We began sharing digitized items from our collection as part of Cardigan’s 75th Anniversary celebrations in 2020-21, and this work continues. Over time, we will be adding images to this page to reflect some of the traditions that make life at the School special. If this content brings a part of your own Cardigan experience to mind, we hope you will share a reflection with us.
Cardigan's longest-held tradition is to embrace the natural beauty found all around the School. When this picture was taken (circa 1948), school groups tried to summit nearby Mt. Cardigan at least once every two weeks, all year round. Today, all boys bookend their Cardigan experience with a Dawn and Sunset Climb of our namesake mountain.
Boys eagerly take in some refreshment after Cardigan's first annual "Mountain Day" in 1958, sharing a picnic table with headmaster Roland Burbank (at right).
In the 1950s, spelling bee finals were held during Parents Weekend, and winners got to see a movie in town. Later winners received a plaque, and competed in the Hinman auditorium (shown here in 1972). Today the tradition is maintained each year in Humann Theatre.
Whenever possible, Cardigan boys like these students in 1950 enjoyed trips to the Sandwich Fair. However, it was headmaster Norm Wakely who made the outing an annual Founder's Day tradition (it was to celebrate a clean sweep during Eaglebrook Day in 1973-74!).
1959 ushered in a new era of intramural competition between the Green and White teams. Points are still won through a mix of athletic, academic, and sometimes downright silly competitions (shown here is a pole vaulter competing in 1964's Green & White Day).
Using the natural resources available, generations of Cardigan boys have created snow sculptures for fun and glory. Here, boys struggle against the elements to shape their 1965 creation in time for judging on Parents' Weekend.
As early as 1951, all the boys in the school would run around Canaan Street Lake (a distance of just under five miles) to test their own abilities. The tradition was resurrected around 1979, two years before this picture was taken, and remains an annual Cardigan tradition.
Even before classes and dormitories had moved from Canaan Street to The Point, boys were wearing the familiar striped ties for Commencement (excepting a brief period when the supply chain was interrupted). Today, receiving the tie is a rite of passage for all graduates -- and also for a select group of honorary alumni.
1965 Snow Sculpture: Bugs Bunny
1965 Snow Sculpture: Frog at the Gas Pump
1966 Snow Sculpture: Snoopy
1966 Snow Sculpture: Bullmoose
1969 Snow Sculpture: Igloo
1970 Snow Sculpture: Windmill
1972 Snow Sculpture: Snoopy
1975 Snow Sculpture: Buddha
1976 Snow Sculpture: Tank
1977 Snow Sculpture: Polar Bear
1977 Snow Sculpture: Polar Bear
1987 Snow Sculpture: Cat
1988 Snow Sculpture: Dinosaur
1990 Snow Sculpture: Lobster
1995 Snow Sculpture: Mouse & Cheese
1995 Snow Sculpture: Sea Serpent
