is a lot less stress.

Boarders also grow very close to everyone on campus. The school becomes not only a home and community, but also something that closely resembles a family. Though it sounds cheesy, it is true. Everyone becomes connected, which is also one of the reasons why rumors fly like rockets around campus, but this is more because people are concerned, not because they are malicious. I found myself feeling a lot more free to express who I was. Many times, eccentricity is celebrated; some of the weirdest people I know are the most popular!

Gotta Run, More Later!
Kate

How I Got To Boarding School

2006-10-05T14:59:00.000-07:00

My life has been a series of changes. I constantly changed homes, and as I grew, faces and bodies, and then also personalities. One thing I thought I would never change is the fact that I was a public school student. Something I could say easily with pride. I looked forward to working my way up, gaining admission to choice colleges by my sheer dedication and hard work. I had always been a diligent student and knew I would be taking the maximum every step of the way.
However, a realization hit me my Freshman year of high school. I was looking through the graduating class acceptance list and there were few schools on there that I would have considered going to. Many of the students who wound up at mediocre colleges took many of the same classes that I myself planned to take and they participated in various extra-curricular programs also. I got on the internet (my ever faithful companion) and proceeded to check out some other schools and their acceptance rates. Meanwhile, my aunt, a boarding school alumna, had sent out applications to some of the local boarding schools. Boarding school had never been an option for me, unless I had been dreaming about Hogwarts and magic wands, but after I was accepted I began to question further: was public school right for me?
In the end I went, and took with me a hefty chunk out of my parents’ pocket. Don’t be alarmed now, there is a ton of financial aid available. I might even qualify next year. This year, because I had not even considered going originally, my parents never filled out the required forms. My experiences at boarding school would qualify me, maybe not to rate every boarding school across the country, but to offer some information, or guide potential students into this complicated new world.