Hi all.
I’m a parent with a 3rd form (Freshman) son at St. Paul’s School (SPS) in Concord, NH.
What can I answer for you???
- boys lacrosse
- public school to private/boarding school
- twins away from home
Have your twins commented on the work load and academic expectations at SPS versus their former public school ?
I am a current student (4th form/sophomore) at SPS, so feel free to ask me questions as well!
How well do students enjoy going to the chapel 4-5 times a week. Is it non denominational?
Also how many hours a day do you spend on home work/ office hours as a freshman/ sophomore and junior? Can you shed some light on the Voice program at SPS
Thank you
Chapel is personally one of my favorite parts of the day. A lot of students like it except for the fact that it’s really early. We attend chapel 4 days a week, and it’s more like an assembly than a religious service. During chapel, we start by singing a hymn together, and then the “program” of the day starts. The program can consist of chapel talks (teachers, students, sometimes visitors), and student musicians sometimes perform their instrument. We occasionally have special chapel for cultural celebrations – for the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, the Asian Society put together a performance of traditional Chinese dance, music, and the Chinese classes recited poems.
St. Paul’s is Episcopal, but I believe the school sometimes offers services for other religions. Taking an elective about religion is also a graduation requirement. I think the school does a really good job of educating students about different religions while simultaneously not forcing one particular religion on us.
As for the homework load, I’ve found it very manageable. I’d say I spend 2.5-3 hours on homework every day, but this number can vary depending on your classes (whether you take honors classes/the amount of classes you take). For office hours, it really depends – I am pretty close with some of my teachers, so I sometimes go to their office hours just to chat with them. I don’t think I can put a number on how much I go to office hours because I attend them irregularly.
There is not one specific program for singing at SPS. I cannot comment on it from personal experience, but I know the Chapel Choir and a capella groups are highly regarded among the student population. Chapel Choir is a group of students who sometimes sing during chapel and other occasions, like the weekly Compline and for holiday services.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
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Thank you very much for your comprehensive answers.
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Thank you for offering to answer questions (it seems as though OP has not returned since opening this thread).
Are you able to answer my question posted above ?
Thank you in advance.
Hi all. Sorry, didn’t see any notifications that folks asked qs.
- Yes, the workload is more significant than public school. I would say my son has 3-4 hours a night. And works it in during off blocks and evening study hours.
- In general, he says the workload is much more comprehensive and thoughtful. The small classes and in-class discussions really make it work for him. Loves it.
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My son likes starting his day in Chapel. Similar to the answer below, it’s more like a student assembly. I will say, he has mentioned amazing speakers, dance performances, music… sounds pretty coolio to me.
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Thank you for the information.
I have 8th grader who is looking into SPS. During the campus tour, we discovered that there is no mandatory study hall hours at SPS ( they call it as ‘ quite time’). Since it’s not mandatory to hand off cell phones during the quite time at sps, I am worried that my child will get too distracted to get work done. Any thoughts on study hall time at BS? Is it necessary or good options? Or it shouldn’t be mandatory to help students to get their work done?
Thanks.
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Hi. Pardon the delay in getting back to you. Ahhh, this was a bit of an eye opener for us as well as most other schools we visited did indeed have 3rd form study hall. The school is very focused on students learning time management quickly. SPS is a rigorous school and students learning how to manage their time is paramount to their success. My son is a 3rd form and has mandatory quiet study time in his dorm from 830-1030pm. No guests, no loud music, overhead lights out by 11pm. He hits the library or a quite place during his off blocks.
He’s said the at the start of the year his dorm-mates were very social and excited to ‘hang out’ with others in the dorm… once that began bleeding into study time it was quickly squelched by the dorm advisors.
The school is very direct with parents to not contact students during quiet time. My son is a typical teen who loves his phone. We do notice most of the time in the evening it’s not in use (we secretly track) and he does get his work done. His advisor has mentioned that once the students get into the groove of the schedule, phones are really not much of a problem b/c students are busy getting work done.
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Another note re: phones… the ‘heads up’ protocol is enforced. No walking around campus, moving btwn classes, heading to the dining hall with heads down looking at phones. Phones are turned in/stored for classes. A few days a week I’ll get a ‘snuck’ call as my son walks to lunch and it’s really funny b/c he automatically stuffs the phone/me in his pocket if he sees anyone!
I am also impressed with the conversations the school is having around social media, fake news, fake intimacy, WMD (weapons of mass distraction) and overall impact on social and emotional health. There is no tiptoeing around the topic as they face it head on!
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Hi, my daughter is considering SPS. She is keen to participate in both Applied Music and Ballet. Will there be enough time blocks if she wants to do both arts programs? Thanks for your advice.
Hi. I don’t have a student in either. Hmmm, anyone else out there have advice fro AC11?