Hi, Bears! We’re Josh Marlowe and Emile Miller and we will be your two Day Student prefects this year. As we eagerly await our return to campus, we wanted to take this opportunity to tell our incoming Day Students a bit about what to expect. 

Life in General: We have both found that being a Day Student offers the best of both your school life and your home life. Day Students make up less than 10% of the student body, and yet we are still valued members of the Berkshire community and enjoy all of the same privileges as boarding students - but we get to live in our own homes! As Day Students, it is up to you to decide for yourself how much of a balance you need or want between school and home life, and finding the balance that works for you is key to enjoying your time under the Mountain. Day Students are permitted to leave campus after their last commitment (often afternoon activities) but are more than welcome to stick around for dinner, hang out with friends, or get some studying done during Study Hall. 

Food: Day Students are welcome to attend breakfast before class starts or hang out at dinner too, but you are also welcome to eat those meals at home. In addition to that, we would both recommend trying out Shawn’s Place for some food off of the grill. 

Dorms: Day students can also share a dorm experience similar to that of a boarding student. Day Students are affiliated with specific dorms which means they will have keycard access to that dorm and will participate in dorm activities (Winter Carnival, dorm games, cookouts, etc) with that dorm. Day Students are allowed to stay past check-in (7:45) in their affiliated Dorms and are even allowed to sleep over some days on the weekends. This is a great way to hang out with your friends in the dorm, meet new people, and further immerse yourself in the Berkshire community. 

Other Spaces: Day Students also have their own spaces to use when they want a more secluded space to hang out, change clothes, or study. Day Students are encouraged to utilize the library or the Day Student Lounge for studying or relaxing. Day Students also have their own lockers to store their things or athletic equipment. They also have access to showers near their lockers in the Soffer Atheltic Center. 

Traditions: We encourage all Day Students to participate in all events that Berkshire has to offer. These events are usually on the weekend and while not mandatory for Day Students are a great way to meet new people and to have fun with your friends. 

We hope you have a great summer and we look forward to seeing you on campus in the fall. Remember, your experience here will be what you make of it. 

Josh and Emile 

Hi New Bears, it's Max Guryan and Mia Lovering again! As we get closer to coming back to campus, we thought you might be curious about the leadership opportunities available at Berkshire. The following are just a few of the opportunities, but truly, there are so many different ways to become a leader, in big and small ways!

Co-Class Presidents (Student Council)

At the beginning of each school year, all forms will hold elections within each respective form to elect two co-class presidents that identify with different pronouns. There is a pair for each form that collaborates with the pairs from the other forms to help make decisions and plan fun activities throughout the school year. For example, two years ago, the Student Council worked with the student body, and various administrators, to create a more expressive dress code for our school. Each year there are re-elections, so if you feel inclined to put yourself out there and run for the co-class president role in your form, you can do that! 

All School Presidents  

Just like Co-Class Presidents, the All School Presidents (ASPs) are two students that identify themselves with differing pronouns, however, they can only be from the senior class. The ASPs are elected in the spring of their junior year by the entire student body. Next year's ASPs are Kyle Kirby and Elle Eggleston. They work alongside the co-class presidents to make changes and come up with activities for the student body to enjoy. Also, they get the privilege to lead our All School Meeting (ASM) once a week. The other ASM that week is led by the Head Prefects which we will talk about later. 

Green Key Heads 

Another way for students to get involved is as a Green Key Head. This position is open to rising and current juniors and seniors. Green Key Heads manage our tour guide program, assigning current students to give tours to perspective students visiting campus. They'll occasionally give announcements at All School Meetings to encourage students to get involved, which can also involve attending fairs and receptions or getting involved during revisit days. Students give tours during their free periods so it doesn’t conflict with their academic schedule. Students in this position planned or gave you your tour when you visited campus!

Affinity Groups

There are numerous affinity groups on campus to join, with people of similar backgrounds or shared experiences, or as allies of a common goal or communal efforts. These affinity groups have both faculty and student leaders that schedule meeting times, facilitate discussions, and organize activities. Of course, you can be a member of one or multiple affinity groups, and then you have the opportunity to apply to be a student leader of an affinity in the springtime for the following year.  

Trailblazers

As explained on Berkshire’s website, “Trailblazers is a mentorship and orientation program for incoming BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students. Our initiative is designed to support new BIPOC students to become acclimated to the community. New Trailblazers will connect with student mentors and learn how to access the services and resources they need to successfully navigate a residential academic setting and predominantly white institution”. Trailblazers help with New Bear orientation at the beginning of the year, assist in Adult/Student mentoring, set up social gatherings throughout the year, and help New Bears get introduced to the affinity spaces on campus. 

Clubs

Clubs are another way to have a leadership role here on campus! There are a variety of different clubs here at Berkhsire that you can join or even start. There is a club fair at the beginning of the school year where you can sign yourself up to different clubs and even the opportunity to start your own at Berkshire! Some of the fan favorite clubs are the fashion club, the 1907 club( which is where you help fundraise for the school!), and the cooking club! If there isnt something you re interested in you just need an adult to help sponsor your club and its all set! They meet throughout the course of the year and is another super fun way to get involved here at Berkhshire!

Green and Gray

Green and Gray is a special leadership program that is available to rising seniors. Green and Gray Captains are in charge of all student social events that happen on the weekends, such as school dances, holiday-themed events, and they help to execute various Berkshire traditions. My personal favorite Green and Gray event is the Last Bear Standing competition, which is essentially a big game of assassin with the whole school! Everyone gets an assigned target and you have to try and be the last bear standing on campus without getting out. It's so much fun because everyone in the school takes traditions like this so seriously, which creates such a fun environment! There are about ten to twelve seniors that are elected to represent the Green and Gray Captains for the school year. This is such a fun way to get involved with the social events here on campus while also having a leadership role at the same time!

Prefects 

That’s us! Just like many of the other leadership roles on campus, the application process begins in the spring. This position is only available to rising seniors, meaning you can apply in the spring of your junior year. The Prefect group is made up of roughly 25 seniors on campus. Our job is to be the conduit between students and faculty within the dorms and everyday residential life. There are at least two prefects in each of the dorms. We are there to solve problems, answer questions, and assist the dorm parents in running the dorm. We are always there to help. Outside of the dorm, we partner with various administrators in making certain decisions and by voicing the student body’s opinions. Additionally, we run the New Bear orientation at the beginning of the school year, so we'll all see you then!

Again, this is just a variety of ways to get involved with various leadership positions. You can also find leadership in the afternoon programs such as a team captain, as a leader in our arts program, or as study hall leaders and peer mentors. It's also possible to become a leader of various signature programs, such as within our aviation science program or RKMP, or if you care about mental health and wellness as a Peer Listener, or if you care about assisting with the international experience as an International Leader, or if you care about fundraising and philanthropy or working with alumni. The sky really is the limit, you just have to put yourself out there and play to your strengths!