Boarding students help prepare meals regularly throughout the week.  The kitchen crew prepares and serves the meal and stays afterwards to clean up. For reasons of order and social experience, students may not usually trade kitchen shifts. Trades for legitimate schedule conflicts must be approved by a staff member. School meals are planned with balanced nutrition in mind, and students are encouraged to make healthy, nutritious choices at meal and snack times. Boarding students have limited cabinet storage for personal food. Parents are welcome to send food to students, but are encouraged not to send candy.  Specific guidelines for nutrition and quality will be sent out at the beginning of the school year.  Parents should give direction to office and residential staff for any dietary needs or requests for students.

Your child’s nutrition is of the utmost importance to us. It is our policy to serve the most nutritious, wholesome and healthy options to the students while they attend this school. While it is our desire to be as completely self-sustaining as possible, we do need to rely on outside sources for a variety of our foods. We have successfully increased our selection of organic and bulk foods into our menu as well as supporting local farmers and vendors. We want to emphasize that all of our products that are purchased DO NOT include:

• High fructose corn syrup
• Artificial flavorings, colorings, or preservatives (examples include red 40, MSG, etc.)
• Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils

We ask that you support our nutrition policy when sending packages from home.

Room assignments are made by the staff before student arrival with balance and fairness in mind and are not subject to change during the year except in extraordinary circumstances.  Learning to live with roommates, to moderate one’s own behavior, and to resolve differences peacefully are essential aspects of community life.

Males and females live in separate dorm areas and are not permitted in each other’s rooms or dormitory hallways.  Occasional exceptions are made during tours, for maintenance purposes, but always in the company of adults.

Boarding and day students often form social connections and friendships, and visits can be arranged.

Upper School day students are invited to join the boarding community and stay overnight for academic, project-related, or social reasons. Visits are arranged according to the following procedure:

• Day student parents request an overnight with the Huntsburg Office in writing or by email at least 24 hours in advance.
• Residential life schedule and activities, as well as social and behavioral considerations, will be taken into account when evaluating requests.
• The overnight weekday fee is $20.00.

Day students adopt a boarding life schedule when they stay overnight and are expected to participate in the responsibilities and chores expected of boarding students. Inappropriate behavior can result in a suspension of overnight privileges for day students, either temporarily or permanently.

Overnights are not scheduled during the first and last two weeks of school and on coffeehouse, school dance, or play performance nights.

Five-Day Boarding student overnights

• Five day boarding students are allowed to stay over either one or both nights in a weekend. The cost of each overnight is $75.00.  This covers the cost of additional weekend staffing, transportation to activities, room and board.  Parents must request an overnight with the Huntsburg office and House parents by email at least 48 hours in advance.

Boarding students may spend occasional weekends or weekend nights at the homes of day students, but no more than once a month, and at the discretion of the Houseparents based on activities in the boarding community. These visits are arranged as follows:

• Day student parents check with the Huntsburg office in writing or by email at least 48 hours in advance to see if the week-end is appropriate for a visit and does not interfere with other scheduled boarding activities.
• Day student parents contact the boarding student’s parents for permission and to discuss the nature of the visit and its activities.
• The boarding student’s parents contacts the Huntsburg office to confirm permission for the visit and arrange

Except in unusual circumstances, boarding students are not typically permitted to spend weekdays overnight at a day student’s home.

Beyond academic work, community work, and informal socializing, boarding students participate in a variety of activities.

Self-Expression

Two times a week for approximately two hours, upper school boarding students meet and participate in some form of physical or creative expression.  Group sports and exercise equipment are available. 

Afternoon and Evening Activities

During open times students take part in a wide range of activities, including creative work, music, games, outdoor activities, etc

Movies

Streamed television shows or movies are typically presented twice a week.  Adults and students collaborate in choosing appropriate, PG-13 (and under) movies or TV-14 shows.  R-rated movies are not usually presented, although exceptions may be made, with parental permission, for movies considered socially redeeming or having educational value.

Weekend Activities

Weekend activities include on-site activities, as well as whole community and small group outings for recreation, education, shopping, and other needs and interests.

On-Site Activities

Weekend on-site activities include creative work, music, games, cooking and craft projects, outdoor activities, farm and garden work, and more.

Small Group Outings

Small group outings to places and events of interest are available on weekends depending on staff availability, schedule considerations, and student interest and planning.

Community Outings

Periodically, students and staff plan whole community outings to movies, plays, museums, cultural events, outdoor activities, etc. All boarding students participate in these events.  Costs are typically covered by student activity fees.

Ski Club

From January to March, students have the opportunity to ski on Saturdays at a nearby facility.  Boarding students who choose not to ski have the opportunity to play games, read, etc. at the ski lodge. Enrollment and payment are made directly to Alpine Valley through their online registration system.

Student Needs Outings

Weekends may include shopping trips for school groceries and student needs, along with visits to the local library. Students will spend no more than $20.00 of their allowance in one shopping trip, without approval (and relayed to the Houseparents) from their parents.

Boarding students who show signs of illness (fever, vomiting, or diarrhea) will be excused from classes and will stay in their rooms for rest and care, or may be removed from their rooms for isolation and care if necessary.  Staff and students will check on ill students throughout the day.  Students who miss the entire school day are generally expected to stay in their rooms and rest for the remainder of the afternoon and evening.

Boarding students who are ill may be evaluated by staff for further medical treatment, and may be taken off campus for medical care.  Parents will be contacted as soon as possible, but the medical care will not be delayed if the situation warrants immediate response. Staff members will remain in contact with the parents about doctor visits, emergency room visits, prescribed treatments, and doctor recommendations.