We are counting down to the end of the 2020-2021 school year, and it is a particularly bittersweet time for our 8th grade students as they prepare to graduate. To help celebrate and recognize our ILS Class of 2021, 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: Trevor G., ILS Class of 2021
1. How long have you attended ILS?
“Five years – I’ve been coming to Immanuel since 4th grade. They’ve been really good years. ”
2. To what house do you belong, and how have you developed as a person by being involved in it?
“So, I’m in House Irenaeus. We got inducted to our houses in 4th grade – that was the last year 4th graders could be in the houses. Since our year, only 5th grade and up are part of the houses. I thought it was really cool even though I also thought “Hey, this is no Hogwarts!” I feel like, when I first got to ILS, I was on the shy side. But after getting to know other people from different grades and by getting involved in house competitions, I’ve gotten to know lots of other people and have become more outgoing. It has helped me become more confident because I’ve just gotten more comfortable interacting with people throughout the houses, and I also have had the time to learn through my experiences that I have good friends all over.
We’ve won almost every year, except for that one time Athanasius beat us – but we don’t talk about that much. I think we’re a great house – we have a good mix of athletic and academic strengths on our team. During house meetings, I try to help out by quieting the younger kids – we all need to buckle down and prepare for competitions.”
3. What was your favorite House competition?
“I really like the bridge building competitions. Irenaeus has a really good strategy that we pass on to new members each year, and we usually win. ”
4. What is your favorite ILS memory? (Or, which ILS tradition will you remember the most?)
“Probably my favorite memories are from going to Science Camp. This is a retreat that 5th and 6th grade take in Pennsylvania for two nights and three days – so basically a school week! We spend basically all our time outside and learn about the outdoors, and animals. There are other fun activities like laser tag. Mr. Barnett was super into laser tag, and we had the best time. He was really good at running backwards along the tree line so we couldn’t shoot him. It was memorable.
It was really fun because all my friends were there, and when you’re not in classes, you can hang out. I also liked it because we got to go swimming in the river, which was really exciting. I remember asking Miss Malcolm in 5th grade if I could jump off this rock into the water, and she said “Go for it” so I did and it was awesome and then everyone else started doing it. Actually, I think she said “Be careful.” We had to check the water and depths and everything first to make sure it was safe. The next year we all jumped again. Everyone was a little bit nervous – not too much – but it was great.”
5. What subject have you studied that has most inspired you, and how? What subject have you studied that most challenged you to grow or change?
“History has always been fun for me, and I think it’s been cool to find stuff from the past. Mr. Barnett teaches us to find information from primary sources and learn from the mistakes people have made before us. Mr. Barnett is super energetic and gets really into it when he’s teaching us. He prints out primary sources for us and we read through them together. We usually pause every few sentences or paragraphs so that he can help us understand. He makes it simple to unpack the content and the context.
Latin is pretty tough for me. Really, you’re just taking an ancient language and translating it to modern day. Sometimes the translations aren’t perfect and don’t transfer over, so you have to take the Latin meaning and put in into English in a way that’s as grammatically correct as possible. In 5th grade, Mr. Barnett would project Lingua Latina passages on the board and lead us through sight readings. It was kind of remarkable to realize I actually could sight read Latin a bit. This was my first time ever studying a new language, and it’s not easy! The grammar rules are so different from English. But really, it’s been fun to learn.”
6. Where have you applied to High School?
“I applied to Bishop O’Connell, Bishop Ireton, and The Heights. I’m still deciding on which one will be the right choice. I may end up going to Ireton because it’s only two blocks from my house. But I really like O’Connell’s foreign exchange program.
To apply, I had to study for the HSPT. I had to write two essays. I had to pull together a lot of documents. I think it’s important to have a plan in advance so you don’t have to stress right before the due dates. My parents and I made a plan for our applications so we wouldn’t be too rushed.”
7. What will you miss the most about ILS?
“There are so many good things. I think I’m actually going to miss the teachers the most. They’ve been helping me since 4th grade, and have been really kind to me. Miss Carissa Davis helped tutoring me in Latin to help me get ready for 4th grade when I was starting, for example. I’m really thankful for that.”
8. How has a teacher impacted your life personally in a way you will never forget?
“At Immanuel, the teachers themselves helped me learn a lot about who God is …. I definitely went to church before coming to ILS but wasn’t really too sure about God, but everyone talks about God here. The teachers helped me see who God actually IS because they always talk about him: I learned about the Trinity, learned Bible passages every week, and we always talked about what things mean in the church year and in the scriptures we learn. I’ve just learned a lot about what it means to be a Christian.”