News & Calendar
Holderness News
2021
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May
Congratulations To Our Holderness School Leaders For 2021-2022
Our community gathered on May 5 to name our new school leaders during our annual Leadership Chapel, a tradition that spans more than 70 years. It’s a unique process without speeches or campaigning, where students are assessed on the qualities of fairness, initiative, dependability, and empathy. Holderness defines leadership as each person’s journey to serve and empower others, and we see these leadership characteristics as vital in developing servant leaders.Read More -
April
Student Departure Information
It’s hard to believe the school year is coming to an end! Before the students leave for a much-deserved summer vacation, they still have three weeks of classes to complete, three weekends of athletic competitions, the Spring Musical, and year-end assessments and activities. They also have many opportunities to spend time with their friends, to enjoy another brownie sundae at the Head's House, and to participate in Spring Fest on Saturday evening, May 15th.Read More -
Holderness Students Champion LGBTQ+ Youth on Day of Silence
The Aliance Club sponsored the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network's (GLSEN) Day of Silence this past Friday. This is a student-led national event where students and teachers take a vow of silence to highlight the silencing and erasure of LGBTQ+ people at schools. Members of the Holderness community filled hallways and paths dressed in red and silent.Read More -
Student-Athletes Commit to Play at the Next Level
Nine Holderness School student-athletes committed to play competitive college athletics on Tuesday, April 20. These students represent some of the top athletic talent in New Hampshire and New England and are testaments to Holderness School’s culture of academic and athletic excellence.Read More -
Holderness Set to Begin Major Nordic, Turf Field Projects
Just as Holderness School nears completion on its new 35,000 square-foot math and science building this spring, the school is set to embark on a series of transformative upgrades to its Nordic trails and athletic fields.Read More -
Spring Ahead With Saturday Programming
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck last spring, educators knew the following school year would pose unprecedented challenges for students and faculty. That concern prompted Holderness to forego regular Saturday morning classes - at least for the 2020-21 school year – in favor of programming that supported students’ social and emotional wellbeing.Read More -
Holderness Skiers Compete in U.S. Alpine Championships in Colorado
Spring may have already sprung in the foothills of the White Mountains, but winter is still going strong for the Holderness School ski program with skiers competing in national championships and elite training camps across the country.Read More -
Holderness Students Ages 16+ Get COVID-19 Vaccine
The state of New Hampshire currently has one of the highest vaccination rates against COVID-19 in the country. This week, several dozen Holderness School students will be added to that total.Read More -
Holderness Names New Dean of Students
After an extensive search, Holderness School is pleased to announce the hiring of Mb Duckett Ireland as the school’s new Dean of Students.Read More -
Holderness Art Students Win Three of Six Categories in the 2021 AVA High School Juried Exhibit
Holderness School is excited to announce that its students have won three of six categories in the 2021 AVA High School Juried Exhibit, placing them among the avant-garde of New Hampshire high school artists.Read More -
Holderness Names New “Head of Cool”
When Head of School Phil Peck announced that he would retire in June 2022, Holderness School began a nationwide search to find his replacement. While that search is still ongoing, the board of trustees has announced that Mr. Peck will spend the first year of his retirement on campus in a newly-created advisory role: Head of Cool.Read More -
March
Holderness Students Accepted to Nearly 150 Colleges and Universities
Applying to college has always required students to face the unknown – and that was before the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. For this year’s crop of Holderness seniors, applying to college has been an unprecedented exercise in adapting to a changed world. From virtual college tours to Zoom interviews with admission officers, today’s seniors had to overcome many challenges to find the right college fit. With college decisions now arriving in student mailboxes (and inboxes), we wanted to talk with Holderness School’s Interim Director of College Counseling Erika Blauth about the many challenges - and opportunities - that our college-bound seniors faced over the last year.Read More -
Report of Appreciation 2020
The Holderness experience simply wouldn’t be possible without the support we receive from our generous donors. Our annual Report of Appreciation is just one way we thank all the alums, parents, and friends who have given to Holderness School over the preceding fiscal year. From inspiring stories about scholarship recipients to profiles of major Holderness donors, this year’s Report of Appreciation is packed with important information about the fiscal health and growth of Holderness School.Read More -
Third Quarter Honor Roll
Read MoreThe Honor Roll recognizes and commends outstanding achievement and effort in the academic program. Holderness School recognizes that each student's growth and progress is complex. Quarterly comments written by faculty better reflect the unique path traveled by each student, and the Honor Roll and Effort Honor Roll are simplified but significant markers of the engagement of our students in the most recent marking interval. -
Standing with the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander Community
It is with profound sorrow that I write this message. The recent shooting in Atlanta and the sharp rise in violence against Asian Americans is heart-wrenching, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values of this nation and of Holderness School. We condemn these senseless acts of violence and racism, and we stand in solidarity with the victims of these crimes, the Asian American community, and our Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students, colleagues, alumni, and community members.Read More -
Head of School Search Process Update
Read MoreDear Holderness Community,It has been two months since Phil Peck announced that he will retire in June 2022. The outpouring of support for Phil has been so gratifying to observe, and we are happy to report that he is thriving during this transition. We are equally excited to share that the search for the next Holderness Head of School is progressing quite well. In our recent NEASC (New England Association of Schools & Colleges) accreditation, Holderness was praised for remaining “true to itself” through dedicated leadership, a commitment to mission, and a foundation of unwavering values. Combined with its reputation for academic strength, excellent outdoor and athletic programming, and an incredibly loyal community of alumni, families, students, employees, and friends, this sense of self that Holderness has is attracting a strong and diverse group of potential candidates expressing interest in the position. It is clear that what we all know, understand, and love about the unique nature of Holderness and its community is being recognized far and wide. -
New Whitewater Kayaking Team Starting Spring '21
Read MoreThis spring, students can swap their skis for a paddle and personal flotation device, because the school is launching a new whitewater kayaking team. -
February
Celebrating Black History: February is Just a Start
February is Black History Month, and students in Holderness School’s new Culture and Justice Club have used that time to spark the community’s awareness and appreciation of Black history, excellence, and culture.Read More -
Holderness Wins AP Computer Science Award
Holderness School has earned the College Board’s AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for expanding access to AP Computer Science A - one of only 232 schools in the country to receive such an award.Read More -
Student Magazine Wins National Award
Despite a number of editorial challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Holderness School’s literary and visual arts magazine, Mosaic, recently took home a top award from the 2020 Scholastic Yearbook and Magazine Awards.Read More -
The Intersection of Lunar New Year and Black History Month
Happy Lunar New Year!Read More
Best wishes to all of our students who celebrate this most important of Asian holidays. May this Year of the Ox 🐂 be filled with happiness, good health, and prosperity. -
A Day of Giving Record -- 1600+ Donors
I am in awe of the outpouring of support during yesterday’s Day of Giving. More than 1600 donors – a record – contributed over $640,000 to support the Holderness Experience. Talk about making an immediate impact! This, our 7th Annual Day of Giving, was our most successful yet because of you!Read More -
Day of Giving is Feb. 16, 2021
Every February, we dedicate one entire day to raising money for the Holderness Fund. Day of Giving is essential to ensuring the transformational Holderness Experience for current students. Gifts on Day of Giving are immediately put to use to cover student scholarships, teacher salaries, special programs, and numerous essentials.Read More -
January
Four Holderness Students Win Scholastic Arts Awards
Holderness art students got a boost of recognition from the Scholastic Art Awards of New Hampshire. Dianne Fu ‘23, Cece Robinson ‘24, Logan Severance ‘24, and Jobe Gemmell-Hughes ‘21 all received Honorable Mentions. Logan Severance ‘24 also received a Silvery Key for her work “Recreation of Museum Artwork.”Read More -
The People's Choice: Abby Vieira '20
Nearly a year after becoming the first athlete to compete for Trinidad and Tobago in the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland, Abby Vieira ’20, has been named Junior Sportswoman of the Year and People’s Choice Award winner by the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee.Read More -
The Can-Do Attitude of Dan Do '13
Little more than a month after he graduated from Holderness School in the spring of 2013, Daniel Do began to feel a nagging pain in his leg. Daniel, who had plans to try out for the Bowdoin College basketball team that fall, first thought it was a muscle pull. Soon after arriving at Bowdoin, however, the pain had become so debilitating that he couldn’t walk.Read More -
More than hope. It is time for truth and justice
So often on the day designated to honor the life and legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we focus on our needs--the things that make us feel good. We look to his speeches for hope, to be inspired, to seek out motivational quotations for social media. But this use of Dr. King’s legacy and words to comfort and inspire is, in my personal opinion, a bastardization of his legacy--of the very real complex person he was and the radical vision he had for us. A vision of justice and accountability that could only result in radical change. Dr. King was a radical for racial justice, economic justice, democratic socialism, and demilitarization. I would even purport that, as a white person, my white community has shifted the legacy of a hero of civil and human rights to serve our purpose rather than the purpose of justice. And it was ultimately liberty and justice that was the goal of the work of Dr. King.Read More -
Art in the Era of COVID-19
COVID-19 has provided many challenges for all of us in more ways than we can count. One opportunity we've seen in this challenge is that it demands us all to be more creative and one place that was most apparent this fall was in the Holderness Art Department.Read More -
An Academic Schedule Built For Winter
With world-class ski resorts just a short drive away, plus 20 kilometers of Nordic ski trails and an outdoor ice rink on campus, Holderness School seems like it was built for winter. The same can be said of the school’s new winter schedule, which was redesigned to help students thrive amid the challenges of cold weather, short days, and ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.Read More -
Head of School Phil Peck Announces June 2022 Retirement
Dear Holderness Community,Read More
It is with profound gratitude that I share I will be retiring in June 2022. As Board Chair Nell Reynolds, the board, and I have discussed, the timing feels perfect for Holderness and for Robin and me. I am incredibly fortunate to be able to retire at this time, but I am also thankful to have another 18 months to serve Holderness. -
2nd QUARTER HONOR ROLL
The Honor Roll recognizes and commends outstanding achievement and effort in the academic program. Holderness School recognizes that each student's growth and progress is complex. Quarterly comments written by faculty better reflect the unique path traveled by each student, and the Honor Roll and Effort Honor Roll are simplified but significant markers of the engagement of our students in the most recent marking interval.Read More
Download the Honor Roll & Excellent Effort Honor Roll
Head's Photo of the Day
Head of School, Phil Peck, has been documenting the daily life of Holderness School one photo at a time since 2001, highlighting teaching moments, inspirational chapels, Head’s Day shenanigans, service projects, and more.
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2021
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Holderness School
33 Chapel Lane, Holderness, NH 03245
MAIL P.O. Box 1879 Plymouth, NH 03264-1879
PHONE (603) 536-1257
EMAIL info@holderness.org
33 Chapel Lane, Holderness, NH 03245
MAIL P.O. Box 1879 Plymouth, NH 03264-1879
PHONE (603) 536-1257
EMAIL info@holderness.org
