<p>@Exie: My D has her own “agenda” for both visits as well, prompted by some frank discussions we’ve had since M10. It is important I think for her to get a feel for the schools that is deeper and broader than that afforded by viewbooks, an hour with a student tour guide, and “how she got along with her AO”.</p>
<p>She is wise. My daughter wouldn’t let us give her an opinion. And I was banned from revisits because I’d seen the schools during the interview round. Your D sounds a lot like mine. Very independent. </p>
<p>My husband said that in both revisits my D was whisked away by a student and he was sent in a different direction. But because of that - he was able to request things he wanted to see (facilities, Spanish class while she was in Latin, etc.) He was talking to staff while she was visiting girls in a dorm.</p>
<p>My husband got a much fuller perspective from being on campus most of the day than I got in the whirlwind tour. I’m glad. He’s a dad letting his daughter leave the state without him - so he was a tough grader and I don’t think the school was surprised by that. </p>
<p>Still - she waited until the last possible moment to tell us which school she wanted and if she wanted to stay on the A waiting list. Probably to torture me. :)</p>
<p>@Teddy100
My son is SAS’04. He entered SAS as a 4th former (10th grade). He said in retrospect, he wished he’d entered in 3rd form. It would have been easier to make friends. That being said, he made some wonderful friends there with whom it seems they will be lifelong friends. He’s not much of an extrovert (but I wouldn’t call him an introvert either).
At his previous high school, he was near the top of his class. Transferring to St. Andrew’s School, he really had to work hard just to stay middle of the road.</p>
<p>Great revisit day in Middletown this week. Sunny but cold. Food was very good, and kids every bit as articulate, polite, and polished as any school we’ve visited. D was paired up with a freshman girl to shadow for a few classes while the parents got to hear a few panels of deans/teachers. Parents and kids reunited for lunch (though not necessarily at the same tables) and then stayed together for some afternoon musical performances, a senior panel, and some closing words by Headmaster Tad Roach.</p>
<p>Some things I heard that I liked a lot…</p>
<p>Headmaster Tad Roach:
Citing a recent email from a parent, he spoke to “parents’ deepest aspirations” for their kids vs. our “highest aspirations”. That perspective is what I think has consistently set SAS apart from the other schools we’ve visited. In the afternoon session, a prospective student asked the familiar “What makes SAS different?”, and among many things in his eloquent response, Roach said something to the effect of “Ironic detachment is perhaps the worst/least desireable result of education.”</p>
<p>Academic Dean Nathan Costa:
Spoke to a desire to “cultivate a fascination” in SAS students.</p>
<p>Another thing I learned on revisit: SAS does not offer laundry service. Every kid is expected to do his/her own laundry. The Deans admitted that kids demonstrated this life skill with varying degrees of success.</p>
<p>I’m bumping this up for bschooler2011, hope this helps.</p>
<p>Hi everyone – I’m thinking of applying next year to St. Andrew’s. It sounds like an amazing community to me, but my parents are unsure of how good it is. Could anyone briefly list the best and worst aspects of the school (academics, athletics, student life, etc.)? Thanks :)</p>
<p>@futureboarder: It depends on what your parents’ definition of “good” is.</p>
<p>My wife and I certainly feel that St. Andrew’s is “good” enough in terms of academics that we are confident sending our high-performing (SSAT 2350+) daughter to St. Andrew’s next Fall as part of the Form of 2015. She herself has exceptionally high standards for her academic experience and peers, and is quite excited about her choice of high school.</p>
<p>The campus has a private, “enclave” like feeling. It is, to our eyes, beautiful in the same way that Groton and St. Paul’s are — a way that some other schools never will be. We could see no signs of deferred maintenance. As you probably know, “Dead Poets’ Society” was filmed at St. Andrew’s, so just watch that if you want to see some beauty shots.</p>
<p>In fact, get your parents and watch this excerpt now: [YouTube</a> - Dead Poets Society Part 1](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube)</p>
<p>The room with the mural from the opening scenes is the main dining room of the school, and the chapel the processional goes into is the real chapel…which is located symbolically at the “heart” of Founders’ Hall…the original and primary academic building. Keep in mind that this is just a movie: the school is co-ed, and Tad Roach is a lot cooler than the headmaster shown in the film. Though, like the movie’s fictional school, SAS does have a bag pipe corps. At around 5:27 into the linked clip is a great shot of Founder’s Hall from across Noxontown Pond.</p>
<p>As for student life, we definitely liked what we saw over the course of our visit/revisit. The kids we met on our revisit were as polished and articulate as any we’d met on our “great BS tour of 2010” (which included the H, E, and S of the “HADES” acronym group). The students were friendly, did not “trash talk” other schools, and were comfortable and respectful/polite (this is a HUGE deal for me) in their interactions with adults. We are also big fans of mandatory chapel and the frequent “family meals” with assigned seating to foster interaction. </p>
<p>Note that there is no internet in student rooms, but it is available in the common rooms of the dorms and in all the academic corridors. Cell phone use is restricted to certain hours (according to the handbook we received). My daughter thinks both of these conditions are very good things, and so do we. Third Formers have mandatory study hall (not unlike Groton), which we also like…as it promotes good study habits in a critical transition year. The dorm rooms are smaller and in some cases more dated (as I note below regarding location, this would be no different than living at home!) than those at other schools…we only saw girls’ dorms. </p>
<p>Sports…besides the issue of not being in league like the ISL and NOT offering ice hockey, I think the sporting scene at SAS is fine. Disclaimer: We are not a super sporty family. Pretty sure they offer “thirds” teams for all of those people who want to try a sport. They are in the process of building a new fieldhouse right now. And have you seen how many shells (crew) they have? Over 20 for a school of about 300.</p>
<p>As for downsides, here are two that come to mind:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Location…Middletown is not a metropolis by any means (but have you been to Lakeville, CT lately?). School is not directly connected to a town (in the way something like an Exeter is), and requires a bike ride or car ride to get to stores. As I’ve noted elsewhere on the forum, this isn’t much of a negative to us because that’s not unlike her life at home. And Middletown isn’t that far from Wilmington and Philadelphia, either.</p></li>
<li><p>Perceived college matriculation weakness…some folks (perhaps your own) will look at the St. Andrew’s matriculation list and wonder where all the Ivies are. But look more closely and you’ll see many selective LACs on there, including Williams. IIRC, they either sent or had admits for about 7 kids to Williams last year…that’s nearly 10% of the class. This may not be “good” enough for your family, but it’s certainly good enough for me, and I went to an Ivy.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>More than anything, I think St. Andrew’s fosters an extremely healthy and socially aware high school experience, espousing values that too often go by the wayside in today’s culture. Read the chapel talks given by Mr. Roach and you’ll get a better picture. Even the welcome letters he sent upon our daughter’s admission had a different tone. </p>
<p>A tone, that to our ears, is all sorts of “good”.</p>
<p>[Note, St. Andrew’s recently refreshed their site (just today even?)…from what I can tell, mostly the home page, incorporating some newish photos. <a href=“http://www.standrews-de.org%5B/url%5D”>www.standrews-de.org</a>]</p>
<p>I would support everything that SevenDad has said.
I’m a parent of SAS '04. It’s fun to read his observations because he says a lot of what attracted us to SAS to begin with. Back then, no cellphones were allowed, and only hall phones existed in the dorms. Internet was not allowed in the dorms at all.
I’ll just add that the athletic teams are made up of everyone. The school’s so small that everyone plays varsity. And guess what? They’re very successful! They draw their strength from great leadership and outstanding teamwork. I believe that their crew teams (that’s what they’re called I think?) are probably the best, and their football is also great.
The performing arts and visual arts are another outstanding area. For such a small school, the amount of talent they have and cultivate is unbelievable.
During my son’s time there, one of the things I observed was that children of heads of other boarding schools attended SAS. To me that said a lot.
I wish you luck on your boarding school search.
SevenDad, I know that your family will totally enjoy your time at St. Andrew’s.</p>
<p>Thanks for this great insight SevenDad and mom0809 – it certainly helped clear up some things for my family! I read some of Mr. Roach’s chapel talks - they were wonderful if not downright inspirational - and I just watched the admission video. Seems like a very nurturing community with excellent academics, athletics, and arts. By the way, my mom, who did crew all through her high school and college years, read your post and now is insisting that I apply to SAS because of what you said :)</p>
<p>I was at SAS for a race last weekend. I was so jealous of the pond we raced on. If only my school could have that! The campus was beautiful! It looks like a great school.</p>
<p>Does anyone have experience with both Groton and SAS? They seem to have similar feels to them. Please, no one compare average sat or Ivy matriculation because those are not the things that I use to gauge how “good” a school is. 7Dad, did your d visit Groton this year as well?</p>
<p>@neato: We did visit/interview at Groton over the summer (and again in the Fall to get a vibe for campus when school was in session). On our first visit to St. Andrew’s, my wife and I did remark on how similar a feel it had to Groton. Admissions teams at both were very friendly, and both campuses have a private/“enclave” feel (which we like) that comes from be detached from a town.</p>
<p>Other observations:
- St. Andrew’s is even smaller than Groton in terms of the number of students (approx 300 vs. 350)
- Groton lacks the “crazy science building” that many of the New England schools have (Exeter’s Phelps, Deerfield’s Koch center, the new building at SPS)…SAS has a nice and relatively new dedicated science building, but nothing massive like the “brand name” Sci centers mentioned above. Then again, both SAS and Groton support much smaller student bodies.
- Pretty sure both schools have mandatory study hall for their younger forms (again, something we like)
- Groton has a Latin/Greek (2 years) requirement, I don’t think SAS requires it
- Groton’s motto is “Cui Servire Est Regnare” (loosely, “To serve is to rule”), but the school does not have a service requirement. We were surprised to learn that SAS does not either, as it seemed like so many students are involved in some service project or another (I think I recall 80% of student body does some sort of regular service project)
- The facilities at SAS seemed a bit better maintained across the board than Groton’s, with no visible evidence of “deferred maintenance”.
- Groton’s FSA (Faculty Sponsored Activity) program seems like a very cool way to get clubs going or to pursue sports not offered at the team level.
- Groton’s chapel rivals St. Paul’s for sheer grandeur</p>
<p>What put us off Groton ultimately was the Hunter Perkins incident. While one could argue that the time to go to any school is immediately AFTER anything like this, we just didn’t feel as positive that it was the right environment for our daughter. That, and the fact that we felt we had the “small school” angle well covered with SAS.</p>
<p>I am a rising senior at SAS and one of next year’s co-presidents as well. St. Andrew’s has been my home for the past three years… I am also in the admissions video quite a bit 
It was filmed my freshman year. I know all of these teachers personally, and am well versed in most things concerning the school, but I can also give a student’s perspective to anyone who would like one. Send me a message or reply here and I can tell you more or answer any questions.</p>
<p>Honestly, St. Andrew’s changed my life. I was a terrible public school, working my butt off for little or no reward, it seemed. But now I am in the process of applying to colleges I thought I would never have the chance to even consider. IT has opened every door for me. And even if you are not looking for a special opportunity, as I was, the school is amazing. I have never made friends like I have there. Dorm life, class life, everything is wonderful. And the relationships you form with the faculty, even, are lifelong ones. They have become my other family. I now have about 300 siblings and 75 parents that I never had before. Even on my worst days there are people there to support me… and the feeling is mutual, I would do anything for any student, faculty or staff member there, even the ones I may not be very ‘close’ with. I have become a stronger, happier, more intelligent and especially more compassionate person since I have been there. For those of you who are particularly interested in community service, the service opportunities at SAS are endless, and student contributions are encouraged. Not a month goes by that a new student-run club or fundraiser is started for some amazing cause. Community service is not required for anyone but everyone participates, whether in clubs or in regular commitments to volunteer. The SAS community is a utopian one… we often refer to the “St. Andrew’s Bubble”. At times we seem to live in our own little world where anything is possible… yet we re also always aware of what is going on outside of our community and our roles in the larger world. Mr. Roach is an amazing role model, headmaster and friend to all of us. And all of our teachers are like this. I have gone to my advisor’s house at midnight before when I needed his advice, but I could also go to any one of my teachers or coaches or any faculty members any time I need them. </p>
<p>I would gladly take another four years there if given the chance :)</p>
<p>FYI, the SAS Boys 8 won their opening race of this year’s Henley.</p>
<p>From ESPN:</p>
<p>“In the Princess Elizabeth Cup for schoolboy eights, considered one of the most prestigious events in the world for junior rowing, St. Andrew’s School beat St. Paul’s School [UK] by 2 lengths. The two crews were level just after the start, but St. Andrew’s gradually moved ahead.”</p>
<p>Another SAS update from Henley:
Boys 8 comes from behind to win their race today. On to next round (final four)!</p>
<p>All of my brothers did Crew (my oldest was a recruited cox to Berkeley) so I’m definitely interested in SAS now that I learned they have a good Crew program.</p>
<p>Sent from my iPhone using CC</p>
<p>Another Henley update…SAS won their semi yesterday vs. Eton and will race in final today at approx. 10 AM EST. Go to SAS site for links to live coverage and stories from the race.</p>
<p>FYI, the SAS boy’s 8 lost in the finals to Abingdon (who set the new course record in their own semi yesterday). Not the Henley ending I would have hoped for, but still a very strong showing by the Saints.</p>