As we enter the final 2 months of the 2017-18 school year and our 8th grade students look ahead towards graduation and high school, we wanted to continue our "Meet Us Monday" series and feature the members of our ILS Class of 2018. We've asked each student a series of questions about their time at ILS, their favorite memories, and about their plans for high school. We hope you enjoy meeting our wonderful 8th graders, and we thank them for taking the time to respond and share more about themselves!
Meet Us Monday: Ashley C., ILS Class of 2018
1. How long have you attended ILS? Since Kindergarten! I’ve really gotten the whole experience, I’ve been on the full ride, I’ve seen it all.
2. To what house do you belong, and how have you developed as a person by being involved in it? House Ambrose. I’ve learned some leadership skills as this is my 3rd year as captain. I’ve gotten to know the people in my house very well. I’ve learned more about good sportsmanship. As an 8th grader and captain, I know the younger students look up to me, so even when we lose and I want to yell my frustration, I try to think of the little kids and tell them it’s okay. We’ve done so many things together. Before being part of my house, I never really wanted to be on a team, but the houses have changed that. We do so much together, baking and going to each other’s houses and working on projects, it’s really fun.
3. What was your favorite House competition? The scatter ball competition that Ambrose won! Scatter ball is basically a game of dodge ball but there are no lines you can’t cross. The scatter ball competition was a round robin tournament. We came up with all these strategies beforehand. It was the most intense competition we’d ever faced, but we knew we could win it. So we just went out and conquered. Finally, it was down to the last two people, I think it was Luke and a member from another house; Luke is House Ambrose and he was competing with his arm in a sling so it was really intense. We were so stressed, but when he threw the ball and the other house dropped it, we knew we won and started yelling. That was the most pride Ambrose ever had since the beginning of the house system, and it was the point we became a real team and started to work together.
4. What is your favorite ILS memory? (Or, which ILS tradition will you remember the most?) Oh, Adventure Camp counts as both a tradition and best memory. I’m pretty sure everyone else will say this, but it really is everyone’s favorite thing. You just get to look forward to it as the oldest and most mature students. We go boating and rafting, and spend a lot of time together, we get candy and stop at Wawa on the way to camp. We really look forward to it and make a lot of memories: staying up late to talk, playing so many games, and having adventures. When we come back it’s pretty sad, and this year will be especially sad because it’s the last time we’ll all go to camp together. These people have been my friends since Kindergarten!
5. 5. Which event did you most look forward to during your 8th grade year? Well, it’s not graduation, because I don’t want to graduate and leave ILS. It’s probably Adventure Camp.
6. What was your favorite class at ILS, and why? I’ve always loved science, especially all the experiments we do. It’s kind of nerdy, but I love learning about molecular substances and atomic matters. Mr. Schultz is a really fun teacher and he makes everything really fun, so I feel ready to learn in every class. I also like art because I’ve always been an artist and it’s good to learn different techniques and see how my art develops.
7. What was your favorite ILS field trip? The Baltimore Aquarium field trip was really fun. The sea creatures are so bright and fascinating. I loved to walk around the aquarium in my group. I was with all the girls in my grade. The jelly fish! They were so cute and tiny and adorable! Everything was just so beautiful. Dissecting the squid was AMAZING. It was kind of creepy because you were taking his body parts out, but I had never done something like that before. We pulled out the ink sack and some bone that was called the quill and then we wrote on newspaper with it. Squid juice got all over my shirt which was gross, but worth it.
8. Where are you attending High School? I got a scholarship to Bishop Ireton so I’m going there. I got into other places, but I really liked Ireton the most. You can know everyone in your grade there, but it’s also big enough to have a variety of friends and classes. They do community service projects and I think that’s a great idea for a high school, because it will help all the students do something worthwhile outside of just school.
9. What will you miss the most about ILS? Everything (starts crying). Some of my classmates here are the friends I love…. We’ve just always been there for each other since we were little. It feels like my family and it’s just happy and homey to be here, and I am afraid we’ll be apart next year and not know each other the same way in the future. My friends are just joyful to be around and the teachers are so truly nice and smart. They know us all so well, and it’s something I think that every school should have.
10. What is something a teacher told you that you will never forget? Miss Davis and I always have discussions about Harry Potter. We were talking about how Dumbledore is not actually a good character, and we agree on that! We sometimes get on tangents with Miss Davis in class and just talk about other books we read too in literature classes. I love reading and so does Miss Davis, so it’s fun to talk about that. She knows her Harry Potter material very well.