Family Update: March 2021

March 2021

Student Wellness Speaker Addresses Mental Health Stigmas

In a virtual All-School Meeting on March 3, founder of Your Life Speaks Nathan Harmon shared his impactful story with the community as part of the Student Wellness Committee programming. Growing up, Harmon experienced a series of emotional blows. He had been an "A" student and a top athlete, but when his trauma began to snowball, the pressure led him toward suicidal thoughts, alcohol and substance abuse and bulimia. At the age of 23, he crashed a car while driving drunk and killed a passenger. He served four years of a 15-year sentence and is now more than 10-years sober. His message to students was simple: addressing emotional health issues early can prevent poor choices later in life.

Jodi von Jess, P'19, director of counseling, highlighted the manner in which Harmon used life experience to underscore the importance of open dialogue on mental health and substance use. His story resonated powerfully with students.

Click to read a full recap of the event.

Summer 2021: Virtual Exchange and Language Program Opportunities

Hotchkiss is not offering School-sponsored travel programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many of the third-party travel program providers that our students look to have also cancelled in-person travel for the summer of 2021. However, there are many virtual opportunities. Check out this list of free and tuition-charging options, including:

Arts programs
Exchanges with peers in countries like Algeria, Iraq, Morocco, and Yemen
Guided online conversations with peers around the world
Internships
Language-learning programs
Self-guided courses in global citizenship

Guidance on how to research different opportunities is also provided.

For further information, please email David Thompson, director of international programs, or schedule a web conferencing appointment on his calendar.

The College Corner

Many high school students spend a portion of their spring break visiting college campuses. Visiting is one effective way to get-to-know colleges, but it's not the only one. While this March may look and feel different, students and their families have many ways to explore schools while staying safe at home or at Hotchkiss:

Look for virtual information sessions. Colleges understand it is a challenge not to be able to visit, so they have added other options on their admissions pages.
Take a virtual tour of a college at youvisit.com.
Look at college websites. The "About the College" page is always a good place to start, as is the "Academics" section.
Read college blogs. Here is an example from Tulane University.
Read campus publications. To learn more about life on campus, visit the college's website, and search for the student newspaper.
Check out the college's social media sites. Instagram, Twitter, and other sites can offer interesting insights into campus life, events, and/or admissions resources.

For Upper-Mid Families

Find out important information about "in-house" SAT and ACT registration as well as the national SAT testing date.

Important Announcements

Enrollment Contracts Due March 29

Please note that enrollment for the 2021-22 school year must be completed by March 29. Please refer to the email sent from [email protected] on February 27 to access required enrollment documents.

2021-22 Academic Calendar
We are currently working on the 2021-22 academic calendar and intend to share it with you in April. Please note that all dates are subject to change given COVID conditions.

Graduation 2021 -- Saturday, June 5!

As noted in the February 19 email to seniors and their families, this year's Graduation date has moved to Saturday, June 5. We continue to monitor COVID conditions and State requirements closely and aim to provide additional event details to families by the end of April.

Hotchkiss Summer Portals

Summer Portals is offering a full slate of online academic enrichment courses in the arts, sciences, languages, and humanities. Dive deeply into a new interest or prepare for the coming school year in any of our two-week courses. See our course descriptions or register for our virtual open house.

Mischianza Memo: Order Yearbooks Now!

Each member of the Class of 2021 receives a complimentary copy of the yearbook. Upper mids, lower mids, and preps who want a yearbook, or seniors or PGs who would like a second copy, may order directly from Herff Jones. Please see the Mischianza webpage for more information and the link to order a yearbook.

End-of-Year Transportation

Looking ahead to June 2021 departures from campus, please note that buses will be offered to Bradley, LaGuardia, and JFK airports, and to New York City. Additional information, including the transportation schedule and reservation link, will be available in April.