From Hilltop to Home

You know your child best and your perspective is often the most telling, but if some of my advice can be helpful to you—in managing their and your transition to boarding school life and potentially setting your minds at ease during times of the year that can be challenging—then I am happy to be of service.

Ryan M. Pagotto, Associate Head of School

Dear families,

As head of Blair's student life office, it is my pleasure to be involved in many aspects of our students’ lives and to serve as a day-to-day resource for them and for parents. In addition to providing support to students, many of whom are our advisees, my colleagues and I also work closely with housemasters, advisors, coaches and teachers to ensure that residential life at Blair runs smoothly and to identify and manage any challenges proactively. Our work runs the gamut from planning community events, organizing campus clubs and activities, and sponsoring leadership opportunities to planning global travel during school breaks, supporting campus spiritual life, and encouraging student health and wellness.

Given that 84 percent of our students live here on campus, one of my most important roles is to keep parents abreast of what is happening in their child’s life at Blair. To that end, I began writing a monthly e-newsletter, From Hilltop to Home, 10 years ago, with the aim of providing parents with perspective and counsel based on my 25 years of working with high school students as a teacher, coach, dorm parent and dean. I’ve been through the boarding school cycle many times now and have seen virtually every challenge that an adolescent can face. This year, the oldest of my four children enters high school—so more than ever, I understand the mix of pride, nerves and curiosity that comes with sending a child into this next chapter.

From these letters, as well as the rest of the website, I hope you gain a strong sense of how expertly Blair balances academic rigor with the strong relationships that are the foundation of our genuinely kind and caring community. We are deeply rooted in tradition but also committed to offering our students with a forward-thinking education, providing them with the skills that will help them succeed in life.

Thank you for reading, and I look forward to sharing my insights with you as the year progresses!

Warm regards,

Ryan M. Pagotto
Associate Head of School

Read the Latest Issue

January 2026

From the high-stakes drama of “The Game” to the elegant transformation of the Romano Dining Hall for our Winter Ball, the Blair campus has recently been a whirlwind of activity. We have seen varsity athletes and other fans cheering on novices, ninth graders filling the squash galleries for their friends, and seniors leading their class with an impromptu, inspiring speech to make this semester the best of their Blair lives, followed by a “Bucs on Three!” cheer to close out the Winter Ball. Each of these moments has brought a welcome brightness to the winter season.