St. Timothy's School - Review #1

The school has a large body of international students and teachers. This brings many different perspectives under one roof. When certain types of questions were asked, girls showed their true colors. It was a good experience to hear all sorts of answers because most young people hear the same answer repeated over and over again. Another thing that made the school unique are the traditions. When someone hears them for the first time, they may think everyone is crazy, but once you start participating in them, they are a real blast.

I'm very happy that I chose this school. This school isn't for everyone however. If you aren't up for the challenge of the IB program, then this might not be the place for you. I enjoyed being challenged and forced to think critically. The school will push you to your academic limits, but it's the best way to prepare for college and university.

My biggest thing is make as many friends as you can because time will pass you by. Before you know it, you'll be graduating. Keep in mind time flies when you're at school. Another thing is keeping organized is critical to success. If you start missing lots of assignments, then you'll fall behind and you don't want to fall behind in the IB program. It's already challenging as is and adding to your load by having to make up things won't allow you to succeed.

The teachers and challenging academics.

If you have trouble focusing in your room during study hall, you can go down to the adult on duty and say you're heading to the library. It's a great place to sit and work because there's nothing to distract you from your work. Sometimes if your room is messy or there's noise outside your room, it can be difficult to concentrate. Just go to the library and you'll be able to focus on your work better.

The school does the International Baccalaureate program. This is a challenging European-created program that pushes students to think critically and be able to read between the lines. Although I did have one negative experience with one teacher, everyone else I came into contact with was amazing. Because the classes are small, teachers are able to give you personal attention and know you by name. I was able to succeed because of this.

The school requires that students do a sport all throughout the year. For those who are competitive, there are varsity and junior varsity teams. For those who ride, there's a competitive riding program.Yoga, community service and farming are available if you don't want to participate in a team sport. However, you must do at least one team sport during the year.

I wasn't involved with our school's visual arts programs, but the shows and concerts they put on for the school were always very nice.

There are many different clubs available to sign up and participate in. In addition to community service in place of a sport, there are several opportunities throughout the year to participate in community service on the weekends.

There are two dorms on campus: Heath and Carter. Heath is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors. Carter is the only place freshmen can live, but is also open to seniors. Carter is also the school's main building, so the rooms are uniquely arranged. Some rooms are singles, which are often give to seniors or those who request special accommodations. Most other rooms are doubles and triples. Some rooms are larger. Heath has mainly doubles, but some rooms are larger. You switch rooms after Christmas break. You can request to stay in the same room, but most times you have to switch. Seniors get special privileges when it comes to rooms. They stay in the same room for the entire year.

There is only one place to get food: the Commons. It's our cafeteria and kitchen. There are large round tables, high tops with stools and long tables with benches. The high tops are reserved for seniors and guests. The food was pretty good. Sometimes there were weird combinations of flavors, but most of the time it was pretty normal. There are vegetarian options available at most meals along with cold sandwiches available during lunch.

The school is in a small town that's in the middle of nowhere. It's very pretty, but nothing is within walking distance of the school. The closest thing is a strip mall with some stores and places to eat, but it's a five minute drive away. The school is near one of the ring roads of Baltimore, so sometimes we travel to the city.

Like any high school, there are cliques. Everyone tends to stick to their own ethnic and racial groups. There is overlap because of the size of the school though. Most everyone is friendly with one another, but there are clear dividing lines between groups of girls.