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Welcome New Bears!
Over the course of the summer, you’ll have access to posts from your student leaders who will help to answer questions that might arise as you get ready for the fall. If you have questions beyond what’s provided in this blog, send us an email at: [email protected].
Until then, here is your lineup of student leaders. We look forward to seeing you on campus in just a few short months! #GoBears
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Student Leaders
All-School Presidents
Angela A. - Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Luke N. - Ha Noi, Vietnam
- - -
Prefects
Gillian M. - Pearl River, New York | Head Prefect
Reid C. - Rhinebeck, New York | Head Prefect
Chi Chi A. - Newark, New Jersey
Téa C. - New York, New York
Owen D. - Poughkeepsie, New York
Jeremy D. - Corona, New York
McKenzie D. - Southport, Connecticut
John F. - Greenwich, Connecticut
Matthew F. - Irvington, New York
Abby H. - Oakland, California
Hamda H. - Hargeisa, Somalia
Rylan K. - Amagansett, New York
Claire K. - Darien, Connecticut
Keenan K. - Cape Town, South Africa
Katie K. - Hagen, Germany
Markus L. - Pawling, New York
Jacob M. - Falls Village, Connecticut
Megan M. - Salisbury, Connecticut
Michael S. - Incline Village, Nevada
Graham S. - Bedford, New York
Andrew S. - Chatham, New York
Christina T. - Nanjing, China
Moya T. - Bangkok, Thailand
Kellen W. - Grayson, Georgia
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You’ll be making your way up this driveway soon! #perkstobeingabear #gobears
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A Message from your ASP’s
Hi Bears!
Congratulations on your acceptance and welcome to Berkshire! Our names are Luke and Angela and we will be this year’s Co All-School Presidents. Our job is to make sure this community is the best for you and that everything runs smoothly - and more! We can’t wait to see you under the Mountain soon.
Go Bears!
Luke and Angela
A Message from Luke
Hi Bears!!
I'm Luke Nguyen, 5’8 hailing from Hanoi, Vietnam and I'm so psyched to welcome you all under the mountain. I know that this pandemic has not been easy. However, once we get settled at Berkshire in a few months, your enriching experience on campus will surely make up for these difficult times. If there is one piece of advice I can give you, I want to remind all of you that your words have volume and power in our community. Whether you are coming in as a third former (9th grade) or PG, your well-being (mentally and physically) is of our highest priorities.
You always have a place in our community and we need to know how to make that space for you! So whenever you need anything, I want to see you speak up and reach out for help. We are a resourceful and supportive community. Whether that being your peers, teachers, advisors, coaches, counselors, or even me (personally), there will always be people happy to help. Always know that you are empowered, loved, and supported somewhere and somehow here at Berkshire!
Go Bears!
Luke
A Message from Angela
Hi!
I’m Angela Ansah, 5’6, hailing from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. No matter the location you are reading this from, we are all being affected by Covid-19 in some way. That being said, I hope you are all safe and healthy. I am counting the days until I get to see all of you. Until then, stay healthy and well!!
One thing I can say is that the Berkshire environment is one you can easily turn into a home. You start getting attached to the place and people without even realizing it.
If I can offer you one piece of advice, I want you to create at least one, life-lasting relationship. That sounds ridiculously cliche ... but I mean it! In boarding school, you spend about half of your year with the students and faculty around you. You eat together, go to class together, watch sports games together, sometimes you accidentally fall asleep in someone’s room, common room, or faculty apartment (guilty). These people can turn into your immediate support system because they are going through the same thing you are. Whether a sports driven athlete or musical genius, there is at least one person at this school you can vibe with. My advice is to be your authentic self and the people you want around you will naturally gravitate towards you. I hope that you will enjoy your time at Berkshire as much as I have and can’t wait to see y’all in the fall.
Go Bears!
Angela
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A Message from your Head Prefects
-Reid-
Hi Bears,
My name is Reid, 6’6, and I’m from Rhinebeck, New York. I am thrilled to be a Co-Head-Prefect alongside Gillian for the 2020-21 school year. Being Head Prefect, our role is essentially to be the bridge between the student body and the administration. When I am not in the classroom or working on homework, you’ll probably find me either rowing on the water or on an erg. I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you whether it’s in the dorm, the classroom, or any other spaces across campus!

While this year is sure to offer some unprecedented challenges, I am excited to be able to navigate them with you all. The mental and physical health of every student is of the utmost importance to me, and I hope to help create opportunities which allow everyone of you to be the best person you can be.
It’s completely healthy and normal to be nervous and filled with anticipation as you begin a new chapter in your life (I know I was), but remember Berkshire accepted you for a reason, because we know that you are a perfect fit for the school. Myself, along with every other person who resides on this campus wants you to succeed and will always help you to. I am committed to being a resource to talk to if you have any type of problem or just want to chat about life, sports, etc.
If I could give you one piece of advice, it would be to keep everything in perspective. Aspects of life at Berkshire can feel overwhelming sometimes, but don’t try and bare it all. Recognize the helpful resources that surround you and utilize them. If you have any questions or thoughts please feel free to reach out to me and I’ll see you all in September!
Best,
Reid

-Gillian-
Hi New Bears!!!

My name is Gillian, I’m 5′6 and from Pearl River, NY, and I’ll be one of your head prefects alongside Reid. You can usually find me either in the rink, on the field, or in the music center. Everyone has been affected differently by the pandemic, so I hope you and your families have been safe and healthy. I was in your shoes 3 years ago, so I understand why you may feel nervous, excited, or both. Your first few days on campus might be a difficult adjustment but soon enough you’ll get into the rhythm of Berkshire life and come to love this place just as much as we do!
If I could give you one piece of advice going into your first year, it would be to do something out of your comfort zone. Try to do one thing new in your first month, big or small. That could mean trying out for the play or just participating in your classes more than you normally would. Trust in yourself and trust in those around you to support you; the people here want to see and help you succeed!
Come back to this blog for information from your student leaders and to get excited for the upcoming year! I can’t wait to meet all of you!
Go Bears!!
Gillian

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Students + Adults at Berkshire
Hi!
Rylan and Matthew here to share some insight about the student-adult relationships at Berkshire. At our school, since it is a smaller community, there are a lot of interactions with faculty across campus. With a 4:1 student to teacher ratio at Berkshire, you are bound to have great relationships with many of the teachers and faculty. It’s a perk of being a Bear!

The close student-teacher relationship is one of the many #perkstobeingabear
Rylan
Over the past three years I have made some of the best friendships with the adults on campus. The faculty at Berkshire are not just your teachers, coaches, advisors, they are your friends, parent figures, and role models. Over my junior year, I became very close with my history teacher Dr. Perot, who was also my dorm parent. Along with being an amazing teacher, she is someone I know I can always talk to in the dorm. I love having those close relationships with my teachers and coaches because they are like my family away from home. Another teacher I have become very close with over my time at Berkshire is Ms. Alindato. I took her Spanish class sophomore year and since then she has been like a mother for me on campus. Outside of the classroom, I would babysit her kids or go on grocery store trips. I have made so many great relationships a lot of adults, some that aren’t even my coach or teacher.
What I love the most about Berkshire is that all the adults whether they are your teacher or coach or advisor, want the absolute best for you. Whenever you need someone to talk to or need help the faculty are right there. Berkshire isn’t just a learning environment, it’s your home for four years and they make sure you are comfortable.

^ GV Squash celebrating the season alongside coaches Dr. K and Nick Matthew!

^ Ms. Simmons’ holding it down at her advisory lunch.
Matthew
One of the faculty members I’m close with is Mr. Gappa. He is both my baseball coach and advisor at Berkshire. I got to know him really well during our winter workouts during my freshman year. Ever since then, he’s always around to talk about baseball, classes, social life, and more. Mr. Gappa even invites his players over to his house on campus to make s’mores, eat dinner, and watch the World Series. The bond you decide to have with faculty at Berkshire is entirely up to you. The student to teacher relationship at Berkshire is one that is not out of the ordinary at Berkshire and is encouraged by everyone at the school. Faculty make you feel at home and students should take advantage of the opportunities they give you. Lean into these relationships - they’re special!

^ Matthew playing trumpet alongside Dr. Davis at the Jazz Cafe event

^ Ms. Jackson coaching up the Girls JV Lax Squad
Rylan and I can wait to see you under the Mountain in the fall. Until then, have a great summer and get ready for a great experience.
Go Bears!
Rylan and Matthew
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What to P A C K!
Hi Bears!
Markus and Claire here to share what to pack when coming to school. For some of you it might be your first time living away from home and we are here to help! You might be thinking this post is just for boarding students - but keep reading, day students! Many of you will spend ALL day away from home and you want to make sure you have enough in your backpack for the ENTIRE day and sometimes night.
First things first: be aware of how much space you will have (your room will be shared by your roommate and you, for most cases). Having a crowded dorm room makes it really difficult to share the space and feel comfortable. When looking for items to pack, keep size in mind!
Make sure you set up your dorm room how you want it. Bring posters, pictures, or other decorations that might make you smile. A lamp to brighten up your room can be helpful if you do not want to turn on the big overhead light. And a nice thing to have in case you need to stay up later and your roomie wants to head to bed. Don’t forget - lights out at 11pm! But, if you ask for late lights you will be permitted to stay up later, depending on the situation. Something else that I have found to love in my dorm room is my rug. You will not know the size of your room until you arrive on campus in the fall, however, starting with something small that you can put next to your bed can be nice to have when getting out of bed in the mornings. Your room should feel like home and be comfortable to live in.

^ This picture was taken on the first day of school when we were putting up all our decorations in CGR. Always a fun process!
Something else that was fun to do and can keep you busy during the summer was making decorations for our room. I am by no means an artist but it was fun to make matching collages with my roommate to put up on our walls in our room. Above you can see what they looked like in our dorm room!
When thinking about decorations for your room, remember to pack tape, command strips, or anything else you might need to hang up the decorations. (No nails or thumb tacks!)
Toiletries are also an essential when living away from home. Personally, I like to bring my own toiletries, but if you are traveling from far away or don’t have room to pack any, the bookstore sells anything you might need, whether it be toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner... the bookstore will definitely have it. And of course, there is always Amazon!
Some items that are not a necessity, but can be helpful are headphones, an extension cord, a fan, and a desk lamp.
Packing light is key. Until you know how your room will be set up, it is good to keep in mind what is essential and what isn’t. Once the year gets going, you will know what is a necessity and what is just taking up space. Also, if you don’t want to travel with a lot of items, the bookstore on campus has everything you could need and more.
For example, on Halloween we dressed up for field hockey practice and as a boarder I didn’t have a costume, but it was okay because my friend who was a day student let me borrow one!
This was our group - we won best dressed!
^ Desk Lamp Example: This is great because it has multiple light settings, hues, and is small and compact. Again, if you have to stay up later than your roommate a lamp is great. There are also lamps up for grabs at Berkshire’s Swap Shop - an awesome place on campus that has items for free (think lamps, posters, clothing, shoes, etc.)!
^Awesome for charging laptop, cell phone, and anything else you might need to plug in.
You get the idea! Nothing needs to be fancy or brand new - these are just simple examples to help your room function as best as possible.
Day Students! You will be spending lots of time on campus and get to go back and forth home each day. You’ll be hearing more from the Day Student Prefects in another blog post - but most students pack their backpack and a bag for the day. And/or keep clothes, layers, shampoo, etc. on campus in their locker. There is a new Day Student lounge being built now! So exciting - this will be a spot for you to hang and store lots of your stuff.
Lastly, with the current pandemic something else you won’t want to forget to pack: a mask and cleaning supplies! The school will provide lots of different ways to stay safe, including a mask, but I know I’ll want some additional things to wipe down (Lysol wipes, hand sanitizer, etc.) and a few extra masks.
Dorm life will be different than years past but it’s our new normal! Prefects are ready and excited to lean into this and we cannot wait to get you to campus!
Stay healthy and safe, Bears!!
Love,
Claire and Markus
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C O M M U N I T Y
Hi Bears! We can’t wait to welcome you under the Mountain.
Téa and Owen here to share some of the special Berkshire culture that we deeply love and value!
Going to a new school can always be a bit intimidating at first but you will quickly realize that everyone at Berkshire is welcoming and friendly. AND we are always so excited to welcome new members to our community.
Our best advice is to smile, say hi and introduce yourself to other students on your way to class, in the dining hall, in your dorm, etc. These small acts make up a large part of our friendly and inclusive community here at school and will after no time you will know more people in our community than you could have imagined. As a community, we strive to be inclusive whether it be as a whole or on a sports team or in the dorm. Our dynamic is seen through showing school spirit at going to sports games and school events - like the plays, dance performances, open mic night, etc.

^The winter musical, RENT! The show was sold out three nights in a row! The Theater Department doesn’t mess around.
We have had some great times supporting our teams in events such as soccer playoffs or our annual Pink Out hockey game, Skate for Her, and so much more! Not only is our spirit a large aspect of Berkshire, but also our Mountain!

^Girls Varsity Soccer! These ladies crushed their season last fall!
As a student you will get to know the trails and great beauty of the campus. Not many schools have the luxury of gorgeous hikes so we encourage you to get out and explore. Some of our best memories at school are from getting outside on campus and on the mountain.

^ Mr. Mulder with members of the Class of 2021 during Mountain Day last fall. The best day of the year!
Because we love our campus and want a safe environmentally friendly home, we try our best as a school to keep everything sustainable so reusable water bottles are greatly encouraged! Additionally, being an active member of the community means reaching out to your teachers and meeting other new students. Attending office hours, going to the Math Resource Center or the Writing Center are great options that are meant to help guide you in your academic career at Berkshire. Whether its going to a teacher for extra help or a student, we work together to ensure that everyone feels comfortable at their home under the Mountain. We hope that these tips will help guide you to a great Berkshire experience. These small steps contribute to our six core values of curiosity, inclusion, integrity, respect, resilience, and perseverance that we pride ourselves on. We are a school that students, faculty, and staff TOGETHER from all over the world! How many high schools in the world can say that?? Not many! We want to understand each other, where people come from, what they believe, favorite food, their own culture and beliefs, and so much more! We are a community that supports that. Now it’s your turn to join us, listen, share, and know you will be welcomed with open arms!!

^ Our school is 20% international! This past year we celebrated the Lunar New Year together. It was a blast and one of the highlights of the year. Fireworks, celebration, incredible food, all while learning about the biggest holiday in the world!
We are looking forward to seeing you all and can’t wait to have a fantastic year.
Go Bears!
T and O
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I N T E R N A T I O N A L ! ! !
Hi Bears!
Keenan and Hamda here! We are here to share about international student experience under the Mountain, and we are excited to welcome you to the Berkshire community!! This pots isn’t just for our international students - if you are domestic, keep reading! Part of being in our community is understanding where everybody comes from and what each experience is like! And we’re excited to share ours!

K E E N A N || SOUTH AFRICA
Keenan, or Mr Smiles as some would say, here all the way from Cape Town South Africa! I’ll be a prefect in Allen Dorm when you arrive on campus and can’t wait to welcome you all. I'm a varsity soccer player and it will be my third year under the Mountain.
Thinking back to my arrival on campus for the first time it was a special one! The summer ended and it was time to take the 14 hour flight to the USA. Yep, 14 hours! Upon arrival, I was met by the scorching heat but a beautiful Mountain and smiling faces, which gave me my first sense of family. I didn’t know I'd be meeting my new best friend and current roommate during these 5 days. I was nervous not knowing what to expect but what made me more comfortable was knowing everybody else was an international student as well. Yes, international students arrive on campus earlier than the rest of students. We need time to get adjusted to the time difference and have the opportunity to connect with others from around the world. Pretty awesome! Orientation was packed with fun introductory games, ice cream and mall trips. I came in as a little shy guy and was soon met by kids from all over the world with different life experiences and ages, that was about to walk the same path as me but the at the end of these 5 days I learnt that we weren’t all walking this alone but now as international brothers and sisters which was the start to my best days ever.
There are so many resources available to you as international students: Ms. McGovern who is the Director of International Programming, your advisor, coaches, dorm parents, other students, and so much more! If you ever have a question, reach out!
We also recognize there is so much complexity in the world - especially as an international student right now. We are resilient and Berkshire is doing everything to help get us to campus and/or make our learning experience the best. Keep eyes out for emails from Mr. Mulder and others and know we cannot wait to see you all!

^ New Bears last year!

^ My first time on campus! This is an obligatory photo opp! That’s Buck Valley behind me and the big building is Berkshire Hall. And, of course the Mountain.

^ Some of the soccer guys during revist day in 2019!
H A M D A || SOMALILAND
My name is Hamda Hussein and I am from Somaliland, a country in East Africa. I am a rising senior and I will be a prefect in CGR!! I can’t wait to meet you and share what Berkshire is all about.
The Berkshire community supports international students in celebrating their cultures and so much more. Last year, we celebrated the Lunar New Year (see photo Claire and Owen’s post!) to support the Asian students who celebrate the year in our community, and we participated in the event as a whole community. It was an amazing experience to learn more about the traditions of the Lunar New Year and how it is celebrated in different countries. Our favorite two events were the fireworks and the Kung-Fu demonstration by Shifu Shi Yan Mingu; We loved how these events brought us closer together as a community.

Another amazing celebration from last year was the Global Traditional Dress Day. To honor diversity on campus, students were encouraged to wear their traditional clothing from their home countries.

Global Traditional Dress Day
Though 2020 has been challenging in so many ways we know the Berkshire community will come together, as we always do, to make our experience special. Keep your eyes on email and know we are all in this together! Go Bears!
Best,
Hamda and Keenan
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