Hi friends, and welcome to Concord Academy! A little bit about myself: My name is Jason Mao and I’m a junior. I have spent my last two years at CA as a boarder, so I am generally familiar with things on campus and in the town of Concord. Below is my personal top five list for things at CA. Hope you find it to be helpful!
- The Quad. The quad is the huge lawn in the middle of the Main Campus, surrounded by most of CA's buildings. On sunny days after school, you can always see people playing or sunbathing on the quad. In winter during snow days, there are sometimes snow fights, which are always extremely fun (though this is more of a boarder privilege).
- New London Style Pizza. There are two pizzerias on the extended campus: New London and Sorrento’s. New London is my personal favorite. I think in general, New London pizzas have better crusts. I also adore their chicken fingers; they are your perfect afternoon treat.
- J. Josephine Tucker Library. The library is where most people go to if they want to study during free blocks or after school. Our lovely librarians Martha Kennedy and Carrie Grinham are two of the most helpful and understanding people that I know. You can always go to them for help if you forgot to bring a book for class, couldn’t find a book, or hope to read a book that is not available in the CA Library and/or the Concord Free Public Library.
- Our humanities curriculum. As you might already know, CA offers a very special humanities education. We don’t have AP courses, and there is much versatility to the topics teachers want to teach, as well as the way teachers want to teach them. You get to pick English electives in your junior and senior years, and History electives for your entire CA career. As an international student, the humanities teachers at CA have shown me a more complete understanding of the world and tools for true self-expression. I hope you will feel the same way after learning and engaging in those classes.
- Chapel. Most mornings before school, we go to the Chapel for senior chapels. In each chapel, one senior talks about their journey in life, both before and at CA. Seniors also give out senior advice. Those advice are sometimes helpful, sometimes insightful, and sometimes funny. Chapels are a great way to listen to stories, and understand more deeply our community members and their identities.