Periodic Table Of The Elements - Dartmouth College: Fill & Download for Free

Why did Neo Babson Maxiums tell his sister “Look under the periodic table” just before he mysteriously disappeared?Neo was formerly called Charlie Allen Jr. He was a 22-year- old college senior when he went missing from Dartmouth, Massachusetts on October 12, 2007.Shortly before he disappeared, he legally changed his name to Neo Babson Maxiums.He had been one of the world’s best players of the online game “half-life.”-He failed to show up to meet a friend at college to go to a party-He left cryptic voicemails for his parents.-He told his sister that he had sent emails to “important people” and that now these people were after him.-He received treatment for bipolar disorder, but stopped taking his medication. Was this a manic episode? - his parents believe it was Not.-He broke into a lady’s house after climbing through an open 2nd floor window at 3am. When she confronted him; he said he was looking for his friend (Mason), jumped off the roof without injuring himself, and ran into the woods.-Shortly before he went missing, his sister told him his Facebook account had disappeared-He told his sister to “look under the periodic table of elements for answers.”-His computer was later found wipedNeo Babson MaximusCharlie Allen Jr. aka Neo Babson Maximus • /r/UnresolvedMysteries

While there are many pros and cons to sending students to every type of school and there are also many factors that might impact the specific benefits provided by these “boarding schools” for each and every individual student, I can offer the following after teaching many students who have attended them:The are the 3 Top Reasons I would send my children to boarding schools:Feeder schools into top universitiesIf you look at a number of the answers to this post re: “feeder schools” to elite universities, you’ll notice a number of the top boarding schools in the lists: Mastering Boarding School Admissions Andover and Exeter, given their notoriety show up more than others, but frankly many boarding schools offer the following which might help students obtain admissions into the Top Universities:The academic rigor provided by the schools may be stronger than its peers.Why? First off, the Largest Endowments reported by Boarding School Review for the top 30 institutions total more than $100 million USD. Having those funds, these academic establishments can hire stronger instructors, develop or maintain challenging curricula, and maybe even have the best education leaders directing these schools in the “proper direction” for its constituents.Secondly, they have to simply survive by providing the best or they will fail to fund their schools with those annual $35,000–50,000+ tuition rates. Frankly, that added pressure forces them to provide students courses and electives that provide the “best” to their kids. Parents are always asking either out loud or at least in their minds, “Why am I paying so much for my child’s education?”St. Paul’s shows their recent matriculation numbers:COLLEGE MATRICULATIONCollege advisers work hard to find the best institutional match for students. Over the past four years, the colleges and universities most attended by our graduates are:Georgetown University - 31Brown University - 27Columbia University - 21Harvard University - 19Dartmouth College - 18Boston College - 15University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University - 14Stanford University, Williams College - 13Elite social networkParents (or the financiers of these kids) have to be on average wealthier than everyone else. It’s quite simple that going to school with “rich kids” means you’re hob nobbing with the elite in society. There is a reason why they are there and on top of that, they are most likely trying to maintain their positions. Having access to this network could open opportunities to internships, opportunities that may pad their resumes or many other avenues to being a part of the “upper class.”A little known story that many people don’t realize about Bill Gates beyond being a Harvard drop out is that he went to one of the best private schools in the Seattle area. His parents were a partner at a top law firm and a board member at the non-profit that helped him connect with the CEO of IBM. While it’s not a boarding school, it’s the same logic. If you want a boarding school example, just look to the CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg. You can also look at the long list of alumni at all the boarding schools and you’ll find many under the radar successes.The top “reason to go to Andover” adds more rhetoric to show this:1. Friendships that will last a lifetimeThe friends you meet at Andover will remain your friends forever. Whether you were friends from the start of Freshman Orientation week or you just met in the final days of Senior Spring, I am sure you will keep in touch after Commencement. Simply put, Andover students are nice. Everyone at Andover is friendly and looking for new friends. In my four years, I know I have met some of my best friends and even though we have only one more term left at Andover, I am confident that we will go on weekend trips together, connect at Alumni gatherings, and “tweet” at each other for years to come.Source: Phillips AcademyThe educationI’ll let Deerfield’s explanation of their didactic benefits:We offer small, discussion-based courses in a wide range of A Northeast College Prep Boarding School academic disciplines. Our faculty has designed a variety of interdepartmental courses, team-taught by two or more faculty members, to enable students to create new and innovative interdisciplinary skill sets. Individual research, off-campus study opportunities, advanced Alternate Study electives, and 19 AP courses provide students with exceptional academic opportunity.Source: Why DeerfieldMilton Academy gives even more details:What to expect from academics at MiltonBeing smart and interested is easy, fun and normal; everyone around you is motivated, too.Your classrooms will have about 14 students in them; everyone is part of the action.Learning is discussion-based not lecture-based; intense conversation in the classroom makes the class exciting. You make connections and discoveries you never imagined.Your teachers look for analysis, critical thinking, expressing ideas; they help you achieve these skills. You’ll develop your own point of view, and you’ll learn to respect others’ differing points of view.You will have your own faculty advisor. One advisor counsels you and a small group of other students throughout your Milton years, guides your course selection, keeps in touch with your academic and social progress, and acts as your resource and advocate.APs are not the only advanced coursework; you’ll be prepared to take AP tests, even if the course is not labeled AP. In fact, many upper level courses are more challenging and rewarding than AP curricula; take your talent, your interests and your passion as far as you can go.Teachers are ready and willing to help you outside of class; students visit faculty in the dorms and call faculty at home for help.Faculty get to know you well—who you are and what you care about; you’ll want to meet their high expectations of you.Teachers give your writing, projects and tests thorough commentary and respectful responses.You will feel proud of your work, and proud of your classmates’ work.Your homework is not repetitive, or busy work; it is valuable.Your courses are not limited to the texts; readings and discussions go beyond the textbooks and teachers respond to what students are interested in.When you get excited about a subject (and you will), you can follow up with a wide range of electives and learn from teachers who inspire you.Your art teachers are artists, in and outside of school; your music teachers are musicians; your English teachers are writers, your drama teachers are performers, set designers, and directors, and so forth. All your teachers are scholars in their fields.Source: Academics at MiltonAnd one other argument could be made that they help students learn to become mature even quicker than others who don’t board.One school explains:Self-relianceBoarding school students quickly learn how to perform many domestic chores and complete school assignments by themselves. They become experts at managing their time, money and resources. These students mature quickly and tend to be very independent and successful in college and life.Source: Benefits of Boarding SchoolThe schools also share their reasons:Andover:10. You’ll never go hungryThe best days at my house are always when somebody in my family has just gone grocery shopping—the once-barren refrigerator magically becomes a paradise of food. When I came to Andover, I was delighted to find that grocery days were everyday in Paresky Commons, the main dining hall on campus. Alongside the homestyle and grillworks stations upstairs, Paresky is home to made-to-order stir fry station, a pizza oven, an enormous salad bar, a pasta bar, and a deli bar. The best part is that Paresky is open to students (boarders and commuters), faculty, and staff every day of the school year for all three meals. If somehow you are left hungry after a meal in Paresky though, there are always burgers, chicken fingers, smoothies, and more available in Susie’s, the snack bar on the bottom floor of Paresky.9. Research is a breeze at the OWHLThe librarians at the Oliver Wendell Holmes Library, affectionately dubbed the OWHL, are an amazing resource. Whether you are hunting for a scholarly article on one of the many online databases provided by the library, scouring the stacks for a book, or struggling to format your bibliography—the OWHL librarians have your back. And even if you are on track with your work, the OWHL is the perfect, and probably most popular place to study on campus. There are group study areas for collaborative work, a “comfy chair” room stocked with the most current periodicals, and a silent study room for those nights when you just have to get work done.8. You can do anything with a BlueCard!As an Andover student, you don’t just get an ID card—you get a BlueCard! And a BlueCard is no ordinary ID card, either. With your BlueCard, you can check out books from the OWHL, sign into the computer centers, gain access to campus events, and pay for things. That’s right, your BlueCard is also a quasi-debit card. Places all over campus, like Susie’s, the Athletic Stock Room and the Ice Rink Pro Shop, and even stores in in town like CVS and Bruggers will accept payments made with your BlueCard. Lastly, starting this year, some of the buildings on campus, like Borden & Memorial Gym, are only accessible by swiping your BlueCard at the door. The BlueCard is literally your key to success at Andover.7. Our Head of School tweetsTwitter has taken over Andover’s campus. Although your parents might think “tweeting” is something birds do, the faculty at Andover know that “tweeting” is actually an awesome way to communicate with students, share campus news, and engage within the community. In fact, Head of School John Palfrey is the king of “tweeting” around campus, and uses Twitter to interact with students at all hours of the day. Additionally, many teachers have incorporated Twitter into their classes. Last year, my English 300 class kept a running record of the thoughts and reactions we had during our readings by tweeting with a common hashtag. So, when you call home and your parents tell you to get off Twitter and study, you can tell them that you are actually doing both at the same time!6. Life is a Beach, We’re Just Playing in the SandUnfortunately, coming to Andover is not exactly beachfront living—although the pool is a nice compromise if you are feeling the need to take a quick dip. To handle our “beach withdrawals,” Andover students have gotten pretty creative. Meet, The Great Lawn. The Great Lawn is the huge green at the center of campus that nearly spans the lengths of the main quad. Most notably, the Great Lawn holds the annual Commencement ceremony every June, but during those warm New England spring months, the Great Lawn is Andover’s very own beach. Students spread out in lawn chairs across the grass, tanning, playing Ultimate frisbee, doing homework with friends, or even playing tenni-golf—an innovative mutation of tennis and golf. While campus might not be home to the next Miami Beach, the Great Lawn is a perfect destination for anybody looking to catch some rays, get some exercise, or capture a photo-op or two.5. The guest speakers are “Wilde”At your old school, all-school assemblies probably only consisted of the town fire chief making a visit to teach the tactics of stop-drop-and roll, or the town mayor stopping by to discuss the future of politics in your small town. At Andover, however, we like to go a little bigger, especially with choosing guest speakers. Recent guests have included actress and activist Olivia Wilde ’02; 2008 and 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist Caroline Lind ’02; and former Governor of Florida Jeb Bush ’71. Still not impressed? Do not worry, because other guests to recently stop by include David Eagleman, renowned neuroscientist, and Tom Mesereau ’69, who became famous for his law career that acquitted Michael Jackson. This spring, Chris Hughes ’02, co-founder of Facebook and publisher & editor in chief of The New Republic, will be the keynote speaker at All-School Meeting, which is a weekly community-wide gathering in Cochran Chapel. With so many options and so many feet constantly walking across campus, you are bound to come across someone that will strike your interest. I guarantee you will also learn a thing or two at the same time!4. We Bleed BlueOkay, not literally—but we like to think so (thanks, oxidation). If you have you ever wanted to be one those crazy sports fans wearing a block of cheese on your head and screaming so loudly your own ears begin to hurt? If so, then Andover is the place for you. At Andover,athletics are a huge source of community pride and closeness, and it is also something we are quite talented at. Our swim teams have won more medals than Michael Phelps; our hockey team has produced current NHL superstars Chris Kreider and Cory Schneider; and our crew team has produced 2008 and 2012 Olympic gold medalists. That said, not all of our athletes want to play at the varsity level—which is totally okay at Andover! In fact, some of the most popular sports are the intramural sports and life activities like yoga, spinning, and Zumba. Our biggest athletic tradition, however, is the legendary rivalry that we hold with our sister school up north, Phillips Exeter Academy. Every season closes with the Andover/Exeter contests—a weekend jampacked with school spirit and cheer. Andover students love A/E weekend so much that many alumni will return to campus just to cheer on the Big Blue as they “Wreck the Ex!”3. Do what you like, whatever that may beDo you have some sort of weird or far-fetched hobby that sometimes leaves you feeling like you are stranded alone in a corn maze? Then Andover is the perfect place for you because there are likely to be tons of other people lost in that same maze with you! If you have a peculiar interest or a hobby that most people have never heard of, then there is probably a place here for you to do it. If you like to play video games, then Andover Fifa Club is the place for you. If you like to study the dead Latin language, then Andover Classics Club is the place for you. If you like to be passive-aggressive, then Under the Bed (the student improv troupe) is the place for you. If you like to hear yourself talk, then WPAA is the place for you. If you like to build things and drive them around without a license, then Andover Robotic Cars Club is for you. If you like to argue with people, then Philomathean Society (the debate team) is perfect for you. Nothing sound good yet? If you find that your interest does not have a home on campus, go ahead and make one—with tons of faculty members here for support, any student has the ability to start his or her own club. So go out, find some friends, and get started with whatever it is you want to do!2. The Faculty Have Lives…And You Can be a Part of ThemThe typical high school teacher is just that—a teacher. At Andover, however, the faculty are so much more than just classroom teachers. For example, my JV Hockey coach was also my College Counselor and his wife was my math teacher. And this is totally normal! More than often, Andover students will find that their classroom teacher is also their coach and their club advisor and their music instructor. With a majority of the faculty living on campus, a unique sense of community is built at Andover. Faculty don’t just live on campus, though—they are also extremely dedicated to helping students. If you need some extra help studying for that Biology exam, it’s pretty typical to spend an hour reviewing the material with your teacher over dinner with his family or in the library during study hours. You can also ask teachers for advice, help with your laundry, suggestions for spring break, or just to talk. Andover is very much a family—a family in which students and faculty alike are caring, compassionate, and willing to help.The #1 reason was already shared above.Groton:Everyone MattersIn a school of 370 students, everyone matters. Those who attend Groton are united by a deep commitment of one to another and of each to the whole. Integrity and civility, qualities sometimes overlooked today, remain important at Groton. The School’s intimacy and ideals foster inclusion and inspire students to understand their strengths and capabilities.Exceptional ScholarshipA Groton education is thorough. Increasingly rare in secondary schools are opportunities to study two languages or take six courses, but Groton students can. Alongside traditional curricula are innovative approaches to instruction, such as the dynamic math and science classes in our STEM program. Superior performance on standardized tests, high rates of admission to selective colleges, and impressive performance in both undergraduate and graduate institutions demonstrate the advanced scholarship of Groton students.Cui Servire est RegnareGroton students are justifiably proud of the School’s heritage of service to the nation. Few institutions have had as much influence on the American Century, thanks to graduates including President Franklin D. Roosevelt and numerous policymakers. Currently, three Groton graduates hold seats in Congress, and Groton alumni work for the common good in a wide variety of fields, reflecting the impact of the School’s motto, “cui servire est regnare,” “to serve is to rule.” Students and graduates value service as an essential element of a life well lived.Depth and BreadthGroton believes that adolescents should expand their vision, not narrow it. Students develop the talents they know well, but also explore new arenas. The School offers an intimate setting and an array of opportunities found more typically at much larger institutions. At Groton, we avoid the contemporary emphasis on specialization. Groton scholars, athletes, actors, and musicians leave the School prepared to excel at the highest levels in college, but do so with heightened self-awareness of their abilities and interests in multiple areas—including many they would not have dreamed of discovering before Groton.A Personal TouchGroton offers Upper School students a full slate of electives, but students also may design tutorials, which are concentrated scholarship in subjects of special interest, under the guidance of a faculty member. The afternoon program can be individualized as well: a Faculty-Sponsored Activity or FSA allows students in-depth study of anything from extended research in a chemistry lab to the formation of a rugby team. The entire faculty serves as a resource to each student, a hallmark characteristic of founder Endicott Peabody’s emphasis on a School modeled after a family.Prefect YearGroton entrusts every senior with the responsibility to lead. Every Sixth Former leads a dorm of younger students, and many also take on other leadership—or prefect—roles throughout the School. Younger students benefit from their prefects’ guidance—they look up to prefects as they might big brothers or sisters—and they look forward to mentoring as prefects themselves one day. Groton believes it is essential that students understand their leadership style and capabilities.SpiritualityIn an era when it can be difficult to understand one’s role in a complicated world, Groton offers students a valuable component of a contemporary education: religious literacy. The School day begins with a Chapel service, which includes prayers or words of wisdom from many spiritual traditions, a traditional hymn, and a Chapel Talk delivered by a Sixth Former, teacher, or visitor. Classroom study of world religions and weekly services for students in their own religion of choice reflect the inclusivity embraced by the Episcopal schools.The CircleOn a plateau one mile from a New England village and 35 miles northwest of Boston, renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted designed a beautiful campus, focusing on a motif that he loved, the circle. The Groton Circle, a vast expanse of green ringed by buildings designed by the architectural firm of Peabody & Stearns, opens to the West, its vista toward the mountains of southern New Hampshire suggesting infinite possibility. While Groton’s property stretches across more than 400 acres of woodlands and down to the Nashua River, the central campus is conveniently contained around the Circle, which also serves as a symbol of the wholeness we seek to instill in each graduate.TraditionsGroton students love their traditions, and there are a lot of them to love. These are not empty rituals, but practices that support our sense of community. Perhaps most important is the structured routine at the beginning and end of each day. We begin together listening to a Chapel Talk and hearing announcements at Roll Call. We end the day with check-in, when members of each dormitory talk about the day’s events and shake hands with the teacher on duty before turning in. At the end of each School year, every student lines up to shake the hand of every teacher. Surprise Holidays, St. Mark’s Days, the school birthday dinner, Lessons and Carols, and many other traditions are eagerly anticipated and give each year a comfortable sense of familiarity.The FoodGroton benefits greatly from many nearby farms, which allow our Dining Hall to serve fresh, farm-to-table meals throughout the year. Experienced chefs prepare delicious, healthy food, and the director of our dining service is the parent of a recent Groton graduate!Resources and OpportunityGroton benefits from having a higher endowment per student than all but a handful of independent schools or colleges. The School's resources support teachers' professional development; a generous financial aid budget; a global education program that stretches into Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America; and facilities with more square footage per student than at any comparable school. All of this means opportunity for students, and experiences rarely found at the high school level. The Groton experience has succeeded for generations, inspiring our graduates to lead lives of meaning and purpose.Choate:Choate's Statement on Character identifies timeless qualities–integrity, respect and compassion–that are at the heart of what it is to be a good person. Working from this foundation, a Choate education strengthens in its students the capacity for productive learning and meaningful action. At Choate as in life, constructive leaders demonstrate self-motivation, curiosity and creativity, and effective communication skills.Choate students cultivate self-motivation and self-awareness. In a supportive and caring context, our students discover that their future success lies in effort, determination, and an understanding of how they learn. Intrinsic motivation combines with honest, reflective self-assessment to develop individuals who take responsibility for their actions, have the courage to stand up for their beliefs, and set goals for lifelong growth.Choate students develop creativity and a willingness to explore. The School encourages students to formulate their own ideas with originality and inventiveness. Choate's extensive resources inspire curiosity and allow the pursuit of interests in almost any direction. In this process of exploration, our students come to appreciate the value of taking intellectual chances and realize that learning is fun, often a source of joy. They identify interests and passions that form the intellectual playground where they will be active for the rest of their lives.Choate students learn to express themselves effectively in a variety of media and languages. Because a true education cannot be forged in isolation, communication is an essential component of that process. In all areas, effective communication requires attentive listening, gathering and assessing relevant information, and the ability to formulate and express a meaningful statement or argument. Our digital age demands facility with changing technologies, while also reminding us of the continued importance of human connections. Communication is essential for growth and understanding and also as a catalyst for action.While certain qualities are constant in providing a foundation for success, circumstances sometimes bring competing values into tension. Choate students are distinguished by their ability, enhanced through experience, to balance those tensions.Perseverance and resilience are balanced with humor and joy. All in our community enjoy learning, but experience teaches that some challenges are not resolved quickly or easily. Often, extended engagement, repeated effort, and adaptability may be necessary to achieve a goal. Students come to appreciate that determination combined with a positive sense of humor offers a productive approach. They discover that the path to success often includes prudent risks that might lead to occasional failures. They come to know that neither success nor failure is an ending, but rather the beginning of the next step forward. Balance in this regard is key to lifelong physical and emotional wellbeing.Mastery of established knowledge is balanced with the independent development of ideas. Choate students are trained to take full advantage of available information through research skills tailored for different disciplines. They have experience in the analysis of language and art, historical and social scientific evidence, and scientific and mathematical data. At the same time, they are given freedom to experiment with novel approaches through brainstorming, modeling, and trial and error. By studying how others have answered questions, our students consider a variety of ways to analyze, frame and synthesize information. They then adjust their approach to the specific circumstances of each challenge.Individual effort is balanced with productive collaboration. It is essential for students to develop the capacity for sustained, intense individual effort. Such independent, reflective engagement teaches self-discipline while also building skills and confidence. At the same time, the ability to be a constructive member of a collaborative team is essential. This requires students to lead as well as partner in efforts to contribute meaningfully and responsibly within the group. Students practice the skills of trusting, listening, persuading, and compromising that are central to productive group work. By working together, students come to understand other perspectives in ways that prepare them to engage in a global community.Self-advocacy is balanced with a commitment to serve others. While pursuit of personal goals and interests is desirable, empathy is essential in developing long-term, successful solutions to problems. Our students learn to understand their own perspective on an issue and also the perspectives of others. This includes understanding other languages and cultures, past and present, as well as learning to live in a vibrant and diverse community. This experience nurtures in students both a sense of gratitude for the gifts they have and a sense of humility that comes from recognizing their individual limitations. Students recognize the importance of dedicated engagement in service to others, including but not limited to efforts toward social justice and environmental sustainability.**Do note, much of what was said reflects the “top schools” identified in lists like this: Top 25 U.S. Boarding Schools in 2015