Suburban Life - Central Bucks/Montgomery - Issue #9 (September 2022)

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SL_PROFILE_Perkiomen School_2 page_0922_final_Layout 1 10 / 5 / 22 1 : 32 PM Page 2 “ When students board here , we can better meet their needs in a warm and welcoming environment . ” — Mark a . Devey , PerkioMen School centage of K - 12 boarding schools in the United immense.They figure out who they are . ” all classrooms have computers and ActivBoards . States . Approximately 35,000 students attend Among the myriad benefits for students Also , the school’s Innovation Center — the hub private schools as boarders , mostly on the ( day and boarding alike ) is the Institutes at of the entrepreneur institute — is a cutting - East Coast , according to The Association of PerkiomenSchool , which entail entrepreneur - edge makerspace equipped with collaborative Boarding Schools . Despite the relatively small ship , artificial intelligence , medicine , and design . workspaces , computer and manufacturing numbers , the benefits academically and socially Theinstitutes guide students in exploring new equipment , and multiple 3D printers . are immeasurable . ideas and encourages them to interact with “ We bought the 3D printers when we “ The primary benefit to a boarding school andapply the knowledge and skills they learn opened the entrepreneur institute , ” says like Perkiomen , I believe , is that students learn in the process . Devey . “ When the printers needed to be to be problem solvers , ” says Amber Goupil , “ Wecreate a college - like experience where repaired , we hired professionals . Now , our who has been at Perkiomen for 12 years , and kids get to get their feet wet and learn more students repair them , and each student builds is in her first year as assistant head of school aboutwhat field they might be invested in , at their own 3D printer . That’s a metaphor for for student life . “ Students who board here a time where the stakes aren’t as high , ” says who we are . We create a culture of empow - learn to manage their time , learn how to get Devey . “ Wouldn’t you like to have a better ering students . We provide opportunities for their work done , how to do laundry , and senseof self before making life commitments ? active learning , and encourage students to where to seek out help for problems . They AtPerkiomen , you can feel it out while you’re take risks and be responsible . That’s expo - learn to navigate certain types of personalities , still in high school . ” nential growth . ” and who they are within the community . They Technologically , Perkiomen School also Devey realizes that myths and miscon - meet people from around the world . The offers a digital arts lab and an Apple lab . All ceptions persist regarding boarding schools , social development for boarding students is dorm rooms have internet connectivity , and thoughhe is quick to dispel them . “ The first one is that kids are sent to boarding school because they’re in trouble or ABOUT PERKIOMEN SCHOOL are unhappy at home , ” he says . “ But , it’s exactly the opposite . Our kids here come from With an average class size of 11 and a student - to - faculty ratio of 7 : 1 , Perkiomen great families , and we don’t have disciplinary School affords students the best of a liberal arts education in a world - class learning problems.The kids come here for the love of environmentwhile cultivating a spirit of exploration and entrepreneurship . The school learning , competitive sports , and vibrant arts . ” promotesproblem - solving beyond the classroom , making education relevant and Recentresearch supports Devey’s assertion . exportableto an uncertain future . Nearly90 percent of boarding students reported PerkiomenSchool offers 132 academic classes overall , as well as 27 Advanced Place - ahappy home life , according to a survey con - mentand 20 Honors classes . Perkiomen supports 42 teams across 20 sports , plus 21 ducted by U.S . News & World Report . Fur - clubsand activities and seven leadership organizations . thermore , 60 percent say their main reason Whilemany Perkiomen School students live in Pennsylvania , the student body for attending a boarding school is to get a includesthose from 14 U.S . states and 28 countries . Students embrace global citizenship bettereducation . bylearning and living among multitalented students of divergent races , socioeconomic “ Beingable to work with kids individually , backgrounds , religions , sexual orientations , gender identities , and world views in pursuit andgiving them the attention every kid deserves , ofexcellence every day . iswhat makes independent schools different , ” Devey adds . “ At Perkiomen School , we can offer a life - changing opportunity for students who live locally and those from around the ? PerkiomenSchool world.Studentshere are in a safe , encouraging 200 Seminary Street | Pennsburg , PA 18073 | ( 215 ) 679 - 9511 n environment that helps them flourish . ” www.perkiomen.org SUBURBANLIFEMAGAZINE.COM VOLUME 14 ISSUE 1 | 63

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SL_Education Dept_0922_Final_Layout 1 10 / 5 / 22 12 : 30 PM Page 1 e E D U C A T I O N Getting Better halfway around the world , and , much closer to home , the specter High schools invest in staff and programs ofschool shootings . On the plus side , students have more resources than ever to find resolution to their struggles . to prioritize students ’ mental health . Many area schools , both public and private , have made students ’ mental health a priority . A few examples : B Y B I L L D O N A H U E l Villanova - based Academy of Notre Dame de Namur has ore than 30 years have passed since John Denton launched a school - wide initiative focused on the well - being , mental graduated from a private high school Bucks County . health , and social - emotional growth of the all - girls ’ student body . The memories of his high school days have faded , ND CARES provides girls with the skills and resources needed to Mmostly because he has done his best to forget them . help themselves , as well as to recognize when a friend or classmate “ I hated high school — hated it , ” says Denton , who asked to use may be in distress . As part of its efforts , Notre Dame has partnered a different last name for privacy’s sake . “ I couldn’t wait for it to be with mental - health organizations such as The Jed Foundation and over so real life could begin . All the kids had their cliques , and I The Social Institute , the latter of which helps students navigate wasn’t part of any of them . I didn’t feel like I mattered , and I got social media in a healthy manner . through it mostly alone . I had a tough road . ” lGwyneddMercy Academy High School in Gwynedd At the time , Denton did not feel comfortable Valley has adopted a novel schedule that ties directly ? talking to his parents about the isolation and worth - intothe school’s commitment to protecting the student lessness he was feeling , either because he thought body’s mental and emotional health The schedule I didn’t they would not understand or because they already gives students more freedom and control over their had enough on their plates : full - time jobs , a mortgage time , with several goals in mind : to help students focus feel like I andother bills , a daughter with special needs who re - more intently on their academics ; to provide them with quired constant care . mattered . more flexibility to pursue extracurriculars , athletics , and “ I know our school had a college counselor , but I other pursuits , with leeway for socializing with peers ; think I sat down with him twice at the most , and I got and to give students more time to meet with college ? nothing out of it , ” Denton recalls . “ I don’t know if we counselorsand otherwise plan for the future . had a counselor you could talk to about other stuff — life stuff , like l Salesianum School in Wilmington , Delaware , has expanded how you were feeling . I don’t know if I would have bothered even its guidance department to give students a safe space where they if we did , so I kept it all to myself . ” can seek advice , discuss any struggles they may be having , and So much has changed since Denton’s time in high school , receive help with their course assignments or college preparation . which he has seen through the eyes of his two teenaged daughters . Besidesopportunities to meet with students one on one , Salesianum On the negative side , students now have to deal with the around - has implemented mental - health programs through partnerships the - clock distractions of social media ; increased pressure to perform with organizations such as Bring Change to Mind , which strives to academically and athletically , among other ways , to improve their end the stigma surrounding mental illness . chances of getting into a good college ; and other stressors , such as l In addition to offering counseling services and student pro - the never - ending rancor of politics and culture wars , real - life wars gramming surrounding mental health , the Perkiomen School in SUBURBANLIFEMAGAZINE.COM VOLUME 14 ISSUE 1 64 |

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