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Public Zone 公開區 => Travelogues 遊記相薄 => Topic started by: chin on 13 February 2012, 18:57:23

Title: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 18:57:23
Another trip to US during the short Chinese New Year holiday.

The purpose of this trip was to visit some schools. I did not bring the larger camera with better lenses. All pictures were taken with a small digicam.
Title: Cushing Academy
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 19:00:21
First school to visit was Cushing Academy. The school was founded in 1865, it will be 150 years old soon.

1st picture is the main building when approaching the school. 2nd picture is the main building taken right outside the library.
Title: Cushing Academy
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 19:05:28
View of the library from inside and outside.

Note that there is not too many books in view here. We were told that the library has "gone digital" - books were now in Amazon Kindle format. Library users would borrow the books on a Kindle. I think physical books are too expensive to acquire and maintain.

Inside the library is also the student run radio station. It's basically a few iMac with playlists. I don't remember if the radio station is online only.
Title: Cushing Academy
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 19:07:36
Outside and inside the math & science building. Everything in view in the exterior picture is part of the school
Title: Cushing Academy
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 19:08:20
Some random pictures inside the math & science building.
Title: Cushing Academy
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 19:11:28
The cafeteria looks quite big and comfy for the 500 or so students.
Title: Cushing Academy
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 19:13:31
Student artwork planted on campus, post office, and notice inside the girls dormitory regarding visiting hours for boys.
Title: Cushing Academy
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 19:18:30
Open space with downward slope, covered with snow. So what students would do?! In my university days, students would take a tray from cafeteria and sled down the slope!! I am sure high school students would do the same, thus the need for this sign.

And in the student center, I found out that students these days do not have to do their own laundry. They can just drop their dirty clothes inside the laundry bag and pay someone to do it.
Title: Cushing Academy
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 19:20:54
Another random picture taken at the campus.

On the day we visited, it was a surprise holiday (called by the principal) thus there was no classes. We think that the sudden holiday was called because many students and teachers were sick, maybe from the weather...
Title: Cushing Academy
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 19:31:51
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Cushing was the first school we visited, and I was quite impressed. The campus and facilities are good and very large for only a few hundred students. My high school in HK had at least twice as many students but only 1/20 the area.

I was quite impressed about the school... until I visited the next one. The other two school we visited just seem far more "rich" in appearance and feel.

I am "hiding" this message so the content cannot be read by search engines.
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Title: Choate Rosemary Hall
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 19:42:33
The 2nd school we visited was Choate Rosemary Hall, or Choate simply.

This is a map of the school of maybe 800 kids. It occupies a very large area. The lower left of the map shows the sports facilities, including indoor swimming pool.
Title: Choate Rosemary Hall
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 19:51:40
The main administration building also house some boys in the upper floors. The second pictures shows the science building on the left and art & performance center on the right.

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Even at the parking lot, you can see the cars are the more expensive ones - Porche, BMW, Audi. The whole feeling of the school is very "preppy".  
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Title: Choate Rosemary Hall
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 19:56:20
The most famous alumni of Choate is perhaps US President John F Kennedy. If I remember correctly, the school accepts only 1 out of 12 applicants. It's as hard to get in as Ivy League universities.
Title: Choate Rosemary Hall
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 19:59:28
Choate has a very large and well equipped Art Center. The following pictures are inside and outside the art center. From Wikipedia, the school has among it's alumnus many Hollywood names, like Michael Douglas, Glenn Close.
Title: Choate Rosemary Hall
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 20:01:51
The cafeteria at Choate. Compare to the one at Cushing, this one feels much nicer and "monied" (if there is such a word.)
Title: Choate Rosemary Hall
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 20:05:19
Inside the science building.

With the reputation, selectiveness and financial support, the school is able to attract top notch students. Among the supports the school offers including advanced university level original research guidance and facility for qualified students. Some of the advanced research project I saw including biotech, genetics, and mathematics.

As we walked passed the class rooms, we can see that many classes only have 8 or so students per class.
Title: Re: Choate Rosemary Hall
Post by: q on 13 February 2012, 20:06:35
The cafeteria at Choate. Compare to the one at Cushing, this one feels much nicer and "monied" (if there is such a word.)

This cafeteria looks like a club restaurant.
Title: Choate Rosemary Hall
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 20:11:56
The girls dormitory, and again the notice on visiting hours (for the boys.)

If I remember correctly, there are only two large dormitory buildings each housing 50 or so new students. Older students get to choose much smaller dormitory through out the campus, each building housing 20 or less students with a faculty family. Most students have single rooms.

As we walk past one of the smaller white dormitory, our student tour guide told us that it was the former dormitory of JFK. In JFK's old room there used to be a sign that says it was the former JFK room. But visitors kept taking out the sign, so now the school no longer make the signage.
Title: Choate Rosemary Hall
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 20:12:57
Some more random pictures taken at Choate Rosemary Hall.
Title: Re: Choate Rosemary Hall
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 20:15:34
This cafeteria looks like a club restaurant.

In some sense it's a very hard to get in club. The criteria to get in?! Smart, diligent, good grade etc... for sure. It may helps if you come from a prominent family?!

Ability to pay school fee is probably NOT a criteria, as they should have enough money to support the students they really want.
Title: Taft School
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 20:23:52
The 3rd school we visited was the Taft School. The visit started in the cafeteria where we had breakfast with students and some faculties. The school has 4 or 5 dinner halls like the one in the picture, for the 500 or so students and the supporting faculties.

One thing we noticed was they there is no tray in the dinner hall. The idea is that if trays were available, people tend to take more food, end up wasting more food and eating too much (and getting fat.)
Title: Taft School
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 21:31:11
Again, the school has a purpose built math & science building. This building was donated by the Hong Kong businessman Gordon Wu, in the name of his wife Lady Wu. I think all of Wu's 3 children attended Taft. Again, the classes we saw were all very small with 10 or less students.
Title: Taft School
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 21:36:42
The library at the Taft School. This library still has physical paper books. It's very nice and comfy. Good to have very large endowment funds. Throughout the campus, there are many space where students can sit down quietly, read or do homework.
Title: Taft School
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 21:37:58
The school mascot. The horns are shiny, because many people rub the horns for good luck, especially for sporting events.
Title: Taft School
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 21:42:28
The school's sports facilities are just amazing - for 500+ students and faculties, they have 16 tennis courts, 8 squash courts (5 training one in the following picture plus 3 competition grade courts), 2 hockey rinks, 6 basketball courts (4 training one plus 2 NBA look-like courts,) etc... On the top floor are weight lifting room, next to the basketball court a rock climbing facility.

And the school also has a 18-hole golf course which I did not get the chance to see.
Title: Taft School
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 21:45:57
Many of the school buildings are around this pond. Apparently this year the weather is too warm for the pond to be frozen enough to skate.
Title: Taft School
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 21:47:41
The picture on top is the student activity room, the pictures at the bottom is the faculty room.
Title: Taft School
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 21:48:23
In the hallways of the main building. The place was like a maze to me...
Title: Taft School
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 21:51:58
In the theater (or was it one of the theaters?) a student photographer (on the right) was trying different angles and lighting effect with the subject on the left. Maybe one of the classes on photography?
Title: Taft School
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 21:54:06
In this picture is the MAC (M-something Academic Center) - where students get extra support, like help on organization skills, study techniques, or help for students with ADD, etc... It looked like a den for some of the students.
Title: Taft School
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 21:56:06
The front of the Taft School. Mr Taft was the brother of former US president William Taft.

In the summer, the tree in front must be very imposing.
Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 22:09:36
The pictures from school visits are all posted. I will later post other pictures from this trip.

While I was traveling Massachusetts, Connecticut & New York in those few days, one of the local news was this public school was in such bad shape that the authority was planning to shut down one of the main buildings, and the parents were very concerned, etc... On the local TV, I can see that the public school building was really lack of maintenance, the toilets was not clean and need fixing, etc... In the news, that school building was to be shutdown for now, until they have the fund to repair and revert back to certain safety standard.

Yet there we were, visiting private schools that takes millions to build and maintain. Not only the buildings are safe and nice, the amenities like sport facilities rival those at many smaller universities, and small classes where one teacher take care of only a dozen or less students. For me coming from Hong Kong, the most impressive was that the teachers are career teachers who stays in one place and teach for many years, instead of school hopping looking for "better career" like many now teaching in international schools in Asia.

The increasing wealth gap is now a hot topic in the US as well as in HK. In our visit we just have another first hand experience of this wealth gap between well funded private schools vs poorly funded public schools featured in the local news. I am just glad that my kids do not have to go to the poorly funded public schools, that we have choices.
Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: hangchoi on 13 February 2012, 22:31:37
These schools are very nice.......

So.....what is your choice, or your family's choice?
Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 22:35:38
These schools are very nice.......

So.....what is your choice, or your family's choice?

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It's more like my daughter's choice. I think for now her preference is Taft > Cushing > Choate.

In 2 months or so we will know if she would get accepted into which. Then she would decide to go or to stay in HK.

My wife & I prefer she goes to Taft.

One thing I noticed in all three school visits - that I was the most under-dressed father of a prospective student.
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Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 22:51:12
After the school visits, we stayed in New York City for 2 nights.

I have been to NYC a number of times, but always just for business meetings. This was about the first I came only as a tourist. So we did the proper tourist thing, like going to the Times Square, Central Park, see a Broadway show, etc...

Our hotel is right on top of the Time Square. This picture was taken on the first morning, and I opened my eyes to the New York skylines.
Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 22:51:55
From my room looking down toward the east...
Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 22:53:13
... and looking down toward the Times Square in the morning and in the evening.
Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 22:57:04
The Times Square is very small (relative to its fame.) It's all surrounded by billboards. In the last picture is where you can get ticket to Broadway shows (the red structure can be seem from my hotel pictures above.)
Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 23:02:38
This is my first time watching a Broadway show. My kids somehow liked the songs from the Wicked, so we booked the tickets before we went to the US.

I was very surprised that it cost so much (US$250+). Only after seeing the show did I realized that it's a very big business.

Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 23:07:25
In Wikipedia, it's said that the Gershwin theater can sit almost 2000. When I was inside, I roughly figured that the show had more than 1000 audience. I think the cheapest ticket at list price is still more than US$100. So this Sat afternoon show should brought in more than US$150k. At 9 shows per week, the box office should be more than US$1m per week in this location alone! The total ticket sales should rival those big Hollywood movies.

Anyway, it was a good show to watch.
Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 23:12:16
After visiting Times Square, we walked to the Central Park, and passed the Diamond District of NYC.
Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 23:16:01
At the entrance to the Central Park, I saw this water tank for horses. It was presented to the ASPCA (I think it's the America Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) by a certain Mrs Russell in 1908!

I wonder at that time, if most people have running water to their home? Yet at the same time, some one already care greatly the welfare of the horses in the Park.
Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 23:20:19
As a tourist, we of course had to ride the horse drawn carriage.

Even before we arrived at the entrance to the Central Park, we were approached by numerous "pimps" who asked if we want to hire bikes or horse carriages. I ignored all of them, thinking that the horse carriages are all enterprising individuals, and why would they need any agent. I would rather talk to the horse carriage drivers directly.

On the carriage, I asked the driver what's the deal with the "pimps". The driver said they are "thieves". At best they mark up the price making some quick bucks, and at worst they took the tourist money and ran away.
Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 23:21:50
A short ride cost US$50, and a long "full" ride cost US$100 per carriage. Each carriage can only sit 4.

And then this "customary 20% tipping" on top of the fee, as reminded by the signage.
Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 23:22:32
Two of the interesting characters in the Central Park.
Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 23:24:59
Across the street from our hotel is this M&M World. Sugar Merchant Supremo.
Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 23:26:12
More M&M pictures. The shop has 3 floors.
Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 23:27:56
Opposing the M&M World at the other corner is Hershey's.
Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 23:28:32
2 more random pictures taken at the street of NYC.
Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 23:39:48
Our vehicle for the whole trip. I drove 667 mils in 1 week or so. (Compare to the summer trip when I drove ~3000 miles on both the left & right coasts.)
Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 23:40:38
One of the many stops on the road. This little white house looks nice and warm in the snowy winter.
Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 13 February 2012, 23:43:12
In between school visits, we went to see an Armor museum, and the Old Sturbridge Village. I may later post some pictures of these places.
Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: kai on 14 February 2012, 22:54:41
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Excellent report for the trip.  These are very good high schools, much better than ours in 80's.  Is your daughter going to study in science/art?  What model is your small camera?  Nice camera! ;D
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Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 15 February 2012, 00:13:55
Kai,

In the US system, the student does not need to declare art or science major. The kid would just pick classes that he/she likes, and attend the class. Some classes may have pre-requisites, e.g. Calculus classes may require pre-calculus or algebra.

The camera used was Panasonnic LX5.

Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: hughchan on 11 January 2013, 15:43:30
The pictures from school visits are all posted. I will later post other pictures from this trip.

While I was traveling Massachusetts, Connecticut & New York in those few days, one of the local news was this public school was in such bad shape that the authority was planning to shut down one of the main buildings, and the parents were very concerned, etc... On the local TV, I can see that the public school building was really lack of maintenance, the toilets was not clean and need fixing, etc... In the news, that school building was to be shutdown for now, until they have the fund to repair and revert back to certain safety standard.

Yet there we were, visiting private schools that takes millions to build and maintain. Not only the buildings are safe and nice, the amenities like sport facilities rival those at many smaller universities, and small classes where one teacher take care of only a dozen or less students. For me coming from Hong Kong, the most impressive was that the teachers are career teachers who stays in one place and teach for many years, instead of school hopping looking for "better career" like many now teaching in international schools in Asia.

The increasing wealth gap is now a hot topic in the US as well as in HK. In our visit we just have another first hand experience of this wealth gap between well funded private schools vs poorly funded public schools featured in the local news. I am just glad that my kids do not have to go to the poorly funded public schools, that we have choices.


The public educational system in the US is getting worse in light of sluggish economy.  Private school is definitely the way to go.  These schools reminded me of the "Dead Poet Society" movie. What's the approximate percentage of international students? or Asians?
Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: chin on 11 January 2013, 18:49:08
The public educational system in the US is getting worse in light of sluggish economy.  Private school is definitely the way to go.  These schools reminded me of the "Dead Poet Society" movie. What's the approximate percentage of international students? or Asians?

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From memory, 20-35% international students. Of the international student population, increasingly more and more from the mainland, could be as much as 1/3 of the international students, or up to 10% of total school student population.

Some times it's hard for the school to count who is from where. Many businessmen or government officers sent their family to the US, so many of these kids resides in the US as legal resident. So are they American or Chinese?
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Title: Re: 2012 Spring, New England, USA
Post by: rene on 02 February 2013, 04:39:25
I remember during the days when I was at Cushing, boys can only visit the girls dorm once a quarter and it was a big deal.  They can now visit twice a week.  Wonder if I can call that an improvement.  :-)

Chin, next time when you visit, please take some pictures of the sporting complex especially the ice hockey rink.