Preppies Battle for US Senate Seat

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Monday, March 28, 2011

Leah Michaels, GoLocalProv Contributor

Could the future of the US Senate be in the hands of the New England preppy elite? Current U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D) and his first GOP opponent for the 2012 election Benjamin “Barry” Hinckley have one thing in common: they’re both born-and-bred prep school boys. Both boys were shipped off to boarding school to finish their educations: Whitehouse graduated from St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH in 1973 and Hinckley graduated Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, MA in the class of 1985.

How does this square the opponents off? Let’s take a closer look through the prep school lens.

By the numbers:

Both are members of the Eight Schools Association, composed of eight leading Northeastern prep schools, but how do they stack up against one another in terms of pure numbers? Which has more students and which charges more to make sure they are brought up to the acceptable WASPish standards?

St. Paul’s was founded in 1856, has an all-boarding student population of 533, and has a 2000-acre campus. Its yearly tuition is $47,840, with an acceptance rate of 16% and an endowment of $381 million. Compare that to the entire Warwick School Department’s budget, which this year is $162,320,266.

St. Paul's was rocked by an expose in Vanity Fair in 2006.

Deerfield was established in 1797, has a student body of about 80 day students and 520 boarders, and covers a campus of 280 acres. While much smaller than St. Paul’s, its campus is almost twice the size of Brown University’s. Its tuition is $43,800 for boarders and $31,400 for day students, with an admission rate of 14% and a $325 million endowment.

Which school is the better one?

In April of last year Forbes Magazine ranked the top 20 prep schools in America based on a series of measures including percentage of graduating students that matriculate into top colleges (the Ivy League schools plus Stanford and MIT). Since Forbes magazine is likely staffed almost entirely by post-prep school financiers, its ranking should be taken with all the seriousness of the Henley Royal Regatta.

St. Paul’s School was ranked 8th, with 30% of students going to top universities - a respectable tier for a school of respectable future captains of industry.

Deerfield Academy brought up the rear at number 20, with 23% of graduates entering one of the top schools like Dartmouth, Williams, and Yale. It just barely made the grade, which must be very displeasing to the high expectations of its parents and students.

Athletics:

As is the norm with most New England prep schools, both academies are very involved with and invested in sports from squash to crew to tennis (and more).

St. Paul’s colors are red and white with a pelican mascot - the pelican must remind students of their yacht clubs at home. It is known as the early cradle for ice hockey in America, with the first hockey game ever in the country purportedly played on its frozen ponds. The first squash courts in the US were built at the school in 1884, and also successful are the cross-country running and crew teams (as to be expected).

Deerfield has school colors of green and white; their mascot is Big Green. Its rival in every sport is Choate Rosemary Hall in CT, and the Deerfield lacrosse team is usually a contender for the New England title along with lacrosse rival Salisbury School in CT. Lacrosse is one of the favorite sports of the modern preppy, after all. Other strong teams are men’s water polo, swimming, and golf.

Preppy Cultures:

What would a private prep school be without unique traditions? From dances to formal dinners to school-wide sporting events, prep school wouldn’t be the same without its often impenetrable traditions.

Students who play club sports at St. Paul's are assigned to one of three teams for their time at the school, and every student (or “Pauly”) is sorted into one of two "Boat Clubs,” called either "Halcyon" or "Shattuck.” They compete in an intense interschool rivalry in rowing throughout the school year. There are also many school holidays and events, such as Fall Ball, the Dorm Run, the Cricket Holiday, and the Mish Holiday.

On the Sunday of commencement at the end of the year, Deerfield students hold a bonfire and celebrate the school and debut the new Captain Deerfield, an honor reserved for only the most well bred of all the preps. The biggest tradition is “Choate Day,” which is the final day of the fall athletic season during which Deerfield and archrival Choate play each other in every fall sport. The night prior, cheerleaders mock the other teams, speeches are given, and a bonfire is held with a burning “C” for Choate. The good old tradition of bashing another school in words and physical competition is alive and well at Deerfield.

Religion:

While the WASP acronym may lead one to expect all Northeast prep schools to instill proper Protestant values, the truth is that not every one is connected to the Church.

St. Paul’s School is affiliated with the Episcopalian branch of the Christian church, and as such all four full school days start with a session in Chapel so students can meditate on the value of their portfolios.

Deerfield Academy does not have any religious affiliation. But that’s not to say the school is any less WASPy than its fellows.

Notable Alumni:

Besides the RI men in question, many other famous people have attended these two institutions and gone on to wear their crests in the company of the wealthy and powerful. Both schools boast actors, politicians, businessmen, and media moguls as alumni.

For St. Paul’s, these include: Presidential candidate John Kerry, cartoonist Gary Trudeau, William Randolph Hearst, JP Morgan, Jr., actor Judd Nelson (of The Breakfast Club), and some members of the Vanderbilt family.

Deerfield grads include: Actor Matthew Fox, former RI Senator and Governor John Chafee (father to Governor Lincoln Chafee), King Abdullah II al-Hussein of Jordan, writer John McPhee, and some members of the Rockefeller family.

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