We are counting down to the end of the 2019-2020 school year, and it is a particularly bittersweet time for our 8th grade students as they prepare to graduate under very unusual circumstances. To help celebrate and recognize our ILS Class of 2020, we are again launching our “Meet Us Monday” blog series to introduce you to the members of this year’s graduating class.
Each week, we will be sharing interviews that we have done with each of our 8th grade students, in which they share more about their favorite ILS memories and traditions, words of wisdom they’ve received over the years, and other reflections from their years here with us at ILS. We hope that you will enjoy these reflections, and join with us in congratulating and celebrating these students!
Meet Us Monday: Luke R., ILS Class of 2020
1. How long have you attended ILS? I have been at ILS since Kindergarten, and I find it pretty cool to be classmates with the first class that went to Jr. Kindergarten, even though I was one year late!
2. To what house do you belong, and how have you developed as a person by being involved in it? I am in Ambrose and I’m also one of the captains. Being a part of this system has been teaching me to get along with people I would not otherwise know too well, either because of being in different classes and age differences or who I am with at recess. As a captain, I have to work to make sure every house member is involved in the preparation for competitions. Also, I must make sure they know what they are doing! Unfortunately, House Ambrose has “gotten smoked” by the other House competition, usually House Irenaeus!
3. What was your favorite House competition? My favorite has got to be Track and Field Day. The entirety of the day is one of general competition with a final tally of house points, but throughout the day there are many small events that build up the final score. It’s fun to see your friends and housemates compete. At the end, there is a house-wide tug of war match and it is hilarious to see each house fall over at the end of every round.
4. What is your favorite ILS memory? (Or, which ILS tradition will you remember the most?) My favorite memory is from playing soccer in the mud while it was raining at adventure camp, with soccer players from another school in Cuba. I ruined my only remaining pair of shoes for the rest of the trip, but it was worth it! And who can forget hosing down our classmates to get the mud off!
The ILS tradition I will remember the most is observing Veteran’s Day. I enjoyed seeing the pictures of my classmate’s family members in their military uniforms, all displayed on the Undercroft Wall. I was especially proud of my dad who came in his general officer’s uniform and we showed photos of my grandfather in WWII flying B-17 bombers. It was really cool when I got to wear my dad’s F-16 helmet and his flight jacket.
5. Which event did you most look forward to during your 8th grade year? I was really looking forward to Adventure Camp like most of my classmates. It is a great opportunity to bond with classmates and work on team-building skills through a variety of guided exercises. I also could have probably used some of my Boy Scout skills in the woods!
6. What was your favorite class at ILS, and why? My favorite class at ILS is science. In 5th grade with Miss Malcolm, I was amazed to study how the human body works and to think that there’s billions of people on earth. In 6th and 7th grade, it was also really cool to learn all about what is on and in the earth. “It Rocked” to learn about geology, landscapes, and weather. In 8th grade, my favorite science year, we studied physics. And got to all sorts of neat and fun experiments and tests. When we were learning about the meter in the international system of units, we learned that it is the length of a path traveled by light in a vacuum in space. I said, “Like a ‘Roomba’ in space?” That got a good laugh from my classmates.
7. What was your favorite ILS field trip? This was going to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Sure, the drive took forever on a bus, but it was really worth it. The first thing we did was dissect squids. It was hilarious to see how grossed-out my classmates were. The aquarium was huge, and we got to feel sting rays, but luckily no one got stung. The coolest part was watching a dolphin show and sitting in the Splash Zone with my buds Parker, Sam, Spencer, and Timothy!
8. Where are you attending High School? I am attending Gonzaga College High School, where “God is Purple” (our school colors!) and everyone says “Go Eagles!” I am really excited to have the opportunity to attend Gonzaga. The main reason I chose Gonzaga? They have a motto that says “Men for Others” and our duty is to give back to those who need our help and support. As my Boy Scout training says: “Do a good turn daily.”
9. What will you miss the most about ILS? Probably, just like most of my classmates will say, all the fun and caring teachers along with my awesome classmates that I have been with all the way since kindergarten!
10. What is something a teacher told you that you will never forget? I’ve heard most of the teachers say that I’m a leader and need to improve on that when I can. I would not be where I am without my teachers. Also, Mr. Schultz, when he was coaching us, always focused on teaching us to believe in God to help us as team and for us to always show a great sportsmanship attitude!