Looking Back at Whittle's First Year by Charlotte Weir '22

My name is Charlotte Weir, and I’m a junior at the Whittle School. I joined last school year, after a tough year at my previous school. My school experiences before coming to Whittle had been so so and left me feeling unfulfilled or uninspired. I had also struggled a lot with making friends that I felt comfortable and at home with. What drew me to Whittle were the endless possibilities. There was no wall stopping you from pursuing an idea. Students had the opportunity to pursue what they were passionate about, in collaboration with teachers and staff; and most amazingly, change the way “school” was designed.

My first year at Whittle was amazing. Immediately I felt an overwhelming sense of community. A bright and shiny “Good morning! How are you?” greeted every student on their walk in. I would leave every day feeling so inspired and proceed to tell her about every second of my classes for the next hour at Bread Furst. I made friends fast and actually felt comfortable. Everything was going so well, and then COVID-19 forced us to shut down.

Readjusting to online school was hard, but without fail every day I would still receive the same “Good morning!” and a joke from my teachers. Even though we couldn’t see each other, our community grew stronger. Teachers made sure you knew they were available, for whatever you needed and really listened to students when students needed them to. When those of us in upper school felt we were spending too much time on our screens, we were invited to join the process of making a schedule that fit for us.

Quarantining was not very easy for me and my family. A close friend of mine passed away in late April and it was very hard for me to cope without being able to find any closure or community with my friends. On top of that, all of the suffering going on in the world combined with purposefully isolating myself didn’t help with my anxiety. But when I needed time, I got it, and most importantly, when I needed something to rely on, I had it. I had something to rely on in my teacher’s enthusiasm and passion for their jobs, in my classmates’ smiles and funny messages in our high school group chat, and in the ideals that this community holds most dear. Our last week of classes was filled with presentations, nerves, and final drafts, but our last classes were bittersweet. In my final STEM class, my teacher brought me to tears with his words of encouragement, gratitude, and hope. I could tell how special that moment was and felt the same way at our closing ceremony on the last day. Our community was so far apart, yet so close.

In tough times we all need something to rely on. Whittle has been there for me when I needed it. Whittle has been and continues to be the best decision I’ve made with regard to my education. Not only for the classes and teachers but for the impact it’s had and how much it means to me.