-
The First Month Is Lying to You: Why Boarding Schools Shouldn’t Mistake Activity for Belonging
September can make a boarding school look like everyone has found their place. That does not mean they have. September might be the easiest month of the boarding school year to fool ourselves. Walk across almost any campus, and everything looks alive. The athletic fields are full. Clubs are recruiting. Student centers are busy. Dorm…
-
What Every Boarding School Can Learn from Summer Camp Communities
There is a moment at every great summer camp that feels almost impossible to explain. It’s only been a few days. Children who arrived as strangers are already laughing around a campfire. They know each other’s names. They’ve developed inside jokes. They cheer one another on with genuine enthusiasm. They begin to feel like they…
-
Beyond the Bell Announces New Chapter for Andrew Waugh at Franklin Academy
Some opportunities feel professional. Others feel personal. For Andrew Waugh, accepting the role of Admissions & Student Engagement Associate, Research Fellow at Franklin Academy feels like both. After spending the past several years working in boarding school communities across the country, Waugh will officially join Franklin Academy in August, bringing with him a background in student life,…
-
The January Belonging Crisis: Why the First Three Weeks Determine Student Retention
Every August, schools pour their energy into orientation, community building, and creating a strong start. But in reality, student retention is not determined in the fall. It is shaped in January, during the quiet first weeks after winter break. January is the most overlooked danger zone of the school year. Students return from home and family…
-
The Retention Gap: Why Admissions and Student Life Still Operate on Different Planets
In most boarding schools, admissions and student life share the same goal of building a thriving and engaged community. Yet they rarely share the same playbook. One department recruits students, while the other helps them stay. Both depend on one another for success, but their collaboration often fades once orientation ends. This divide creates what…
-
The Second Enrollment: How Student Life and Belonging Shape Boarding School Retention
When a student enrolls at a boarding school, the admission office celebrates a milestone. Yet the true test of a school’s culture comes later, when that same student chooses to stay. That decision to re-enroll is what I call The Second Enrollment, the moment when a student decides that this is not just where they attend…