As the new school year began, freshman Arlo English took a leap of faith, trading the cozy confines of The College School for the bustling halls. Despite the initial culture shock, English found his footing.
Though English was excited about the new school his graduating class had 23 students, and it has been a change moving to a class of 186 peers.
“The biggest struggle was finding my classes in such a big building and dealing with all the meetings I have [with] teachers,” English said.
He has also experienced a new dynamic in teacher’s content delivery.
“[The] College School had experiential learning, which was where we [would] go out and learn instead of sitting in our classroom. For instance, we went on a lot of field trips and camp outs. [In] eighth grade, we did two camp outs, which were both nine days. We would go out for nine days, and we would learn out there about the wilderness or other material that we wanted to learn,” English said.
While the learning styles differ, English does not favor one approach.
“It’s nice to have a break from constant field trips or going out and doing stuff. But, I wish [this school] had a little more outside work instead of just inside the classroom,” English said.
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After studying urban life in seventh grade, Arlo English and his classmates travel to Chicago for a five-day investigation of the city’s unique urban qualities. English engaged in shared experiences through cultural immersion, respectful debates and written reflections.
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During the eighth grade Eco field trip to North Carolina, Arlo English’s assignment was to conduct bird photography as part of his research.
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During a sixth-grade wilderness field trip, Arlo English and his friend canoe to the campsite on day nine of their journey. English engaged in challenging experiences that required them to build and strengthen individual and group capacities.
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Eight-grade Arlo English participates in a New Orleans community service trip as a culminating lesson to the unit on service based learning. . English learned about organizations and from professionals in their fields before the hands-on experience..
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While he enjoyed the experiential learning, he also appreciated the Greyhound Time structure and the freedom it offers.
At The College School, English was a minority, one of three males in his graduating class.
“It’s harder to talk to boys, because there weren’t many boys, there’s [definitely] more variety of boys here. I don’t know their personalities either because I’m so used to being in a class of girls, primarily,” English said. “So that’s a little weird.”
Through all these struggles, English is happy. He’s making relationships with classmates and adapting to the school academically and socially. English even left a word of advice for those transitioning to Clayton.
“Make friends fast, and don’t be shy. Just talk to people and get to know [them]. That’s the best way to get to school and learn about the community. [As well as doing] well in your classes.”
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