We hope you are enjoying our Class of 2019 “Meet Us Mondays” series as we hear from our 8th graders in their own words their favorite ILS memories and traditions, words of wisdom they remember from their teachers, highlights from their 8th grade year, and where they’ll be heading to high school in the fall. It is hard to believe that we’re just a month out from the end of the school year, and it is even harder to believe these students will soon be graduating. We truly appreciate our Class of 2019 taking the time to reflect on their time at ILS and share some great memories with us all here on the blog!
Meet Us Monday: Lucas S., ILS Class of 2019
1. How long have you attended ILS? 5th grade was my first year. It was a year of big adjustment. It was great to realize we have two recesses at Immanuel, because at my old school we had 15 minutes a day. 6th grade was a good year, especially Science Camp. Last year was 7th grade and a highlight of that was moving into our new building. It’s more convenient, modern, bigger classrooms; also, the Upper School is literally in the upper part of the school and the Lower School is in the lower levels of the school, so it just makes sense.
2. To what house do you belong, and how have you developed as a person by being involved in it? Athanasius. Our former captains have taught me a lot. Henry, Marina, Bemnet – they all taught me so much in terms of organization. They knew everybody and I look up to them still. So this year I’m a captain and trying to follow in their footsteps. It’s a really good opportunity. I’ve known since 5th grade I wanted to be a captain someday and it’s something I’ve worked towards every year, little by little. To be a good captain, you have to listen to ideas and not just run with your own. That takes including everyone and knowing it’s not all about you. A lot of people have ideas and need to be involved.
3. What was your favorite House competition? Probably the Kickball Competition, well, except that one year I kicked the kick that caused Justus to fall over and break his tooth. It was really fun until that point. Other than that, the Frisbee Tournament that Mr. Schultz ran. Even though we lost to Irenaeus, it was fun to plan for it and set up. People come up with so many strategies, and our house came up with some pretty good ones. Effective. That was way back in 6th grade! All the athletic competitions are fun.
4. What is your favorite ILS memory? (Or, which ILS tradition will you remember the most?) Adventure Camp is probably my favorite memory. If there’s any tension in a class, Adventure Camp will bring everyone together. There are so many team-building activities, like climbing a 10-foot wall. Plus, they have good food and it’s a really nice break from the stress of school. A few days of having fun with your friends and relaxing!
I love the Talent Show too. It’s a lot of fun. I would also say that I believe the Ides of March will become a tradition and I’m excited about that. Mr. Barnett was talking about building chariots next year so I definitely have to come see that. We had a great time when we did it a few weeks ago. The Ides of March remembers that Julius Caesar was betrayed by Brutus (who wanted Rome to be free from dictatorship). We re-enacted the death of Caesar from a Shakespeare play and I got to be one of the stabbers of Caesar. 8th graders also wrote speeches pro or anti republic and we voted on the best by applause. Really fun.
5. Which event did you most look forward to during your 8th grade year? Probably Adventure Camp and our upcoming Graduation Party. The party is basically a party when all the 8th graders give speeches about what they’ll miss about ILS and things they look forward to in high school. Last year, when I was listening to the 8th graders give their speeches, I started thinking about mine. I haven’t constructed mine yet, but I have a basic outline in mind.
Ever since 2nd or 3rd grade, I always wanted to have the experience of graduating with friends. I’ve been to a lot of different schools, so it’s been nice to stay put and build friends.
6. What was your favorite class at ILS, and why? I like history a lot, so definitely history. Mr. Barnett is a good teacher. I’m curious about current events and modern history. It effects the way I’m growing up and I like to learn about the world. When I was 9, I watched the 2014 World Cup and looked up every country that participated (32!) and learned as much about them as I could. I’ve been to about 10 countries since then. I like learning about these places. All of them are different and you get such a sense of their life from visiting them and seeing how different people live, what different cultures are like. Studying history helps me know about the places I visit and how the people have been impacted by the world. Studying their government systems is fascinating, because in history we study world wars and different types of government.
7. What was your favorite ILS field trip? Next week, we’re going to the Air and Space Museum, which I love. Looking forward to that. Really, anything that relates to history is fun. We went to the Workhouse not too far away and that was fun because it used to be a workhouse, like a prison, and now it’s like an art gallery.
8. Where are you attending High School? Bishop O’Connell. I feel really good about it. I like their athletics programs and I know a lot of people going there. The teachers there are good and I had a great shadow day. Good community, which I liked a lot. I’ve been to Lutheran, Baptist and public schools – and now I’ll be adding a Catholic school to the list.
9. What will you miss the most about ILS? The small classes. You get to know everyone really well. When you have 400 per class, you don’t get to know everyone in the same way. Like, I’ve known Reagan since kindergarten and everyone here is really close.
10. What is something a teacher told you that you will never forget? During math class. Math is a tough class. Mr. Schultz would give us tough puzzles. Everyone would be done and have it all solved, but he’d go to the people who didn’t finish it as quickly (usually me) and he’d say stuff like “Be yourself” and it was just encouraging. He’d always find the strugglers and say things like “Don’t worry about it. You’re capable. It’s okay.”