School life, between the linesBy Admissions Diary
School stories, admissions adventures, and the things parents talk about on the way home.
School portraits · New York City
The boys of East 78th Street dedicated their yearbook to an athletic director they could rarely reach by phone. They got to the point on the last line.
School rituals · Washington, DC area
German children start first grade carrying a Schultüte, a tall cone of sweets and school supplies. A student at the German International School Washington remembered his: cats, family flags, and a grandfather who had carried one 65 years earlier.
Parent life · Newburyport, Massachusetts
Spoons under pillows, pajamas inside out, ice cubes out the window. A university folklore archive collected the rituals children use to summon snow days. One teacher had a secret.
School rivalries · New Jersey
In November 2023 the 120th Peddie-Blair rivalry came down to the last game, with Blair needing a win to draw. Then the trophy had to be split, six months each.
School portraits · Hightstown, New Jersey
Doug Mariboe grew up on the Peddie School campus, the son of a history teacher and the school nurse. His retirement profile includes one story about steam tunnels that every parent should read.
School portraits · New York City
In 2013 a Manhattan girls' school brought a miniature car race into its cafeteria. The winner was its builders' fifth attempt. Later, the school added a prize for the slowest car.
School portraits · Washington, DC
Every few years, Maret's teachers secretly rehearse a surprise assembly. The 2023 school magazine told the history, from a motorcycle in 1997 to a head of school on a wire, spinning.
Parent life · One family’s World Book Day
Some British schools now celebrate World Book Day with decorated potatoes instead of costumes. One family's daughter cast hers as the Dark Lord, and the trouble started at the face.
School life · Edwardsville, Illinois
In August 2024, so many Edwardsville seniors wanted to paint their parking spaces that the local stores sold out. One senior's solution involved a grandfather in Missouri and a 6 a.m. alarm.
School lore · Portland, Oregon
Catlin Gabel's rummage sale in Portland ran for 65 years. When the school announced the final one in 2009, an alumnus came home from college in Maine with a cardboard box and some twine.
School portraits · San Jose, California
The 2016 spirit rally in San Jose was held in a downpour, and the third graders had questions. Five years earlier, the seniors had won hearts by screaming in total silence.
School portraits · Brooklyn
Every December, Upper Schoolers at a Brooklyn school play Spoon Games, a two-week hunt with plastic cutlery. One senior filed a dispatch from the front.
