Psychological and Personal Growth Attained in Saint John’s Preparatory School

Far above the neighboring hilltops stands Saint John’s Preparatory school For me, this was more than just a school but rather was a place I once called home. SJP created an atmosphere that fostered growth, inspired creativity, and cultivated the unique talents of everyone in the school community, It may seem very weird to write about a school as my favorite place, especially since this particular school was all male, but this is the one place that changed my life, literally I know for a fact that if I did not go to SJPI would not be at this college or at any college for that matter. Unlike most schools, SJP is a school that values every student, and when one fails we all fail. This sense of community was what really pushed me to succeed. SJP is not the type of school that will just throw information at a student, but is instead a place that teaches one how to learn and how to apply that in every aspect of their lives.

It was SJP where I learned to inspire others to invest in a meaningful cause, to work as a team to accomplish a common goal and to develop trusting relationships and it is because of this school that I am where I am today. The campus itself is a vibrant blend of both old and new and is very peaceful no matter where one may venture. Each building has its own feel to it, With its trademark spire, Xavier hall, one of the main academic buildings of the school, has the traditional New England campus look, Multi-colored bricks stacked high and the copper spire that sits on top is seen for miles and these are the features that set this building apart. The average day for me was not burdensome but was exciting My days usually began running into Xavier, making sure to never step on the seal that was meticulously placed right in the center of the hallway.

Once at the top of the stairs, pictures of past classes flood the hallways, a timeline and pictorial history of the Prep history made it easy to get caught up in looking at each bullet point, each having new faces and their own stories to tell; but I continued on to class, usually I open the thick wooden door and walked through the tall doorway into the classroom. The rectangular room was very well organized, no clutter or papers scattered throughout which was comforting since I have OCD, self-diagnosed The classroom was very large and since there were only about 20 students in a class, it was very spacious, giving me enough room to sit back and relax Class begins, the high»tech smart board turns on and everyone frantically begins taking notes Unfortunately, the bulky windows made it very easy to close off, and I usually found myself staring at trees and dirt compost. At the end of three classes comes lunch, my favorite time of day.

On the path towards lunch nothing was going to stop me from getting hot, fresh curly fries Whether it was the high piled snow in the winter, the crunching leaves beneath my feet in the fall or the beads of sweat trickling down my chest in the summer, nothing was going to stall me on my quest to the cafeteria, With its histrionic gothic flair, the cafeteria can only be described as something one would see in a “Harry Potter” movie, This wide building features painted glass windows and arched ceilings; the best part however was the stunning mural of our mascot, an eagle that stares right into the soul of anyone who walks in. After scarfing down my spicy curly fries, I usually had my next set of classes in Benjamin l—lalL A newer building on campus, Ben Hall did not have the old rustic look of many other buildings but instead had heavy stainless steel doors and floors so shinny it looked like an ice rink.

Sleek, glossy and gleaming items are great but the best part of this Hall was the state of the art science labs, I spent a majority of my time in those labs, doing chemical experiments and blowing things up were the highlights of my days. Although all the buildings are magnificent and have a great communal feel to them, it was not the scenery that made me love SJP so much The school embraces the spiritual values of all catholic establishments At SJP, we had a new “motto” every yearr During my four years at the school, the values were compassion, humility, simplicity and trust, These are the values that all students were given the opportunity to live out. I personally tried my best to use these values in my life and because of this lam who I am today Now, don’t get me wrong all these things are great but it was still school, SJP had a rigorous academic curriculum and the teachers pushed every student to do their best.

In my course work at the Prep over four years, I displayed discipline and initiative which before SJP was very uncommon for me in any academic setting The sudden change was mostly due to the schools core values, and the fact that it stressed the importance of both academics and spiritual development, This of course means that SJP encourages students to develop their intellectual, moral and creative potential I am now proud to say attending 5]? was the best decision I’ve ever made I am truly proud in every way to have called SJP my home for the past four years and the place I will call my alma mater for the rest of my life I understand my opportunities and how blessed and fortunate I am to be in the position I am in today and it is all because of Saint John’s Prep.