Residential Life

At the heart of the Academy is a close-knit, residential community. Cushing’s campus is a buzz of activity from dawn until dusk as students participate, not only in classes, but also in afternoon activities and optional events such as theatre, clubs and impromptu games. Drew Common is the epicenter of activity, particularly during the warmer months, where you can find students playing Frisbee, soccer and the official game of Spring Term - Extreme Baseball.

Surrounding the Common are the residence halls. All of the female boarders live on the west side of School Street, housed in an upper level hall for Seniors and a larger hall for underclass women. The male boarders reside in a variety of living spaces ranging from intimate houses of 5-10 students on the periphery of the campus to the larger residence halls, which are more centrally located. Most of our residence halls are integrated, reflecting a diversity of ages and cultures. However, Freshman boys and girls live in separate areas from the other students so that we may better assist with their educational and social transition to boarding school life.

Within the residence hall settings, in-residence faculty facilitate and supervise student life. While faculty to student ratios differ based on hall size, and each student is givin several faculty contacts during weekends and weekday Study Halls, which run from 8-10 pm. The faculty members work with the students and the student leaders, known as proctors, to maintain a quiet and productive study environment. During this time students must be sitting at their desks engaged in academic work. In contrast, the weekends are more relaxed; resident students can interact with faculty members in a more casual, family-style setting. Faculty members are responsible for weekend supervision and check-in and are encouraged to provide activities and snacks to the students. We believe that the students benefit by interacting with the faculty members in these more casual situations, as they simulate, family game nights and other such relaxing and enjoyable times that students would experience if they lived at home.