Stevenson School - Review #5

My favorite parts about Stevenson are the beach near-by and the friendly environment. When I was at Stevenson, I walked or ran down to the beach at least three times a week. The view down to the beach is BEAUTIFUL! Also, there is a market about fifteen minutes down towards the beach from school which I went to at least once or twice a week. They have the best sandwiches. The teachers are always available and they are willing to spend extra time on your work with you. When you are struggling in life, academics, or any other matter, the teachers notice right away even if you don't say anything. Especially getting extra helps during study hall from on-campus teachers helped me a lot over the last four years.

The very best part about boarding school is that you are always near your teachers and peers. When you are homesick, you can just open your door and walk into the hall way and there you are with a bunch of your friends and teachers who are always supporting you. Also, the freedom you earn by being away from your parents is always great. You can not only learn how to live independently but also learn many life skills.

If I can go back to my sophomore year, I would never slack off in doing my homework or daily readings. Once you start to fall, it is really hard to get back on track. So when you go to a boarding school, please don't let yourself fall down the pit.

I absolutely love everything about Stevenson. I never regretted even a second for choosing Stevenson over many other schools. The teachers are great, Stevenson offers many different opportunities, and the school helps you to carry out the potentials you have.

My favorite room at school is the little theater. We have our choir classes there. It is a nice and cozy room where you can go to play piano or guitar or any other instruments! It is open for everyone even on the weekends.

My freshman year was very easy for me. However, as I hit sophomore and junior year, it became more and more challenging. When I started to slip, my teachers noticed that I wasn't doing my works properly and they jumped in to help me out. The homework load ranges from an hour to five hours per night but if you use your free periods effectively and do your work on time and beforehand, you will be able to handle the load that the teachers give you.

For my junior and senior year, I joined the golf team at our school. The best thing about joining the golf team is that you get to play on Spyglass course and their driving range for free! Also, if you are really into golf, I strongly suggest that you come to Stevenson because the coaches are really supportive and they will gladly do anything to help you excel in your golf career.

I was deeply involved in the music program at Stevenson. In fact, I took six music classes my senior year! I especially enjoyed my time in choir. Stevenson offers three different levels of choir, Mixed chorus, Chamber singers, and jazz choir. We have two performances per year. For Chamber singers, we get to go caroling during Christmas season. This year, I went to a jazz festival with the jazz choir. We performed and watched other groups perform. It was a great experience. I also participated in musical as a pit orchestra member. Instead of doing an after school sports, I chose to do the pit orchestra for the winter season. There are a lot more choices and varieties of music classes at Stevenson.

I was involved in community service through the community service committee and the Red Cross club. The community service committee is part of our student council. We organize at least two weekend volunteer events for both day and boarding students. We also have big fund raiser events throughout the school year to support a specific organization. I organized blood drives at the Red Cross Club. Through blood drive, we encourage students to donate blood or help out and try to let them know how important donating blood is.

At Stevenson, there are six different dorms; Casco, Douglas, Silverado, Wilson, Day, and Atwood. Casco/Douglas are all-boys, Wilson is all-girls, and the rest are co-ed. Silverado and Wilson has a wall in the room that divides the room into two sides. Atwood and Day are the newest dorms and they have bigger rooms without the walls. Most of the seniors get singles. The best part about the dorm life is that there are at least four teachers living with the students per dorm. They are always available and helpful.

Boarding students get three meals a day. We do not have assigned seating but we do have dinner check-in where we have to check-in with the duty teachers at each dinner time. I think the best meal is lunch because we have frozen yogurt machine, pasta bar, and deli bar. Stevenson offers a variety of food choices including vegetarian choices. At dinner time, there always is rice and tofu for a healthier choice.

Every weekend, there is a shuttle bus every hour that goes to Carmel, Del Monte Shopping Center, and Monterey. All three places have great restaurants. You can easily buy daily supplies at Del Monte Shopping Center. Carmel is very safe because it is mainly a tourist city but the food and other supplies are kind of expensive compared to DMC or Monterey.

Everyone is very friendly and kind to each other at school. Of course there may be some disputes once in a while but they solve themselves out and eventually are resolved. Even though the teachers may know the social cliques at the school, they rarely get involved in any social situations between the students unless it involved any serious issues that may challenge the health or well-being of a student.