Sophie Sloan

Every student at Collegiate School has their own story; how they got here, when they arrived, and their first memories here. There is no single way to experience Collegiate, and whether students start their Kindergarten year, or even in JK, or later, everyone’s journey to find a place in the community is different. As a current Senior who entered Collegiate in 5th Grade, I’ve often wondered what the transition looked like for others coming in at different times. Through conversations with classmates who have entered in various years, I’ve come to appreciate how the timing of entry at Collegiate shapes our experiences. 

Upper School’s Sharp Academic Commons.

Madison Lewis (‘25), who entered Collegiate in Kindergarten, described how she met her best friends here at a young age and said, “The friends I met in Kindergarten are still my friends now. When we are with our Kindergarten buddies, I can relate to them on things, like having the same teacher, while remembering my time here as a Kindergartener.” Her time at Collegiate is rooted in familiarity, having come here at such a young age.

Similarly, Elizabeth Seward (‘25) also entered Collegiate in Kindergarten. When asked about her memories from coming at such a young age, she stated that she “feels at home when I come to school. However, my friends are people who have started in later grades, and those people are actually the ones who bring different backgrounds and experiences, shaping Collegiate into what it is today.” Students like Lewis and Seward have had the chance to participate in long-standing traditions from the start and build deep friendships, but they have also had the opportunity to see our Senior class change and grow through new additions each year. 

Middle School’s Reed-Gumenick Library.

My story is different, coming from Powhatan Elementary, which operated very differently from Collegiate. My old public school had larger class sizes, capping at around 40, but no less than 25, along with fewer resources, and there was no emphasis on community and academic rigor. Walking into Collegiate at first felt intimidating. Everything felt polished, structured, and full of unspoken norms. I remember feeling surprised at how confidently students spoke in class, how it seemed that friendships between others seemed strikingly close, and how unfamiliar everything was. It took time to create routines and establish myself within the community, especially with Collegiate’s rotating class schedule. At Powhatan Elementary School, my schedule was the same every day, whereas at Collegiate, the schedule differs by day. This was something all my peers understood but took me time to navigate and fully understand.

Middle School provided another layer of complexity. COVID-19 hit when our class was in 7th Grade, which cut short most of the time we would have spent getting to know each other in person. After spending the spring of 2020 stuck at home and returning in the fall, masked and six feet apart, school provided numerous challenges. Elle Oliver (‘25), who came to Collegiate from Northern Virginia in 5th Grade, describes this experience as “it felt like we were starting the process of getting to know Collegiate all over again,” and I could not agree with her more. Many of us were still trying to find our place, as the world around us was constantly changing. 

For students who arrived in Upper School, the transition was embedded with its own challenges. Nora Wallace (‘25) transferred to Collegiate in 9th Grade at the start of the 2021 school year. “Coming to Collegiate as a new Freshman was really hard,” she told me. “We were still required to wear masks in the fall of 2021, so it was challenging to get to know people when I could only see half their face. It is hard enough to be the new kid, but when facial expressions and social cues are hidden behind masks, even simple conversations can be more distant than normal.” With Freshman year being our first “normal” year back, everyone was trying to navigate themselves and their routines again within the community, especially those who transitioned to Collegiate during this time. 

However, not every Upper School transition was formidable. Virginia Harris (‘27), who arrived in 8th Grade, described her transition as smooth and welcoming. “I came to Collegiate in 8th Grade, and honestly, it was one of the easiest transitions I’ve ever made. Everyone was welcoming, and I immediately felt part of the community.” Her entry into Collegiate serves as a reminder that a school’s culture can transcend cliques or timeframes. For students like Harris, the environment was welcoming from the start, which made all the difference in her transition. Harris described how being a member of the track team provided comfort, and she says it was “a crucial aspect in my transition to Collegiate life being so easy.”

Talking with my classmates has given me a new perspective on Collegiate. Every entry point comes with a mix of its own challenges and opportunities. From my own experiences, I have learned how to contribute to a community that initially seemed set in stone. Those who started at Collegiate in Kindergarten have had a chance to build relationships over time and watch transitions unfold year by year, while those who arrive in later years bring their own attributes, make new friends, and find ways to join other communities across campus.

All photos courtesy of Collegiate School.