15 REASONS TO COME TO Blair

For more than 40 years, the Society of Skeptics has engaged the Blair community in world events by bringing speakers to campus every Tuesday evening. Musicians, professional athletes, authors, government officials, entrepreneurs and war veterans are among the many presenters who have offered their perspective to Blair students and debated issues and opinions. Among the most prominent speakers in recent years are NASA astronaut Susan Kilrain P ’20 ’23; Jack Bogle ’47, founder of The Vanguard Group, the world's largest mutual fund organization; Mohamed El-Erian, former CEO of PIMCO; Christine Todd Whitman, former New Jersey Governor and Environmental Protection Agency director; and Billy Collins, U.S. poet laureate from 2001-2003.

Blair’s Headmasters’ Societies Games add excitement to the school year at the end of winter sports season. Each member of our community is randomly "sorted" onto a team (Breed, Howard, Kelley and Sharpe—named for our former Headmasters) for competition in an incredibly varied selection of games. From basketball to cup-stacking, erg relays to mural painting, and tug-of-war to the talent show, students and faculty have fun competing for the coveted Hardwick Trophy.

Life at Blair does not stop for the weekend! Community weekends, such as Super Sunday and Soccerfest, give students and faculty the opportunity to get together and have fun. During Super Sunday, students enjoy everything from a soap slide to Kon-Tiki boat races, and the day ends with an all-School barbecue. Later in the fall, the community gathers at Soccerfest, a competition ruled by the Blue Crew, which leads the School in cheering on the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams as they take on a local rival. Regular weekends are full of activities, too, such as restaurant outings, Broadway shows, cooking classes in faculty apartments, hikes on the Appalachian Trail, trips to the mall and simply hanging out with friends.

The School's global service program encourages students to interact with people of other cultures and countries through meaningful public service opportunities. Students gain transformative life experience as they apply classroom lessons to real-world situations and challenges in the United States, Africa, Europe, South America and Asia. Blair continues to build new travel opportunities into its curriculum, with the goal of having every Blair student participate in a cross-cultural domestic or international trip before they graduate.

In addition to working with an assigned academic monitor, students choose their own faculty advisor to support them academically, socially and emotionally during their time at Blair. Making such an important decision independently gives students a sense of ownership, responsibility and confidence when interacting with adults. Advisors act as mentors and advocates who know students well and support them as they pursue their interests and passions and build connections across campus.

Each November, the Blair community shows its school spirit during the week leading up to Peddie Day, when Blair's fall athletes take on their age-old rival, Peddie School, in athletic competitions. The festivities culminate with a Friday-night bonfire and pep rally, followed by a full day of games and matches. Parents and alumni flock to campus to cheer the Buccaneers to victory, and the school that wins the most games takes home the Kelley-Potter Cup!

Blair Academy is committed to providing top-tier resources for its student-athletes. Our state-of-the-art facilities include: international squash courts, indoor tennis courts, fitness and weight center, wrestling room, indoor pool, sports complex, eight athletic fields, nine-hole golf course, all-weather track and turf field, indoor crew training center, indoor golf training center, performance gym and field house, and access to a three-lane, three-mile lake for crew.

The Chiang-Elghanayan Center for Innovation and Collaboration is Blair’s multidisciplinary academic center designed to inspire creativity, promote innovative thinking and foster collaborative learning. Home of Blair’s technology and fine arts departments, the building features open interior architecture and highly configurable spaces, including the signature Collaboration Forum—where Society of Skeptics lecturers and other guests regularly speak—two media labs, art and ceramics studios, a maker space and fully equipped technology classrooms. The Chiang-Elghanayan Center is an intellectual hub that is unique among Blair’s academic spaces and a place where ideas come to life for students, faculty and the entire School community.

Blair offers college preparatory theatre in four annual theatrical productions on three different stages, providing students many opportunities to gain experience in casting, script reading, set and lighting design, directing and performing. Our musicians participate in a 100-person Symphony Orchestra and top-notch vocal and jazz ensembles with eclectic repertories. Throughout the school year, these groups regularly perform in Blair's indoor and outdoor venues. Our musicians continue to build their skills by touring over school breaks. Learn about the performances planned for this year.

A Blair education is distinguished by our faculty's complete commitment to knowing students well and fostering meaningful relationships across campus. With a student-faculty ratio of 6:1 and an average class size of 12, students actively participate in discussions and build confidence and trust that empowers them to step outside of their intellectual comfort zones. Such connections allow teachers to understand students' learning styles, interests, abilities and passions, and to use that knowledge to customize their education and push them to higher levels of achievement.

Each spring, the Blair community comes together with the common purpose of helping others on the School's annual Day of Service, during which students, faculty, parents and alumni volunteer for worthwhile causes. Since the inaugural event in 2014, those on campus have partnered with numerous local organizations in activities including playground construction, landscaping at domestic violence shelters, working at a community-supported farm, coordinating activities at a children's camp, planting community gardens and clearing nature trails.

At Blair, students can choose from a wide range of courses, including those focused on design-thinking, robotics, negotiation, theatre, video studies, economics, biomechanics, architecture and constitutional law. Our open-architecture curriculum blends traditional core offerings with innovative programs and teaching approaches. With a number of course levels—including more than 50 honors, advanced survey and advanced seminar classes—Blair tailors students' coursework to their abilities and interests.

As Blair art students know, one of the most valuable aspects of the fine-arts program is our on-campus Romano Gallery, which regularly shows the work of professional and student artists. Featured artists attend exhibit receptions throughout the school year, giving students the opportunity to engage with them and ask questions about their work. Most artists take the opportunity to guest lecture while in Blairstown, critiquing student work during class and sharing the challenges and opportunities associated with installing exhibits in the "real world." View a list of the artists exhibiting in The Romano Gallery this year.

The "Blue Crew"—Blair's most enthusiastic student supporters, who show their school pride by painting their faces, donning their best "Blair wear" and cheering on the School's 32 varsity and 20 JV and thirds teams— is a fixture at Blair athletic contests. Headed by a male and female member of the senior class, the group's energy and passion for Blair athletics is contagious, particularly when the Bucs are playing on Blair's all-weather turf field under the lights.

Blair is situated on a pastoral 463-acre campus in northwestern New Jersey, and students enjoy a wide range of amenities and facilities not found at other schools: a waterfall; two lakes; and an undeveloped 100-plus acre parcel of land known as the "Siegel Property," where classes engage in field work and where students bike and run.  Blair's campus features 11 residential buildings and six academic buildings, all located within 65 miles of New York City.