Issue 26 • May 2019

Education & Accessiblity

In Partnership with

Letter from the Editor-in-Chief

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Dear Readers,

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Education—especially those who have access to it—has become a major topic within the news. From the Harvard affirmative action case to the recent college scandal involving high profile celebrities, education in America has always been an area that ­conjures strong opinions from many. In the spirit of graduation and, for many, advancing to higher education, this time creates space for reflection. As we look back on this year, we should take a moment to appreciate the opportunities that boarding schools offer us. But we should also acknowledge how our educational experience is vastly different from other students’ experience.

I was drawn to the topic of education because of the history education has in America. For me, the question of “who has access to education?” has always been something that has intrigued me. For the spring semester I was able to attend a semester school where I was able to see the effects of the disparity within the educational systems in New York. I think that education has become a big part of the American identity, but many people are still systematically disadvantaged when it comes to the education they receive. Public schools don’t even provide the same level of education across the board. Thus, this issue means a lot to me as a person who is passionate about educating others about the educational system in America.

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This issue is really special to me because of the partnership with The Princeton Review. In hopes of making test prep more accessible to people, The Tavern partnered with the Review to offer a free 18-hour online SAT/ACT prep course to the winner of an essay contest. The prompt was in align with the theme of this issue: Education & Accessibility. With the range of submissions, The Tavern has posted the top three essays in the Ten Thoughts section. The winner is Anna Smirnova from Milton Academy. Head over to read her submission, as well as the runner-up's submission.

I hope you will enjoy reading this issue as much as we have enjoyed producing it. 

Have a great summer,

Grace Li, Milton Academy '20

Editor-in-Chief

The Tavern 2019-2020 Editorial Board

Brooks School: Audrey Chung

Groton School: Claire Lee

Milton Academy: Erinma Onyewuchi

Northfield Mount Hermon: Ayleen Cameron

Phillips Academy Andover: Gayatri Rajan

Phillips Academy Exeter: Emma Reach

St. Mark's School: Katie Park

Tabor Academy: Charlotte Gebhard

St. Andrews: Mia Nguyen