When people find out that I attended Catholic Schools from first grade through my senior year of high school, they are usually surprised and wonder how I got through all of those years. I admit that even though the uniforms were extremely uncomfortable (I had to wear green tights under my plaid skirt every day in high school), the rules were strictly enforced and that my schooling experience was far from the norm, I still learned many valuable life lessons. Even though a Catholic school education definitely has it's downsides, it also has many benefits that I am so grateful for.

Growing up, I found it difficult to relate to my public school friends when it came to school. Everything was just so different. I attended the same school for grades one through eight and my class never exceeded twenty-five students. I knew everyone in my class and went to school with many of them for all eight years. Getting one or two new students was always such an exciting time because we all honestly got bored with each other after a while and we loved finally getting to meet new people. Of course, though, many of us had close friendships with each other but as the years went on, many of those faded. All of us knew a lot of information about every single classmate because we spent so much time together. Personally, I had a few really close friends but when it came time to graduate and go to high school, I could not have been more ready to move on than I was then.

After middle school, my classmates and I all went our separate ways and only one of my classmates attended the same Catholic high school as I did. Luckily, she was one of my best friends and we are still friends today. High school was a totally different experience for me because even though it was still considered to be a small high school compared to the average public school, it was much bigger than my middle school. My time in high school was a lot more like the "normal" high school experience but it was still very different than a public high school. The dress code was very strict, I had to apply and get accepted in order to attend my high school, fights were nonexistent, community service hours were required every year, religion classes were challenging and required a lot of work, school masses were held practically every month, no meat was ever served in the cafeteria on Friday's during Lent, prayers were said at the start of every class and at the beginning and end of each day, we represented our school twenty-four-seven and were expected to always represent our school appropriately, the workload was overwhelming most of the time, and of course, our families all had to pay tuition that increased every year. Fortunately, I met some true lifelong friends along the way that I got to experience all of the trials and tribulations of Catholic high school with.

My classmates and I also spent a lot of time in religion classes and school masses together from the very beginning of my time in school until graduation day. It was always mandatory to take religion classes every year for the entire year. These classes (especially in my last two years of high school) taught me a lot not just about the Catholic faith, but also about morality and how to be a good person. This aspect of a Catholic school education is one of the ones that I am most grateful for. When I got to college, I honestly had to get used to not praying before every class with my classmates and not taking a religion course like I did for the previous thirteen years of my life. I am also thankful for my small class sizes and the dedication that most of my classmates had towards their education. I am also grateful for the great amount of support that was available from my high school community and how we bonded as a school quite often.

Even though the strict rules in school got oppressive at times and I spent every day in an uncomfortable uniform, I still am glad that I had the opportunity to attend Catholic schools. Being around people who were so similar to me and who also valued community service like I did was very beneficial to me. Many of my classmates inspired me academically and personally to be a better person. My classmates and I questioned our Catholic faith and ultimately got to form our own opinion on religion. I learned that what really matters in life is helping others and having solid relationships with others, not material things. The rigorous academics in high school also prepared me well for the demands and expectations of college. The high expectations that my professors have for me now are very similar to the ones my teachers in high school had for me. Overall, Catholic school really did help shape me into the person I am today.