Student Activities

Varsity athletes return to campus a week before classes begin to train in preparation for the athletic season. Athletes on all of the fall teams—football, field hockey, soccer, cross country, and volleyball—arrive to campus before the rest of the student body for these preparatory sessions. In addition to getting in training time, teams scrimmage with nearby competition to get in extra playing experience before the regular season begins. Team bonding—such as frozen yogurt at Tasty Waves in town or hiking up to the Pinnacle in Washington, Connecticut—are melted into the mix of weeklong activities as well as dorm nights and advisory meetings. 

Family Weekend, traditionally one of the final weekends in October, brings family and friends to campus to experience “life on the hilltop” with their students. During the two-day event, guests are able to attend classes on both Friday and Saturday as well as athletic practices, play rehearsal, dorm nights, and more. Visitors meet with their student’s teachers and also have the opportunity to conference with their student’s advisor. The weekend concludes with athletic competitions out on our fields on Saturday afternoon—a sun-soaked and spirited way to end the weekend before the classless Monday that accompanies the event!

While the competition between our School and The Frederick Gunn School (FGS, formerly The Gunnery) has always been strong, it is now cemented even further through the Canterbury-FGS Cup, awarded annually to the school who wins the highest tally of total athletic competitions throughout the year. While the competition is year-long, the rivalry is particularly noticeable during the final week of our fall athletic season, dubbed Spirit Week, and the final Saturday of the regular athletic season, dubbed FGS Day. Each day of the week, students (and faculty!) are encouraged to dress in spirited gear, from “Twin Tuesday” to “Saints-wear Friday” to get hyped for Saturday’s games. The week culminates with a pep rally and bonfire on Friday evening before Saturday morning’s games between our soccer, field hockey, and cross country teams.

Lessons & Carols gathers students and faculty together to ground our community’s collective spirit before departing for the winter holiday. The event, held in the Chapel of our Lady, includes seven readings from Scripture and a variety of holiday carols in the spirit of Advent. Varsity Voices, the student a cappella group, leads the community in song between each reading, oscillating between traditional Christian hymns and popularized Christmas songs. Traditionally, the evening concludes with the Hallelujah Chorus sung by the Community Choir, a group of students, faculty, and staff—and family members of students, faculty, and staff!—who spend several weeks rehearsing to lead the congregation. 

International Week showcases Canterbury’s cultural diversity and celebrates the heritage of our international students. Throughout the week at School Meeting, students are invited to share pieces of their background, whether it’s to explain their favorite family meal or display traditional dress. The event culminates with International AfFair on Saturday evening, one of the most anticipated (and tasty!) events of the year in which students prepare and serve dishes from their home countries to their peers. The week encourages our community to grow in our collective understanding of those around us.  

All students enrolled in an English course participate in the Nelson Hume Speech Competition, an opportunity for students to strengthen their oratory as well as writing skills, during the second semester. Over the course of several weeks, students work with faculty members one-on-one to determine a topic of significance and to prepare their remarks. Students then deliver their remarks to their individual classes with one student from each class selected to speak in front of the community at School Meeting. The Competition is a time-honored tradition at Canterbury for students to practice writing, editing, and effective presentational communication skills. 

A time-honored tradition on our hilltop that rallies the entire school community—dressed entirely in pink—in the fight against breast cancer.

The entire School community gathers for meals throughout the year, but the most highly anticipated meals are right before our holiday breaks when the dining hall hosts family-style dinners. 

The carillon is a musical instrument that consists of at least twenty-three cast bronze bells in fixed suspension that are tuned in chromatic order and are capable of concordant harmony when sounded together. Canterbury has the unique honor of housing one of Connecticut’s eleven carillons. Located in the bell tower in the Chapel of Our Lady, Canterbury’s Jose M. Ferrer Memorial Carillon was installed in 1931, making it one of the oldest in Connecticut, as well as the smallest, with 23 bells. 

Established in 2018, Canterbury's Carillon Guild is one of only five high school Carillon Guilds in the country. Members of the Carillon Guild climb up the tower of the chapel and play the carillon everyday, performing a mix of classical and contemporary arrangements. Visit our Carillon Guild page to learn more.