2015 holderness school viewbook

holderness school

IN ADDITION TO SERVING AS OUR MASCOT, THE HOLDERNESS BULL HAS INSTILLED DIRECTION IN THE CLASSROOM AND ON THE PLAYING FIELD SINCE 1879.

CONTENTS WELCOME ACADEMICS COMMUNITY ATHLETICS ADMISSION

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Welcome

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AT HOLDERNESS STUDENTS FIND ROLES IN WHICH THEY ARE COMFORTABLE AND THAT CHALLENGE THEM TO EXPLORE THE FULL BREADTH OF THEIR POTENTIAL IN MIND, BODY, AND SPIRIT.

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OUR MISSION Holderness School fosters equally in each student the resources of the mind, body, and spirit in the creation of a caring community, inspiring all to work for the betterment of humankind and God’s creation.

OUR VALUES Community: We cultivate the bonds that unite us and the role that those relationships play in elevating learning and how we live.

Character: We believe that growth is rooted in initiative,dependability, and fairness and in a person’s readiness to embrace new challenges.

Curiosity: We match academic rigor with a commitment to inquiry as a means of forging a life–long pursuit of learning.

OUR MOTTO Pro Deo et Genere Humano: For God and Humankind.

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HOLDERNESS IS COMMITTED TO LIVING AS A COMMUNITY THAT CELEBRATES AND SUPPORTS DIVERSITY IN ITS MANY FORMS, BECAUSE MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES AND EXPERIENCES ARE VITAL TO EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE AND TO THE STRENGTH OF OUR COMMUNITY.

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FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL what do i love about holderness? I think it comes down to the fact that Holderness is not simply a school, it’s a lifestyle—a lifestyle that celebrates a number of different things, and holds them all in a balance you’ll find nowhere else.

To live at Holderness is to be intellectually passionate and always curious; to be publicly spirited and always attentive to the needs of others; to be physically active and always in touch with the outdoors; to be artistically creative and always conscious of the power of intuition and imagination; and to be aware, finally, of the spiritual dimensions of the human experience.

Don Henderson, a legendary Holderness history teacher and a former coach of the US National Ski Team, often quoted Robert Frost’s poem “Two Tramps in Mud Time.”

Don said that his object in living was to unite his avocation and his vocation “as my two eyes make one in sight.” Don knew how to achieve that sort of vision. His work was full of playfulness, and he and other great teachers here have helped the whole community to live and work that way.

The different qualities of the Holderness lifestyle reinforce each other so naturally that they blend into one another. Mind and body and spirit direct themselves in unison to high achievement and an atmosphere of excellence—not the sort of excellence that is arrogant or pretentious, but rather is expressed in a humble sort of confidence.

That’s what makes life at Holderness rich and full, and also what keeps me coming back. It’s a recipe not only for success, but for the joyfulness a person finds in exercising all of his or her gifts.

– R. Phillip Peck, Head of School

ACADEMICS A

OUR STUDENTS ARE KNOWN, NURTURED, AND ENCOURAGED. THEY FEEL SAFE TO TAKE THE INTELLECTUAL RISKS NEEDED FOR GROWTH AND INDEPENDENT THINKING.

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AT-A-GLANCE r

GRADES: 9–PG

TEACHING FACULTY: 53 r STUDENT–FACULTY RATIO: 6:1 r r

AVERAGE TEACHING EXPERIENCE: 18 YEARS

FACULTY WITH ADVANCED DEGREES: 2/3 r AP COURSES: 19 r COLLEGE PLACEMENT: 99% r AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 12 r

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 16 r ACADEMIC SUPPORT: AVAILABLE ON INDIVIDUAL BASIS r

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A SELECTION OF UPPER-LEVEL ELECTIVES: CHALLENGES TO GLOBAL STABILITY, THE MODERN MIDDLE EAST, STEM ENERGY, INTRODUCTION TO GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS, INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SCIENCE, AND CREATIVE WRITING.

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ACADEMICS in the holderness classroom every student is in the front row. With an average class size of , and with levels ranging from introductory to Advanced Placement, our curriculum is rich with choices. Our students are known, nurtured, and encouraged, and they feel safe enough to take the intellectual risks they need to grow.

The school’s academic program is intentionally challenging, preparing students for selective colleges and universities as well as for a lifetime of curiosity, inquiry, and learning. The program demands energy and hard work, and course selections are broad enough to accommodate each student’s interests, strengths, and learning styles. In addition, experiential learning is an essential component of every class; at Holderness you’ll find yourself immersed in active learning both inside and outside of the classroom, often with our alumni and community partners who are experts in their chosen fields.

Most of our teachers live on campus and are ready to provide students with extra help outside the classroom. It’s not unusual to see students and faculty meeting after meals or during a conference block. In addition, if a student requires further support, the office of the academic dean can arrange for tutoring and extra help.

At Holderness energy and ambition are prerequisites; passion and accomplishment are the reliable results.

first-year program The ninth-grade curriculum prepares students for the challenges of independent school learning. Ninth-grade students take a team-taught cross-curricular English/history course that introduces comprehensive study and research skills. We foster class bonding, too.

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From Orientation Hike and the ninth-grade ropes course activity in the fall, to Project Outreach and a class excursion to Church Island on Squam Lake in the spring, students in the ninth grade build powerful bonds that last throughout their time at Holderness.

arts The arts provide un-paralleled opportunities for learning and practicing creativity, imagination, resourcefulness, and self-discipline. They also provide insights into the deepest questions about who we are.

Holderness School’s Carpenter Arts Center offers courses in the studio arts, ceramics, instrumental and choral music, music theory and composition, theater, and traditional and digital photography. It houses a digital recording studio, a digital photography lab, a traditional darkroom, a ceramics studio and gas kiln, a studio for still-life and portrait photography, student gallery space, and more. Each offering is taught by an artist who is a successful and practicing professional in his or her field.

A beloved arts tradition is School Night. Held in the -seat auditorium in the Hagerman Center, School Nights feature student productions and performances as well as visiting professional artists like poets Galway Kinnell, Robert Bly, and Donald Hall, and performance artists like Taylor Mali, Rives, Ishle Park, and Shihan the Poet. Other school nights have a musical focus. Sizzling New Orleans bands like Big Sam’s Funky Nation have graced our stage and roused the school to dance many times throughout the last couple years.

In addition to the arts courses that are taught within the regular academic hours, Holderness also provides students with extra-curricular opportunities to pursue the arts as an alternative to sports one season each year; offerings have included ceramics, photography, dance, songwriting, and theater.

ARTWARD BOUND

PROJECT OUTREACH

OUT BACK

19 special programs At the core of our experiential learning and leadership curricula is Special Programs, a ten-day period in March during which our students, divided by graduating class, embark on life-changing adventures: Project Outreach, Artward Bound, and Out Back. r

Project Outreach: Leadership begins by knowing how to serve others. In March the ninth-grade class volunteers in Philadelphia’s expansive Fairmount Park, at St. Barnabas Mission—a homeless mission for women and young children—and at Philabundance—the city’s biggest distributor of food to shelters, soup kitchens, and struggling families. Participation in Project Outreach satisfies Holderness School’s community service requirement, and awakens in many the desire to continue volunteering throughout their time at Holderness and in their lives after graduation.

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Artward Bound: Artward Bound is a ten-day residential art program designed for our tenth-graders. It’s a time for Holderness students to learn and perform alongside renowned musicians, poets, visual artists, and dancers. Each day students work in a variety of forms including improvisational theater, mural painting, graphic design, ceramics, papermaking,“chopper” bicycle construction, African drumming, and blacksmithing (yes, Holderness School has a forge!). Immersed in a diversity of art forms, tenth-graders stretch and strengthen their creative capacities.

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Out Back: Out Back began in  and simultaneously challenges and supports our juniors through this physically and mentally demanding experience. It fuses Holderness School’s love of the outdoors, its commitment to experiential learning, and its core values of curiosity, character, and community into an unforgettable wilderness challenge. The ten-day experience in March teaches winter survival skills, orienteering, snowshoeing, winter camping, and above all, team-building. Ask any Holderness graduates about Out Back and you’ll hear not one, but dozens of stories and insights about the Holderness experience that shaped their lives.

SENIOR THESIS

AT-A-GLANCE

SOME OF THE MANY COLLEGES OUR STUDENTS ATTEND INCLUDE: r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r

BATES COLLEGE BOSTON UNIVERSITY COLORADO COLLEGE DARTMOUTH COLLEGE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY GETTYSBURG COLLEGE HARVARD UNIVERSITY HOBART & WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES KENYON COLLEGE NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN ST. LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY STANFORD UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF DENVER UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT WHITMAN COLLEGE

SENIOR THESIS

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senior thesis Senior Thesis is an experiential educational opportunity designed to provide our seniors with a platform from which they can develop their intellectual curiosity as they delve into topics of their choice.

Taken during the second semester of senior year, Senior Thesis is often referred to as our culminating academic experience; our students develop research and independent study skills throughout their years at Holderness and draw upon them to successfully complete the four stages of this course: the research, the March Experience, a final project, and a seminar presentation.

In addition, the Senior Thesis program acts as a bridge for seniors to move smoothly toward college-level work with the additional guidance of experts, community and family members, friends, and alumni. This type of experiential learning can help students find a career path, pursue life-style practices, and develop hobbies and interests that last a lifetime. Whatever the takeaway, our students are better prepared for the road ahead.

college counseling The Holderness School College Counseling Office is committed to finding the best match for all students and supporting them during their comprehensive college searches. Because of their extensive years of experience, the college counselors recognize that there is more to a student’s college search than identifying an appropriate list of colleges. The more a student knows—about personal inclinations and college profiles—the more confident he or she will be in the college process. To that end, Holderness students are empowered to manage many school-related responsibilities, as well as to think more creatively about the choices available now and in the future.

COMMUNITY

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TO SAY THAT I LEARNED HOW TO MONO-SKI, OR HOW TO GET AROUND IN A WHEELCHAIR DURING MY MARCH EXPERIENCE WOULD BE SIMPLY MISSING THE MARK. THE SENIOR THESIS FIELD EXPERIENCE HAS A DEEPER LAYER TO IT WHERE A STUDENT IS ABLE TO LEARN HOW TO INTERACT WITH THE COMMUNITY AS A PROFESSIONAL. — WILL HUMPHREY ’10

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AT-A-GLANCE OUR STUDENT JOBS INCLUDE: r r r r r r r r r r r r r

BLUE KEY TOUR GUIDES PANTRY CREW LIBRARY WORKERS GREEN SUPPORT ADVANCEMENT WRITERS COMMUNITY SERVICE VOLUNTEERS DINNER STEWARDS KIDDIE CREW FLAG PATROLLERS COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANTS OUTDOOR GROUNDS CREW DIVERSITY PROGRAM TEAM HOUSE AND FLOOR LEADERS

JOBS PROGRAM

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COMMUNITY leadership Leadership is synonymous with Holderness. In a unique balloting system that has existed for over fifty years, student leaders are selected by their peers on the basis of four values: fairness, dependability, initiative, and empathy. These leaders are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Jobs Program, as well as many other responsibilities. Daily, students learn and appreciate the value of helping out a friend and giving back to the community.

In addition, every student has a job that is meaningful and contributes to the daily maintenance and upkeep of the school. Punctuality, following through, self-reliance, common sense, and pride in a job well done are just some of the skills they learn. We’ve heard from many of our alumni that entry-level management jobs are a breeze because of the skills they learned in the Jobs Program.

residential life and advising In the dorms, we have a ratio that you won’t find at any other school—eight:one. It’s what we call a “ratio for relationships”—a ratio that means that for every eight students in a dorm, there is at least one resident faculty member living with them to support, guide, and mentor them. : means there is time for brownie nights and games as well as meaningful guidance—like course selection, life advice, and the college process. All of our dorms are small (the biggest one houses just  students, the smallest houses four) and are designed to create a close-knit, safe, nurturing, and fun environment.

AT-A-GLANCE SOME OF THE MANY CLUBS AVAILABLE AT HOLDERNESS SCHOOL: r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r

VESTRY OUTING CLUB THE PICADOR (STUDENT NEWSPAPER) DIAL (YEARBOOK) MOSAIC (ONLINE AND PRINT LITERARY MAGAZINE) THE ALLIANCE WRITING AND POETRY CLUB MATH TEAM GREEN SUPPORT CREW MULTICULTURAL CLUB INVESTMENT CLUB COOKING CLUB CURRENT EVENTS CLUB FISHING CLUB SLACKLINE CLUB

27 Family-style dinner is another way we build community. Several times a week students and faculty eat together in the dining hall, checking in on the day’s events and getting to know one another. It is our goal every year that by Thanksgiving, every student will have had a meal and a conversation with everyone else in the school.

spiritual life and service Holderness was founded in  as an Episcopal school, and it remains loyal to that heritage. At the same time, Holderness supports, encourages, and nurtures the varying degrees and kinds of religious beliefs in its community. Students of all faiths are made to feel welcome in the Chapel of the Holy Cross.

Our spiritual sense of place extends beyond the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Once a month—sometimes even in winter—we climb the hillside to our Outdoor Chapel, a beautiful ampitheater shaped out of granite, wood, and earth that overlooks the hills to the west of campus. Additional services take place at Trinity Church, the simple th century wood frame building that was the school’s original chapel and at Chocorua Island Chapel on Squam Lake.

Our service programs are linked to both leadership and the human dimensions of this spiritual experience. Throughout the school year, students look beyond the Holderness campus and find other ways to give back.

sustainability Our Sustainability Mission Statement affirms that we “embrace environmental stewardship, responsibility and justice,” and this ideal is embodied in the curricula for our outdoor science labs, forest phenology coursework, and human impact studies—to name a few.

We work toward sustainability in our business practices, too, striving to be good stewards of the land and resources in our local ecosystem and economy.

ATHLETICS

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I COULD NOT IMAGINE HAVING A BETTER HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE. FOR ME, HOLDERNESS WAS A PLACE WHERE I COULD FIND A HEALTHY BALANCE OF ACADEMICS, ATHLETICS, AND COMMUNITY. — JULIA FORD ’08

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AT-A-GLANCE FALL SPORTS r CROSS-COUNTRY r FIELD HOCKEY r FOOTBALL r MOUNTAIN BIKING r ROCK CLIMBING r SOCCER

WINTER SPORTS r ALPINE SKIING r BASKETBALL r FREESKIING r ICE HOCKEY r NORDIC SKIING r SKI JUMPING r SNOWBOARDING

SPRING SPORTS r BASEBALL r CYCLING r GOLF r LACROSSE r OUTDOOR CLUB r ROCK CLIMBING r SOFTBALL r TENNIS

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ATHLETICS at holderness we believe an opportunity to play is an opportunity to learn. Our athletes are known for the frequency with which they qualify for post-season competitions; however, it’s not their records that matter. It’s the lessons our athletes learn through practice and competitions that matter—lessons in concentration, self-discipline, cooperation, and responsibility.

Even if you’ve never played on a team before, you’ll wear a Holderness uniform and get time in the game. There’s room for everyone on the school’s oo acres that include a turf field, a fully-equipped athletic center, eight large playing fields, eight tennis courts, a covered hockey rink—that converts to turf during the off-season—and ten kilometers of running trails. And for students who are in love with the outdoors, there are world-class rock climbing areas and miles of mountain biking and hiking trails just minutes from campus.

snow sports Holderness School is unique among boarding schools in its ability to provide a competitive college preparatory academic curriculum and a globally competitive snow sports program. Since , Holderness School has produced  Olympic athletes, six World Cup Championship Team members,  Collegiate All-Americans, and  National Team members. Most recently, two of our Holderness alumnae competed in the  Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Julia Ford ’ raced for the US Alpine Olympic Team, while

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Julia Marino ’ was the first freestyle skier to compete for Paraguay. In addition, big mountain skier and two-time World Champion Chris Davenport ’ was inducted into the Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in . In the snowboarding world, Converse Fields ’ holds four national champion titles in slalom and giant slalom, while Karina Bladon ’ took silver at the Canadian Nationals in .

The snow sports program draws its strength from its coaching staff, many of whom have competed or coached at the national level. In addition, Holderness School is situated in an ideal location for winter sports. Nordic skiers train on our campus trails that have been the site of many national competitions, and a short drive from campus, skiers and snowboarders train and compete in the ussa, usasa, and fis circuits on the slopes of Loon Mountain and Cannon Mountain. Cannon Mountain is home to Mittersill, a designated training site for the US Ski Team, one of just four ussa training sites in the United States.

Lastly, freeskiers have access to Freestyle America, the longest continuously operating freestyle camp in America.

But what makes this program truly unique is what happens off the trails. Our snow sports athletes continue to carry full course loads during the winter and stay on track for graduation—even when competing at the national level. Those same faculty members who take the time to get to know students and their learning styles on campus are there to support athletes as they travel for competitions. With their help, students learn not just how to compete at a high level; they also learn time management skills, discipline, balance, and independence. There’s a reason why we’re known as the best preparatory school snow sports program in the nation—we produce winners both on and off the slopes year after year.

APPLICATION CHECKLIST r r r r r r r

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DECIDE HOW YOU WANT TO APPLY: THROUGH HOLDERNESS SCHOOL’S ONLINE APPLICATION (WWW.HOLDERNESS.ORG/APPLY) OR THROUGH THE COMMON APPLICATION (WWW.SSAT.ORG).

COMPLETE THE ONLINE APPLICATION OF YOUR CHOICE AND THE PERSONAL FORM. ASK YOUR PARENT(S) TO COMPLETE A PARENT STATEMENT. REQUEST ENGLISH, MATH, AND EXTRA-CURRICULAR RECOMMENDATIONS FROM TEACHERS, COACHES, AND OTHERS WHO KNOW YOU WELL. ASK YOUR SCHOOL TO SEND HOLDERNESS A COPY OF YOUR MOST RECENT TRANSCRIPT. PAY THE APPLICATION FEE OF $50 ($100 FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS).

COMPLETE TESTING. APPLICANTS IN NINTH OR TENTH GRADE MUST TAKE THE SSAT (OR WISC-IV).

ELEVENTH, TWELFTH, AND POST-GRADUATE APPLICANTS HAVE THE OPTION OF TAKING THE PSAT, SAT, OR ACT. ADDITIONALLY, THE TOEFL IS REQUIRED FOR ALL NON-NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS. COMPLETE A CAMPUS TOUR AND INTERVIEW.

GET TO KNOW US BETTER CALL OR EMAIL THE ADMISSION OFFICE TO SCHEDULE A CAMPUS TOUR AND INTERVIEW: ADMISSION@HOLDERNESS.ORG OR (603)536-1747. r COME TO AN OPEN HOUSE OR MEET AN ADMISSION REPRESENTATIVE AT AN EDUCATION FAIR. TO VIEW OUR EVENT AND TRAVEL SCHEDULE GO TO WWW.HOLDERNESS.ORG/ADMISSION-SCHEDULE r IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT TO CAMPUS FOR ANY REASON, WE ARE HAPPY TO ARRANGE A SKYPE INTERVIEW OR ANOTHER EQUIVALENT. r

37 ADMISSION The Holderness admission team is looking forward to working with you as you begin the application process. We keep it simple and have provided a check list for you to help guide you along the way. If you have any questions, please feel free to give us a call and speak with an admission representative.

As a next step, we invite you to visit our campus. There is no better way to get to know Holderness than by meeting the people and seeing the place for yourself. Give us a call to schedule your visit today!

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AT HOLDERNESS THE ADVENTURES ARE NUMEROUS, AND WITH EACH NEW CHALLENGE, THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE—FRIENDS, CLASSMATES, TEACHERS, COACHES, DORM PARENTS—WHO WILL BE BY YOUR SIDE TO GUIDE YOU, AND CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESSES.

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CONCLUSION At Holderness, you don’t have to compromise. You don’t have to commit to just one definition of yourself. You can explore. You can continue to develop. We look forward to seeing you soon!

holderness school Chapel Lane Post Office Box  Plymouth, NH - .. § admission@holderness.org www.holderness.org