Just as students arrive back from Spring Break and seniors count down their last nine weeks until graduation, Tabor Academy is preparing to welcome the newest class of incoming Seawolves in the upcoming week. On April 4, 6, and 7, accepted students from all over the world will come to Tabor to get a second – and in some cases first – look at the school.
After an extensive application season that lasts throughout the majority of the school year in which prospective students complete an application and an interview, the admissions decisions were finally announced on March 10. For some, an acceptance letter to Tabor may be a sure path for the years ahead, but for others Tabor is one of several schools to which they have been accepted.
For accepted students and parents of both natures, the three Revisit Days offer an opportunity to experience life as a student in a way that the student-led campus tours cannot. For Tabor’s faculty and students, these days are an opportunity to show all that the school has to offer on a personal and first-hand basis.
“It gives incoming students an opportunity to see the daily life of a Tabor student in all aspects of our school,” said Head Tour Guide and senior Kat Mitchell, “Whether it be academics, community life, or extracurricular activities, coming to Revisit Day will allow our future Seawolves to further understand our school.”
Prospective students are assigned a current student, typically in the grade they will be entering, who brings them around campus for a traditional day of classes. While many students will go to class with their guide, students typically attend classes fitting their interests, and often get a chance to enter the class discussions or activities.
“One thing about Revisit Day that made me want to come to Tabor was how happy the person I was visiting with was. They were having a great time in every class and had lots of friendly interactions in between classes as well. Even to this day, the person I revisited with is one of my best friends,” said freshman Drew Kirk.
In addition to classes, student guides bring the revisiting students to lunch where they not only get a taste of a typical Tabor meal but also a chance to meet their fellow classmates next year.
One core event enjoyed by accepted students and their parents is the Chapel program, which will be held during every Revisit Day. Chapel is held twice a week during a typical school day, and often features some type of musical performance and a senior student speaker as the main event.
The final event of the day is the co-curricular fair, an event held in the Fish Center Fieldhouse that puts on display the many sports, activities, and clubs that are available for the students at Tabor. At this event, student leaders and faculty members gather at their respective tables for their activities to speak with families and answer any questions they may have.
For most current students who had the opportunity to revisit Tabor upon their acceptance, the Revisit Day programs are cited as a key reason for choosing to attend Tabor.
Kirk, who attended Revisit Day last year, said that his favorite memory was visiting an English class that day, saying, “It allowed me to see how engaged the whole class is and how the teacher uses very interesting lessons to help you learn.”
In the group of Head Tour Guides, who are the student leaders during Revisit Days, the whole process has come full circle from when they revisited Tabor themselves.
“My Revisit Day is still very vivid in my memory, and the people I met on this day are the reason I chose Tabor,” said Head Tour Guide and senior Duhita Das.
Fellow Head Tour Guide and senior Lulu Russell had similar positive experiences.
“I sat at lunch with my host and her friends, who also had revisit students, and I just remember how friendly and welcoming the students were. It was also really cool being able to meet some of my future possible classmates and how interesting and different each one was,” she said.
Though Revisit Days are always exciting and entertaining for the accepted families, the events can sometimes be even more exciting and entertaining for the host students.
Tabor has still not yet publicly released information or statistics on the applicant pool for the 2017-2018 school year.
By Jack Gordon