Welcome to Bement

At Bement, the kind of person you are matters most, and we spend a fair amount of time tending to that development. In the midst of studying literature and history, we realize we're studying relationships. Small classes enable students and teachers to know each other well. All teachers eat daily meals with students, which furthers the friendships adults and young people have at Bement.

Shelley Jackson P'00, Head of School, reading from one of her favorites at an all-school morning meeting in the Barn.

We speak to each other by name, and we never know who we might find doing a particular job on any given day. The business manager rides with our mountain bikers, and our assistant cook takes international boarders home on long weekends. Older students are constant role models for younger ones, and a variety of cross-grade activities fosters meaningful friendships throughout the school. No one at Bement thinks, "That's not my job." There is a strong and pervasive belief that each of us contributes to the success of each day here.

The affection we have for one another is evident in many ways. Each week we celebrate birthdays at our all-school meeting. We sing to each other and a unique Bement bookmark is presented to commemorate each student's birthday. Morning meetings are also times when we recognize accomplishments big and small: a student qualifies for the Junior Olympics; another was seen welcoming a campus visitor. We're proud of both.

We hope you learn more about what we study and how we learn at Bement, our unusual fine arts program, our many athletic options, or what it means to be a boarder here. You'll glimpse the beauty in one of our country's oldest settled villages. You'll likely come to understand things like mini-term, Winter Wednesday, ninth grade leadership, and our French exchange program. What's most important at Bement, however, is the community we become each day.

No matter where I go or whom I meet, if people mention Bement, they inevitably use the word "family" to describe us. Nothing makes me prouder. My own family is at the heart of every personal decision I make, and the care of the children and adults here is at the heart of every Bement decision I make. On behalf of the Bement family, I welcome you again to this website and hope we can soon welcome you to a real visit.

Shelley Borror Jackson
Head of School