Six seniors answered questions from parents in a Q&A format.
Thank you to the PFA for organizing this favorite parent community meeting of the year. Standing room only! Thanks also to the senior panelists: Katie Fournier, Theo Knights, Liban Sheikh, Alexis Shoemaker, Lewis Holland, and Erin Wynne. College counselor Kate Grant did a great job of setting the stage and moderating. Here are a few highlights.
What advice do you have for students coming into the Upper School?
- The preseason sport team practices start in August, so joining a team is a great way to get to know other upper classmen and ease the transition.
- Try something you have never done before or are afraid to do!
- There are many opportunities so it is easy to overbook yourself. Choose one or two things that you really want to focus on.
What do you see as the strengths of the Upper School?
- There are so many connections you make with your teachers both inside and outside of the classroom. "My teachers are some of the best grown-ups I have ever met!"
- Since many faculty members are involved in extracurricular activities themselves, they understand if you need an extension because of a mock trial competition or a late soccer game.
- The new schedule has allowed students to get some work done during the school day. Getting credit for working on the school newspaper has also helped balance the workload.
What are some of the weaknesses of the Upper School?
- Communication and coordination between teachers regarding major assignment deadlines could be improved, particularly in humanities.
- The homework policy is not followed by many teachers and not enforced even though this issue is brought up every year.
- "The homework is challenging but that's good."
- Catlin Gabel students should show gratitude for all the opportunities that are given to them. It’s important to find ways to learn resilience and fight for something you care about in an environment where everything is available to you.
- We need more interaction with the outside world.
What are your senior internship projects?
- Projects range from fixing typewriters to working with a photojournalist with the Oregonian to helping a fashion designer with her first show.
What were your best moments at Catlin Gabel?
- Interacting with the teachers.
- Getting positive feedback and learning what you are good at.
- The last day of junior year and the “I did it!” feeling.
- Getting the college acceptance letter.
- Working with other students to achieve something together, for example designing all of the costumes in a production.
What about some of your worst moments?
- Failing at something: but that’s a learning experience.
- Freshman English.
- Arriving as a new freshman and not knowing anyone.
- Being slammed with schoolwork.
Tell us about your global trips.
- Taking trips during sophomore year works well. There is a trip for everyone.
- Nepal was amazing. It was a very different trip from the France trip, which was designed around learning the language. In France, we had homestays and went to school with the French students.
- This summer, one panelist is walking 500 miles from Geneva to Rome. The group is doing training hikes together now.
- “After every trip, I come back with a new best friend.”
How did you spend your summers?
- Answers ranged from getting a job or internship to taking a college class to traveling with family to chilling out and having a good time.
How would you rank the degree of difficulty of the four years in the US?
The consensus from easiest to most difficult seemed to be: (1) sophomore year– because we have figured out the workload, (2) junior year, (3) first semester of senior year because of the added pressure of college applications, (4) freshman year.
What advice do you have for parents?
- Let your child fail on his or her own and learn from mistakes. Trust that they will mature as they move through the US.
- Let your child do what they want to do when it comes to extracurricular activities and don’t interfere. Let them figure out their passions.
- Continue to support your child if his or her interests change.
- Don’t panic if your child does not do well. Be supportive. Your child will come around.
- Do encourage your child to communicate with his or her teacher.
- Don’t hound your child about homework unless it’s a huge issue. If they want to take the night off, then it is his or her decision.
- Let them grow up and figure it out on their own. Give them space.
Catlin’s robotics team, the Flaming Chickens, won the Chairman’s Award at the Oregon State University district competition. This most prestigious honor is given to the team that "best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST,” the nonprofit that organizes the competitions.