One of the Best Decisions We Ever Made

By Dan Murashige, Bridgedale Academy Dad

Our son Joey is now in his second year at Bridgedale Academy. My wife and I believe our decision to enroll him has been one of the best decisions we ever made.

There are many reasons we believe this but I'll discuss just a few.  

* Bridgedale's Response to COVID last spring

For one, when last year's shelter-in-place COVID lockdown happened, most schools, and therefore most parents, were woefully unprepared. Like everyone else, we were in a state of shock. Yet the Bridgedale team confronted the challenge aggressively with zero hesitation, transitioning overnight into full-time, 5-days-a-week Zoom classes.

And as a result Joey and his Bridgedale classmates didn't miss a beat. They stayed totally on track academically all the way through the end of the 2019-20 school year. It was truly amazing.

And to my knowledge, it was unmatched by any other schools, public or private, in Illinois.

* In-Person for the 2020-21 School Year

We are now ten weeks into the school year and Bridgedale is teaching in-person, with carefully-instituted, intelligent, comprehensive COVID safety protocols.

The fact is that the boys at Bridgedale Academy love going to school.

* Great Teaching Staff and Small Class Sizes

The Bridgedale faculty is truly professional and the small class sizes enable them to address and understand each student's personalities and needs.

As a parent you get feedback and insights on your son you would not normally receive.

* Classical Curriculum combined with Great Athletic Training

The experience and leadership of (Bridgedale Headmaster) Mike McPartlin and (Bridgedale Academic Dean) Christina Di Pauli give my wife and me complete confidence in the excellence of Joey's academic and athletic education.

Bridgedale's classical curriculum, with such an excellent teaching staff, combined with the athletic training from such outstanding coaches, make it a fantastic school and a perfect fit for our son Joey.

In my opinion it is a rare opportunity for young student hockey players. 

Dan Murashige appears by permission. He is Vice-President for Products Development with Production Products, Inc., a company that has been providing labor saving machinery and innovative products to HVAC duct and sheet metal fabricators worldwide for over 25 years.

Dan's son Joey, an 8th grader at Bridgedale Academy, is a skilled, smooth-skating defenseman who plays with the Sabres organization. 

At Bridgedale we are committed to the development of our young student-athletes. In this time of challenge and uncertainty due to COVID-19, we are proud to be offering our academics and on-ice and off-ice athletic instruction in person. We continue to help our student-athletes develop their physical and mental skills so they can perform at their best when it matters most, no matter the arena of life that challenges them.

If you would like to learn more about Bridgedale Academy, please click the button below so we can schedule a time to chat.

Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

And what do Bridgedale teachers say about Bridgedale?

"This is such a special place!! It is life changing for these boys as it centers around strong relationships that encourage strong academic growth. It’s a hockey school, but so much more than that. 

"It’s a pleasure to come to work everyday. Thank you for creating such a positive, caring environment."

Kristi Florey, Bridgedale Math Teacher

Transfer students (5th and 6th graders ONLY) now being accepted for the 2020-21 school year. 

Bridgedale Academy is an all-boys school for athletes, a prep school for serious youth golfers and hockey players, offering grades 5 through 8 each school year. In addition to our winning combination of sports and academics, we focus on leadership training. We use a classical academic curriculum and our graduates go on to attend some of the most prestigious high schools in the country, including Lake Forest Academy, Culver Military Academy, Shattuck St. Mary’s, Northwood School, Benet Academy, Fenwick Prep, St. Ignatius Prep, Marmion Academy, Latin School and Providence Catholic. We pride ourselves on being the top youth hockey prep school in the nation and look forward to the same success in golf as we begin admitting golf athletes during the 2019-20 school year. Our hockey successes are many: Twenty (20) of our former or current students have already received their NCAA Division 1 college hockey commitments, with many more sure to follow soon. Seven (7) of our grads have competed for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. Two (2) now compete for the University of Notre Dame. One just signed his entry-level contract with the NHL New York Islanders. Several other Bridgedale grads are now playing junior hockey, including in the USHL, the OHL and the NAHL.