Talk:Buckingham Browne & Nichols School

assess
So much talent ... an important school ... but only a start? ... First to add some references to this very good article could see it get "B" status. Some pics would be good Victuallers 13:46, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

Well, the school is currently under fairly major construction, which will be completed in the early fall. Perhaps that deserves a section of its own. In any case, it rules out pictures for the time being. I will try to garner some references and clean this up a bit. Thanks for the assessment, though! (:

Vivisel 17:30, 24 May 2007 (UTC)

The construction is only on the Upper School campus... not on the Lower or Middle schools. I might be able to get some pictures. One the Upper School, you can probably get some shots of the athletic building without the construction getting in the way. 64.2.133.77 17:16, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

Ah, you're right. perhaps I'll drop by the LS or MS and take a couple of pictures. Actually, this points to a lack of MS and LS content. I do wonder, though, why you vandalized the article itself while commenting productively on the talk page..?

Vivisel 21:46, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

Merge completed
I removed all content from the old Buckingham, Browne and Nichols page and turned it into a redirect. The only content on that page that wasn't already here was an unsourced claim that BB&N is one of the top five schools in MA and top 50 in the country. Since it was unsourced and did not identify criteria, I decided to leave it out of this article. | Klaw ¡digame! 17:12, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

senior project
As the creator of the paragraph about the senior project which appears under the 'academics' section, I thought I might justify myself: though there is a separate section about the senior project, the project definitely pertains to the scope and breadth of the academic experiences available at BB&N--the paragraph under 'academics' only discusses that, while the section devoted to biv and the project is broader.

also, enough with the vandalism! Vivisel 04:51, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Bbnlogo.png
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ISSUES
This page is your classic overgrown self-congratulatory prep school page. I think it's actually a lot better off than my own alma mater's (SPS) in many ways, but it has a lot of work to do. Sentences like "they are given tarps, tents, cots and sleeping pads, as well as a set of pots, pans, and plates, and a 'wangan' box for food storage." In what possible universe would someone who does not already know this information be interested in it? Please go through and cut as you can. Spare prose that does not overwhelm and fewer paragraphs (fewer pages, even) could still convey the fun and impressiveness of your school with an understated elegance that would be, if anything, more appropriate than this. Mjl0509 22:17, 8 August 2007 (UTC)

Academics Page
So, I deleted the academics and arts section, both of which vacillated exclusively between non-noteworthy descriptions of a relatively common curriculum and florid, masturbatory and utterly unsupported claims of academic superiority to other prep schools. If there is anything notable about BB&N's academics -- and there may well be -- I'm sure it can be summed up in a concise paragraph. Remember: if you had never been to BB&N, what would you actually be interested to know about its academics? Leave the convincing to the admissions office and the showing off to the communications people. Let me know if I can help or clarify. Mjl0509 22:24, 8 August 2007 (UTC)

good sir self-righteous,
Though (most of) your editing is justified, I can't say I appreciate your manner.

I do think, in any case, that the Russian program (started in 1956) and accompanying Russian exchange, which dates to before the fall of the Soviet Union, are surely notable--both have been written about at length. I will also restore and supplement material about BB&N's pedagogical history. Admittedly, it was not clear from the article's previous incarnation that this was the case, but George Browne had what were some rather unorthodox ideas about education at the time--ideas that were remarked on in the contemporary press and since. You might investigate the book 'Two Schools in Cambridge' by Thomas Eliot if you are interested.

Also, clarification about standards of notability would be appreciated. Though I agree the sections on curriculum were overdone, I am curious about relevant models. The Stuyvesant High School page, which, I note, was front-page featured, contains a hefty section on curriculum. (Including discussion of various requirements, for that matter.)

Yours,

Paul. Vivisel 14:32, 10 August 2007 (UTC)

Fair enough. The snarkiness is a bad habit; my apologies. Anything you need to add back should be. There may well be plenty of relevant stuff about the curriculum, it just all seemed relatively generic. If there's stuff in there that's uncommon in the prep school world -- i.e. stuff that grads of, say, other ISL schools wouldn't be familiar with, let's put that stuff in. A quick notation about the Harkness method (which has its own article, and every prep school seems convinced that it and it *alone* uses the method) would be good, etc. I'm not at all familiar with BB&N's uniqueness, and agree heartily that it should get a front and center spot on the Wikipedia page. I'm on my boss' time right now, but I can take a look at the old curriculum page and let you know what bothered me about it. Mjl0509 15:14, 14 August 2007 (UTC)

... but you need refs to get a B Victuallers 15:37, 14 August 2007 (UTC)

About the refs: point well taken. I actually wasn't thinking about the Harkness system, although you're right in saying it probably deserves a brief mention. I was actually thinking about George Browne's ideas about fostering an inquisitive spirit in his students; he had all sorts of schemes for this (nature walks, for one) and he departed radically from what was considered the standard prep school curriculum of the late 19th century. you were mostly right about the old curriculum page--it was rather humdrum. But am I wrong in thinking that the landmarks of the BB&N curriculum (the Junior Profile, for instance) belong in there along with unusual course offerings? I actually think that parts of the Tufts english requirements were modelled after the program that the former head of bb&n's english department, Sharon Hamilton, developed. I will see if I can find out more about that. Vivisel 14:42, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Sounds good! I've got no idea about this stuff. The junior profile didn't seem to be too overly notable – other schools, I think, have similar junior-year work to do – but it could certainly go in there. Oh well, don't go by my sensibilities, as they're completely arbitrary. Mjl0509 05:05, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

... improving...drop us a line when you have 10 refs Victuallers 11:02, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Mention of Edward Washburn
I consider this an important, although unhappy, part of the school's history and therefore worthy of a brief mention.Openingbbnminds (talk) 17:37, 16 April 2008 (UTC)


 * Perhaps, but to avoid giving undue weight to these specific events of 20 years ago, you need to explain how they either have ongoing relevance or had an enduring effect on the school, its culture or reputation.


 * Having read the website which matches your username, you might also have to be careful about perceptions of a conflict of interest. This doesn't mean you shouldn't contribute on this subject but you'll need to be particularly careful to provide third-party sources to support the points you add. Obviously, special care also needs to be taken to source any sexual assault allegation - there's some guidance on this kind of thing at WP:BLP.


 * I have added a couple of on-line references to support the Washburn mention, and removed the Boston Globe one which doesn't add anything the new ones don't also say and is less easy to verify as it is in hard copy only. I'm still not entirely convinced about the undue weight issue and would welcome any detail you might have about the ongoing relevance of the case. Euryalus (talk) 22:40, 17 April 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for your points. I think the relevance is demonstrated by the 30+ alumni who are publicly supportive of shining light on this episode. In terms of what I write about Edward Washburn, I was careful to write that he pled guilty to the specific charges, as reported in the Boston Globe.Openingbbnminds (talk) 16:13, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

bike polo?
Does BB&N really have a "bike polo" team in east vancouver? 18.85.4.147 (talk) 21:11, 16 November 2010 (UTC)

Anything other than athletics??
This article devotes disproportionate space to athletics. Major athletic achievements should be compressed into a single section so as better to represent the role sports play in the life of the school. Vandalism/self-promotion by current student-athletes has been a recurring problem on this page. Could someone put together sections on other milestones besides Bivouac, perhaps Sophomore Debates, Junior Profile, Senior Project, or perhaps one section for all of the above? It'd be good to have more information on the size and make-up of the student body, the structure of the education, unusual study elsewhere/abroad opportunities, a list of the top ten or so colleges chosen most often by graduates, more on the history of the two schools before the merger and the path to the merger, perhaps even the mission and defining features of the school if this can be done without descent into boosterism. I'd be happy to do some of this but don't have enough information to do it all. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.207.63.156 (talk) 06:39, 20 March 2012 (UTC)

Reviewing the pages of some peer institutions, Nobles for example, reminds one just how much is missing. A facts section might be useful and more is needed on the arts, extracurriculars other than jockery. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.207.63.156 (talk) 06:50, 20 March 2012 (UTC)

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