Don't Be "Mishing" Out

By HALLEY ROGERS


As classes ended on June 27 at the Advanced Studies Program, students made a mad dash to the indoor tennis courts to be first in line for the Mishop’s grand opening. In a line that snaked around the exterior of the tennis courts, which seemed to emulate the premiere of a hit movie rather than the opening of a thrift store, stood, according to Mishop staff, about 150 eager students seeking a bargain. By the enormous turnout the Mishop received, one can deduce that it is not your average thrift shop, and in fact, it is not.

The Mishop is part of a deeply rooted St. Paul’s School tradition. The thrift store is one of many projects conducted by the Missionary Society. The student club, commonly known as ‘MISH’, was founded in 1860, making it the oldest organization at St. Paul’s. During the regular school year at St. Paul’s, MISH conducts service projects and fundraisers for nonprofits such as the Audubon Society and Doctors without Borders.

Twice as Many Students Enjoy World Religions this Summer

By CHERIDAN CHRISTNACHT

World Religions is one class offered at the Advanced Studies Program, and this summer there are two teachers and two classes for the exact same subject. This course was so popular that all of the eager students couldn't be contained into one class. The two classes are separate, but both study the same  religions and write, do projects, and go on field trips to convey their knowledge. However, with different teachers and groups of students there is no way that the classes are completely identical. The students in each class have a slightly different but equally informative experience.

The tradition of having two separate world religions classes began last summer during the Advanced Studies Program. Due to construction on the Linday Center, not as many science courses could be offered to the students, and more humanities courses were needed to replace them. World religions has always been a popular choice among students, so it seemed logical to create second class.

Lock and Roll

By ALEX HEBERT

As students at the Advanced Studies Program, we have access to many of St. Paul’s beautiful facilities, but there are certain buildings to which we have limited or no access.  For example, let’s take the Freeman Center, a fantastic student lounge and excellent center for recreational activities like ping pong, pool, and foosball.  Understandably, the Freeman center is only open from one to seven o’clock, as that is the only time we would have to enjoy all that the building has to offer.  But why is it that we need a key to obtain entrance into this building?  Fortunately, Michael Ricard, the director of the ASP for the summer, has stated in an interview conducted Friday night that soon the Freeman Center will no longer be locked during the hours that it is open.

           

Arabic Class Pushes Students to Greater Lengths

By ERIN RAMIREZ
While many high schoolers hit the beach during the summer months, those attending the Advanced Studies Program at St. Paul’s School do not.  Instead they are working diligently in the library, reading books and completing assignments.  One particular class offered at ASP, Introduction to Arabic, is highly intensive and plans to teach its students to write, speak, and read the language by the end of the five week period.

           
The course was first introduced to ASP in 2011.  Michael Ricard, the director of the ASP, had the idea to incorporate the course when he realized the “prominence of the Arabic language in American society.”  He thought that the course would tremendously benefit the program “given the dynamics of our current global society, my belief was that adding the Introduction to Arabic Language & Culture course was not only extremely relevant, but critically important”.  With twelve currently enrolled, he was soon to find that he was right.  

Grand Master Terminator, Mathletes, and Bromances: Something in Common

By GRACE PUKSTA 

For five weeks at St. Paul’s School, 269 students spend the majority of their time in the separate dorms. The main focus of the houses is the common rooms. Each room has a different feel, a different look, and creates an all-together separate vibe. We take an in-depth look into three dorms, two boys’ and one girls’, and hear insights straight from the students. The first installment of this blog focuses on the foremost houses that came to my attention: North, Brewster, and Manville. We view and compare the styles, sizes, and features of each dorm. Students express their personal connections to their common rooms, and what they love about their house community.

I waited in the common room of North for a minute, while one of the boys went to fetch the others. The common room was small with a low, dark-paneled ceiling. The furniture was mismatched and scattered throughout the room in no particular order. The space was somewhat old and musty, and a broken ping-pong table sat in the corner - collecting dust. From down the hall I could hear the boys running towards the room, chanting and yelling.

Many Faiths, One Conversation

By SAISHRAVAN SHYAMSUNDAR

On June 22, 2012, several students were dropped off around noon to start attending the 55^th session of the St. Paul’s ASP summer program. It was a thrilling experience for many as they began their lives at St. Paul’s campus. The whole campus was immensely large and many pine and oak trees surrounded the campus. On the opening day, students were required to attend the First Night Service at Chapel. Considering this, one may reasonably ask: does the Chapel and First Night Service make people feel welcome, whatever their faith traditions?

Students Adjust to the Multiculturalism of ASP

By SARAH EGNER

The 269 students gathered in Concord, NH for the summer to make St. Paul’s School their 5-week home come from 82 different high schools, all of which have their own culture, traditions and demographic make-ups. For most of us, the ASP experience is very different from what it’s like attending high school for those 180 long school year days. So much distinguishes the St. Paul’s ASP experience from what we have at home. Off the top of our heads, we think about the students, mostly brand new people. We think about living with those people in dorms. We think about eating every meal together and playing sports. But something else that few people think about is the racial diversity on campus.

Among all of the many things that are different about all of our respective public schools, the demographic make-up of other schools racially is not usually among our first points of interest. According to the 2010 census, New Hampshire is 94% Caucasian, whereas the nation as a whole is 78% white. For the first time in our nation’s history, racial and ethnic minorities make up more than half the children born in the U.S. This fact is not evident in many New Hampshire schools, but exceptions are certainly existent. Although diversity is typically thought of as a good thing, the lack in diversity of the type of student the ASP represents is beneficial for the type of learning environment it promotes.