Sophomore Caytie Lee Davenport sits on a grassy patch in the main quad, as music blares from the Quad Day practices in the background. Davenport knows that after a long day, she will soon be going home to wind down—something many of us take for granted, but not her.
Davenport spent her 7th, 8th and 9th grades in Linden Hall, a boarding school in Lititz, Pennsylvania.
Davenport used to live in Monterey County, in an area where public schools, she said, neither offered a very good education nor presented a good environment.
“The public schools in my area were really bad,” Davenport said. “Not only was the academics bad, but the kids who usually went there weren’t the best of kids.”
Therefore, before attending Linden Hall, Davenport attended Santa Catalina, a private school in Monterey.
Linden Hall is the oldest girls’ boarding school in the country. It was founded in 1746, one score and 10 years before the U.S. gained independence.
“I went to boarding school because Linden Hall is a really good boarding school, and it really helped my academics,” Davenport said. “But my mom also wanted me to go there so I could get a good idea of what college boarding would be like.”
Strangely enough, Davenport did not even visit Linden Hall before enrolling.
“I called a lot of the parents who had their kids in the school,” Davenport said. “I saw a lot of pictures of the dorms, and I had interviews with a lot of the teachers.”
That gave her a good idea of “what the school was like.”
Davenport said that while researching boarding schools, her mother’s primary criterion was academic excellence.
“Anywhere with the best SAT scores,” Davenport laughed.
Davenport also said that her mother liked the “all-girls” aspect of Linden Hall.
“I didn’t really like this so much,” Davenport smiled.
Davenport said her mother “was a little upset at first” when Davenport told her she wanted to leave boarding school, but later came to terms with the idea.
She and her parents discovered Saratoga and started making regular trips here.
“We came up here and took some tours,” Davenport said. “We really liked the area.”
Davenport and her family moved to Saratoga a couple of weeks before school started.
Davenport said that although she has not had a hard time assimilating into the school, she has had trouble getting used to her locker. Davenport did not have a locker in Linden Hall, as she just kept her books in her dorm room.
“I’ve been awful with the combination,” Davenport said. “I can never remember it!”
Davenport is in the Invisible Children Club, Perfect Pals club and the Digital Photography Club.
Outside of school, she enjoys literature and biking.
“My favorite hobby would be poetry,” Davenport said. “I love poetry. I like writing it. I like reading it.”
Davenport said that English teacher Ken Nguyen has agreed to help her in her this endeavor.
“And we like a lot of the same types of poetry,” Davenport said. “So I can go to him with new types of poetry that I can read.”
Davenport said that one of the biggest changes from boarding school has been the presence of boys.
“My dad knew there were boys here,” Davenport laughed. “So he thought that I might not cope well or something.”
Davenport’s favorite aspect of the school so far has been the openness between the students and teachers.
“I feel like it’s really easy to connect with teachers and the office,” Davenport said. “Like, if you need any help, they’re there for you.”
Davenport also particularly enjoys not having to wear a uniform.
“After a while everybody looks the same with skirts and knee-high socks,” Davenport said. “Maybe that’s why I dyed my hair red.”
