I’m not asking anyone to prom. But that’s a good idea, and I’ll keep it in mind for my own “prom-posal” senior year.

With Hockaday Prom, Marksman Ball, and numerous other school proms around the corner, I thought I’d help guide everyone through the grueling, labor-intensive process of getting a prom date.

If you asked most of us Hockadaisies, a perfect prom date would have the athleticism of a Jesuit Ranger, the intelligence and artistic skills of a Cistercian Hawk, and the classiness and debonair of a Marksman, without the sexism or cockiness. (Check out section B if you have a minute.) Not to mention, the social skills of any boy that goes to a co-ed school. We forget that often boys from St. Mark’s don’t know what a girl is (again, section B of the ReMarker) and we are upset when they don’t compliment our hair. But those are just generalizations. Many St. Mark’s boys are kind, many Jesuit guys don’t do sports, and plenty of Cistercian guys don’t go to ISAS. We really just like the idea of boys.

If you want to ask someone, you have to be cute. A “prom?” text doesn’t cut it. We have a long line of adorable prom-posals, including a boyfriend pasting a large picture of himself on the cafeteria wall. A few nights ago, a friend of mine was asked by her boyfriend who spelled out “PROM?” in candles outside her room in the boarding department. It goes without saying that 85 girls watched her get asked to prom.

But you don’t have to have a date to go to Hockaprom. Many girls go stag with a huge group of girls, a last hurrah with the friends that supported them through their Hockaday experience.

Three area private schools can say they have a 2012 National Merit Scholar in their midst. Hockaday’s Jessica Bluedorn, Jesuit’s Andrew Bain, and Charles Jin and Nicholas Uebele of St. Mark’s have all secured the highest award from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Other local winners include:

William Joseph Beeby and Cassidy Tanner, Highland Park High School

Samuel Fernandez, School for the Talented and Gifted at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center

Bachman Lake — a little bit smelly, a little noisy, and sometimes a little sketchy — is home to the Dallas Rowing Club and several private schools’ rowing teams. On Saturday, the annual Bachman Shootout Regatta will be held at the lake! Hockaday, ESD, St. Mark’s, Ursuline, and many others will journey to my favorite artificial lake to race their little hearts out. As a member of the Hockaday crew team, I can assure you this will be one very exciting regatta! Everyone should come out and support a school, or possibly just feel a little fancier than normal.

ISAS, also known as the most infamous arts festival (well, maybe just for high schoolers) of the year, is this week! Starting Thursday, kids from all over the Southwest will be heading to Greenhill.

Much to the chagrin of Hockaday teachers, Greenhill has traded the traditional booklet schedule for a handy-dandy iPhone app! My choir teacher says, “It’s so tiny you’d need two magnifying glasses to read any of it!” She also says, “I don’t know why they even have drum lines! Why would anyone who sings want to see drums in a line?” Miss Bonnie Jean is full of ISAS advice.

Instead of getting upset about the schedule, Hockaday is still taking the largest number of students to the festival. Because of its close proximity to the school, even MORE students get to go to ISAS than ever! Apparently, almost 3,500 students will be attending this year! AND we get to have a giant party on the football field. More Miss Bonnie Jean advice: “Don’t make too many friends. You’ll be late for the bus.”

The fine arts kids of Dallas will be listening to groovy tunes, hanging out with hipsters of all cities, and listening to drum lines Thursday through Saturday. I’d invite you, but Miss Bonnie Jean has told us “no visitors!”

Editor’s note: This is the debut post from our blog’s newest contributor, Hockaday student Daisy Tackett. Enjoy.

Knitting seems to be the new “thing” at Hockaday. Vera Bradley, stylish iPhone cases, and Toshiba laptops are permanent symbols of a Hockadaisy, and the knitting fever seems to be following in their footsteps. Seriously, in every class I have, someone is knitting. Other than a love for knitting, many students have a love for mischief (i.e. the magic garden gnome, every senior prank ever, Halloween). After deciding to take a study break from exams on Sunday, I knoticed that the trees were covered in yarn!

Yarn bombing is popular on the websites we surf during study hall, but I never thought a student would be daring enough to knit the trees! The teachers don’t have any obvious objections, and it’s a good way to relieve stress, I guess! They look really awesome, and I’m glad someone decided to brighten exam week with some Banksy-esque urban art.

You’d think some sophomores at Hockaday just decided to be bold with their parking choice today. But this Cadillac and Lexus are two of the three Sewell vehicles that will be raffled tomorrow night during Deep in the Heart of Hockaday, the school’s gala auction featuring music by Clint Black.

Hockaday headmistress Kim Wargo and senior Claire Banowsky. Wargo's the one on the left. (Photo by Jake Dean)

Kim Wargo should feel at home at Hockaday, since the school’s new headmistress — who was officially installed Sunday — has worked at similar all-girls campuses for a number of years. But Wargo should also feel at home because she could easily pass for a student. Seriously. Wow.

Six burglaries in six days is pretty unusual for a neighborhood in Preston Hollow. Even more so, all the crimes occurred during the week. The criminals targeted the area around the Hockaday School, including Alta Vista Lane and Hallmark and Hockaday drives. Read More…