One of my favorite aspects of school, which is perhaps unique to Shipley, is the way that students are encouraged to try new things. From the sports fields, to the classroom, to the stage, no student is just an artist, an academic, or an athlete; at Shipley, each student is unique and multi-faceted. Shipley might be one of the only schools where the star of our crew team can be found singing and dancing in one of our theatrical productions. Often, by the time high school comes around, students have set social cliques and rigid interests…but not at Shipley. Shipley’s inclusive environment provides students opportunities to participate in theater, sports, and musical ensembles for experts, newcomers, and those in-between.

Since entering Shipley as an eighth grader, I have benefited from this adventurous mentality. In fact, the potential of trying new things was part of Shipley’s initial appeal for me. Each year, I take on new activities and take advantage of opportunities to further develop and discover my interests. This year my new activities include debate team, finance club, philosophy class, and acting. Debate, finance club, and philosophy are activities that allow me to pursue my long-time interest in history and business. They allow me to test my rhetorical skills of discussion and arguing in a comfortable and supportive setting.

Acting, however, is a different story. My involvement in acting this year was not about developing an existing interest, but rather about discovering a new one. If I had been told a year or two ago that I would be standing up, in front of a hundred people, to make a fool out of myself in a toga while wearing eyeliner, I would never have believed it. Along with me, there were a number of other first-time performers in the fall play. Shipley has instilled in us the confidence to explore and the desire to push past our comfort zones to try new things, and while I’m certainly no James Dean, I enjoyed acting and look forward to continuing this new-found interest.

In 50 years, Shipley’s longest-lasting effect on me probably won’t be my acting debut, high school debate, or even Shakespeare, but rather the “go-ahead, take a chance” environment that is pervasive here. While I don’t know what life has in store for me, as I look forward to college and beyond, I know that I will continue to take chances and explore new interests.