Graduates Reflect on Friendship, Community, and Commencement
by Stephanie Hartford
Before the close of this school year, OES staff collaborated with Abe Asher ’16 to collect the thoughts and reflections of several groups of graduating seniors as they begin their life journeys beyond OES. Whether they attended for two years or 12, and regardless of the activities they were involved in, each shared that one of their favorite qualities of their OES experience is the lifelong friendships they formed within the school community.
STUDENT GROUP: ELIE DOUBLEDAY, HANNAH PARK, KATE PIPPENGER, SIERRA WELLY, SARAH WONG, NAOMI ZHAO Te transition from middle school to high school is always a complex one. With OES’s academically rigorous Upper School program and an array of extracurricular activities to participate in, sometimes the multitude of changes can be overwhelming. Tis time of uncertainty also provides a chance to meet new friends. In 2012, freshman year brought Wong, Doubleday, Park,
Pippenger, and Welly together. Trough shared classes and existing individual bonds, the group solidified into a unit. Tis strong foundation paved the way for the girls to welcome in Zhao when she transferred to OES in 2014. Zhao remembers the moment well. “On my first day at OES as a junior, I was standing by myself and Elie and Sarah came up to me and introduced themselves. Tey also introduced me to many other people in the grade,” she says. Along with shared fun experiences like concerts and beach camping, this circle of young women has taken their academic responsibilities very seriously. “We have had lots of study sessions
over all four years of high school, from honors physics to economics,” Wong explains. Even the yearly Aardvark Science Expo offered opportunities for both learning and levity. “During our freshman year we developed a tradition of getting
takeout dinner before the science fair and eating it in the Drinkward Center elevator,” says Wong. “We really don’t know why we did this, but it stuck around.” Tis group of friends also committed themselves to one of
OES’s core values: service. Pippenger, Park, and Wong served as three of the four senior leaders for this year’s Midwinter Madness, a series of events designed to raise funds on behalf of a local Portland nonprofit. Tis year’s beneficiary was Camions of Care, a nonprofit that distributes feminine hygiene products and other resources to homeless women. Te girls have also participated in walkathons to benefit the Northwest Pilot Project, an organization Welly has worked with on a long-term basis. As they head off to college there is some wistfulness, yet there’s also optimism that their OES-forged bonds will remain strong. Te girls expressed a need
26 Oregon Episcopal School
www.oes.edu
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