Grace:
During my time at Germantown Academy, I have been truly shaped by the teachers that I have been fortunate enough to learn from and work with for the past four years. These individuals are passionate, devoted, and more than willing to help you become the best student you can be. At some point, you even realize they are no longer solely your teacher, but a mentor and a friend as well.
I can not encourage younger students enough to take advantage of their four years in Upper School by getting to know the extraordinary faculty members here. These relationships have made all the difference in transforming what would otherwise have been monotonous and challenging work into truly meaningful and enjoyable academic experiences. And so, I implore everyone, talk to your teachers beyond class, lend a hand with something they are involved in and simply appreciate their presence.
Angie:
One of my favorite ways anyone’s described me is “silent but powerful.” I’ll take the compliment, but I can only assume they didn’t know me as an underclassman when I could only describe myself as just “silent.”
I still vividly remember tenth-grade English—I would stare at my book to avoid talking in class discussions and ended up speaking a total of around five times the entire year. Yeah, it was not the greatest start to my high school career.
But what makes this one of my favorite high school memories? Why not huge milestones like winning the PAISAA volleyball championship or the classic everyday moments like eating lunch with friends?
As you stumble your way through high school, those cringe-worthy moments that replay in your head at night eventually become little inside jokes you share with yourself. It’s fun to laugh at them, and I’d even argue that it’s good to.
If you can make fun of an embarrassing moment, chances are you’ve gotten over it. And isn’t that the point of making mistakes: to take one last look back and continue forward? I’d certainly say so, but it takes more practice than you’d think.
I’ve changed much since that tenth-grade English class. Not because I force myself to relive all my mistakes, but because I’ve learned to laugh and move on. I hope you do, too.
Elaine:
Throughout your high school career, you will hear the word “balance” thrown around a lot by both teachers and students. Finding balance will be preached as the magical solution to managing any academic, athletic and social pressures you feel. Having completed a relatively successful but difficult four years of high school, I never ended up finding that balance and probably never will.
Truthfully, there’s simply not enough time and energy to split between academics, clubs, athletics and social life. With how rigorous high school can be, you won’t always be able to divide things 50/50. So, instead of balancing, I found that prioritizing was what worked best for me. I had to ask myself what I felt was most important. For me, that was academics and college. Many times, I questioned whether my priorities were worth losing sleep and missing out on other things for, but making those sacrifices was ultimately what I needed to do to get to where I wanted.
High school won’t be stressful for everyone depending on what you want out of your four years; however, don’t feel like something is wrong with you if you feel like you’re compromising other parts of your life in favor of what matters most to you. Instead of trying to find that perfect school life balance, focus on figuring out what you want out of high school, and do what you need to do to get there. 🙂👩🏻🦲 🤤😫🤖😏🥵🫣👹🦲 🦲 🦲 🦲 🦲 🦲 🦲 🦲 🦲 🦲
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Saloni:
At the beginning of high school, I didn’t have much of an opinion. I followed what other people did; their opinions or decisions were also mine. However, in my junior year, I really began to learn more about myself and who I am. Through this journey of learning who I am, I realized how important it is to stay true to who you are. And while GA is not the most accepting place, I would encourage everyone to embrace their individuality and let their unique voice be heard.
Whether it’s a friend of yours, a total stranger or someone in a position of power, don’t be scared of having your feelings and opinions listened to. There’s an 80% chance that you’ll be shut down or even get in trouble, but that’s a risk you have to let yourself take.
Whether you’re someone who has just joined the Upper School journey or someone who will also be leaving soon, remember to embrace your authenticity and stand out from the crowd.
Your journey is yours alone, and making it your own is important. Life can be filled with social pressures and expectations and can be a challenging arena to navigate. But this could be the opportunity to carve out your own path, to learn and accept who you are.