Campus Visits Make All the Difference
A Halloween-themed haunted hall, athletic events, inspirational “fireside chats” in the dorms, classroom visits, discussions with administrators, and St. Louis’s famous Ted Drewes frozen-custard treats . . . these are just some of the tastes of Principia life that visiting students and their parents have enjoyed this semester.
With the upcoming November 12–14 Visiting Weekend, the School will have hosted more than 60 visitors this fall who are interested in what a Principia education has to offer. These regularly scheduled, “full-immersion” Visiting Weekends include two nights in a dorm and are geared toward students entering grades 7–12. Younger students and their parents can visit throughout the school year, though it often works well to coordinate their visit with an older sibling’s Visiting Weekend. Whatever the timing, Principia’s Travel Fund typically covers all but $50 of airline expenses for each visiting student and parent.
Getting to know Principia firsthand is a deciding factor for many School families. Nearly two-thirds of this fall’s newly enrolled students applied after a visit to campus—because of their positive experience and what they discovered about the School’s academics and affordability.
“I’ve seen over and over again the impact a visit can have on prospective students and parents,” says Visiting Coordinator Jill McClelland, whose older son enrolled as a freshman boarder after a campus visit eight years ago. “It’s an opportunity to see firsthand all the good that’s going on—for students to experience dorm and academic life and for all to feel the loving and supportive atmosphere that’s completely unique to Principia.”
All visiting students are paired with hosts, current students with whom they attend classes and other activities. Jordan, a junior, has been a dorm host several times. He says one of the “surprises” visiting students remark on is that “a school our size can have facilities as nice as . . . Ridgway Auditorium, the classrooms, the Soccer Mesa, and more.” And, he says, visitors are also “incredibly surprised at the teachers' care for the students and how often one-on-one help” is provided. Freshman Lauren, who recently served as an academic host to a visiting eighth grader, says her guest “enjoyed how everybody took the time to introduce themselves to her in all of the classes and in the halls.”
According to the Admissions Office, visiting students regularly comment on how friendly everyone is and on the wide range of academic, athletic, and extracurricular opportunities. As for parents, says McClelland, “They are really impressed with what’s going on with the IDEA Center and with the focus on student leadership, collaboration, and innovation—and with all activities being based in a Christian Science atmosphere.”
Learn more about visiting Principia School.