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: Tyler Reese H., ILS Class of 2020
1. How long have you attended ILS? I’ve been at ILS since kindergarten, so 9 years. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been the majority of my life, but in just a few months I’ll be going to a completely new school. ILS has prepared me very well and I feel ready to go to high school.
2. To what house do you belong, and how have you developed as a person by being involved in it? I belong to House Augustine, and I’m also one of the house captains. Being a house captain has definitely taught me a lot. I’ve had to learn to be patient, listen to what others have to say, make sacrifices, and learn to lose. By sacrifice, I mean that I give up recess time and my own time after school to serve my housemates, make plans, and incorporate the ideas of others. Being part of a house has also taught me a lot about teamwork. I’m the type of person who wants everything their way but I’ve had to learn to incorporate other’s opinions and ideas, and give up some of mine. Two of the biggest things that being part of a house, and especially being Captain, has taught me revolve around thinking ahead and being confident. As a house captain it is so important to always have a plan, especially for house meetings and competitions. At the beginning of the year, I definitely struggled to come prepared, but with experience, I improved. I also grew in confidence in speaking to my house and leading us.
3. What was your favorite House competition? I’ve always enjoyed Track and Field Day. I look forward to it every year. Track and Field Day is an annual house competition in which we have lots of house competitions all day that are Track and Field related to have an overall house victor for the day. Each event is a way to earn points for your house – in the end, the house that has won and participated the most, wins Field Day. We spend the whole day competing against other houses but also having a great time. I usually get involved in lots of the competitions, so it’s a busy day for me, but all worth it. What I also really enjoy about Field Day is cheering on my friends and house members. We all get really hyped up and go a bit crazy.
4. What is your favorite ILS memory? (Or, which ILS tradition will you remember the most?) My favorite ILS memory is definitely Adventure Camp. I had a lot of fun with my friends and teachers. One of the highlights was definitely the soccer game we had with another school that attended. It was super muddy and we ended up having a mud fight at the end, which I will never forget. My favorite tradition is the Talent Show, which is the only school event students actually direct. Last year, I was the co-host and this year I was the lead host. I love watching all the acts and seeing the hard work of the whole team come together. It’s an experience I will never forget.
5. Which event did you most look forward to during your 8th grade year? I was definitely looking forward to Adventure Camp and Graduation. Our whole class is especially upset because we’ve all been looking forward to these in our last year. It’s upsetting that I won’t be able to spend these last few months with my class, before summer and high school is here.
6. What was your favorite class at ILS, and why? I have two favorite classes: math, and literature. Math has always been one of my favorite subjects, because I like learning new concepts and solving problems. The feeling of struggling with something, then solving it and getting the right answer, is very satisfying. I also really enjoy the math puzzles that we do almost every day. They are lots of fun to solve. Literature is also my favorite subject, though, because I love the books we read. Some of my favorites have been the Lord of the Rings series. They are such amazing books and we have really great discussions about them. For example, when we finish every book, we have a discussion about how we see the theme of the year in each book. Our theme this year is “redemption.” In the Lord of the Rings, it was amazing to see how many characters and aspects of the story were redeemed.
7. What was your favorite ILS field trip? My favorite field trip has to be when we went to iFly in 6th grade. It was a surprise field trip for Darryl’s birthday and I remember being so excited when I found out we were going. The trip ended up being really fun and I got to “fly” for the first time, which was a really great experience.
8. Where are you attending High School? This fall, I’ll be going to Oakcrest. It’s a really great school and I’m really excited to be going there. They have such an amazing community and I’m excited to be a part of it. I know it will be hard to leave ILS, but I’m ready to start high school. I’m looking forward to art and ensemble for flute playing. One of my really great friends and classmates will be going there with me: Aria!
9. What will you miss the most about ILS? I’m definitely going to miss my friends and teachers the most. I have made amazing friends throughout my time at ILS and it’s sad to be leaving them. The teachers have not only taught me how to solve a math problem or write an essay, but they’ve also helped me grow a lot as a person.
10. What is something a teacher told you that you will never forget? I specifically remember, in 7th grade, when I had my parent -teacher conference with Miss C. Davis. She told me that I was a leader and that has stuck with me ever since. She encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and showcase my leadership skills more. I’ve kept this in mind ever since, and it has really helped me to grow as a person.