Note: Printed below is a note I received at our graduation ceremony from Samantha and Ryan Burns, parents of Aiden, who graduated from Bridgedale this past school year. Aiden will be attending Benet Academy in the fall. Their thoughtful, handwritten note is also pictured below.
Bridgedale Headmaster Mike McPartlin
Dear Mike,
Never in our wildest dreams could we have imagined our son would be attending school in an ice rink, and in the blink of an eye, our time is ending. Such an important decision for us.
These past four years have been a blessing. What you and your staff have provided Aiden will never be forgotten.
Starting a boy, quickly growing into a young man, Aiden has proved time and again that this decision was one of the best yet.
Although life at Bridgedale is vastly different than other schools, it works well for those willing to embrace it.
It provided education, athletic training, adversity, leadership, opportunity and guidance necessary to help him grow.
He is a better friend, teammate, student and person because of each person encountered here.
Thank you for giving us this opportunity to join this family, to share our son, our family life, our struggle as we navigated the last four years.
We are forever grateful for our Bridgedale family!
Our best,
Ryan and Sam
Attention 4th Graders
Bridgedale Academy is accepting a limited number of 4th graders for the 2023-24 school year, on a case-by-case basis. Please call me at 708-712-5079 to inquire.
Mike McPartlin, Headmaster
Bridgedale students LOVE going to school,
and so they THRIVE in it.
They LOVE coming to school every day.
And as a result, they are thriving.
They engage academically ...
... and so they come to love learning.
They also love that they get to work on the sport they have such passion for, while also training to become better athletes, all as part of their school day.
They train athletically ...
... and so they more fully develop their skills.
They LOVE getting so much better ... so much sooner.
They are physically fit and mentally alert ... they are thriving.
“Every shot you don't take won't go in.”
Wayne Gretzky
Bridgedale is now enrolling students for the 2023-24 School Year.
Bridgedale Academy is an all-boys school for athletes, a prep school for serious youth hockey players. We offer the 4th through 8th grades. 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 midwest, including Lake Forest Academy, Culver Military Academy, Shattuck St. Mary’s, Northwood School, Benet Academy, Fenwick Prep, Loyola Academy, St. Ignatius Prep, Marmion Academy, St. Viator, Latin School and Providence Catholic. We pride ourselves on being the top youth hockey prep school in the nation. Our grads go on to top colleges and universities, including Notre Dame, Harvard, Denver, Ohio State, Bentley, Western Michigan, Miami (OH), Boston College, Tufts, Nebraska (Omaha), Hobart, Adrian, MSOE and more. More than thirty (30) of our graduates have already received their NCAA Division 1 college hockey commitments. Seven (7) of our grads have gone on to compete for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program (NTDP). A number of our grads have been NHL-drafted (one made his NHL debut this past season). Our grads play at all levels of college hockey and many are now playing junior hockey in the USHL, the NAHL and the OHL.
(In their non-hockey parent lives, Bill and Colette Vander Velde are principals in the fashion house Vander Velde Mode Collectief.)
Attention 4th Graders
Bridgedale Academy is accepting a limited number of 4th graders for the 2023-24 school year, on a case-by-case basis. Please call me at 708-712-5079 to inquire.
Mike McPartlin, Headmaster
Bridgedale students LOVE going to school,
and so they THRIVE in it.
They LOVE coming to school every day.
And as a result, they are thriving.
They engage academically ...
... and so they come to love learning.
They also love that they get to work on the sport they have such passion for, while also training to become better athletes, all as part of their school day.
They train athletically ...
... and so they more fully develop their skills.
They LOVE getting so much better ... so much sooner.
They are physically fit and mentally alert ... they are thriving.
“Every shot you don't take won't go in.”
Wayne Gretzky
Bridgedale is now enrolling students for the 2023-24 School Year.
