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Most Canadians are crazy about their national sport. They begin playing at a very young age. Hockey rinks can be found in just about every hamlet. The Canadian climate fosters the sport with long, rather cold winters. Most private schools in Canada offer hockey at the intramural and varsity level. The coaching tends to be of a pretty high standard.

But what about south of the border? The expansion of the National Hockey League into southern and western states has created a whole new following. Thousands of young people suddenly want to be professional hockey players. They love the fast pace and excitement of Canada's national sport. So, if your son or daughter (yes, many coed and girls schools mount girls' hockey teams) is clamoring to go to a 'hockey' school, you can't do much better than some of the schools on the list below. These fine American private schools enjoy a great reputation for excellent hockey teams and superb academics. Who knows! Maybe your kid will end up on an NHL team.

The Albany Academies

From Head Coach Brett Riley:

A sound attitude and advanced level of skill are pre requisites for a position on the varsity team, as is the realization that a varsity sport may require a six day a week commitment. This commitment may extend into vacation periods for sports seasons. The dedication and commitment needed to conduct a successful

Religion is important to you. You want your children to be educated in a school where your religion matters. You want them to grow up practising their religion on a daily basis, not just once a week in a church or schule. Of course, exactly how intense that religious education is going to be is entirely up to you. That is the genius of America. Religious freedom is real and alive. As a result there are religious schools to suit just about every inclination.

The Various Denominations

The Roman Catholic Church has made religious education the centerpiece of its evangelistic efforts for centuries. As a result, you have over 7,500 schools to choose from in that church alone. There are just as many for you to choose from. Both religions have numerous varieties and subsets of schools available. Most schools in the Roman Catholic church are run by the local dioceses and parishes. But several religious orders such as the and Franciscans operate networks of schools across the country. There are also schools run by several sects of the . Most of the Roman Catholic and Jewish schools will demand observance of their religious customs and teachings. In other words, religion is not optional in these schools.

The Protestant schools include the , the , Baptists, Presbyterians and and more. These branches of the church offer thousands of schools.

The

Do you prefer to peruse a book rather than going online to find private schools? If so, there are some excellent guides to private schools available. While most of the information contained in these guides can be found online, the truth is that most of us do not have the time nor the expertise to do all that research involved. If you are beginning a serious search for private schools for your children, then buy one of these guidebooks. Use it as a reference tool.

Besides the cost factor, the only real disadvantage to this method of researching schools is that the information is frequently out of date.

• Applying to ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Schools in NYC
• The Parent's Guide to ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Schools in Hawaii: Oahu
• The Whitney Guide To Los Angeles ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Schools
• ²ÝÁñÉçÇø K-8 Schools of San Francisco & Marin
• ²ÝÁñÉçÇø High Schools of the San Francisco Bay Area

Sooner or later you ought to consider a single sex school as opposed to a traditional coeducational school. Why? For several reasons. First of all, coeducational schools have only become 'traditional' or commonly accepted in the last several decades. ²ÝÁñÉçÇø education has its roots in single sex education, both in this country and in England.

Indeed, if you look at the history of most of the legendary prep schools in America, you are likely to find that they began as a single sex institutions. For example, Phillips Academy Exeter began as a boys' school. It only began admitting girls in its summer sessions in 1961 which was fifteen years after it dropped the two year Latin requirement - horrible dictu! It would be another nine years before Exeter admitted girls in its regular sessions.

So, what's really happening here? American private schools like Exeter have always pretty much mirrored the society which they seek to serve. Back in the late 1700's and early 1800's when many of these schools got their start, educating girls was not considered as important as educating boys. Those views changed over the centuries as the young republic grew and matured. So did views about education. In the 1960's and '70's single sex schools gradually fell out of fashion. In order to survive, some boys' and girls' schools merged to form coeducational schools. Others, like Exeter, saw the handwriting on the wall and moved with the times by admitting girls.

In the 21st century

A private school education is not cheap. It is a substantial financial sacrifice for many families. So why do parents willingly pay $30,000, $40,000 or more for something which public education provides free? Here are five reasons why you would do so.

1. Public education is not free.

We often forget that public schools are not free. You and I pay for public schools directly and indirectly through our property and other taxes. Public school facilities and properties are not taxable. As a result, they reduce the tax rolls of the municipality in which they are located. Attend a budget hearing for your local school district. Examine the financial statements. Then you will understand how and where your tax dollars are spent.

What kind of education are your public schools providing? Do the public schools offer the depth and breadth of academic programs you want and need for your child? What about sports programs and extracurricular activities? Have these been cut or substantially reduced because of budget cuts? Peter Green spells out what budget cuts can do to an arts program in his article . It is pretty much the same story with any program which is deemed an extra in public education.

²ÝÁñÉçÇø education is an investment in your child's future. You educate your child privately because you want something better for your child. ²ÝÁñÉçÇø schools do not cut sports, arts and extracurricular funding as a rule.