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If she could have, leigh Hagestad
07would have ridden a quidditch
stick straight from Pegasus to
Witchcraft and Wizardry featured in
the Harry Potterseries. I literally wanted
to BE Hermione, she said, and going to
boarding school seemed like a reasonable
step toward that metamorphosis. Now asophomore at Stanford
University, Leigh
thrived as a muggle at St. Pauls, the New
Hampshire boarding school from which
she graduated in 2011.
caitin cain 09 had no illusions when she applied to Cate
School in Carpinteria, near Santa Barbara. Always
independent
and self-motivated, she had her heart set on going Cate but
just
had to convince her mom, Terri.
In contrast, chares iannini 07, whose father and brother
went to boarding school, broke with family tradition to
attendNewport Harbor High. After his freshman year, he
transferred
rigor and a perspective on an entirely different lifestyle
and
culture.
Pegasus sends a few graduates off to boarding school nearly
every year, and the reasons are as varied as those of Leigh,
our graduates concur on one key point: Pegasus prepares them
well for Americas elite prep schools. Based on the high rate
of
consider Pegasus students well prepared.
wouldnt be able to handle the workload or pace of an elite
prep
school, Leigh said. As it turned out, coming from Pegasus
made for a pretty seamless transition.
I was taught everything at Pegasus, said Charles, now a
sophomore at Georgetown University. How to think (not just
learn), speak in public, write, read, do math...the list goes
on.
Caitlins brother yan cain 12, now a
freshman at Cate, already sees his Pegasus
education making a difference. My
study habits, practices, organization and
time management surpass many of my
But it takes more than academic
preparation to fare well at boarding
school. Charles emphasized that one of themost valuable ways
Pegasus prepared him
was socially. Pegasus taught me how to
build meaningful and lasting friendships
with students and teachers with ease, he said. This skill is
crucial when living away from home, he said, because for the
constructed genetically.
Leaving their support network may not faze some students,
but what about their parents? The inevitable question asked
of boarding school parents is, How could you send your
childaway?
The reality was that letting Leigh go to boarding school wa
of watching your child grow up, those precious years you
will
never get back, so many special memories that you will NOT
be
building together.
around to the idea after researching schools, visiting Cate,
and
seeing how well-suited her daughter was to that environment.
kids, things like sending them to Pegasus. I thought, Im not
going to stop now, even if it meant giving up my daughter.
Terri adjusted to Caitlin being away from home enough that
I am constantly busy and the community here is so welcoming
and comforting I already feel I am in a family community.
Those whoSoar
by Nancy FriesThe Boarding School Experience...
Charles Giannini 07
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how it in many ways made my relationship with (my family)
felt like I connected in a way that I never had before.
Attending boarding school in California can ease the
have been able to handle that, Terri said. Similarly,
christopher
Jusuf 07and his brother anthony 10 chose the Webb School,
about an hour away in Claremont, enabling their parents
Hilda
and Justian to attend their sporting events and see them
every
weekend or two.
But Charles was set on heading East. Geography was not afactor;
culture was, however, he said. Furthermore, there are
certain New England boarding schools which are regarded as
academically the best schools in the country. If I was going to
go
away, I wanted it to be to one of those schools.
One thing thats a little different about schools back
East, Leigh said, is the age and establishment of many of
the schools especially when it comes to college placement.
These prep schools tend to have very cozy relationships with
a lot of colleges. Our college placement (at St. Pauls) is
pretty
remarkable. But I think that a lot of that has to do with
the
stress and importance that (St. Pauls) places on
achievement,
grades, scores, and college acceptance letters.
Leigh emphasized academics and college acceptance
shouldnt be a students primary reason for going to boarding
school. First and foremost, she said, The kid has to want to
go.
Ive seen a lot of kids head into boarding schools with
lukewarm
feelings, and a year or two later they wind up packing up
and
heading home. And they should be prepared for an experience
that extends well beyond academics.
A lot of what I gained from St. Pauls has absolutely
nothing to do with school at all, Leigh said. It has to do
with
the people I met the teachers who guided me, coached me,
supported me, and served as mentors and second parents; the
kids who came from every nook and cranny of the country and
from different patches of the planet. It has to do with living
with
your friends and peers - and every slice of excitement,
laughter,
drama, pain, insecurity, and personal growth that comes out
of that. Its about learning to deal with people...Its about
independence.Its about making responsible decisions that wil
contribute to who you turn into.
Leigh describes what most young people experience when
they go away to college, yet it all happens four years
sooner.
Most boarding schools cost well over $40,000, for tuition,
room
and boarda factor for many families weighing their options.
The majority of Pegasus graduates opt for local high schools
clear that boarding school offers a rich environment to
continue
the personal and academic growth that begins here at
Pegasus.
As hard as it may seem, Terri said, if you have a child who
is really interested, at least explore it with them, be open to
it,
because its the best opportunity you can give them.
PEGASUS MAGAZINE
Leigh Hagestad 07
Caitlin 09 and Ryan 12 Cain
ny gelston ries is a freelance writer and the mother of Ian 10,
a junior at Sage HillSchool, and Eric 14. Contact:
[email protected]
