Schools that don't just value athletics

Daykidmom
Wed, 11 Jun 2014 23:56:36 +0000

I wasn’t going to weigh in on this, since it didn’t sound like OP was particularly interested in a school like Deerfield. But, since this seems to have turned into something of a rag-on-Deerfield thread, let me just say that I think it USED to have a pretty heavy sports (as well as academic) reputation, but in recent years they have made a big commitment to the arts and now there is much more balance. For example, for a music kid, they can do chamber music or chamber singing during regular class time and orchestra at night-- so there’s no conflict with sports. They can also opt out of sports and do music service-- which gives them practice time every day plus doing music as a community service (performances in nursing homes and the like). They’ve invested a lot in new arts facilities, new teachers, and started several new classes and EC groups in the arts, and have been recruiting students who excel in these areas. Not saying the OP should look at it-- just saying the view of the overwhelming sports culture suggested above may be a little dated.