Extra Curricula
Drama: Acting - performance and training; Improv Club VP; Yoga Club; Athletics through high school: Baseball, Boxing, Wrestling, Cycling, Yoga; Music: Singing, piano, and some truly terrible guitar
Favorite Class at CRLS
History. History is an instruction manual, at least to a certain extent. We are meant to learn from it. We repeat the good things. We eradicate the bad. Though math, English, science, arts, and everything in between collaborate to make the world a working machine in the current moment, history is the past shown to us so we grow as a people; it is of the people, by the people, and for the people to learn.
I love people and the world. That is all history is: people and the world.
Favorite Teacher
Some of the most formative people in my life have been my teachers at CRLS. When asked the question who is my favorite, I sit and consider what each teacher along the way has instilled in me. Favorite? You want me to choose a favorite? I can't do that!! So instead, below, I have included a list of gratefuls to my most formative teachers I have had.
I am grateful to _______ for _______.
Dr. Weaver -- teaching me to work harder than I thought possible.
Ms. Read -- teaching me that there are more important things than simply the those learned in a classroom.
Ms. Otty -- teaching me about the world. (literally and figuratively -- World History 2 and Mod. World History -- and so much more)
Ms. Bannon -- teaching me to read
Mr. Jordan -- teaching me to love reading
M. Murray -- teaching what it is to care
B. Cramp -- teaching me to think outside of the box
What are some of the out-of-school time (OST) programs that you participated in between grades 6 - 12?
N/A
How did being enrolled in any OST program(s) contribute to your success in and out of high school?
N/A
What did you like most about CRLS? Why?
I am only able to discuss my experience of CRLS, as it is the only one I have lived, so my judgment will be a world of difference from every other student here.
Coming from a class of eight choir boys to a class of 600 very-much-not-choirboys, I hoped to discover who I was, who my friends were, and what I stood for and cared about. During my first year, I tried on numerous masks, struggling to fit in where I could. In retrospect, during that process, I did not yet understand who I was. What CRLS allowed me to do, however, was try anything and everything, showing me the path to doing the thing I now love more than anything else: acting. When I discovered acting, I found something that has the power to change people. I am drawn to the potential of theatre and film to create connections with characters and points of view. More importantly, I am drawn to its power to immerse audiences in the beauty and messiness of human nature, sparking self-reflection and change. CRLS offers a world of opportunity, but one must be open and take advantage of what is offered.
"There is nothing impossible to him who will try" - Alexander the Great.
To become the best actor I can be, I must be curious, learning from everyone, if I am to tell the stories that need to be told. What I will take from CRLS is the cultivation of my curiosity. As a straight white male, I have wanted for little in my life. I have traveled, received a great education, and been able to choose how to spend my hours, a luxury that many do not have. In the CRLS community I do not bring racial or economic diversity, but rather a deep desire to learn. By being part of the diverse community of CRLS a curiosity to learn from others and the ability to speak with anyone I meet has been fostered. Learning from my surroundings, I am made a more thoughtful, full human being.
"I value unity because I believe we learn truth from each other in this process.‚"
- Rowan Williams
All of this being said, what I "like" about CRLS most, is that it changes people. It allows everyone to grow and evolve, learning from one another in the process.
What is something people unfamiliar with CRLS should know about the school? Why?
This is a big place; a diverse place; a great place. You have everyone you can think of -- every race, gender, socio-economic class, kinds of focus and types of people. This makes it a melting pot of opinions and perspectives, allowing for awareness and growth of everyone if taken advantage of. The students must take advantage of it, though. At CRLS, the student is however hard they push themselves. The teachers, staff, and students can do what they can, but the individual must be driven, focused, and conscientious.
Advice to Incoming Freshmen
1) "Be here now," My 10 year old sister said to me one morning, as I sat, distracted from the story she was telling me. What I did not know in the moment was that she had just given me one of the most important and formative pieces of advise I have yet to receive. Be present. Be in the moment. It will only happen once, and if you look away, you could miss it. So look around you right now, take in the world, take in yourself, take in the moment, and be here now.
2) The more you discover about yourself, the happier you will be and the more happy people will be to spend time around you. In the grand scheme of things, no one really cares about how you dress, who you date, what you decide to do with your time, energy, and love, so do what is the truest to you. Be you -- be happy. (This may be one of the more Cambridge statements I have ever said).
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