St. Paul's School Concord NH

<p>Thank you imallin !!! Good to know. That was what I was looking for.
Really looking forward to our visit! I hope he loves it as much as our first visit so I can relax and we can just say yes to SPS.
The other options are Taft, Hotchkiss, and Deerfield all of which have fairly strong lacrosse as well as good academics…But he seems to be leaning SPS</p>

<p>If you really want the best lax go to Deerfield. Their starting lineup is basically all PGs committed to D1 schools… but because of this your son may see little playing time on varsity when he would otherwise stand out at taft, hotch, or sps.
I believe SPS is on the rise and they will be a top team in a few years. Their coach seems really enthusiastic and he even runs a florida spring break trip.</p>

<p>I wonder how many incoming freshmen, like me, find the whole concept of PG athletes playing what is clearly and definably “high school sports” --which must mean something-- something short of stacking the deck, bending the rules, or putting a hand on the scales? It is what it is, but I can’t help but feel it is not a very good example of athletic veritas, I guess, and all claim that that is the essence of a great education.</p>

<p>The PG concern is a real one. The fact is though, many top athletes “repeat” - in other words they attend their local public school for freshman, then repeat freshman year at a prep school. This makes them a form of PG. At SPS there are definitely repeats, but it isn’t overwhelming. My son has been successful in football, basketball and lacrosse, without being a repeat.
If you attend a school with a strong PG program, you likely won’t see a lot of varsity playing time until senior year, unless you’re a real standout.</p>

<p>my cousin’s D just got accepted to SPS. We all know it is a great school. But nobody or schools are perfect, so is SPS. If there are something you think SPS should improve or change, what are they?</p>

<p>Hi everyone! At St. Paul’s, how are the weekends? What is the average workload of homework? Thanks!</p>

<p>gr8pond - I don’t think that repeats are really the same thing as PGs. Someone who repeated 9th grade but spent 4 years at St. Paul’s might be as old as a PG, but they’re not athletes who are brought in for a year just to beef up a varsity team. 6th formers at SPS are very much leaders in the student community, whereas it’s difficult if not impossible for a PG to play that role.</p>

<p>My child is a very happy 4th former at SPS, and is having a fantastic experience. It has been everything my child hoped for. One of the numerous things that attracted us to SPS is that there are no PGs. Every boarding school will have several students repeating a grade upon entry, and the reasons for the choice to repeat could indeed be related to athletics, but could equally be about a student being young for their school year, or some other such situation. As friendlymom says, in no way are those students like PGs by their senior year. Instead, they are integral parts of the community. I feel badly for the multi-year athletes at schools that do have active PG programs, for you can play hard for your school for four years, and be bumped out of the positions you have worked so hard for by a student brought in for just a year for that very reason. Just my opinion.</p>

<p>I have the read the posts from mayhew abd friendlymom and understabd their concerns with PGs and repeats as athletes. I have experience with both and have seen situations where an incoming repeat 10th or 11th grader has displaced an upcoming student on a specific team so it is not only PG students who may displace a rising student athlete. And even if a school does not have PG students it doesn’t mean that a repeat student athlete won’t take a spot from someone else. I think it is necessary to explain to your son or daughter how athletics work at boarding schools. All BS I know have at least one team they are very competitive and try to fill the team with the best student athletes they can whether it be repeats or PG students.</p>

<p>my cousin’s D just got accepted to SPS. We all know it is a great school. But nobody or schools are perfect, so is SPS. If there are something you think SPS should improve or change, what are they?</p>

<p>On the issue of athletics, the Fall 2012 issue of the SPS Alumni Horae had a very interesting article about the decline in 3-sport athletes and the corresponding increased specialization. It seems like it’s harder and harder for JV athletes to rise in the ranks; but on the flip side, if you just want to play for the sake of it, there’s more opportunity on JV teams. </p>

<p><a href=“https://www.sps.edu/podium/default.aspx?t=144561&rc=1[/url]”>https://www.sps.edu/podium/default.aspx?t=144561&rc=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I’ll post later in response to mom8dad (great username, by the way).</p>

<p>mom8dad- if you ask my D what she would change or improve, I bet her answer would be “the food”. Or maybe the new rules about heel height for seated meal.</p>

<p>I think more to the point is the question of what is integral to SPS, and whether it’s something your niece wants. For example, SPS has four-class dorms, and you don’t necessarily stay in the same house for multiple years. I think that’s a major plus about the school but others might see it as a negative. Also, there is integrated humanities (English and history/social studies taught as one course) through the junior year. Again, I think there are benefits to that approach but others may not. From reading these boards it looks like there’s more freedom with course choice in 9th and 10th grades at some other schools than there is at SPS. St. Paul’s is a little less regimented than some schools - there’s no required study hall, boys and girls are allowed in each other’s rooms at designated times, etc. Some kids will do well in that setting and others need more structure. There is also the religious aspect, with required Chapel and an emphasis on religious values in daily life. A plus for me even though we’re not Episcopalian (and even my D admits to liking Chapel) - but not everyone’s cup of tea.</p>

<p>Good luck to your niece. If she chooses to attend SPS she’ll have a chance to spend the next few years in a very special place!</p>

<p>thank you, friendlymom . Could you also please answer the question paldenangel asked "At St. Paul’s, how are the weekends? What is the average workload of homework? " Thanks</p>

<p>Students are better qualified to answer this than I am, but I’ll tell you what I know. The workload has been one of my D’s biggest adjustments at SPS. It’s far more work than she had in middle school - although her middle school was probably lighter on homework than many which would make the contrast greater. Teachers make themselves available for extra help in the evenings when they’re on dorm duty (before check-in time) which she’s found extremely helpful. Even though there’s a lot of work, I think she gets to bed by around 11 most nights.</p>

<p>SPS has Saturday classes so the “weekend” is about 36 hours long (shorter if you’re on a JV or varsity team). There are events every Saturday night: a dance, a night sports game, activities in the athletic center, etc. The Rectory has an Open House just about every Saturday which is fun and relaxing (and there’s food). Students can go into Concord to do errands, eat, go to movies, etc. According to my D, Sunday brunch is the best meal of the week and I think most people spend a long time there talking to friends.</p>

<p>FriendlyMom, I agree that PGs are different than repeats culturally, but not necessarily athletically. Each year SPS brings in repeat 5th formers, many from Canada, to play various sports. There were three on last year’s football team. The only difference between this practice and that of a PG is that at SPS repeats get to play two to three years while a PG plays only one.</p>

<p>Hey guys,</p>

<p>It’s great to know that all of you got accepted. Congrats! I just wanted to know if any of you got onto the waiting list? I was put onto to the waiting list as a third form boy. Did any of you get a call from them yet? Just curious, to see how others are doing. Thanks!</p>

<p>St. Paul’s class of 2017!!!</p>

<p>Congratulations! Were you on the waitlist, or were you accepted on March 10?</p>

<p>Olkerpaw56</p>

<p>I was accepted on March 10. They will probably start taking people off the wl in a few days. Best of luck to you! I hope you get off :)</p>

<p>Thanks a bunch! If I do get off the waiting list, hope to see you there at St. Paul!</p>