Whom You Know's Response to the 3/20/09 New York Times Article: "At a Prep School, the Gloves Are Off"
Whom You Know's Response to the 3/20/09 New York Times Article: "At a Prep School, the Gloves Are Off"
If you like Whom You Know, you like Miss Porter's School. It is a matter of cause and effect [not affect.] And since Peachy Deegan [me] went to Miss Porter's School where Mr. McQuilkin taught us the difference between "Who" and "Whom" and the difference between "Effect" and "Affect," she, as all other ancients [An Ancient is a graduate of Miss Porter's School] is fortunate that she was taught how to write well at a young age and is eternally grateful for the education she received there.
If you are an avid reader of this website, you also know that the title itself was derived from that English class.
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To this end, I feel it is necessary to begin a new column - Higher Education - and defend my alma mater and elucidate the current situation as best I can from Manhattan, which is two hours and 110 miles away from Farmington. Although I am not a daily member of the community, I stay in fairly close contact with it through alumnae volunteer opportunities and always have throughout the years since graduation.
Today the New York Times has produced an article titled: "At a Prep School, the Gloves Are Off," in the style section.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/fashion/22preps.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=style
This is not a new issue as of today. As this lawsuit has been pending, many ancients have been contacted by the media. Last December, I was contacted by one of the major three news networks and I issued this statement:
I grew up in Farmington and thus have been familiar with the high caliber of Miss Porter's School all of my life. It is an institution dedicated to providing an excellent education to young women. Anyone that is talented and fortunate enough to attend and graduate does so amongst the best peers possible, the best educators possible, and will go out into the world and do great things as so many in the past have done and as so many do now. Miss Porter's girls are smart, work hard and are highly ethical. I count my friends from Farmington among my best and it was a great experience for me. The community is very close and caring and I have nothing but positive things to say about Miss Porter's School.
me, MPS '90-something
Alumnae Board Miss Porters 2004-2007
Class Representative for many years
Reunion gift chair
The major news network decided to drop the story.
Miss Porter's School is a place of higher education and excellence, and more importantly in this misunderstanding, it is a place where the community cares about you immensely. Never have I found it to be elitist. We do not wear white gloves and we do not have tea parties. We are entrepreneurs, we are leaders, and we hope to make our communities better. We did not have a prom when I was there and I didn't miss it either. [If you are a regular Whom You Know reader you can see that when Ancients grow up, Manhattan activities are much more appealing.] Interestingly enough, Manhattan is one of the top five places in the world for Ancients to reside.
In articles like this one, it seems as though Miss Porter's School is misunderstood. I have met Kate Windsor, the Head, more than once and have positive experiences. And for the record, I understood that MPS rings are turned so the wearer can read it when she becomes an Ancient, so that it is closest to her heart. I have worn this ring every day since I earned it, and it is not just because I like jewelry. Traditions are to be cherished and traditions are an aspect of Miss Porter's School that must continue: it is an opportunity for friendships to grow into lifelong bonds.
