The Puzzle: Blog

You've read about our top 10 favorite things about schools in Raleigh and Durham. We shared 6 things we love about independent schools in Vermont. As we head into the final weeks of the year, our Placement Group continues to traverse the country on school visits, meeting with administrators and faculty face-to-face in order to understand the unique communities we serve and better match our candidates with schools where they will thrive.

Today, Placement Counselor Liam Gluck gives us the rundown on his highlights from a slew of school visits in the Sunshine State. Check out his list below!

1. Episcopal School of Jacksonville, or ESJ, is an inclusive, Christian school community that has historically welcomed Jacksonville’s Jewish and Native American populations.

2. The Bolles School has a gorgeous campus; the main building used to be the San Jose Hotel, and is now registered with the National Registry of Historic Places.

The Bolles School campus.

3. The founder of Bolles School is Agnes Cain Painter, a shrewd business woman who was the devoted secretary of wealthy stock trader, Richard J. Bolles (and thus inherited his fortune!). She bought the foreclosed San Jose Hotel and rented it to the Florida Military Academy, then opened their own school for boys in 1933 once the Academy relocated to St. Petersburg.

4. The Bolles mascot is a bulldog, and the school colors are blue and orange: a purposeful blend of the University of Georgia’s bulldog with the University of Florida’s school colors.

5. Tampa Preparatory School's visual arts program incorporates 3D modelling with virtual reality machines – so students can design in VR and then print using a 3D printer.

6. The owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning (who also happens to be a Tampa Prep parent) is partnering with Bill Gates to lead a $3 billion dollar investment to build and revitalize 53 acres of waterfront property in downtown Tampa.

7. Also in Tampa, Berkeley Preparatory School's music department offers bagpipe instruction.

8. The Betty-Bruce Hoover Center for Writing at Berkeley Prep offers peer to peer tutorial services everyday, and offers leadership opportunities for its tutors in various outreach programs.

9. Oak Hall School in Gainesville just announced its new mission statement (watch this video about it!).

10. The Arts Conservatory Program (ACP) at Oak Hall is an advanced track program that allows students to concentrate in theater, music, or visual arts.

11. A number of U.S. Olympic Team swimmers and divers hail from independent schools in Florida!

• Bolles: Ryan Murphy, Caleb Dressel, and Joseph Schooling
• Oak Hall: Isabel Ivey
• Tampa Prep: Chris Colwill

More school visit highlights from schools in the South are coming up next! If you're exploring relocating to any of these areas, be sure to reach out to your Placement Team to discuss your geographic preferences.

Not a candidate with us but want to get a job search started? Apply today–our personal job placement services are completely free.

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