<p>I think unfortunately people often treat this board as the “boarding school admission” forum and forget about the many great day prep schools. Even more distressing to me is the emphasis on 5 or 10 schools clustered at the top, to the detriment of the fine schools outside that tight circle.</p>
<p>(IOW, glad to see MPS being discussed!)</p>
<p>Pomfret School in northeastern CT has a great arts program. All students are required to take 6 semesters of art. AP art students do huge self portraits on the studio walls in the last weeks of school after the exam. It’s quite impressive!</p>
<p>Thank you all for your insights and experiences. There are truely many wonderful schools for girls and we are fortunate to have so many to choose from in CT and MA. Although our family has boarding legacy, Deerfield, etc. and our daughter was accepted by some great schools, we decided a boarding school environment is not right for us/our daughter. Since we are fortunate to live close to wonderful day schools, we are delighted that our daughter will be attending one of these. In our case, Lauralton Hall. Some input for those engaged in high school search; there is such a strong need for a spiritual and moral compass in today’s world of “Gossip Girl”, “The Hills”, Formspring, etc. and in our case, Fairfield County. Although my daughter is not Catholic, as is also the case with many other girls attending her new school, we believe that the environment, philosophy and integration of these universal values are integral to formation of character. Having attended ivies ourselves, it amazes me that there is so much discussion on this board of rankings, college admissions, what the formula for success is, etc. without enough regard for which school is the right place for a young person to pursue their passions or discover what these passions are. So, for those who are struggling with your or your child’s pursuit of highest ranking school, may I suggest, don’t. Use a different lens, one which focuses on where will my son or daughter develop the strongest character, wisdom to know right from wrong and discover and pursue their passions.</p>
<p>Well, you can develop strong character at ranked schools too, imo.</p>
<p>One last point that may be helpful for those considering a single sex education for their daughters or just seeking ways to help them thrive. There is a great book by a physician and psychologist, Leonard Sax, “Girls on the Edge: The Four Factors Driving the New Crisis for Girls-Sexual Identity, the Cyberbubble, Obsessions, Environmental Toxins”. He also wrote one on boys, “Boys Adrift”.</p>
<p>How many students are accepted to Harvard is truly not THE measure of how good a school is.</p>