Notes from Cardigan (Fall, 1975)

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Cardigan Cardigan Mountain School Canaan, New Hampshire 03741 Volume 4

Fall 1975

Issue No. l

This autumn has brought to. Cardigan many new face s . and an increased enrollment. To date, there are 155 boarding students and 9 day boys, an almost record enrollment." The fall term, now approaching its 'end, has · seen .not .only a varied school program, but also several special events · worthy of mention. · · To begin with, New Parents' Weekend, held at the beginning of October, took place in warmth and bright sunli~ht. · A· very l~rge group · of ·parents of new students arrived to sample life . at Cardigan and to see how their sons were 'adapting to their new situation. Classes were open ~nd · many parents attended the~with their sons, givin~ · them a . chance to become reacquainted with the classroom situation. Parents were free to attend all of the events he·l d during that weekend, which included a talk by Mr. Wakely, a · performance by the Glee Club ', the weekend's athletic events, the Sunday Chapel service, and of course, the meals throughout the weekend. It was an enjoyable experience for all, capped off by the varsity football team's victory over Eaglebrook on · Saturday afternoon.

Mountain Day, an annual 'day off' from classes, also dawned clear and bright. The students were surprised at breakfast by the announcement that there would be no classes that day, and that the students should report to buses instead of classrooms. The school split up into two groups; one signed up for the so-called 'easy climb' which was a trip up · Indian Head mountain, · in Franconia Notch (New Hampshire)and the other, to Mt. Mousilauke, the harder of the two climbs. A bit of poetic unjustice: the climbers of Mousilauke h~d to eat cold sandwiches while .the others fed on hamburgers and hotdogs cooked by those who could not climb. The day was a great chance to see another part of the East, and to see it from the vantage point of two of the most beautiful mountains in New Hampshire.

We all returned to the school tired but well exercised and content .

Some of you may remember that last year, due to a sweeping victory in all sports over Eaglebrook on New Parents' Weekend, the Headmaster called a special day-trip to the Sandwich Fair in Sandwich, New Hampshire . This year, we all boarded buses and went again, this time under sunny skies.

The Fair lasts one day and is a fine example of an old Newfugland Crafts and Livestock fair. In addition to the ~xhibits of the proud farmers and livestock raisers, there were games, rides, concessions. For about four hours, we all did as : much s1ghtseeing and participatfhg as we could ~nd then headed back to Cardfg~n~ In addition to the whole school events, both the sixth and seventh ~rades ~ent bn speci~l trips th1s f~ll~ The sixth gtad~ w~s taken to Fort Ticonderoga, New York in conjuncti ·on with <?ur year- long Bicentennial

-2celebration. There, they toured the fort and learned about its role in American history. The seventh grade was taken, separately, to Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont, again as part of the Bicentennial' celebration, where they had the chance to tour the restored villag~ ~nd ~ee what life in colonial times was like. Similar trips are ~l~nned for the coming months.

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For those of you who were not here during the fall Parent~ Weekend, we would 1 ike to introduce you to the newest member of our Winter s·chool staff: · Mrs. Rockette Brunetti has joined our developmental reading program and is working with the students individually and coll~ctively to help improve their reading and comprehension skills. She and her husband, John, moved from Dal las, Texas, where she received her M.A. from S.M.U. Prior to that she taught four years in the New York City private schools.

They are currently living in Hanover, New Hampshire. John B. 'Ben' Coffin, Jr. comes to Cardigan from the Forman School in Connecticut. Ben taught here in math at the 1974 Summer Session and returned this summer to take a permanent pos.ition in the Math Department. In addition to teaching math, Ben is also involved in the Photography Club and the Math Club.

Ben brought with him his pet cat, Foster, who can be seen around the campus at all hours, either waiting to be scratched or displaying difficult acrobatic maneuvers on the furniture or on the football fields. Ben is also the proud owner of 'Cynthia', a replica of -a nineteenth century pulling boat, which is now the pride of the Cardigan fleet. Joining our English Department this fall is - James C. Ladd. Jim also joined the resident faculty this past summer and is living .in Hinman Hall. In addition to teaching English, Jim is starting a small informal singing group which will eventually sing on campus and, hopefully, off campus also. Jim is assisting Bob Fahrner, head of the English Department, in administering the school's audio-visual department.

New this fall in the activi:ties line-:-up is the Environmental Projects group, led by George Randall of the English Department. This small group began last year as a disciplinary alternative to Work Detail, but has changed into another activity. They have already helped to get the Pinnacle, one of Cardigan's ski slopes, into shape for the winter and help with the physical part of the school's facilities. · In academics, there are 11 boys on the Honor Roll as of the mid-term and an impressive forty-nine boys on the effort honor roll, (those who received no effort grade lower than a 2 in each of their courses). This is a very strong showing for the first mid-term.

So far this fall, representatives from a total of 33 senior prep schools have come to Cardigan to talk with the seniors about their next stage of education. Among the subjects discussed in these meetings are how admissions selections are made and how to go about selecting the appropriate school for each boy, and how to apply. Av_o n, Brooks, Deerfield, Exeter, Holderness, Hotchkiss, Kent, Milton, St. Paul's, Pomfret, Taft, and Westminster are but a few of the schools who sent their representatives to meet and talk with our seniors.

With Halloween_ just past, the first te_rm is .drawing to a close and the nights are getting .longer. Next issue will include the final re-cords for the fall athletic schedule, in addition to a wrap-up of the first term.

It is our hope that you wi 11 have an enjoyable and meaningful Thanksgiving.

We look forward to the next chance that we have to visit with you.