Back to boarding school

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jan 4, 2005 by SHARI CHANEY THE GAZETTE

High school students came back to Fountain Valley School of Colorado on Monday and had to unpack suitcases before hitting the books.

For most Pikes Peak-area students, suitcases aren't needed because the students are headed back to school this week right in their neighborhood.

But luggage is essential for those at Fountain Valley and a handful of local students who attend out-of-state boarding schools.

There are a variety of boarding schools across the country, including the one in southeast Colorado Springs. About 220 students come from all over the world to make Fountain Valley School their home.

Senior Carol Simonson said the best part is having your best friend live next door and eating dinner with the same people who teach classes.

It's a community that doesn't happen in public schools, she said.

The downside of being away from home?

"There's nothing like a home-cooked meal," said junior Paul Repenning of Maryland.

"Your friends are always there," Simonson said, "for the good and the bad."

Boarding schools come with a cost. Headmaster Jack Creeden said Fountain Valley School costs $30,000 a year, although many students are offered scholarships to offset the expense.

Families choose Fountain Valley School for a variety of reasons, Creeden said.

Some want high academic standards and come from areas that don't provide them. Some are interested in exploring something new -- a new activity, a new place, new friends.

Fountain Valley has those things. Students there are pushed to always be doing something more.

"If you're good at calculus," Creeden said, "do you know how to throw a clay pot?"

Other boarding schools have different attractions. Some schools are religionbased; some prepare students for a spe- cific career. Some accept only girls or only boys. Some emphasize military training.

Military school was a last resort for the Sveinsson family. Mark Sveinsson, a freshman at Manitou Springs High School, was headed in the wrong direction, said his dad, Jeff Sveinsson. The teen was almost failing several classes and had lost interest in sports and other activities.

After a year at St. John's Military School in Kansas, Mark Sveinsson's grades were A's and B's and he was involved in two sports, the drill team and scuba club.

It took a while, but "we really saw a lot of progress," Jeff Sveinsson said.

Mark Sveinsson, however, isn't headed back to Kansas for the spring semester.

"Life is too short not to have your kids home with you," Jeff Sveinsson said.

Patrick DeLoughry, an Air Academy High School student, spent a summer at Massanutten Military Academy, a boarding school in Virginia.

He needed to make up an Algebra 2 course, and his dad wanted him to taste military discipline and organization.

Because his dad, James DeLoughry, is retired from the Air Force, Patrick De-Loughry knew a little about military life.

"I knew the haircut was coming," Patrick DeLoughry said.

Other things were harder to get used to, such as hallway attention. That's when cadets hustle to the hallway and stand at attention for as long as instructors want them to, Patrick DeLoughry said.

"Once it was over, he had good memories," James DeLoughry said. "We are happy we did it."

Military procedures were one of the hardest parts of boarding school for Mark Sveinsson, he said. No one in his family has been in the military.

"He didn't understand what he was against until he got there," Jeff Sveinsson said.

"It wasn't that bad," Mark Sveinsson said, but the teen added that he's happy to be home.

Patrick DeLoughry said it was interesting to meet students from around the world; he met students from Saudi Arabia and Ghana.

"It was a new experience," he said.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0394 or schaney@gazette.com