The East Coast Prep

As a lifelong native of a wealthy Massachusetts "money town," and a prep school student alumn, I know full well that the east coast, more specifically New England, is the bastian of the classic American preppy culture.  No disrespect to the west coast, but as far as preppy goes, it simply can't compete with the east.  Let's look at some facts.

The term "prep" comes from the word, preparatory, and refers to someone from a college preparatory school.  Every true prep comes from, or came from a private college preparatory school and the east coast can only be described as America's prep school hotbed.  When thebestschools.org listed "The 50 Best Private Day Schools in the United States, 8 out of the top 10 were located on the east coast.  Congratulations to New York's The Trinity School for being voted number one.  For the complete list see the following link.  http://www.thebestschools.org/blog/2013/04/30/50-private-day-schools-united-states/.

Trinity is only one, though.  The Kennedy family has been described as the "truest American royalty," and former president John F. Kennedy, the most notable member, is an alum of Connecticut's Choate Rosemary Hall (pictured), arguably one of the most prestigious prep schools not just on the east coast, but in the country. Before that, he attended the Riverdale Country School, a very highly respected all boys prep school in New York City.  Before John arrived at Choate, his elder brother Joseph Kennedy Jr. attended and was a star football player as well as a leading student before attending Harvard University.  In his senior year, John was voted "most likely to succeed.  I think it's safe to say that when his classmates voted for him, they made the right choice.  It is worth mentioning that Kennedy attended private schools all through his academic career, starting with Brookline's The Edward Devotion School and ending, of course, with Harvard University, like all the other Kennedy men.  His younger brother, Robert Kennedy, who almost became president and served as John's attorney general, attended Milton Academy in Massachusetts (pictured).  Like his brothers before him, he too attended Harvard University.

Suffice it to say, the wealthy and powerful Joseph Kennedy Sr, who could could have sent his many children anywhere in the country, was a steadfast supporter of prep schools.  It clearly had it's merits, though, when you consider how successful his sons were later on in life, tragedy aside.

In later posts, we'll discuss the east coast more and just what makes it the preppy bastian that it is.  The private schools, the colleges, the vacation spots, the styles, and just about everything in between.   The east coast really does have it all, and if you keep reading, you'll see.