Episcopal High School - Review #12

There are several things that make Episcopal unique. The classes are small and held in discussion style, which I found to be a wonderful way to learn. Teachers and students develope good relationships because we see them not only in class, but also have lunch with them and run into them around campus. Some of my teachers really became my friends and mentors as well.The Honor Code is important. When we are living together, we can trust everyone else. This way, we feel comfortable leaving our bookbags lying around random spots on campus, and teachers give us take-home exams.The school is located in Alexandria, which is twenty minutes from downtown DC. We had opportunities to go with our class into DC as supplement to our studies. Students have gone to Crossfire of CNN for their AP government class, which I think is good times. I became really involved with music at school. Every month or so, we would receive an email about all the cultural activities planned. They are wonderful excursions to the Kennedy Center, Blues Alley, or whatever venue with interesting programs. To such an email, I would only need to reply, and on the day of the performance, an Episcopal van would take us there. I saw so many wonderful performances while I was there, for example, Kurt Masur conducting the New York Philharmonic, John Williams conducting his own music, Murray Perahia, Alvin Ailey, Mamma Mia... The cultural events are really uncomparable. Those are things that I will never forget.

In the two year I was there, I learnt so much about the world around me and about myself. Boarding school is an invaluable experience.

I didn´t know really what to expect, and I don´t know if it´s necessary. It was good to be surprised and sometimes, even mildly shocked.

Classes, teachers, friends, Harrison, grass, trees, squirrels, puppies on campus...

Chocolate cookies at the snack bar are stuff that dreams are made of. One may feel the need to gawk at the Ainslie Arts Center. When backpacking across campus, a good place to stay is the Harrison dorm (although book ahead at least a year in advance, because it fills up quickly and remains so).

I always looked forward to going to class. There are so many interesting classes and also many AP classes, that it is only hard to settle on what to take. Some of my favorites were Religious Thought in Music, AP Micro and Macroeconomics, and AP Physics B. I learnt so much in them and also had a lot of fun. The workload depends on what kind of classes the students take. AP classes are of course more work than regular classes. The learning environment is healthy competition where everybody helps everybody else out. One would find a couple of study groups assembled on nights before a test.

There is a certain number of athletic credits students must earn to graduate. Few have problems filling them. There are so many sports available to students. Epsicopal is also highly competitive in many of them. There is a gym with weight rooms, a swimming pool, tennis courts, baseball court, outdoor track, and a huge indoor track. Outdoor excursions are provided by options of Outdoor Program, Rock Climbing, Kayaking and so on. Ballet, Jazz, and modern dance also fulfills the athletic requirement.

I, clearly, loved it. I could not have had a better time being immersed in culture in every possible way.

I loved that fact that there was always such a large offering. Possibilities include: all kinds of sports, yearbook, the computer team that updates the web which I don´t know what they are called, independent study in photo or art, community service, and so on. One unique option that I took advantage of is independent study in music. I practiced instruments in the afternoons and kept a log of my progress, culmunating in a end of season recital.

Dorm life is truly unforgettable. We lived in single-sex dorms, and the freshmen lived together on one dorm. The dorm life is kept in order by monitors, who are student leaders. room are usually doubles, with a sprinkling of triples and singles. Room selection is determined by a lottery system. Upperclassmen can have fridges in their rooms, and there is a fridge on dorm for everyone. My dorm mothers often brought food to 10 o´clock sign-ins, which we adored them for. Running around the dorm looking for food is also a good way to keep in touch with old friends and make news ones.

The dining hall has big round tables. Regular meals are buffet style. Seated meals have student waiters. We have seated meals on weekday lunches and Monday dinner, where there is at least one teacher at each table, and seating is rotated. Food is pretty good. Brunch on Sundays is excellent.

The center fulfills your every need. It is a five minute walks from campus and has Rite Aid, small restaurants, bank, a grocery store, and Maggie Moo´s. Other places popular destinations are Old town, Shirlington, Pentagon City Mall, Georgetown... One would never have trouble going somewhere fun.

Boarding school collects students from everywhere. Things we have in common may not be so obvious at first. I made friends that are very different from I am in where we come from, what we have done before, or even what we will do later, but we share the same interests, same sense of humor, or same taste in music. They are valuable friends that I can learn much from.