Notes from Cardigan (March, 1973)

Notes from

Cardigan

Nonprofit Organization U.S. POST AGE

PAID Canaan, N.H: Permit No. 1

Cardigan Mountain School Canaan, New Hampshire 03741

Issue No. 5

March 1973

Spring means many things to many people, but the most significant moment as this year's vernal equinox approached was Thursday, March 15 at 6:30 am when our Spring vacation officially began. Plans for enjoying the reprieve from studies and schedules were as varied and interesting as are our boys - they are scattering to many parts of the country for sundry reasons. The longer days and 1 ighter mornings of the past few weeks - as well as the approaching vacation - have brightened spirits and hopes, and in many cases there was also a noticeable brightening of academic effort. You may notice this 1 ight · in your son's grades and comments which have also gone home. We count on the invigoration of warmer weather and new outdoor activities to keep spirits and effort high right through the end of the school year.

This year's Winter Term, while not so great for skiing, was good for hockey. The high] ight of this season was our participation in a two day New England School tournament hosted by St. Paul's School in Concord. Our team played two games on Saturday, returned to Cardigan, then back for another game on Sunday. School spirit was high, as was the spirit of the team. Since our school bus carrying the players could accomodate only a few spectators on each trip, a parent volunteered to underwrite the cost of hiring a bus to take boys to the games on both Saturday and Sunday. Cardigan was thus represented by an excellent hockey team and a vigorous cheering section.

We lost by narrow margins to New Brunswick (Maine) and to Eaglebrook, but were victorious over St. Paul's. Our team played great hockey in all games and received a lot of favorable comments for their skill and sportsmanship. The bus with rooters left here Sunday morning, and since they could not be back in time for lunch, parents in Concord invited the whole bus load of boys to lunch at their home - a fantastic undertaking which was very smoothly executed and greatly enjoyed by all. What great support from these two parents! Many thanks.

Cardigan ski jumpers, although hampered by the paucity of snow, achieved some very fine records as the season ended. They jumped in competition at the Newport, N.H. Winter Carnival where boys placed 2nd and 4th in the junior division. Peter Perry took first place in the over 15 class, and made the second longest jump of the day including all the adult jumpers. A week later we were hosts for a Nordic Ski Meet here with teams from Lebanon and Newport. Cross country races started in the morning; we enjoyed having the visiting teams and their parents join us for lunch, and then the jumping took place in the afternoon. Our boys took 1st and 2nd places in the cross country as well as lst,2nd and 3rd places in the jumping. Most of the competitiors and their parents, although living in neighboring towns, had never been on our campus before. It was a most enjoyable day for all of us.

The same afternoon there was an unusual hockey game in the Covered Sports Area. Three of our current students played hockey for the past few years with neighborhood teams in Boston. What a great thing it would be, they thought, if one of these teams could come up here for a game. So after some negotiation, this was arranged. The Massachusetts Port Authority donated the use of a bus for the trip, and team and parents arrived in time for lunch with the visiting skiers. In addition to enjoying a fine hockey game, we had the pleasure of sharing the beauty of the North Country with a bus load of "city folks". It's so easy for those of us who live here all the time to take for granted the beauty of the hills and woods and the wonder of clean, fresh air; it helpswhen visitors remind us that these are indeed great blessings for which we should give daily thanks.

This funny winter has now yielded to unseasonally warm days which promise to break all records for an early ice-out and could leave us with dry playing fields at the end of Spring

vacation. The premature demise of on-campus skiing caused our short-haired Athletic Director to use all his ingenuity in planning ways to keep 145 active, energetic boys busy with interesting activities. They played volley ball in the only small indoor gym area we have, they skated until the water was too deep on top of the ice; there were stick-hockey games, weight-1 ifting and some running over our muddy and frost-heaved country roads. Lacrosse sticks and baseball gloves made an early appearance as did yo-yo's and kites. Which leads us to announce our Special Early Spring Kite Contest to be held right after vacation. There will be awards for kites to fly the highest and the longest, and recognition will be made for the largest and the smallest and most unique kites to appear. So urge your student son to think about kites and bring back ideas or materials for building his own special one.

In addition to expanded tennis, baseball and lacrosse programs, there will be varied and different range of waterfront activities to interest boys upon their return including: seamanship, navagation, rope splicing, white water canoeing, kayaking and sailing. Sounds like the "Cardigan Navy" is about to be born!

Last week came that magical time when prep school acceptances are in the mail and the senior class has been buzzing with cries of "Did you hear where he was accepted?" and "If they took Sam, why did they turn down Jim?" Our seniors have evidently done a good job because they are being accepted at many fine schools. Most of them have heard favorably from their first choice schools, too. Four or more boys have been accepted at: Brooks, Deerfield, Hotchkiss and Williston. Others have received the good word from: Colorado Rockey Mountain, Fountain Valley, Kent, Lawrenceville, Middlesex, Milton, St. George's, St. Paul's, Taft and Aiglon College - a British University preparatory school in Switzerland.

Switzerland makes us think of our Director of Admissions, John Rich, who is spending the rest of March visiting schools in Bern, Geneva, Brussels, Paris, Rome and many other localities in Europe. He extended his trip since the recent devaluation of the dollar makes U.S. schools financially attractive to the American businessman 1 iving abroad. If the devaluation is causing you grief, take consolation knowing that it may be helping Cardigan.

Other of our faculty are using their vacation time in not so restful pursuits: Don Blunt will be attending a conference of the National Association of Teachers of Science; Math teachers will also be attending academic conferences; Steve Heath will be working out with the Kimball Union lacrosse team in Virginia; R. Alden Burt is preparing for his next art show; and the Headmaster will be very busy with appointments in connection with the School's Quarter Century Fund drive which is now starting in earnest.

Have a wonderful vacation with your son. year at Cardigan educational and stimulating.

We're getting ready to make the rest of his

Notes from Cardigan is published monthly by Cardigan Mountain School.

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