<p>KAR1969 - Being a strong athlete is definitely a “hook” and will give your son an edge in admission to SPS and all boarding schools. It depends on his test scores and academic ability as well, however. The school will cut him some slack on scores/grades given his athletic prowess yet the school has to feel that he can handle the academics before they will accept him. They definitely don’t want to accept a student and watch him/her struggle and fail. Questions to ask yourself: Where exactly are his SSAT scores? The school will be looking at the SSAT Percentile Ranks not the Estimated National Percentile Rank. Are his grades more As or more Bs and how strong is your son’s current school? How easy is it to get As or Bs currently? How strong an athlete is your child and what is your basis for comparison? Would he be competitive at a regional or national level in his sports? I’ve seen many kids who get a lot of accolades on teams in their small to medium sized New England town but aren’t as strong at a more competitive level (and therefore won’t have as strong of an athletic hook). Not saying this applies in any way to your son just something I have witnessed on multiple occasions. I am an SPS parent. Feel free to PM me if you have questions.</p>
<p>Craig Vandersea is the head football coach and the head baseball coach. He also happens to be on the admissions committee.
Make sure he knows about your son. Also, make sure you make it very clear that SPS is his first choice. They want to know that if he is admitted, he will attend.
Finally, if you can go back and revisit, it would be a huge help. Call Coach Vandersea, tell him you are coming back “just to look around” and ask if he would have some time to sit with you. It gives your son a second chance at an “interview”.</p>
<p>I watched the SPS football coach bring the football program back from a winless era and then saw his style as an interim baseball coach. He knows how to prepare student- athletes for the next level. As a graduate of SPS and someone who works at New Hampton School – a community that has enjoyed an amazing transformation and is also a wonderful boarding school option – I believe you will find tremendous football opportunities there.</p>
<p>Now is the time to relax. The applications are in. In most cases there is nothing more you can do. Just exhale and see what transpires. Applications ebb and flow as do the # of openings. If it helps… Chances of getting admitted should be better this year than the last few. But time will tell. </p>
<p>Good luck to all the applicants out there (and to the parents). This is a time when good parenting skills are crucial.</p>
<p>What has happened to fine arts department head Ian Torney? He seems suddenly to no longer be there, with no apparent explanation on the school’s website.</p>
<p>My understanding is that Ian Torney is no longer on staff at SPS due to family issues. What exactly, I do not know and I’m sure the school is respecting his privacy. </p>
<p>I do know that the school has some great faculty in various capacities in the Arts. If anyone has questions about the SPS Arts I would reach out to Callahan in the Fine Arts, Valdes in the Theater Dept and Seaton for Music programs. They are all great teachers and I’m sure would be helpful to anyone.</p>
<p>Yes, I understood that Callahan had jumped in to take his place. Thank you for replying. I’m sorry his departure wasn’t noted on the school website . . . but perhaps there hasn’t been time yet.</p>
<p>I just toured the new Lindsay Center for Mathematics and Science today. What an amazing building - open, light-filled and state of the art. The students and faculty are very fortunate to have such a facility. It has to be among the best - if not the best - facility for high school students in the world and from what I’ve seen it rivals the facilities at the best colleges IMHO. I hope you all get a chance to visit it next time you are on campus.</p>
<p>Creative1, I have seen the photos of the Lindsey Center and it does indeed look amazing. I do have a question about the big earth hovering over the circular table. Is this in a classroom or a common area and does the globe change? It seems to be different in several photos.</p>
<p>Hi I am applying to St.Pauls and was wondering about the town. I wanted to know if it has lots of stores and restaurants or if it isn’t very great.</p>
<p>neatoburrito - I took an informal tour so I don’t know too much about the giant earth globe but it did look interesting while I was peeking around the building. It is in its own room and is tied to a computer so it can display different info. When I was in the room, it was displaying plane travel across the globe. it was interesting to see how lit up both coasts of the US were as well as Asia, and to a much lesser extent, Europe and major cities in South America. I’m sure someone else can chime in with a more scientific description of the globe.</p>
<p>Winthrop23 - I think one’s opinion of Concord, NH depends on where you are coming from. If you are a NYC resident, Concord will seem very sleepy to you but it fulfills the needs of the community. There is a growing variety of restaurants from your typical burger and pizza joints to Thai, Indian, Chinese, Vegan, etc. There are a few nice upscale restaurants that are popular for that special dinner out and plenty to chose from among more casual options. There are movie theaters and some stores. There are usually shuttle buses on Saturdays or kids will go in together to get a cab. If the weather is nice, you can bike to town or even walk if you’re feeling energetic. NH has no sales tax so if you can’t find something in local stores, online shopping is popular as many online merchants have free shipping and there is no sales tax on shipments to NH. What NH lacks in terms of shopping vs. big cities like Boston and NYC, is more than made up for, in my opinion, for the options nature provides in NH - hiking, skiing, etc. SPS is a beautiful campus and kids enjoy skating outdoors when the ice is frozen and during early fall and late spring, those same ponds and lakes offer great swimming. :)</p>
<p>I too found the new Lindsey Center to be absolutely breathtaking, & loved being able to tour it this weekend.
To explain the large sphere, I can not even begin to do justice to the amazing demonstration we were given. What I can sayid that I have never seen anything like it before. It is 1 of only 79 in the world, & the only retractable one in the world. Of the 79 in existence, 76 are in museums, 2 are in universities, & SPS is the only high school in the world with this piece of equipment. With a computer & multiple projectors, it was unbelievable, the images we were shown. It can also be used for mathematics, such as non-Euclidean geometry.
In the basement of the building, is a vast space dedicated to robotics, with a 3-D printer - it was all beyond impressive.</p>
<p>Winthrop 23 - There isn’t much going on in Concord. It may be the capital of NH, but that’s about it. Most kids spend their time on campus. Periodically they’ll go out for pizza or a movie, but not for much more. Everything you need is on campus.</p>
<p>We toured the Lindsay Center during the first Saturday classes in the building in November. It had only been opened 3-4 days and kids were already in labs! What a great place to study! We got to spend two days at SPS because daughter took dance class on Friday and we toured the next day.</p>
<p>Winthrop 23 -
There is alot more than pizza available in Concord. My son (junior) goes out for a great Steak or Sushi dinner a few times a month with friends.
[Restaurants</a> in Concord, NH on Yahoo! Local](<a href=“http://local.yahoo.com/NH/Concord/Food+Dining/Restaurants/Restaurants]Restaurants”>http://local.yahoo.com/NH/Concord/Food+Dining/Restaurants/Restaurants)</p>
<p>If you want to go to a movie there are plenty of theaters in the area (within 15 minutes of school ) [Movie</a> Theaters in Concord, NH 03301 - Moviefone](<a href=“http://www.moviefone.com/showtimes/concord-nh/03301/theaters]Movie”>Movie Showtimes Near Concord, NH 03301 | Moviefone)</p>
<p>And much more to enjoy in Concord if you seek it.</p>
<p>SPS might be a touch far to get to, but it’s in a fine location. Great place. There are other schools in more ‘rural’ situations.</p>
<p>Although Concord doesn’t have those fancy and upscale stores, it have everything that meets your regular needs. Comparing some schools that seem to be isolated from outside world, I like the location of SPS.</p>
<p>How are the dorms at SPS. I was able to visit Warren, but my tour guides told me it was small for a dorm at SPS. </p>
<p>Are most dorm rooms big at SPS? Does every floor of each dorm have a nice common room and kitchen?</p>
<p>SPSHopeful - As far as the dorms, they stack up favorably to college dorms. The rooms are a very reasonable size. Common rooms have plenty of comfortable furniture with nice televisions. Each floor has a small kitchen with a stove, microwave and fridge.
My son loves his dorm (Armour) and says it’s the best on campus (his opinion). He also tells me Nash is really great.
All in all, he loves the living arrangements - the people, advisors and prefects, the kids, everything. He says SPS is the greatest place he’s ever been.</p>
<p>are there any other applicants here for 2012 junior year?</p>