A Day in the Life of a Dorm Parent | Boarding School Blog | About Us | Avon Old Farms

Students in Tiziana Rozzo's digital photography class took on a photojournalism project that tasked them with telling a story through images. Throughout the summer, we’ll be sharing some of those projects. Today we hear from John Jiang ’29, who learned all about the duty of one of his dorm parents.

Dorm life is a combination of brotherhood, friendship, and sharing space. In the dorms, we share hallways, common rooms, bathrooms, and microwaves. The dorm ends up smelling really nice because there are always terrific foods heating up. 

We also share our time and energy with each other. After study hall and during the weekend, there are always people in the dorm playing mini-basketball or lacrosse. Whenever I feel bad, there is always someone who is willing to listen to me and chat with me. It is almost like a second home. Living in a dorm makes me feel invigorated for each day. 



The main character in each dorm is the dorm parent. I’m really intrigued by this special job, so I spent the winter and spring tracking the life and duty of my dorm parent, Mr. Mark Naclerio. He is a kind coach who also works in the school’s Office of Admissions. He graduated from the school himself in 2011, so he knows a lot about dorm life at Avon. He is back living on campus now in one of the faculty apartments attached to Eagle Dormitory, and serves on dorm duty twice a week.  



I sat down with Mr. Naclerio to learn more about his role as a dorm parent. “Being a dorm parent is a great experience that allows me to get to know students of all different backgrounds and grade levels. I have the opportunity to build connections and relationships with them on a personal level,” Naclerio said. 



During the average day, a dorm parent on duty will begin by walking through the dormitory around 8:15 a.m. to make sure students are awake, rooms are in order, and all are leaving the dormitory in time for breakfast, Morning Meeting, or Compass. During this time, they also make sure that any boy who may not be feeling well can get to the health center to be seen. 

During study hall, the dorm parent is on hand to make sure all students are accounted for and to provide help with any classwork students are having trouble with. The day ends at 10:30 p.m., when dorm parents do a final check. 



Of course, the job also comes with some challenges. “At times the dormitories can get loud and students need to be redirected, but as a former student I understand the fun that the students have within their dormitory,” Naclerio said.

While at Avon as a student, Mr. Naclerio lived in Pelican, Elephant, and Jamerson dorms. He told me he ended up being close with a lot of his dorm parents and had the opportunity to build everlasting friendships with everyone in his dorm. I feel that this project helped us develop that relationship, as I got to learn more about Mr. Naclerio’s experience. 

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