Parent Newsletter by Franny Shuker-Haines
Dear Buxton Families,
What a pleasure it was to see so many of you at Spring Arts Weekend! After a year that challenged and stretched us as a community, I can’t think of a more life- and growth-affirming event than the one we just witnessed over this past weekend. Not only was I blown away by the talent, vision, and hard work on display on the walls, in the theatre, and in the dining room, I was also struck by how supportive and joyful the students were throughout Spring Arts. The kids are all right.
It was also wonderful to host so many of you in our Buxton home on Saturday. Boarding-school parents don’t have that many opportunities to see and share with each other, and the energy and warmth in the room as people connected over their shared Buxton experiences was palpable and lovely.
(As I mentioned to some of you at that event, we get the majority of our students through word of mouth, so please spread the word in your communities! And, if you were willing to take a quick trip to your local middle school to tell them about Buxton, the admissions office would be more than happy to send you some viewbooks and other materials to take with you. This is actually a good time to do that, because now is when many families begin to realize that the high school their child is heading to actually isn’t a great fit after all — and discovering that there’s a different path out there can feel like a godsend. Please contact Torie and Justina at admissions@buxtonschool.org; they’ll get you everything you need.)
Next up is graduation in two short weeks. As some of you know, graduation is the most formal event of the Buxton calendar. Every one of our graduating seniors makes a speech, which they work on intensely every day between now and then — first writing and editing it, then practicing their delivery. It’s an extraordinarily personal and frequently moving event. Every student at Buxton is involved in graduation, so it is essential that everyone be there! All parents are more than welcome, whether your child is graduating or not. Oh, and when I said “formal,” that also meant that the kids need to dress up, so if your child gets in touch and wants you to send their dress shoes or a tie, that’s why!
After the graduation ceremony, there is a big reception back on campus. Come eat and celebrate with us! After that, all the undergrads are expected to leave campus by 6:00. Seniors are invited to a dinner prepared for them by the faculty, after which they spend one final night on campus and leave the next morning. Senior parents are invited to a wine-and-cheese reception on Saturday evening. On Sunday, brunch is served — and parents are more than welcome to join us. We will send further mailings with more of these details, but I wanted to give you the basic outlines now.
Okay, time to go work with the seniors on their speeches. Looking forward to seeing many of you at graduation. In the meantime, thank you for lending your amazing children to us this year!
All the best,
Franny
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