January + Finals

Hello readers,

January is always an interesting month. It marks the ending of break and the ending of 2015, but also the beginning of 2016 and the beginning of finals. Very bittersweet. Finals at SMA, while stressful like any other week of testing, are relatively controlled. SMA has many resources to help students, including tutoring programs, calendars to manage your time, and time dedicated to review for each class. I prefer to view finals as a celebration of the topics we have covered over the semester rather than a stressful week of grade-crushing exams. It’s all about perspective. 

In other news, on January 7th, SMA held its first blood drive! We collected 23 units of blood, which could save the lives of up to 66 patients. It was so exciting to see students, teachers, parents, donors, and volunteers come together for the American Red Cross. I hope that we will be able to host another drive in the spring and continue to host drives in the coming years.

One of my favorite parts of January is The Scoop. The Scoop is an event for eighth graders who are interested in SMA. We have game rooms, wiis, friendship bracelets, spa rooms, crafting rooms, cookie decorating rooms, board games, and of course, ice cream. We also have a photo booth, my personal favorite activity at the event. Core Ambassadors (student representatives for the school) mingle with eighth graders and try to give them the perspective of a current student. Through the event, the prospective students get a better sense of what their next four years could look like. They get a better idea of the kind environment, fun atmosphere, and loving community that they could be welcomed into next year! As my time at SMA is coming to a close, it was nice to see the class of 2020 in a very familiar position that I was in four years ago and a position that I find myself in again. 2016 is definitely a transition year for the class of 2016 and the class of 2020. It is all so exciting!

See you next time,

Emma Rosenthal