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TEACHING BOYS TO
BLUE RIDGE SCHOOL ST. GEORGE, VIRGINIA
Who We Are...
Founded more than 100 years ago (in 1909), Blue Ridge School is an independent college preparatory school for boys in grades 9-12.
HERE ARE THE DETAILS: We’re only for boys. We’re a 100% boarding school…with all of our students living on campus. (In fact, we also have an involved family atmosphere, with nearly all of our teachers and administrators living here on campus.) All of our students are preparing to attend a college or university. (And our college acceptance rate is an impressive 100%.) We have a remarkable 6:1 student/faculty ratio. Our average class size is only 8-10 students per class. We’re fully-accredited, highly-regarded, and focused solely on helping our students succeed, both in class and in life.
Our close-knit student body (of around 200 students) comes from all over the United States — and the world — with the following attributes: Typically, we have more than 20 states represented at any one time. We have students from around 20 different foreign countries. 40% of our families receive financial assistance. Many of our boys come to Blue Ridge looking to improve their academic performance and study skills. Students entering Blue Ridge most often start in the fall, but a small group of boys (grades 9-11) are admitted mid-year, as well.
Why Boys Choose Us...
Every boy is different and every family has a different set of reasons for choosing Blue Ridge. Here are the most frequently cited reasons, as reported by our students over the years:
TEACHERS WHO CARE They are truly academic ‘coaches’ not ‘content pushers.’ They will not quit on you!
A MORE POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARD SCHOOL TRADITIONAL VALUES It’s one of the reasons our boys wear a coat and tie to class.
MORE STRUCTURE
BOY-FOCUSED ACADEMICS
NEVER BORED
FEWER DISTRACTIONS
With sports, arts, clubs, trips, and other adventures, our Co-Curricular Program is designed with our boys’ interests in mind.
“No Girls, No Failures, No Excuses!”
You ’ll have plenty to do.
SMALLER CLASSES A GENUINE SENSE OF COMMUNITY
BETTER GRADES While research shows that single-sex classes don’t make kids smarter…they do dramatically increase academic achievement among boys. Your grades will improve at Blue Ridge.
STRONG MALE ROLE-MODELS At Blue Ridge, 82% of teachers are men. And what a difference that makes in providing good examples, leadership, empathy, and understanding of what boys are going through during their critical teenage years.
Unique Advantages of Blue Ridge...
Over our 100-year history, we have thousands of success stories to share with you, and hundreds of powerful (and often heart-warming) testimonials from many of our graduates and their parents.
Here are some of the most frequently mentioned benefits included in those personal testimonials about Blue Ridge: Blue Ridge teachers are truly EXPERTS ON BOYS. (In fact, every year, every teacher at Blue Ridge receives training based on the most current research about how boys learn...and they apply it in their classrooms, in the dorms, and on the playing fields.) The Blue Ridge Academic Program is intelligently crafted just for boys. Blue Ridge has a safe, secure, and comfortable environment for boys.
Research Shows Boys Mature More Slowly than Girls... Blue Ridge offers many more bonding opportunities – with a ‘better group of friends’ – for their sons. (By ‘better’ parents mean “more focused on academic achievement, more driven toward success, and more positive about school.”) Their boys are more comfortable taking intellectual risks at Blue Ridge. With no girls, the desire to ‘show off’ is greatly reduced. Guys can simply be themselves.
Although every boy is different, the fact is that during their high school years, boys generally mature at a slower rate than girls (physically, intellectually, emotionally, and behaviorally). There are distinct — and measurable — biologically-based differences between boys and girls. This is not soft science: evidence proves boys’ and girls’ brains and sensory systems develop at different speeds (especially the visual and auditory systems).
But does it matter? A 2006 Newsweek article pointed out that the number of boys who said that they “didn’t like school” rose 71% in a twenty year span.
Blue Ridge boys are better able to direct their energy toward tasks critical to achieving success in school…and in life.
And the Nation’s Report Card reveals that boys earn 70% of all D’s and F’s in school – and represent 90% of all discipline referrals.
Boys gain independent life skills preparing them for college and beyond.
A 2011 NBC Nightly News feature reported that men make up only 40% of college students, and two million more women than men graduated from college in the U.S. from 1999-2009.
Our ‘Boy-Focused ’Academic Program... Here are just some of the ‘Boy-Focused’ components that make our Academic Program so strong and effective:
SMALL CLASSES Compare our average of 8-10 students-per-class to the 24-36 students-per-class in most public high schools.
PERSONAL ATTENTION We take the time to get to know and understand each boy individually, and we differentiate our teaching to accommodate each boy’s individual learning style.
ALL STUDENTS TAKE A LEARNING STYLE INVENTORY. Every single one of our incoming students undergoes a Learning Style Inventory assessment, to identify how he best assimilates and processes new information.
ALL NEW 9 & 10 GRADE STUDENTS TAKE A VALUABLE STUDY SKILLS COURSE. th
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This is just one of the custom-developed features offered in conjunction with our highly-regarded Fishburne Learning Center, which provides hands-on academic support both during the class day and during evening study hours.
LESSON PLANS THAT ARE BASED ON RESEARCH INTO TEACHING APPROACHES THAT WORK BEST WITH BOYS Here are just a few examples: Our English teachers select literature that appeals to boys... which, in turn, convinces boys to like books more, to read more often, and to become much better readers and writers. Math and Science teachers use real world examples to bring abstract concepts, like Trigonometry or Physics, to life. Our teachers take advantage of boys’ natural tendency to compete to increase class participation and homework completion using competitive teams and games.
As an all boy, all boarding school, Blue Ridge serves as a ‘Home-Away-From-Home’ for our nearly 200 students each year. Our faculty members serve as Hall Parents for each dorm, and provide one-on-one friendship and support. Juniors and Seniors are voted by faculty and their peers to serve leadership roles (Proctors & Prefects) on the Halls…acting as older brothers to younger students on their halls. The Dining Hall serves three nutritious meals a day providing a wide variety of options. The student lounges are active gathering spots for watching TV, checking Facebook, and grabbing a snack. Every student has a mandatory, supervised Study Hall each evening…so homework never gets forgotten, lost, or eaten by the dog.
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ON-CAMPUS HOUSING, MEALS, AND STUDY TIMES
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PARTIAL LIST OF ELECTIVES:
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Choir Computer Programming Music Outdoor Leadership Public Speaking Studio Art TOEFL Prep Yearbook
Program
English History Mathematics Science Foreign Language
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CORE COURSES REQUIRED FOR GRADUATION:
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Citizens of the World Concert Choir Drama/Performing Arts Fellowship of Christian Athletes Literary Magazine Mixed Martial Arts Club National Honor Society Polar Bear Club Robotics Club Social Activities Committee
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PARTIAL LIST OF CLUBS & ACTIVITIES AT BLUE RIDGE
The BRS Outdoor Education Program also provides a daily afternoon activity in which interested students may participate each trimester.
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Most sports are offered at varsity, junior varsity, and/or freshmen level so all students are active participants.
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Baseball Basketball Cross-Country Football Golf Indoor Soccer Lacrosse Mountain Biking Soccer Tennis Track & Field Wrestling
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LIST OF BLUE RIDGE INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORTS
Trips to Washington D.C. to enjoy national monuments, the Smithsonian and historic sites
Theatre trips to Charlottesville, Washington, D.C., and New York City
Trips to amusement parks
Trips to area college and professional sporting events
Skiing and snowboarding trips to nearby resorts
Hiking local trails including the nearby Appalachian Trail
Many mountain biking, canoeing, whitewater rafting, and other wilderness adventures
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Along with events planned just for Blue Ridge students (listed below), there are many private girls and boys prep schools in Virginia who plan remarkable social events for all of our students to enjoy.
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NUMEROUS SOCIAL, TRAVEL, AND OTHER ADVENTURE OPPORTUNITIES
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They may arrive with unpolished study skills and habits but they graduate with strengthened confidence in themselves, true character and integrity, and a much clearer vision for their futures. 100% of our graduates gain acceptance to a college or university; and most look back on their years at Blue Ridge as being one of the pivotal turning-points in their lives. Our track record is measured by generations of success stories.
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The bottom line is that Blue Ridge School takes Boys — in all their varieties and stages of development — and produces
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OUR REMARKABLE OUTCOMES
Visit Us
A SPECTACULAR CAMPUS Our sprawling campus in the Blue Ridge Mountains encompasses rolling hills, three lakes, forested mountains, athletic facilities (including a 20,000 square-foot Field House), academic buildings, and residence halls. We’re far enough off the beaten track to give our students a safe environment in which they can enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle. Yet we’re still close enough to bustling cities like Washington, D.C., Richmond, and Charlottesville which offer historical, cultural, and recreational choices.
Visit Us When you visit us, you’ll discover why Blue Ridge School is an extraordinary place!
Please call or email us to let our Admissions Office know when you can schedule a time to visit. If needed, we’d be happy to help you with travel arrangements. You can apply at any time; enrollment is available for both September and January admission. CALL US TODAY AT 434-985-2811 EMAIL US AT ADMISSIONS@BLUERIDGESCHOOL.COM VISIT US AT WWW.BLUERIDGESCHOOL.COM FIND US ON FACEBOOK FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
“Our son grew in independence and self-confidence. Blue Ridge is about much more than getting ready for college. It’s about getting ready for life.”
ALL BOYS. ALL BOARDING. ALL COLLEGE BOUND.