While current Sage students are awaiting college admission results, prospective eighth-grade students recently received their acceptances to the Sage Hill Class of 2028. The Sage community welcomed newly admitted applicants for Accepted Student Day on March 5, giving the eighth graders a glimpse into school life at Sage.
As per usual, visiting students took part in various activities, joining in the schoolwide Pep Rally, touring campus and participating in bonding exercises with their future classmates and friends.
Dean of School Life Dominic Campeau explains that Accepted Student Day is key for incoming students to understand the Sage community and its unique emphasis on student leadership.
“To me, it’s an empowering message that they see… these high school students are powered to run things and make decisions. [Through Accepted Student Day], we communicate that this is your school, and we are just here to guide you along the way,” Campeau said.
Over his 12 years as an administrator at Sage, Campeau feels that Accepted Student Day has changed to become a particularly student-centered event.
“At first, maybe, I was too involved. The last few years, I’ve really put [this responsibility] on StuCo and… let them run with it. There’s been a lot of energy… and I give all the credit to the kids for that.”
This firsthand experience of the School’s culture and environment is especially important given the short time frame of Sage’s admission process: March 11 marked the deadline for admission responses, giving accepted students a little over a week to make their decision after results released on Thursday, Feb. 29.
Peter Jordan, Director of Admission and Financial Aid, explains that Accepted Student Day helps introduce Sage to the “excellent students with diverse interests” that are chosen each year. Sage continues fostering a varied student body, and the Class of ‘28 is projected to bring together students from a range of schools, backgrounds and locations.
“We are on track to have over 60 different schools represented in the incoming [class],” said Jordan.
Though exact details about the incoming class are not yet finalized, Jordan believes that this year’s results are in line with past trends. Even with the revelation of Sage’s middle school project last year, admission goals and strategies have remained the same for this round of applications.
“The admission process hasn’t changed since the announcement of the middle school. We continue to see an increase in applications each year, and this year saw a significant increase [in applications and] in selectivity,” Jordan said.
This community wide tradition bridges the gap between grades and is a memorable event in the transition from middle school to high school. While Accepted Student Day helps familiarize the incoming freshmen with the Sage experience, this annual event also gives current high schoolers an opportunity to connect with the future of Sage Hill.
