Episcopal High School - Review #11

The Honor code was one of the neatest and most special things about EHS. Not only the administration, but the students take it so seriously that it make the school a very secure and open enviornment. People can leave their bags around campus and their doors unlocked without having to worry about things being taken. The May program is also very unique. While other schools may have internship opportunities for their students few can offer what Episcopal does. Being so close to D.C. many students get to work on capitol hill or for other political organizations. I worked for Congress Majority Leader Tom DeLay, and it was a wonderful experience.

Episcopal changed my life. I went to EHS a C+ student with ADD and a slight case of dyslexia. The year before I went my grandmother had died and I was having problems with my friends. At EHS all of that changed. The enviornment was so welcoming to me that I quickly made friends. The teachers were so nice to me and concerned how I was progressing that I became interested in school agian. At the end of that year I won the Whittle book prize for academic execellence in 5 or more subjects. As I progressed in school my attitude changed. The Honor code I believe had a profound influence on me, and by the end of my 4 years I had established a relationship with God that I didn't have before. EHS is not a religiously affiliated school but we did have mandatory short, non-denominationaly services that helped me. At graduation I was awarded the Rogers bowl with is given to the student who most exemplifies the traditions of the the school. I will never be able to repay EHS for what it gave me.

Get involved. You know what you love to do, don't be afraid to do it. EHS has so many opportunities that you will be able to do what you love and even pick up something else on the way. Plan ahead. Episcopal taught me how to manage my time which was very important to me with my learning disorders. You will be very busy and you must organize you time inorder to stay on top of everything.

The spirit. EHS has the most unique school spirit. Even when were losing at a sport everyone was still there cheering for their friends. Football games were especially fun. Male students came to games in white sport shirts and school ties, and females dressed in school colors. All the students would pile into one section of the stands and shout out syncronized cheers that everyone had memorized. The students really loved their school and showed it.

Make the most of your time there because when its gone you miss it. Breakfast sandwiches at the snack bar are hard to beat. And the best dorm is where your friends are, though "Dal" has some pretty nice rooms.

The best thing about the school is its size. My average class size was probably 10-15 students which made for a very competitive yet fun enviornment. There was a wide variety of classes avaliable and the professors were always willing to stay late to help you. At EHS over 85% of the faculty live on campus and they are at the students call should a last minute question come up about a test even at 10 pm. The workload was managable in large part due to a mandatory two hour studyhall every night, but some outside time was needed occasionally.

The coaches. They were great. They were so nice to and concerned for their athletes that they would do just about anything for them. One coach missed the birth of his daughter to be present at our wrestling tournament. Another one accompanied me to the doctor when I needed stiches. They are vey competitive in many of their sports, but it is hard in others because the small number of students. However the first priority to the coaches was to have fun. The facilities were great and continue to improve. Not many schools have thier own indoor track facility.

I recently visity the new arts building completed the year after I graduated. It was amazing. It has its own recording studio, several performing stages, many practice rooms, painting studios, photography studios (digital included), and its own developling room to name a few. I loved the photography program and learning how to develop my own film.

Sports took up most of my time but being on the Vestry and a Monitor were great experiences. The vestry is a group of students who run the religious aspect of the life at the high school. While others were invited to help, they organized the services and planned community service opportunities. The monitor system is like a "big-brother" system at other schools. The monitors are destributed through out the dorms to act as a role model/friend to the underclassmen. Each monitor is assigned 3-8 new students to help acclimate to boarding school life. It allowed me to get to know other students that I would not have know because of age or interest differences.

Episcopal's dorm system is great. All the freshmen are on the same dorm with a few upperclassmen spread through out the dorm. The rest of the students are mixed together on the other dorms. Having all the freshmen in one dorm allows them to get to know eachother better and easier, and eliminates upperclass intimidation. Having the other students mixed throughout the campus made it easy to converse with students of various ages. It eliminated many of the issues that arise with class segregation at other schools like hazing. People had friends of all ages.

We had 5 seated meals a week, 2 with your advisory group and 3 with a rotation group. These groups were selected by the school a rotated every 3-4 weeks. It was a great opportunity to meet new students. The other meal were self seated. The hours were easy to make, and if you had to miss for a event like athletics the cafeteria would stay open or keep aside food for you. The food was suprisingly good and the kitchen staff did a good job of mixing up the menus.

Being in the D.C. area was great. The girls loved the shopping. The guys love the wide variety of food. The town of Alexandria was very safe and the bus system was a great way to get around, but there was always a taxi in sight if you needed one. Also being near D.C. brought some great concerts that the students enjoyed going to.

When students got some free time they all met out on the "strip," a courtyard type thing with benches to sit on. The students were very open and nice to everyone. The friends that I made at EHS will be my friends for life.