<p>Alex, when I say upstate NY, I mean closer to Canada then NYC. I think a lot of kids come from Westchester county, but I don’t really consider that upstate. I live in a town that still has tons of farms with a small downtown. We’re talking two traffic lights in the village. It is a highly educated area, due to the location of a major company’s headquarters here. As a result, our public school is exceptional. Last year, 13% of our graduating class (138 kids), ended up at ivies. Four were to Harvard. But there is no diversity. One family of color, and no international kids, with the exception of the few Rotary exchange kids that come each year. Financial diversity exists, due to the agriculture here, but most of the kids who live on farms tend to hang out together and often don’t have the time to do extra activities. At Mercersburg, the kids differences all tend to blend together. My daughter is happiest when in the throng of friends, and judging from my visitis and her multitudes of pictures, her friends include asian kids, african american kids, hispanic kids, middle eastern kids and more I am sure. The only time she remarks about it is when it is not present, ie, when she is home and says that everyone is the same.</p>