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Important Admission Dates
Upcoming SSAT Testing Dates: November 12th, December 10th
November-February 1st
Tours and Interviews on Campus |
The Blair Academy Players present "Working"
November 3rd, 4th & 5th, 7:30 p.m in DuBois Theater
Fall Run
November 16th, starting near the football field
Fall Concert
November 18th, 7:00 p.m. in DuBois Theater
Blair Academy Holiday Concert
December 6th
Center at Steel Stacks in Bethlehem, PA
7:00 p.m.
The Romano Gallery
Mayumi Sarai: Wood Sculpture
October 31st-December 3rd, Reception on November 6th
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 Welcome to Around the Arch, Blair's monthly admission newsletter aimed at giving you, the prospective student, a peek into the daily life of the Blair community. In this newsletter, you will learn about recent and upcoming events as well as student achievements throughout the various realms of Blair life. It is our hope that you find Around the Arch both exciting and informative. Please enjoy this special October issue. The Blair Admission Team |
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WHAT'S HAPPENING ON CAMPUS?
This fall, the Society of Skeptics has welcomed many speakers to the Blair community, inculding Vikram Mansharamani '92, PhD, global equity investor, author of Boombustology: Spotting Financial Bubbles Before They Burst and lecturer at Yale University. Dr. Mansharamani is a regular commentator in the financial media, having contributed to Bloomberg, CNBC, Forbes, Fortune, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic and The Daily Beast.
Dr. Mansharamani teaches about financial booms and busts at Yale University, and his current research interests include the impact of  political risks on investor behavior, the dynamics of energy and national security, the role of economic development in fighting terrorism and innovation in the services industries. Dr. Mansharamani discussed with the students his prediction that China was the location of the next financial bust. He presented an overview of his formula for a projected financial busts while looking at the situation through multiple lenses. Dr. Mansharamani said that looking at the financial bubble through a single lense may in fact have negative impacts and lead to gross misunderstandings. Mansharamani explained that there were six lenses that he had designed to predict financial busts, which include microeconomics, macroeconomics, psychology, politics, and biology. He broke down the elements of each lens to the students and then opened up the floor for questions.
The weekly Skeptics series, which has been in continuous existence since 1977, is one of the premier high school lecture series in the country. The program was an outgrowth of the Blair International Society, begun in 1962, and has served as a forum for the discussion and debate of important national and international issues. Over the past 30-plus years, under the tutelage of Dr. Martin Miller, the series has featured a wide variety of speakers who are engaging, accomplished in their respective fields and often controversial. |
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE COMMUNITY
Earlier this month, Eli King's Architecture I and Advanced Architecture class worked together to build some interesting structures in front of Armstrong-Hipkins Center for the Arts. King, who is a self-employed architect in New York City, has been teaching at Blair for 9 years and has never taught the same course twice. King's goal for this particular project was to teach the students about the five platonic solids, which are the only shapes in the universe that have the same face on all sides of the structure.
King had the students build small models of th e structures in class with bamboo skewers before they built the larger structures outside ofArmstrong-Hipkins. When asked about what he likes most about the students at Blair, King answered that not only are the kids creative, but "they are self-starters in terms of handling projects." King says he isn't used to seeing this type of creativity and motivation in kids until college.
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 King also works public speaking into his Architecture courses. He asserts that the Romans were right when they said that oratory is the most important thing to learn in life. Every day, a couple of students are required to present new words relating to architecture and their definitions to the class. He requires the students to give an oral report on a current architect and emphasizes free hand sketching in class, which he believes "connects the eyes, the mind and the hands." To learn more about the fine arts classes that Blair offers, click here. |
MEASURES OF EXCELLENCE
This October, Blair students have been all about community service! On Saturday, October 1st, Blair s tudents Elyse '13, Devin '13, Julia '13 and Ali '13 teamed up with Blairstown residents to participate in a Blairstown roadside litter clean up along two miles of Route 94. In two and a half hours, the group collected enough garbage to fill the back of a pick-up truck. The event was sponsored by the Blairstown Environmental Commission and was a great success!
Following the clean-up of local Blairstown streets, on Sunday, October 8th, eighteen students went to Longmeadow Farm to apple pick for Grow a Row. Grow a Row organizes volunteers to gather fresh  produce, such as apples, which is then distributed to local food banks by Farmers Against Hunger. The warm autumnal weather helped facilitate the collection of hundreds of apples by the students. Blair students pride themselves on being very active helpers in the community, lending a hand whenever they can. |
ATHLETES IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The Boys' and Girls' Cross-Country teams have battled their way through sweltering heat, snow and mud this season. Although the abrupt changes in weather have been frustrating to both teams, October marked an overall successful month for the two teams.
For the boys' team, October started out slow, placing 10th out of twenty-two  teams at The Shore Coaches' Invitational, in Holmdel, NJ. A warm and soggy field combined with a few key missing members of the cross-country team (due to SAT testing and injuries) made this meet one of Blair's toughest this season. The Bucs quickly bounced back though, placing 2nd at the Gill St. Bernard's Cross Country Invitational and prevailed against the Hun School at Greenway Meadows State Park on October 15th. The boys continued to dominate throughout the month, earning wins against St. Benedict's and DePaul Catholic on October 19th and emerging victorious against Lawrenceville on October 22nd.
Unlike the boys, the girls' cross country team enjoyed a strong finish at The Shore Coaches' Invitational, placing 5th out of sixteen teams. The team continued a strong season this October by placing 3rd at the Gill St. Bernard's Invitational and besting Hun on October 15th. The girls' team also prevailed against DePaul Catholic on October 19th and went into the last meet of October with high hopes of a win. A disappointing loss to Lawrenceville on October 22nd was in the cards for Blair, but the girls are looking forward to the MAPL championships this weekend. |
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We hope this edition of Around the Arch, provided you with an informative glimpse into the Blair community. With October now behind us, we hope to see more faces visiting the Blair campus throughout the fall and into the upcoming winter months. If you're looking to schedule a visit or an interview, call the admission office at 908-362-6121, ext. 5611. We hope to see you soon!
Sincerely,
Mr. Pagotto, Ms. Paul, Ms. Machabanski, Mrs. Eckert, Mr. O'Connor, Mr. Clavel, Ms. Rose, Mrs. Klein, Ms. Tillman |
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