Recently, the administration has been hearing more complaints from students and parents alike about the limited interactions Marlborough has with other schools. Unlike other girls schools like Marymount and Archer, Marlborough is not affiliated with a boys’ school, leaving some members of the Marlborough community worried about the potential negative repercussions this lack of connection may have on the student body.
Marlborough is a college preparatory school, and the majority of its graduates choose to attend coed colleges. While Marlborough prepares students academically, many other students agree it is lacking in its social preparation.
“I think we should have interactions with boys and coed schools in general so that going into the world we’ll have more of an ability to have conversations with boys,” Evan ’29 said.
By implementing more coed activities, Marlborough would better prepare its students for coed interaction in college and beyond. Opportunities with coed schools would allow students to form friendships they can’t form at school. These friendships present different perspectives, experiences and possibilities that can be beneficial to growing up. Having increased chances to foster these friendships will ultimately enhance Marlborough students’ high school experience.
Unlike Marlborough, other girls’ schools share coed partnerships. These connections allow students to attend events and form new friendships. Archer student Milan ’27 commented on the importance of having male friendships.
“I think it’s important to create a space where everyone can interact with different schools, especially if you want to meet someone new and find a connection,” Milan said. “I think those spaces can be really important.”
Though Marlborough has attempted to partner with Loyola on occasion, these opportunities have been few and far between. This has resulted in many students having to connect with people through social media.
It’s important to consider that not all Marlborough students desire coed partnerships with neighboring schools. Activities made available through coed partnerships are often accessible through other connections. Many students go to other schools’ homecomings, dances and football games through friends or siblings without a pre-established partnership. However, having an established connection would ultimately make the process easier for Marlborough students. In the end, there is no harm in creating more opportunities to interact with other schools in a non-academic setting, as meeting and building relationships with new people only has societal and interpersonal benefits.
