Best intentions aside, between a lack of connectivity in Ghana and the flurry of activity around the opening of school, the posts from Ghana got lost in the shuffle! Here at least is a link to some photos from the trip.
Director of Studies Lisa Holmes and I leave for Ghana on Sunday. We’ll be visiting the Right to Dream Academy where current students Ema Boateng and Joshua Yaro graduated. We’re looking forward to visiting classes, meeting the students and teachers, and learning more about Ghana! Star tuned for pictures and updates.
A New Year’s resolution in May? No, I haven’t lost all sense of time; it’s just that in the land of admissions, this is the time of starting all over again. I’ve never been big fan of January 1st as a day to make significant changes; if you want to start something new, there is no day like the today! As we here in Cate’s admission office look ahead to next year, we are setting our own new goals for the season. One of my personal goals is to keep this blog more up to date! We have only just begun to use our on-line resources to bring the work and spirit of the Mesa to you. It is my hope that we will find ways to put forward more student voices, as well as faculty voices, for these all represent the essence of Cate.
As we head in to Commencement weekend, I get sentimental about saying goodbye to the seniors. It is only the promise of new relationships with our incoming kids that keeps me from collapsing in a teary mess on graduation day. We feel extremely lucky to be fully enrolled for the fall with a wonderful crop of new students. Overall we received 535 completed applications, a 7% increase over last year. We had eight applicants for every spot, and will welcome 64 freshmen to the class of 2015. Next year’s student body will be comprised of students from 25 different states and 15 different countries. It was a strong and diverse applicant pool – 25% of the applicants were international and the median SSAT score for accepted students was 82%.
Believe it or not, 7th graders have already begun touring for the fall of 2012. This is actually a very low-key way to get a sense of what different boarding schools are like, so I highly encourage families kicking around the idea of boarding to get out there and tour a few before the hectic pace of 8th grade begins.
Last spring, in my senior English class, I shared with the students a speech Yale professor William Deresiewicz gave to the Westpoint plebe class a year or two ago. My short interpretation of his thesis is that people today are too busy multitasking to have time for deep, uninterrupted thought, and that without original thought, our society as we know it is in jeopardy. This message resonated with me instantly, as I know personally that my best ideas come to me when I have time to let my mind wander. Here is a link to the speech.
William Deresiewicz came onto the boarding school scene last week, as he addressed the annual conference for The Association of Boarding Schools. His talk there was entitled, “Excellent Sheep: The Disadvantages of an Elite Education.” Again, the short version of his thesis is that American institutions are doing a great job of teaching kids how to jump through certain hoops, but this, too, is stifling creativity and new ideas. Most importantly, if we do not give our students time and opportunity to develop their own beliefs, how will they be able to stand for anything? At the end of his Westpoint speech, Deresiewicz says, “You need to know, already, who you are and what you believe: not what the Army believes, not what your peers believe (that may be exactly the problem), but what you believe.”
I believe that a boarding school education can be a wonderful way to arrive at that understanding long before you walk through the doors of your chosen college. As we at Cate continue to work through our long-term curriculum study, we are asking ourselves questions about exactly what we want our students to learn to be by the time they graduate. Here are Cate’s Educational Principles:
Each Cate student will learn to be:
I am hopeful that at Cate we are not just producing sheep (or Rams), but thinkers, scholars, artists, athletes, and complete people who will stand up for what they believe.
Fresh off of travels around the world, I’m happy to be back on the Mesa, but also inspired by the prospective students I’ve met along the way. A highlight of the recent excursions was certainly our trip to Asia. Headmaster Ben Williams, Development Director Meg Bradley, and I made four stops (South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Beijing) where we held receptions for prospective families and met with alumni, current parents, and parents of alumni. I am happy to report that the Cate network overseas is stronger than ever. It was particularly encouraging to see that parents of alumni joined us at all of our events – a testament to the lasting impact of Cate for the whole family. For Mr. Williams, now in his 13th year as Cate’s Headmaster, it was his 12th visit to Asia. I believe that this speaks volumes about Cate’s attitude and commitment towards our relationships with families. Cate exists not only on the Mesa, but also as a global community and we believe in continually reaching out to our families around the world.
The Headmaster and I took the opportunity of our first visit to China to climb part of the Great Wall at Mutinyahu. Arriving before 8:30 a.m., we were the very first people up on this section of the wall, and loved climbing the stairs with not another person in sight. The previous evening a girl at our Beijing reception told us that the steps were purposely made irregular to make it difficult for the enemies to gain any speed on the wall. We can confirm this! Our over-sized feet hardly fit on some of the steps. By California standards, the history and age of the Great Wall made us put Cate’s Centennial in perspective.
Another element of the trip I particularly enjoy is visiting schools. In Taiwan, I took a train ride to Taichung, where I visited the Natural Way School, a fascinating place where they emphasize ancient Chinese philosophy and Taoist principles. In the city of Taipei, at the Fuhsing School, I am not sure whether I was more impressed by their award winning choir or their faculty-only spa, completely with waterfalls and foot massages!
As we meet prospective students, it is so helpful to see their schools, as it helps us better understand their backgrounds. Still to come – Washington D.C. and San Francisco…
Choosing to attend a boarding school is a daunting decision not only for students but also for their parents – perhaps even more so for the parents. Coming off of the first of two Parents’ Weekends at Cate (the second will be in April), it seemed like a good time to reflect on how we at Cate structure our relationships and communications with the adult side of our families.
Contrary to popular mythology, choosing to be part of a boarding school does not mean saying goodbye to your children forever! While it’s true we begin the year with a rather long stretch before the first Parents’ Weekend (7 weeks), it doesn’t mean you can’t see your children during that time. Parents come see games on Wednesdays or on the weekends, and in fact, parents are always welcome on campus. Mr. Williams loves to tell the story of one mom who made a reputation for herself by constantly coming to campus to do her child’s laundry, and once even hid in his closet to avoid being caught!
It’s important as you evaluate schools for your child that you examine each school’s approach to the relationships with their families. What formal communication channels are in place? Is there regularly scheduled communication? When and how are parents encouraged to be on campus? How often and in what form will you receive feedback on your child’s performance?
One of the key ways we develop relationships with the family is through the advisor role. In my group I have advisees from as far away as Saudi Arabia, and as close as San Francisco. My communications are tailored to the needs of each family. For some parents, we talk regularly. Others like to text. My role is to be the primary link between the school and the family in whatever manner works best for them.
At Cate, we hope to include parents in our community of both adolescent and adult learners, so we are always looking for new insights on how we can all continue to improve. Never content to say they know it all, our teachers try to internalize the ideals of what Professor Carol Dweck from Stanford’s Psychology department calls a “growth mindset.” We can always try harder and practice more. Here’s a link to an article about her work that we have shared with both our faculty and our families. I’ll email you the full version, if you are interested.
I hope that you and your child will enjoy the process of exploring boarding school opportunities, and that you will ask each school how you can all grow from the experience.
When I was in New York last week, I saw the new documentary, Waiting for Superman. The film struck home for me because two of the schools features as “success stories” have sent kids here to Cate – KIPP LA Prep and KIPP Academy in Houston. I found myself scanning the shots at those schools to see if our students appeared in the footage. I had mixed feelings about the film; seeing kids’ educational futures come down to the luck of a lottery ball seems cruel and unjust. At the same time, I felt like the film was suggesting that charter schools are the best and only solution, when in fact only a percentage of charter schools have produced lasting and positive results. While I was grateful that the film creates a sense of urgency and immediacy around the need for educational reform and innovation, I found myself wishing it had explored other solutions beyond just charters. Where do independent schools fit into this dialogue?
Just prior to seeing this film, I heard Roland Fryer speak at the SSAT conference. His methods are unconventional, and his speaking style is hugely entertaining. Currently he has 10 public schools in Houston following a prescription he believes results in positive educational outcomes: 1) longer school days and school years; 2) invest in human capital (teachers and leaders); 3) differentiated, individualized instruction; 4) frequent evaluations (3 week increments); 5) high expectations with no excuses. Given that he was addressing an audience of independent school administrators, none of these recommendations seemed particularly unusual to us. However, his talk made me wonder whether we as independent school leaders are doing enough to create opportunities for educational access to the broadest possible group of students. When one of my colleagues asked what we could do to help, he recommended quitting our jobs and working for our local school districts! Short of that, he asked whether we were using our beautiful facilities and campuses for educational access programs on the weekends and in the summers. Now that seemed like an idea worth investigating.
View from the Acela Boston-NY
Just wrapped up the annual SSTAB conference. On the train from Boston, heading down to New York, I have some time time to reflect on what I learned at this year’s conference of admission directors. As you can imagine, it’s an out-going group, and we all manage to put down our friendly rivalries for the sake of learning from each other.
David Weinberger, author of Cluetrain Manifesto, gave an intriguing presentation on the impact of the Internet on what we consider to be knowledge. He believes that there is a fundamental change in the “nature of knowledge,” and that it is no longer static and finite. Instead, he describes knowledge as “hyperlinked;” there is an endless amount of it, it is messy, and it is increasingly hard to know what is good and when you have enough of it.
This hit home to me, as our school actively discusses the evolution of our curriculum. If knowledge is fundamentally changing, does our curriculum enable students to cope with and master this new landscape? As schools, we play the critical role in conveying knowledge, but it seems that it is important to for us all to ask ourselves whether we are also teaching students to filter and interpret knowledge- to know what knowledge is “good enough.” You can check out Mr. Weinberger’s blog here.
Surprisingly, I found Sara Lightfoot-Lawrence’s presentation later that day to tie-in well with Mr. Weinberger’s ideas. While her presentation focused on what she calls the “third chapter,” the years between age 50 and 75, she also seemed to talk about knowledge. She asked how schools are preparing students for the “developmental tasks of adulthood.” In essence, for a life of continual learning and continual reinvention, what attitudes must we all develop in childhood?
Both of these concepts seem more important today than ever, and it is interesting to look at schools with an eye towards how they are preparing students for a world that is increasingly unpredictable.
I also saw Roland Fryer, co-author of Freakonomics and the youngest African-American to ever be given tenure at Harvard, discussion racial inequality and what schools can do about it. This was a whole discussion in and of itself, so more on that later.
Even though classes just started, it’s time for those of you thinking of applying to a new school for next year to get moving. Our admission team just kicked off our first round of events. Bryan Rodriguez attended the Houston school preview, and Kyle Mason just left for New York where he’ll attend the New York Parents’ League, the NJ SEEDS fair, and a reception for interested families in the city.
While nothing is better than visiting a school in person, many schools do attend fairs and host receptions all across the country. Meeting a school representative can at least give you a taste of what to expect from a school. Check out our Cate On the Road page to see a list of where we’ll be this year. It’s also a good time to start making a list of what is important to you in a school. Size? Location? Specific programs? What are the must-haves and what is negotiable? Start a chart of these programs and characteristics so you can keep track of what you learn.
It’s hard for us to leave the Mesa, especially now that the construction is finally done, but all of us in the admission office are excited to get out on the road and meet the next group of potential new students!
My favorite day of the year is the one when the new Cate students arrive on the Mesa! I don’t even mind the early start as I am so excited to welcome everyone. Mr. Williams and I try to make it to the entrance gate by 7:30 so that we will catch the early birds, but invariably someone beats us. By 9 a.m. there is a string of loaded down cars (even some U-Hauls!) lining Lillingston Canyon Road, waiting as the Headmaster and I get to greet each arriving car. Usually we can’t even see the student, as they are buried in the back under a pile of pillows, clothes, and lamps! By 1 pm, the parents have said their good-byes, the rooms are all unpacked, and the new students are off on a series of orientation activities and team-building experiences.
My second favorite part of the year happened last night: the Sunset Ceremony (click here to see the video. Mr. Williams opens up the event by gathering the entire student body and faculty on the lawn in front of Parsonage House, where the setting sun and the light reflecting on the mountains are both visible. Fitting surprisingly well on that small slice of lawn, the community sits in quiet anticipation of Mr. Williams’ words. Breaking the still, the senior prefect tolls the old ranch bell to mark the beginning of the ceremony. Mr. Williams then reads a passage by William Shepard Biddle ’18 from the introduction to Mr.Cate’s book, School Days in California:
“There on the Mesa, high above the curving coast of the blue Pacific, flanked by the canyons and sheltered by the mountains we knew well, the School remains: a steadfast light in a troubled world; a friendly environment of lofty purpose, intelligent striving, and discipline under freedom.”
The community is asked to reflect on the school as both a beginning and an end – to think about those who came before us and those that will follow. It’s a thoughtful way to begin what we all hope will be a wonderful school year.