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 have again launched 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: Andrew, ILS Class of 2021
1. How long have you attended ILS?
“This is my third year. It’s been good overall—hard but I’ve learned a lot.”
2. To what house do you belong, and how have you developed as a person by being involved in it?
“Irenaeus. It really builds teamwork. If you work with your house you can do so much more. Irenaeus is a pretty athletic house and we win often in the athletic competitions – it’s fun.”
3. What was your favorite House competition?
“When we did Ultimate Frisbee. It was one of the only sports competitions that the whole class could be a part of.”
4. What is your favorite ILS memory? (Or, which ILS tradition will you remember the most?)
“My favorite memory is probably Field Day. On Field Day, there are a ton of competitions across the campus: we even had a dunking booth and a bouncy house and basically spent all day outside.
My favorite tradition is playing Scatter Ball, that classic Immanuel game. I like Scatter ball because everyone tries their hardest and it’s just fast-paced and entertaining. ”
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?
“Probably history inspires me the most. Mr. Barnett makes it really interesting and gets really passionate. Yesterday we were talking about foreign policy and how much the arts impact the culture – we were talking about how Japanese anime affects their culture and society and what that means for policy. I think Mr. Barnett was right about that, but he said kids watching anime was negative for their development because the ideas in anime impact how they think so much. I don’t know that it’s that serious, but it was interesting.
Latin, 100%, is super hard. Just in general it’s a really tough subject. Take a lot of notes – I thought I could just remember everything from class but that was a mistake. Latin builds too, so make sure you understand everything as you go. ”
6. Where have you applied to High School?
“I got accepted to BI and applied but paused my application to Gonzaga because we found out my family is moving to Spain. So I can’t really go to either until we come back. I’m looking forward to Spain for the good opportunity and surfing, but some days I don’t want to go either. I think I’ll go to a school on base when we get there. ”
7. What will you miss the most about ILS?
“Probably the community. Everyone is really involved. It feels like a second family. Eyosias! I don’t know what I’d do without him this year. ”
8. How has a teacher impacted your life personally in a way you will never forget?
“It started with Mr. Barnett, but all of my teachers have encouraged me and forced me to write down my assignments and take notes in class. They’ve helped me become a more organized person. Like, now I’m not as worried constantly about missing assignments or forgetting to do something. It’s all written down! ”