Decision Day

March 10th – If you are not the parent of an 8th grader, March 10th is a day like any other.  If, however, you are an 8th grader or the parent of an 8th grader that has applied to an independent secondary school, then you understand that March 10th is “Decision Day.”  That is, Mach 10th is the day that most independent high schools announce their admission decisions.  Over the years, this has started to change, as more schools are engaging in rolling admission; but for many of our families, this coming Tuesday will be a stressful one.  I know, as I went through “Decision Day” with both of my children.

As Head of School, however, I am less anxious, as I am confident that The Beech Hill School goes to great lengths to help those students and families that are interested in exploring their post-BHS options.  In the fall, we welcomed almost 20 high schools to our annual school fair, and in our Skills classes, all 8th Grade students spent time considering what they were seeking in a high school.  Likewise, as early as the 7th Grade spring, all students learn how to take standardized tests, like the SSAT.  In addition, all parents can work one-on-one with me in considering the possible pathway ahead for their child.   By the time that students are in the application process, they should have a high degree of confidence that the schools to which they are applying are a good fit.  Historically, BHS students have had great success in the application process.

Of course, no matter how confident one might be that they have applied to a school that is the perfect fit, and that they have taken all the steps necessary to make their application stand-out – nothing in life is certain.  And it is that uncertainty that makes Tuesday a challenging day for our students and families.  As such, I wish our students and families the best of luck this Tuesday.

More Perfect

On Monday, we will gather to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Like almost all holidays, most folks have the day off from other obligations to celebrate as they see fit.  When living in the mid-Atlantic region, however, I witnessed the way in which others actively honor Dr. King through service, community gatherings and what were referred to as a “Day On” as opposed to a day off.  At BHS, we have adopted this active celebration, as the work of our nation, of Dr. King, and The Beech Hill School are in almost perfect alignment.

In the preamble to the Constitution, its purpose is clearly stated as to “form a more perfect union.”  This is a call to action – in perpetuity, for the people of the United States to work to make our union more perfect.  This idea is clearly aspirational for our nation.  Dr. King shared his aspirational optimism in his “I Have a Dream” speech – in so far as he acknowledges that his current reality did not reflect the realities he hoped for his progeny.  At The Beech Hill School, one of the core ideals in our Foundations of Community is “aspiration,” confirming our understanding that, individually and collectively, it is always possible to make improvements.

So, The Constitution, Dr. King, and The Beech Hill School are all optimistic that we can, through active and thoughtful work, become better versions of ourselves, and in turn, of our communities.  That work is never fully complete, but tomorrow we will remind ourselves of Dr. King’s work and his hopes of a beloved community.  Hopefully, with our continued efforts, we can get that much closer to “more perfect.”

Cool, but not that cool...

Happy New Year and Welcome 2026!

Although classes won’t start until tomorrow, Mr. Holt and I had the pleasure of administering the SSAT exam at BHS yesterday morning.  As I proctored the 15 students working their way through over 3 hours of testing, I suddenly remembered when I took the SSATs in the fall of 1986.

Way back then, I had no idea of what I was about to do.  I did not come from a place where SSAT tests were part of what anyone that I knew would call normal.  However, I grew up down the road from Choate Rosemary Hall, a boarding school that enrolled day students.  Without really understanding the process, I decided to apply to Choate, and discovered that I would need to take the SSAT.  Fortunately, Choate hosted the test on campus, otherwise, I would have no idea where one would take a test such as this.

I vividly recall walking into the test in one of their basketball courts, with what seemed like hundreds of desks lined up where I had once attended a basketball clinic.  The clinic was fun – this was scary.

I also remember clearly seeing a kid that I knew a little, Aaron Webb.  Aaron did not go to my public school; he went to a small private school a couple of towns over.  Aaron held himself with supreme confidence, what today would be referred to as swagger.  It was the type of cool that bordered indifference.  It was hard to know whether he saw himself as the Fonz or Jeff Spicoli, but he did not look scared or nervous.

I went on to take the test that day and, fortunately, did well enough, in addition to the rest of my application, to be admitted to Choate Rosemary Hall.  Attending Choate was the single most important experience in my life.  It set me on a course that I could never have imagined as a child in Wallingford, Connecticut.  For the most part, it started with the SSATs.

Now as Head of School, I have come to understand that the SSAT test should neither be scary, nor should it cause anxiety.  Further, I know that taking a standardized test of any sort is a skill that can be practiced, developed, and learned.  In fact, one can prepare specifically for the SSAT, and I have witnessed significant improvements in some students through preparation.  As such, SSAT preparation is becoming a larger part of The Beech Hill School’s Skill’s curriculum.

While I don’t want my students to walk into the SSAT with the over-the-top cool of Aaron Webb, I do hope that they will find themselves prepared and confident in this, or any standardized test setting they confront in their lives.

What goes around...

On Wednesday, The Beech Hill School’s Board of Directors gathered on campus for their  fall/winter meeting. The Science Room was reconfigured for the event, and the Board considered a wide variety of topics over the course of several hours.  It was exciting to recognize that we have successfully developed and executed so many initiatives in the 3-year Strategic Plan that was approved 18 months ago. 

For me, however, the most exciting part of the meeting happened in the opening minutes.  For the first time in the School’s history, a graduate of The Beech Hill School was officially elected to The Board of Directors!  Wyatt Ellinwood, a graduate of the very first class at BHS joined the board and has ushered in a new generation of leadership.  In its first fourteen years, the School has benefitted from exceptional leadership and guidance at The Board level by individuals that care deeply about the present and future of BHS.  As one that lived the experience and that will always call BHS his school, Wyatt brings a unique perspective and that is really exciting!

Unexpected Learning

This is time of year when classes are starting all over the country – from pre-K to Pre-Med.  While many younger students must take a clearly defined set of classes, a large number of students are still trying to select their classes.  At many schools, it can be a challenge to get the exact class that one desires.  While it may not be that all students are in the exact class they want, one never knows the impact of what they may learn in any given class. Or, as the Grateful Dead lyric goes – “once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places, if you look at it right.”

Perhaps there is no better example of unintended learning, than the story of Steve Jobs and what he learned by attending a calligraphy class at Reed College.  One might not expect that a tech focused individual would get much from a calligraphy class, but the tale has been well told, that it was in this class that Jobs learned to appreciate multiple fonts and spacing – which has become a critical piece of the Apple experience.

Here at The Beech Hill School, our students are choosing their electives for the fall trimester.  I am always amazed that our small school can offer up almost 10 elective classes every trimester, ranging from painting to robotics; gardening to drama – and it seems like just about everything in between. Our students are quite fortunate to have these choices, and although some may not get the exact class they want – like Steve Jobs, they all will have the chance to learn something that could have an unexpected impact later in their lives.  In the end, we never know when we might have the opportunity to “get shown the light.”