An International Student’s Compelling Story

The February 11 edition of The New York Times features Blair Academy on the front page of the sports section. Headmaster Chan Hardwick notified the community at large via a morning email:

“I write to alert you that for the second time in the last four years, The New York Times is publishing a featured article about the School and one of our students. The article appears in today’s Monday edition, February 11, on the front page of the sports section, although the article is not about sports. The following link will take you directly to the on-line version of the story as well as a superb video and a slide show on the NY Times web site: Soccer as an Escape to Hope for Afghan Teenager.

Mr. Hardwick added, “Nearly four years ago on April 1, the Times published a front-page article exploring the unusual occurrence of two Blair graduates who had been roommates here and were playing basketball against each other in the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four. The article reflected the School quite favorably, focusing on our sense of community, our rural campus and our academic rigor…Today’s new article is centered on an international student with a compelling story and background…The Times’ team included a writer, photographer, videographer and interpreter who were on campus for more than three days to capture the essence of this student’s experience at Blair, including visiting classes, seeing her with friends, and even filming a junior varsity girls’ basketball game.”

Mr. Hardwick concluded, “In general, exposure to the press/media, particularly on a global level, is not necessarily a favorable experience, particularly for boarding schools which tend to be inherently criticized for being elite. However, I hope after reading this article you will agree that it is an affirmative portrayal of our School. Indeed, it is remarkable that Blair has been the national subject of two very prominent and quite positive stories about our community.”