Hey everyone,
I am an 8th grader choosing between the two boarding schools above. One of the things that I really want to take into consideration is the student life at both schools. I’ve gotten some information from virtual sessions, and Deerfield seems to have more traditions and school spirit than Hotchkiss - for example, it has Spring Day, Choate Day bonfire, semi-formal and other school dances, weekend movies, etc. I haven’t received much input about Hotchkiss’s traditions or student life as much as I have from Deerfield, but I have heard of Taft Day and Headmaster’s Holiday. Can anyone give me more information as to the student life at both schools? Which one has better student activities? This also includes clubs and extra-curricular activities, which I would really like a variety of.
So… yeah, if anyone could give more information, that would be great. Thanks!
Deerfield has MANY traditions and tons of school spirit! I can’t remember them all… Here are some of the fun offerings and traditions:
- Freshman overnight at Camp Beckett
- Climbing The Rock
- Kick Off Black Out Dance - first weekend
- Swimming at the river
- Carnival Day
- Fall BBQ
- Disco Dance - second weekend
- Seated meals (all year long)
- Halloween Dance
- Choate Day - week long activities, BonFire, games, Dress up days
- St Paul’s School Day
- Twin Day (dress up)
- Pajama Days
- White Outs/Black Outs for games
- Thanksgiving Dinner
- Christmas Semi-formal dance
- Christmas Dinner (Beef Wellington & Baked Alaska)
- Nutcracker performance
- Head of School Day (Harry from One Direction announced it one year)
- Winter KFC (performance showcase concert)
- 80’s night at the hockey rink
- Breakfast at the sugar shack (seasonal for maple syrup)
- Hoe-Down
- Easter Day - people go out together for brunch off campus
- Student Dance Showcase
- Spring KFC (student showcase concert)
- Senior Day
- Spring Day
- Climb the rock in spring
- Junior Prom & Senior Prom
- Shrive at the Riv
- Senior Cry
- Step Up (for Juniors)
- Final Bonfire
- Final Evensong (Seniors are not there)
Thank you @Golfgr8!
Now, as for Hotchkiss… can anyone give me a similar list of Hotchkiss’s traditions as well? From what I know so far it kind of seems like Deerfield has a lot more traditions and school spirit days than Hotchkiss, but maybe that’s just me. If anyone could give more info about Hotchkiss’s student life that would be great. Thanks!
@highschoolperson can you ask the Admissions office to hook you up with a current student so you can get answers straight from them? I can come up with a partial list, but I’m a parent. Hotchkiss also has lots of dances, many of which have traditions, like the Blue and White Dance (find @hotchkissdanceasks on Instagram – and note how mixed up the ethnicities are in the couples) and Prom; there’s Taft Day, and the week leading up to it, there are Headmaster’s Holidays which can be triggered by the student body going to the Head’s house at night and serenading him; there’s the Christmas service in the Chapel, Senior Carnival etc etc etc. I tip my hat to @Golfgr8 I definitely couldn’t come up with a comprehensive list like that.
I am sorry, but really BOTH schools have great school spirit and traditions.
Thanks @cinnamon1212 !
Agree that both schools have tons of traditions and enthusiasm!
- Do ask Admissions if they can connect you with someone - maybe even someone in your neck of the woods who knows what its like to be away at BS.
- We have a parents network to do this, maybe Hotchkiss does also?
FWIW - when my kiddo was applying to Hotchkiss, we watched a video series that a student made @ life at the school and her “style”. I think her name was Caleigh. It was great - even though she had a few product plugs. I believe she was the daughter of a faculty member there. The point was that she is very cheerful and upbeat about life at Hotchkiss.
In the interest of always trying to be helpful AND because Hotchkiss shares our disdain for all things Taft…here is a spirit video from Hotchkiss a couple of years ago - made the week of the big game against Taft.
https://youtu.be/jbWniLkdzHY
We LOVE Bucky!!
(Wish we had a mascot, other than a door - oh wait, we have Captain Deerfield - not as good as Bucky!)
“Choate Day” is actually the final day of a week of spirit activities in the autumn at Deerfield. Here is a link to the video of this year’s big day. Kiddo is in there somewhere scoring a goal against Choate.
https://youtu.be/nJNlEmtAEn8
Ok, thanks, guys. I have been connecting with a ton of faculty members and students from both schools over the past few weeks, so I think now I just have to compile all the information I’ve gotten and make a decision.
You have been great at gathering resources and supportive advice. No matter what, it will all turn out for the best - we are here to support you!
@highschoolperson what did you decide?
To the OP and your original question: Hope the information helped! Congrats to all of you who had this wonderful choice between these 2 schools!
Look forward to hearing from you both @Londonkid and @highschoolperson when you start next year!
Hey guys, sorry for the very late response. I wanted to let you know the school that I eventually chose. After a long and tough contemplation between two very similar schools, I have decided to become a part of… (drumroll please) Hotchkiss! It was a very hard decision, but I chose Hotchkiss because I felt that it would be a better fit for me personally and it was closer to home. Thank you for all of your answers over the past few weeks; you guys gave me a lot of help in the tough decision-making process. Good luck everyone, and Go Bearcats!
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@highschoolperson Congratulations, and welcome to Bearcat Army!
I will PM you should you have any questions our THS son or I can help you with this Spring and Summer.
All the best to you.
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