To Albuquerque Academy,

Thank you for allowing me to call this beautiful campus and unique school home for seven of the best years of my life. Feeling accepted into such a wonderful community of like-minded individuals who became my family was something I will take with me for the rest of my life. As I moved on in life away from the school prior to graduating, I frequently found myself reflected on my time spent there and how truly valuable the experiences were.

A sense of community was perhaps the most influential part of my time at the Academy. From the structure of the school which divides the grades into divisions that create smaller communities for like age groups to the traditions which create a deep sense of meaning and a sense of pride throughout the school.

The sixth grade year was one that I would lust over for the next seven years afterwards. I truly did not appreciate the incredible fun of the grade until I was looking back, longing for those days to return. Every morning began with Morning Meeting in the commons called to order by a simple “Hey Hey!” in which the teachers would make any necessary announcements, tell jokes, and even remind us what supplies were needed for each class that day. We didn't individually arrive to our classes but rather traveled as a village of ten students which held, within a few months usually, some of our best friends. The schedule of randomly rotating classes for each day throughout the week alone was enough to confuse most bystanders, but the students spoke it daily like code. Every few months, the incredibly talented art teacher would decorate the white boards for homework along the commons’ walls which with a new doodle which everyone would marvel at. A surplus of activity days such as Water Day, Mr. Bak’s Decade Project (sorry Piñon), Diversity Day, Shine, Ms. Harlow’s Make Your Own Instrument project, Physics Day and so much more sprinkled through our annual schedule in a never-ending sequence of fun. There were no grades sent home, but rather lengthy comments from each teacher describing our strengths and weaknesses. I suppose I should add that sixth grade was not entirely a glorified kindergarten: It was full of academic challenges placed to aid in transitioning students into the workflow of the school: in other words, lots and lots of challenging, time consuming homework.

Eighth grade could likely be described as being thrown into the deep end of a pool with only basic swimming knowledge and being told to swim as long as possible, but having the comfort of having a lifeguard present only feet away. Grades hit in eighth grade as did a concrete schedule with classes that you had to arrive at without the comfort of a village. Some classes such as Spanish or Math would even appear on your college transcript which added extra oomph to everyone’s work ethic. Independence seemed to reign… until eighth period where designated silent study hall put everyone back in their places. The Dig was the highlight of eighth grade which seemed unimportant and dull at the time, but looking back upon the day spent around excavating a site finding ancient ruins of a long-forgotten civilization placed by other classmates, it was a pretty special day with my peers that we would laugh about for years to come.

Tenth grade, the first official years of high school at the Academy, full of exciting new experiences like high school dances, getting to pick what classes to take, picking an advisor, parking in nicer parking lots, high school sports, free periods, freedom from PE class, an end to mandatory ex-ed, being able to use your cell phone in the hallways, and perhaps most prominently, beginning the college process. Walking up and down the beautiful brick path in all sorts of weather conditions throughout the year during our seven minute passing periods became routine. Common times in the auditorium were full of speakers and presentations revolving around a yearly theme, which at the time I considered to usually be dreadfully boring, but now I look back on fondly.

My time at Academy ended suddenly with senior year. Focusing on the future ahead for much of senior year, it would have been easy to have let what little time I had left at Academy slip away, but instead I probably had the most fun, but stressful, year of my life. Senior year was full of fun activities, starting with Senior Retreat and ending with Senior Projects and Senior Week. Senior nights such as pumpkin carving night, senior holiday party, tile making night, and movie nights allowed me to take a break from the stress of applying to college and spend time with the people who over seven years had become my family. Senior privileges were arguably the best part of the year, because after seven years of eating the Dining Hall lunch, being able to go off campus for a bite to eat was just about the best thing in the world.

Albuquerque Academy will always hold a special place in my heart, and I will always be grateful for my opportunity to attend such a unique school. For no matter how “too cool for school” each one of us got, at one point each and everyone of us was a younger version of ourselves receiving our acceptance packet in the mail with anxiously excited eyes much like the children of Hogwarts, where we in fact wanted nothing more than to be a Charger, to be a student at the Academy.

Sincerely,

A Proud Charger