Residential Life

Meaningful Mentorship

For the past 61 years, the Priory has offered students from around the world the opportunity to live on campus as part of the school’s boarding program. Much has changed about the dorms over the past half century: the addition of female dormers, the hiring of a full-time Residential Faculty, and 24/7 internet access to the President’s tweets. But the hallmark of the residential community today is the same as it was in 1957–to assist boarding students in living healthy, balanced, and meaningful lives. While national demand for high-school residency programs is down, the Priory’s boarding program is experiencing something of a “Golden Age” in the moment. The reason? The people. The Residential Faculty–or RFs as they are known on campus–are some of the most talented, energetic, and innovative educators at the school. Each RF is a unique blend of teacher, coach, mentor, parent, therapist, nurse, tutor, cheerleader, and cop. Their hours are long. Their role is often unclear. Their curriculum is ever-changing. But the presence of an RF in the life of a Priory dormer is invaluable. Over the past few years, the Residential Life Program has embarked on a campaign of positive propaganda. Not surprising, the RFs are at the center of this project. Last summer, the RFs decorated the foyers of both dorms with uplifting slogans. The hallways sport oversized canvases with suggestions for healthy living. Fifty inch computer monitors now broadcast the recent accomplishments of dormers with photographs, personalized messages, and hashtags. These may seem like small additions but as philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein said, “words create worlds.” The Residential Life Program’s campaign of positive propaganda extends beyond the physical space. Another critical piece of this project has been the evolving relationship between RF and dormer. As one might suspect, RFs are tasked with enforcing rules, policing boundaries, and disciplining dormers every shift. Being bad cop comes

with the territory. But what is neither natural nor intuitive is the need to deliberately dwell on the positive. Leveraging data-driven strategies from the exciting new fi eld of positive psychology, RFs go out of their way to “hunt the good stuff.” They “shout out” good behavior every shift.

They “strength spot” on purpose. These efforts culminate each month when the RFs send the parents of each of their advisees an email fondly named, “Catching Your Kid Being Good.” These missives notice, name, and callout what is positive in the life of each dormer. Next year, the role of the RF will expand. RFs will assist dormers that are enrolled in the brand-new Dorm Honors Program to more deeply live out the Priory’s commitment to balance. Using Fitbit

Inspire HRs, dormers will be able to monitor their REM sleep and measure the quality of their cardiovascular exercise each day. For the fi rst time, dormers will be able to accurately track their physical and psychological health over the course of the busy school year. These dormers will receive mentorship from the RFs, Dean of Residential

Life, and the Counseling Department during weekly “Wellbeing

Collaborations” during which they will have the chance to debrief their individual results. A pilot program was ventured last year with extremely positive results for the students involved. Not surprisingly,

RFs leapt at the opportunity to highlight dormer successes: “Suuley got more than eight hours of sleep last night!”, “Gabby got her 10,000 steps yesterday!” Last year, dormers were asked to refl ect on the policies and people associated with the Residential Life Program. One-hundred percent of them felt the “RFs were helpful in building community.”

Eighty-fi ve percent felt the “RFs supported [their] individual, cultural, academic, social, and emotional needs.” These results are not accidents. They speak to each RF’s capacity to make kids feel known and loved. They highlight what positivity makes possible. They suggest that life has never been better in the dorms.