7 | The Bell November 2016
Editorials
Is The Transition Worth It?
Photo by Hillary Rockwell Cahn ’88, P’18
by Devina Bhalla ’18
Transitioning into a new environment and living at school is an extremely difficult process. Professor Joy Schaverien was quoted in The Independent, a UK newspaper, discussing the damages of boarding schools, “Children need to grow among people who love them.” Professor Schaverien studied the psychological effects of boarding schools, titling her studies “Boarding School Syndrome.” Though the Professor’s opinions of boarding school are dismal, she does point out that there are many success stories through boarding schools. How does Suffield Academy work to make sure each student is one of these success stories? Marla Adelsberger, Heather Dugan, and Christine Londraville are three of Suffield’s school counselors. They play important roles in students’ transition into boarding life. Even though the fall term is in full swing, many new students are still adjusting and our counselors are constantly helping students transition and assimilate. They discussed that the hardest part of
transitioning to Suffield is different for day students and boarding students. Many day students have trouble because they “feel like they are missing out because they do not live in the dorms.” In contrast, boarding students often say that “they miss the comforts of going home after school each day to refuel.” Suffield has implemented a full structure for each student’s day, from classes to sports and, for boarders, study hall at night. Though this structure “is intended to help students stay accountable,” it can also create stress and tire many young students out. However, through the combination of support from mentors, proctors, advisors, and their peers along with the Counseling Center’s Transitions Group (facilitated by upperclassmen who talk about their own experiences transitioning to SA) the school provides the help needed to ease stress as students become familiar with the routines here. The counselors’ final pieces of advice to students are to “jump in and try to connect right away,” to get involved, “to remember that you are not alone,” and to “give it time” to adjust and find the right friends. However, they believe it is most important to take advantage of the resources on campus, which include the Counseling Center, advisors, coaches, teachers, proctors, mentors, and friends. Acclimating to any new environment as a developing teenager is a monumental task. Through discussions with the Suffield Counselors, it was clear that this is hard in different ways for every student. Yet, Professor Joy Schaverien was still not able to convince me that the pitfalls of “Boarding School Syndrome” are enough to not board or to not go to Suffield Academy. The Counseling Center has provided plenty of areas of comfort for students to grow within, and that is only the Counseling Center. Many parents are hesitant to send their children to live at a boarding school. However, with the right environment surrounding them, the potential for personal growth for each student is too great an opportunity to turn down. *Lakhani, Nina. “Boarding is as damaging as being taken into care, says therapist.” The Independent, April 23, 2011. Web: October 1, 2016.
Suffield’s Olympian by Kate Rookey ’18 Most athletes can only dream of becoming an Olympian, but for Julian Fletcher ’09, this dream became reality at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Julian competed in the 100m breaststroke and finished with a time of 1:02.73. While he can remember wanting to become an Olympic swimmer since a young age, it was not until Julian attended Suffield that he developed the work ethic needed to reach his goal. He credits much of his success to the coaching staff at Suffield, who mentored and helped him continue his swimming career at Southern Methodist University. A particular memory from Julian’s time at SA was on the swim team’s spring training trip to Florida when alumnus Alex Holdridge ’03 came to coach and motivate the team. Hearing all of Alex’s accomplishments and knowing that Alex had been in the same shoes a few years earlier further
Photo: bernews.com
motivated Julian to continue pursuing his dream. Although Julian was faced with obstacles along the way, the hard work paid off when he finished his race and spotted his family and friends in the crowd, who were waving
Bermudian flags and smiling. Julian said, “That feeling was indescribable and something I will never forget.” After the race, Julian claims that he was a little disappointed that he came in 40th place and expresses that he didn’t have his best performance. Despite this, he recalls that traveling around Rio allowed him to enjoy the experience because he feels as though, “you get more out of the journey than you do from your results.” For any aspiring Olympians, remember that there will be challenges along the way, and you will doubt why you chose to become one of the world’s top athletes, but according to Julian, “perseverance through difficult times is key.” Your dedication and determination will pay off, and it is important to believe in yourself and to know that your coaches believe in you.