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Meet Elijah Peake ’15

Elijah Peake ’15
Currently Attending: Middlebury College
Years at Shipley: 9

Confidence from Community
Shipley has shown me the value of community. This community always kept me comfortable socially, and this comfort gave me confidence.

Small Class Size & Creativity
Thankfully, Shipley provided me with many opportunities to take risks academically. The spotlight was always on every student because of the small class size. I grew very comfortable communicating my ideas with others. This exchange of ideas was particularly prevalent in English classes, which also always provided the opportunity to be creative. Through classroom discussions and open theses, we were always given guidelines, but had lots of wiggle room to explore ideas.

The Greatest Risk of All
Shipley allowed me to take what seemed like the greatest risk of all: leaving for five months every year to pursue my passion for ski racing. While I was gone, I was responsible for the same curriculum, taking the same assessments, and for transitioning back into Shipley without any hiccups. Shipley understood the importance of skiing and my ambitions. It is a school that focuses on the individual.

A Good Intensity
Having gone away each year, I worked alongside kids from all over the country attending all different schools that allowed them to leave for part of the year. I can confidently say that Shipley’s curriculum was the most intense. The intensity, however, was not overwhelming. When I was at Shipley, I was always surrounded by teachers and peers who shared a passion for learning. Everyone was invested in what they did and were genuinely interested. Overall, it was intense, but a good intense.

Most Influential Teacher
Mr. Rich was my most influential teacher at Shipley. His Latin class, although more work than most of my classes, was a favorite. He not only taught me language, but also history and logic. He was always ready to take time out of his schedule to meet with me, and his passion was infectious. Because of him, I am interested in pursuing Italian in college and have grown a deep appreciation for the Latin language and literature.

Plans for Fall 2015
From 2015-2016, I will be taking a gap year to improve my ski racing and get more experience in the work force. In the fall I will be skiing with my ski team in Valle Nevado, Chile, or Saas-Fee, Switzerland.

Future Ambition
I hope to be a part of the energy revolution and design sustainable energy sources. I love nature and physics, so I would like to combine the two in my career.
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The Shipley School is a private, coeducational day school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, we develop within each student a love of learning and a desire for compassionate participation in the world.