Wasatch Academy - Review #4

During my time at WA, it felt like the entire staff were my mentors, and supporters to do well in school, athletics and life in general. From the teachers, to my Dorm Parent, to the business office staff, to the cooking crew...Everyone was always willing to assist a student, whether it be guidance with studies, advice, an uplifting smile, or a pat on the back for doing well.

When my parents brought me to WA my Sophomore year, I came in a shy, frumpy girl with low self esteem and average grades. When I left WA I was outgoing, had amazing friends, I was in great shape from sports, graduated with a 3.4 GPA, and was ready to take on the world...or at least college.

When we were at school we would complain about missing home, or wanting to go home...yet at Christmas/Summer break we would be calling each other all the time, and could not wait to get back to school to be together again. If I could give advice to a new student it would be "ENJOY YOURSELF!". "Be grateful, because you never get your High School years back. One day soon you'll be paying bills, working hard at a career and/or building a family....So get good grades and have fun"!

WA was a small community, the Headmaster and Dean were approachable and fun, and it felt great to belong.

When visiting, you may not be able to take in the sense of community/family, but know that it is there, and if you attend you will know it first hand very quickly. Try the fry-sauces at Sleeze...so good!

My two favorite classes were Science and English. Science was fantastic because the class was small and we could do several hands-on experiments, and go on class outings to hike and pick up items to put under the microscopes. It was the best way learn, and the information has stayed with me since. English was a lot of fun, again due to small class size we could ask a lot of questions and engage in discussions about wonderful books. The teacher always guided the discussions, kept us 'on track' and answered questions, but we learned a lot this way by engaging with each other regarding the different books.

Our athletic program at WA was awesome. There were no try-outs, you simply signed up to be on whatever team you wanted to. Our coaches pushed each individual to be their best, and we were quite competitive. For some, these were newly learned skills in that particular sport, so although we didn't always win, we played with our hearts. Sports, for me as a teenager was a way to build self-esteem, confidence, healthy habits, and learn about teamwork. These are life lessons that I have carried with me ever since.

My Junior year I participated in Choir...never could carry a tune..still can't, but the teacher was patient and willing to work with me. We had a lot of fun in that class, and I guess it was the really good singers that made up for what I lacked, because we took 1st in State. I loved pottery...working with the wheel was a real challenge, but it taught me patience.

We did projects with Habitat for Humanity. As a young adult, I had no idea that there was a whole world out there of folks that did not have a warm place to sleep, or a roof over their heads. It was a good 'eye-opening' lesson to learn, and I have done projects with the same organization since high school.

Dorm life was my favorite part of WA! As a teenager, I was pretty insecure. I felt like my hair was not long enough, my skin not clear enough, my thighs were too big...I could go on & on. Living in a dorm with all my friends, I realized we ALL had little things about ourselves that we would like to improve...but I was no different than any of them. My Dorm parent, Mrs. Smith was amazing. During my Sr. year, my parents divorced, and Mrs. Smith was amazingly supportive...I will always be thankful.

WA always had great food and a great selection, but as teenagers, we opted for a PB&J rather than a warm meal most of the time. It could have been Lobster and Filet, but we would have always gone for the PB&J.

Uptown...that is what we called the small town of Mt. Pleasant. We would spend our allowances at the Dairy Freeze aka Sleeze for a burger, chicken fingers or a shake. It was a short 5 minute walk, and we felt independent getting off of campus.

Coming from a school that 'popularity' meant everything, it was so refreshing to come to WA and just be friends with everyone. Since it was a small student body, and you would see each other with messy hair at breakfast, and sweaty clothes during sports...it wasn't necessary to try and 'impress' each other with a full face of makeup or designer jeans...your classmates and friends knew you inside and out...Like family.