Hi Everyone,
DS is thinking about following his big sister to Cate. Although she (and we!) could not be happier with the school, it is a reach for him despite sibling status. So, in the spirit of casting a wide and thoughtful net 
DS has put together a pretty good list of other schools to visit. The three schools mentioned above are on his list, but get very little attention here. I’m wondering if anyone has any general thoughts, anecdotes, impressions or even first-hand experience with Brooks, Suffield or Westminster? DS is both an artist and an athlete, but with no recruitable hooks.
It drives me crazy that so many excellent schools get little to no airtime on this forum! Sigh.
We visited Suffield 4 years ago when we were looking… and we were really impressed. Super friendly community, and they have a terrific headmaster in Charlie Cahn. We spent about half an hour chatting in his office, and what a down to earth, relatable guy he was. He seemed to really love his job. The campus was lovely, and they had just completed adding a beautiful college counseling wing to the main building. They reportedly take college counseling VERY seriously there. We REALLY liked the school, but didn’t get a chance to revisit – D was waitlisted.
Thanks @cameo43 ! It seems like a really great school - I can’t wait to visit! The only comment that I’ve heard (from a couple of friends) is that Suffield is very focused on athletics. Not sure what this means (aren’t they all?) but did it appear that way to you?
PS - I agree that there are so many wonderful schools out there that get zero recognition here.
They do have a lot of sporty kids and very enthusiastic school spirit. But the headmaster, in speaking to us, really lauded the achievements of kids in other areas, like theater, music, art, and academics, didn’t seem to be a huge emphasis on athletics (though we had heard those same ‘athletic focused’ comments from people). To us, it seemed like pretty much all aspects of the school are driven with enthusiastic participants. We met a music teacher on our tour, and when she heard D was a singer, she insisted on bringing her to one of the rehearsal spaces for a chat. Theater seemed very big there, too. Sometimes I think people make those "athletic-focused’ comments about schools that have winning teams… but wouldn’t anyone want a school whose teams win more than lose? The school spirit and pride comes from different areas, but let’s face it… everyone wants their school to win the game!
My DD applied to Brooks. It is beautiful and we loved the admissions officer. Academics are terrific and so are sports, and it seems like a great community, welcoming and with good values and community service emphasis. They also have a winter term that sounds awesome, with 3 week special immersive classes. My DD ended up picking a different school (their rival, Governor’s Academy) but it was a tough decision!
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Interesting - thanks so much for your responses!
I have a nephew at Westminster and have many friends who have attended. It may not get the attention here that it deserves because at 390 students with 30% attending as day students it is on the small side and I think has a more regional appeal than some of the schools that are discussed here more frequently. The academics are great as is college placement and they fight well above their weight in sports, competing favorably against much larger schools in the already very competitive Founder’s League. Students there seem very well rounded.
I second the Suffield comments made by @cameo43 . Our entire family was both impressed and comfortable at the school and it was a strong choice for us. We have no doubts DC would have been happy at Suffield (DC is an athlete and musician), and DC was particularly attracted to their leadership development program and the sense of community we felt there.
DS toured St. George’s last Spring, and attended a summer program at Choate over the summer. In putting together his list, I asked him to think about what elements of those schools were appealing to him (plus Cate, which obviously he is very familiar with). He loved the school spirit at each and feels that the kids seemed happy to be there and proud of their school. Although DS is a city kid with an interest in the arts, he’s a sucker for school traditions, spirit and history. Cate seems to have this balance down really really well, and both Choate & St. George’s have impressive arts offerings alongside their traditional boarding school vibe.
Any thoughts on how Brooks, Suffield & Westminster might compare based on this info? DS is not a hockey/lax player, so I’m a little wary of schools where these sports may dominate the social scene for boys.
May be too late for this, but my son is at Westminster - 2 years now, is not an athlete at all, and has been very happy. Though the academics are the #1 priority there for sure, it should be noted that the theater at Westminster is top notch- professional level.
I don’t have any first hand information on any, but one of DS’s best friends will be attending Suffield in September. His family has a lot of BS attendees and looked very broadly. The kid chose Suffield over several others, including Choate, I think largely due to the atmosphere. Really smart kid, laid-back, excellent musician, athletic but more at a recreational level. He wanted to be close to a town, so he didn’t look at some of the more remote schools. Suffield does not have a hockey team. My son had a very favorable impression from chatting with one of the AOs at a secondary school fair, but it didn’t make it onto his list. I’ve been on the Westminster campus several times and it’s beautiful. I think there’s a large day-student population, and I don’t think the sports are at the same level as some of the other similar schools.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
It is indeed. The OP’s son made his decision last April. Closing thread.