There are 32 weekends in the junior boarding school year. For a junior boarding school student who lives on campus seven days a week, that’s at least 512 non-sleeping hours outside of the classroom—not even counting weekday evenings.
That’s a lot of free time But as we see it, that’s not a problem. It’s an educational opportunity. The experiences junior boarding school students have on the weekend are just as valuable as the ones they have in class.
High-quality weekend programming helps:
- Build a strong, close-knit community of students, teachers, and staff.
- Teach students to manage their time and honor their commitments.
- Broaden students’ horizons with a wide variety of activities, experiences, and destinations to choose from.
Weekend Programs Are All About Location
What does it take to create a strong weekend program at a junior boarding school?
“Real estate experts say it all the time, but it’s true: location, location, location,” says Max Jones, Fessenden’s Residential Life Director.
Junior boarding schools can be found in all types of settings: large cities, suburbs, rural areas. But for great weekend experiences, we think the ideal location for a junior boarding school is right here in Newton, Mass.
Newton is a pleasant suburb just outside of Boston, one of the most historic and culturally-rich cities in the U.S. With Boston just minutes away and all that New England has to offer within a short drive, Newton offers the best of many worlds.
Here are six unique things to do on the weekends around our New England boarding school.
1. Ski in the Winter
New England is one of the most popular ski regions in North America. And thanks to its relatively compact size, many of its best mountains are within a day trip of the Boston area.
“During one weekend this winter we had one ski trip going up to Gunstock Mountain in New Hampshire and another going to Stratton Mountain in Vermont,” Max says.
Fessenden even has a recreational cross-country skiing team in the winter, so your student can get the most out of the sport while also getting a world-class education.
2. Hike and Mountain Bike in the Spring
When the snow melts, New England’s mountainous areas transform from ski utopias to outdoor paradises.
“We have hiking trips and mountain biking trips that head up to New Hampshire and Vermont,” Max says. “We travel to Western Massachusetts every now and then, too. These are just some of the outdoor locations that we can access easily from Newton.
Your son can even join our mountain biking team, which meets in Fall and Spring.
3. Attend College Sporting Events
Everyone knows that the Boston area is home to four of the most popular (and winning) professional sports franchises in the country. But sports fans sometimes overlook the fact that it also contains some of the most exciting collegiate sports programs.
“Whether it’s football, hockey, basketball or any other sport, we have major universities — Harvard, Boston University, Boston College — with major sports programs,” Max says. “A lot of the smaller colleges in the area also have great programs in any sport you can think of. There are so many wonderful opportunities for our students to see Division I games.
4. Visit Some of the Best Museums in the World
There are dozens of museums in and around Boston, many of them considered among the finest in the world. Whether your son is interested in art, history, science, or nature, there is a museum within minutes of Newton that will spark his interest.
5. Witness New England History Come to Life
The history of New England is inseparable from the history of the United States. The American Revolution was born here and many of its early leaders lived here. So the list of historical sites to visit in the area numbers well over 100.
“On Patriot’s Day in Massachusetts, there will always be a group from Fessenden that gets up at 4 in the morning with a faculty member to head over to Concord to see the reenactment of the beginning of the Revolutionary War at sunrise,” Max says. “For a student from Mexico or China—or anywhere else, for that matter—to be able to go home and say, ‘I saw this,’ is a big deal.”
6. Celebrate Diversity and Explore Other Cultures
Fessenden is a diverse community, with students representing 13 different countries, 13 different U.S. states, and countless ethnic backgrounds.
“It’s really important that we’re always talking about diversity here, exploring it and finding ways to support it, and we’re in a great area to do that,” Max says. “Whether it’s in Newton, Boston, or another town around the region, there are opportunities here you just won’t find anywhere else. Where else can you find a Russian grocery store to buy your ingredients to celebrate a Russian holiday? Or, a local restaurant that offers a Korean karaoke night where the boys and teachers can have a blast singing at the top of their lungs?
