This year’s Parents for Purple campaign for The Darlington Fund will run until Nov. 11. Learn more about some of our Boarding Parent representatives, Mary and John Quandt, whose son is a senior and three-year boarding student.
What is your connection to Darlington?
Parents. We didn't know until Jack was accepted to Darlington that one of our closest family friends, who grew up in Cedartown, Ga., had gone to Darlington for a few years. Jack was recruited to play for the Soccer Academy after being identified at a soccer camp in Arizona. It was after this that we put two and two together and realized that we did have a connection to Rome, Ga.! Jack was thrilled because he very much loved and respected our dear friend from there.
Where are you from and where do you live?
John grew up in Seattle, Wash. Mary was born and raised in Billings, Mont. We met in Seattle through a mutual friend while Mary was in medical school at University of Washington. After residency, we lived in Montana for 13 years before moving to Boise, Idaho, in 2018. We were looking to live in a bigger city (believe it or not) and wanted to enjoy four distinct seasons (although we do still love the snow).
What do you do?
John is a factory sales representative in northern Idaho and Montana for luxury plumbing and hardware. Mary is an internal medicine hospitalist physician in Boise, but also travels for work, including a per diem job at Atrium Floyd Medical Center in Rome.
What was your path to Darlington?
Jack was recruited to play for the Soccer Academy after being identified at a soccer camp in Arizona.
What is your favorite part about Darlington?
From the moment we walked onto campus, Darlington immediately felt like family. Although sending our child over 2000 miles away from home for school has had its challenges, we have never worried for a single second about his well-being. We have watched our son grow into a man at Darlington, and we are thrilled that he has gotten a world-class education there.
How else are you involved at Darlington?
We consider ourselves Darlington's biggest cheerleaders from afar. We love to watch the Soccer Academy games when they are streamed live (and in person when we can), but we also really enjoy watching the football and basketball games. We have even watched one of the swim meets remotely! We enjoy watching Jack play in the orchestra concerts that are streamed, and we especially love the Lessons & Carols service at Christmastime. When we can, we try to make special events at the school, like the Purple Tie fundraiser. Lastly, we love when Jack brings home school friends from around the world to spend breaks with us.
Why do you give to The Darlington Fund and why is giving back important to you?
We are very thankful for the education that Jack has received at Darlington. Without the generosity of those who came before us and gave to The Darlington Fund, Jack would not have had this opportunity. The least we can do is give back so that another child may also benefit. Even though Jack is graduating this year, he has already expressed that Darlington will be a part of his life forever, and he plans to stay involved with the school as an adult.
What advice would you give to families new to Darlington?
Trust the process. Trust the staff. Trust your child. Encourage your child to become involved and embrace every opportunity. Encourage them to step outside their comfort zone. Encourage them to have fun.
We asked some students, including Jack, to share what Darlington means to them and this is what he shared, "Darlington means endless opportunity to me. In Idaho, I wasn't going anywhere in both soccer and academics, but Darlington gave me the opportunity to show my full talent and capabilities if I was willing to work for it. I am so glad that Darlington allows endless opportunities to those who work for it and take it. I hope others choose to give back to Darlington because it gives me and many other students seemingly endless resources that are all within the DarBubble. I plan to when I get older simply because of what Darlington has done for me and countless other students like me."
To make a gift to the 2022-2023 Darlington Fund for Parents for Purple, please click here.
