“ It is not a class, it is an intellectual conversation. Your classmates really matter.”
“ The teachers genuinely want to help you. When I ask a teacher here if I can talk with them outside of class, their face lights up—it is what they love.”
wanted to fi nd a place that could handle that. OES has been my home since then.”
In speaking to me, the seniors frequently and genuinely articulated the experience in the classroom that allowed them to create and construct their own understanding of the world through this exploration. T is early experience with inquiry led many of them to a writing topic, as in the Literary Journalism Project, or to a science research area. Some comments were, “OES opened doors for me,” and most important, “T ey are teaching us to think, not just to know.”
However, it was the importance of the personal connection, not just with teachers but also with peers, that students most often cited as the most meaningful aspect of their experience at OES. “T e heart of the school is the relationships and experiences; they are most important,” “T e teachers genuinely want to help you. When I ask a teacher here if I can talk with them outside of class, their face lights up—it is what they love,” “It is not a class, it is an intellectual conversation. Your classmates really matter,” and fi nally, “The teachers want you to succeed.”
Of course, the ultimate goal of an OES education, in fact central to our mission, is the commitment to action, to use our “power for good.” T e seniors shared examples of classes, experiences, and challenges that allowed them to discover their passions and to commit to
“ The heart of the school is the relationships and experiences; they are most important.”
a path and a purpose that has meaning in their lives: “At OES I discovered my interests,” “OES helped me develop who I am as a person: how I think and how I approach my life,” and “I have been challenged and respected here.”
T e commitment to use our power for good comes right out of our Episcopal heritage and tradition. I asked the seniors about their connection to our Episcopal nature, and though few found it an attraction when they were searching for schools (academic strength and small class size were cited most often), almost every student shared how much they value chapel and our service learning emphasis now: “Episcopalians are open and welcoming, progressive—we should continue to emphasize spirituality in this inclusive context,” “T e Episcopal piece is there when I need it,” “At fi rst, Chapel was relaxing—now it is infl uential.”
T e words of the seniors articulate beautifully
who we are as a school: a school that values exploration, creativity, connection, and commitment. T eir take on what being here has meant to them and to their future is powerful. In closing, one senior said, “I am proud of who I am and OES is a part of that.”
Warmly, Mo Copeland
LEARN MORE:
www.oes.edu/ magazine
• More student quotes
Summer 2013 5
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