St. Paul's School Concord NH - Page 119

emdee · 10-27-2009, 10:19 PM

Family Weekend was fantastic. My d said the food was much better than usual, enjoyed the mini classes, but didn't like being called on by her math teacher to answer a question, lol, loved meeting other parents and getting an idea of what she is doing everyday. Loved seeing d happy and adjusting.

sshmom · 10-29-2009, 10:40 AM

Hi, I'm new to this thread. Recently visited SPS with my son, an 8th grader. We loved the school and he will apply. Originally, we were only considering day schools, but felt comfortable with the nurturing/community oriented boarding experience at SPS. In my research of the school, I just came across an old article in Vanity Fair about scandals at the school that occurred 5 years ago. My question to those on this thread is - how has the school changed in the last 5 years? How did they respond to those scandals (headmaster receiving excessive compensation, hazing, drowning)? How does SPS today compare to SPS 5-10 years ago?

sk8 · 10-29-2009, 10:52 AM

sshmom, My daughter is a new 3rd former at SPS. I knew of the controversy regarding the former rector as my husband went there, but there are others on this thread better able to answer those questions. The new rector Bill Matthews is amazing as is his wife. They are a very visable presence on campus and my daughter loves going to rectory on Saturday nights. I hope he will be there for the next 4 years. We just got back from parents weekend and my daughter is thriving. She is happy, has nice friends. Her advisor is great. I am just so grateful she is in such a wonderful place.

Sarum · 10-29-2009, 11:59 AM

Ditto for my reaction to SPS this past weekend. 5 year old events are water under the bridge. My III Form son loves it!

CCJS1234 · 11-02-2009, 09:55 PM

Is it true that SPS doesn't have a musical theatre program??? When I went on my tour and interview they hinted that there is only general drama, and i found this to be sad. How many (major) productions do the students put on per year?

3tuitions · 11-03-2009, 09:10 PM

You're sad? Apply to another school

creative1 · 11-04-2009, 09:56 AM

CCJS1234 - In the past, the Theater program has been drama oriented. However, I have heard rumors that musical theater may be in the works. SPS should - they have GREAT vocal talent and I believe the theater directors have a background in musical theater. I would suggest you contact the theater director and ask:

David Valdés
Director of Theatre Program
(603) 229-4780
dvaldes@sps.edu

Mattisca · 11-05-2009, 11:15 AM

I am very much impressed to see recent records of SPS Football V & JV. They are 4W & 2L for JV and 2W &4L for V (recently made 2W in a row ). Isn't it a big difference from records of previous years? Thanks for the efforts of coaches and players in making this enormous changes.

mayhew · 11-05-2009, 04:42 PM

Winterset, in post #1756 (I think!) you mentioned the median SSAT scores (mid-80s range) of the current new students. Are these the set of scores that rank students against other independent school students, or are these the numbers that come up when students are ranked against each other nationally? I see that there are 2 different numbers on SSAT result sheets, one for student ranking against private school children, and one against all peer students nationally (public).
I have a D very interested in St. Pauls's - we will visit next autumn. In the meantime, I would love to have a mental idea as to where she needs to be regarding her SSATs. Thank you!

Sarum · 11-05-2009, 05:10 PM

Mattisca - Yes, there is a difference. The teams are winning, Coach Vandersea in his second year, has instilled a new level of pride, determination and commitment in the boys. They are having fun on these teams, and I doubt many will be quitting the F'Ball team in V & VI Forms as they had in recent years. D1A scouts have been sniffing around as well.

creative1 · 11-05-2009, 05:17 PM

mayhew - the percentage quoted for SSATs here, or on boardingschoolreview.com, is vs. other independent school students. It is not the national number.

mayhew · 11-05-2009, 08:45 PM

Creative1: Thank you for letting me know which it is - the national number is SO much higher, it did seem a bit too good to be true! Anyway, it is really good to have a benchmark now to keep in mind .....

Winterset · 11-07-2009, 08:16 AM

In case you did not catch it.... today's New York Times has an article on financial aid at prep schools titled "Prep Schools Face Cuts in Student Aid" http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/business/07prep.html As you all know, the St. Paul's budget for aid will be up for next year. While SPS is mentioned in the chart, it does not quote SPS until the end where it points out that it has reduced its reliance on endowment from 50% seven years ago to 29% now. It finishes by saying "Today, many schools wish that they had done the same."

neatoburrito · 11-07-2009, 09:06 AM

Sigh......It doesn't look good anywhere. What concerns me are the changes in tax laws, both in rate increases and the changes in charitable giving deductions.

That's not change I can believe in. It's bad for everyone, not just those making the donations, but those who are the fortunate recipients of other's generosity. Schools, hospitals, emergency relief....

zozza1 · 11-08-2009, 03:48 AM

Does SPS have an essay as part of its application? I thought there was, but I can't find it, anywhere, on the app. :S