I grew up moving every three years, having to start over, make new friends and navigate new hallways. The places I’d moved to weren’t exotic by any means; I stayed in the Midwest pretty much my entire life. But, I did experience going to school in big school districts. I remember being in elementary school while living in the Quad Cities, with a population of 400,000.

Then, we moved to High Ridge, Missouri, part of the Saint Louis suburbs. I spent a whole four years there (crazy, right?). I finished out my middle school years while I was there. These schools were big and the high schools in the districts seemed even bigger. While my parents were debating where we would move after my dad retired from the Coast Guard during our last year in High Ridge, there was a possibility we would stay where we were, meaning I would eventually start high school at Northwest, as would my three younger siblings. My graduating class would have been well over 1,000 if we would have stayed.

But, as luck would have it, my parents wanted to move back to Shenandoah, Iowa where they had grown up and where a lot of my family lived. We’d been moving around for so long that they decided it would be good for us to be around our grandparents and other family members more. Shenandoah is small. The population is around 5,000 people, which means the school system is even smaller. I ended up graduating with around 70 people in my class. You read that right: 70. But even if I could have changed things, I wouldn’t have. See, there are some really great things that I was able to do because my high school was small.

Firstly, I knew everyone in my class. Heck, I pretty much knew everyone in my high school. There’s something unique about being able to form connections with so many different people, especially from other classes. There wasn’t really a big separation or stigma associated with hanging out with someone from another grade. We all hung out together. Not so much the dog-eat-dog world that movies portray high school to be.

Secondly, I had way more opportunities at my small high school than I would have had at a larger one. I was thankful that I was able to run for officer positions on student council all four years I was in high school; I wasn’t competing against 50 other people. I was also able to be part of The World Food Prize Program (it’s really awesome, check it out!) during my Junior year. All of these things were coupled with the numerous clubs and organizations I was able to be a member of during my time at Shenandoah High School. When it came time to apply for local scholarships, I wasn’t competing against a thousand different kids. I was competing against 70, and that meant everyone else was, too. It was a smaller pool to draw from, which meant higher chances for everyone else to grab a scholarship or two. All of these things together meant that I built a solid resume to apply for college and succeed after high school.

Lastly, I was able to form valuable connections and relationships with my teachers. I had a lot of my teachers for more than one class, or I met with them through my extracurriculars. I was able to get to know my teachers better, and they knew me. They knew what my strengths and weaknesses were, and they were able to help me because of the relationship we had formed. My teachers became more than just teachers - they became mentors and sounding boards. I knew I could come in during an open period and chat about life. My teachers have shaped me in ways that I wouldn’t have ever imagined, had I not been able to form such rich connections with them.

Shenandoah High School provided me with more memories and experiences than I can ever repay. Because of the wonderful things I was able to do during my time in high school, I was ready to face the new world of college. I can’t ever imagine what I would have done if I didn’t go to a small school, and I don’t want to. I’m just thankful I was able to.