Upper School Boarding

Our boarders spend plenty of time on- and off-campus, enjoying a variety of planned activities available each weekend. Beyond house-led social activities for all Upper School students, boarders have additional activities from which to choose. Here are a few: 

• Paintball

• Indoor rock climbing, laser tag, and go-kart racing

• Cardinals baseball games

• Visiting various St. Louis attractions 

• A ski trip to Hidden Valley Ski Resort 

• Game nights 

Principia students enjoy taking the lead in planning their own events and have abundant opportunities to create their own fun. Whether planning an all-school dance, a run for a cause, or coordinating a dorm chess tournament or impromptu movie night, boarders excel at creative collaboration.

As well as enjoying a full array of planned activities, it is important that students have free, unstructured time to relax and create their own entertainment—just as they would at home. A benefit of boarding is that there are always friends close by for a pick-up game of basketball, listening to music on the lawn, or relaxing together. 

Service is a fundamental aspect of creating a sense of community in the dorms. Hall and whole-dorm meetings emphasize opportunities to give and highlight the joy of selfless thinking and action. Students learn quickly that serving others makes their home-away-from-home a happy and fulfilling place to live. In fact, houseparents frequently report a thunder of footsteps running down the stairs when a call goes out over the P.A. system for volunteers! Outside the dorm, boarding students regularly volunteer for “Service Saturdays” activities in the local community sponsored by Principia. 

Learn more about service at Principia Upper School.

Study Hall occurs for two hours every school night in the Upper School dorms. Weekends provide additional time to complete assignments at students' own pace. Every Sunday evening after dinner, boarders also have a structured two-hour Study Hall. Study Hall provides a quiet, self-directed block of time  to complete homework assignments. Academic tutors are also available to support boarding students during Study Hall. All incoming freshmen and other new students—as well as those who did not meet the minimum 3.0 GPA from the previous semester—are proctored by a houseparent during Study Hall. This allows students to establish good study habits and organizational skills to prepare them to study independently and work efficiently. 

Principia students learn that getting involved and taking responsibility are at the heart of effective leadership and citizenship. Every day, students find new ways to step up and give to others. Our peer-selected dorm leaders are referred to as the Dorm Core and S.H.I.E.L.D., and they play a key role in establishing a culture of selfless service and accountability in the dorms.

Core Leaders are students who have been appointed through a process of peer evaluation based on the leadership qualities they exemplify. They are “tone setters” for the dorm. They keep the dorm culture in mind as their primary responsibility. One Core member lives on each hall, assuming the role of a trusted older sibling—there to advise and guide appropriately.