• ParkBulletinCover - The Park School

What the Ninth Grade will
Take and Leave Behind
Alex Barden
I will take friendship and self-confidence.
I am leaving the best four years of my life.
Sam Bloch
I will take leadership experience.
I will leave an aura of diligence and a
willingness to do everything the way it is
supposed to be done.
My journey after Park took me to
Phillips Academy, Andover, an institution
that holds diversity to be of great importance,
and whose mission calls for a student body
comprised of “youth from every quarter.”
Andover is undoubtedly able to achieve this
goal thanks to a rich history, many generous
donors, and throngs of alumni living all across
the world. Its pool of applicants comes from
every walk of life, and Phillips Academy is
fortunate enough to have many resources to
allow it to select a well-rounded, incoming
class every year. I offer this background
because the reality of the situation is surprising.
Yes, Phillips Academy brings “youth from
every quarter” year after year; the student
body is socially, economically and racially
diverse, coming from 50 states and territories
and 37 countries; 37 percent of students are
self-identified students of color, and 42 percent
receive some form of financial aid.
While such a global reach is impossible for an
elementary school like Park, its other admis-
sions statistics are strikingly similar to those
of Andover. So what is the takeaway from all
of this Simply stated, the Park School
achieves admissions statistics not far off from
those of an internationally known boarding
school twice its size, one that highlights its
diverse student body as both a unique asset
that separates it from its competition, but
also as a selling point to prospective students.
In other words, the Park School experience,
in various ways, is something many of the
next schools you will attend strive to achieve.
You will move on to those schools, and what
appears as a simple continuation of your Park
education is, in reality, a totally new experience
for many of your peers. Diversity is
commonplace at Park because we understand
its role in promoting a just society. This, in
itself, allows each of you the opportunity to
be a leader in your new communities next fall
because not only does each or you understand
the merits of diversity, but more importantly,
you appreciate the rewards of a community
that values and celebrates our differences.
Many of your future classmates will be charting
new territories. Class of 2009, lead by
example: you are now the experts.
The truth of the matter is that a Park
School education is much more than meets
the eye; students here graduate with a skill set
far more advanced than that of other students
their age. I invite students, faculty and parents
to reflect upon and consider some of the
simplest, yet most important aspects of your
own, your students’ or your child’s Upper
Division education. I draw upon a daily tradition,
one that for many students (myself
included) was a mere formality, and in my situation,
often made me late for soccer practice,
drama, or the bus to the Green Line:
afternoon shake-out. At this point in my
speech, I must recognize Ms. Studley [Dana
Welshman-Studely ’85], my sixth grade advisor,
for crushing my hand on a daily basis.
Thanks to her, I understood the importance
of a firm handshake and eye contact following
my first week at Park. She never allowed me
to skip out on shake-out, and on the rare
occasion that I failed to make it up to the
fourth floor, I could always count on her asking
where I had been the previous day.
Shake-out, as far as I am concerned,
serves a number of purposes. In its simplest
form, students learn how to properly shake
hands, something I promise helped you as
10 The Park Bulletin | Fall 2009