As I enter my final semester here at KO, I think of all the memories I have made in my seven years here. Starting in 2019, I was a sixth grader in the pre-COVID era. At that time, there was no Commons, the field house had just been built, and the dress code was much stricter. When you stay at a place for seven years, you get pretty familiar with it, and for this month’s Wyverns’ Tale, I’d like to share some of my favorite moments in my time at KO and also recommend some things to those in Forms 3 and 4, and even those in the Middle School.
Firstly, I think one of the most important things one can do at KO is play/try as many sports as possible. In Upper Prep, I played soccer and basketball before COVID cut our spring season short. Those first two seasons taught me how to be a member of a team and how to play with kids bigger, older, and stronger than me – something that was new to me.
Form 1 was a bit of a crazy year with sports due to the mask policy; however, in Form 2, things finally got back to normal, and I had my first three-sport season here at KO. I stayed with soccer and basketball while adding lacrosse in the spring. All three sports taught me valuable lessons. Coach Krugman taught me the importance of sportsmanship during our soccer season, when he pulled me out of the game for dancing to Miley Cyrus’ “Party In The USA” while we were up 7-0 vs. Renbrook on our Hewett Day. He emphasized winning with “grace,” which is something I carry with me to this day. Basketball with Coach Chapman taught me that you don’t always have to be the star to make a difference. For a team full of 13 and 14-year-olds, we were pretty stacked, and I didn’t see the court too often; however, when I did, I made sure to hustle every second and support my teammates.
I carried this trait over when I began playing football in Form 4 for Coach Batory and Kocay. I learned our signals and became the team’s kicker, trying to contribute as much as I could to help the team get better. Finally, that Form 2 lacrosse season taught me that you’re not going to love everything you do. Lacrosse every day before lunch wasn’t always the most fun, but it taught me to stay with difficult things and to never give up. Playing a sport will teach you valuable lessons, whether you’re the star player or the last guy on the bench, and I recommend to everyone that playing sports at KO is one of the best things you can do.
The next thing I can’t recommend enough is getting involved as much as possible in the KO community and trying new things. Whether it’s giving tours for Shield and Dragon, participating in Student Government, or starting/joining new clubs, all of which I have done throughout my time at KO. These are the ways to make a difference at KO, and it also means you will leave behind a legacy. These are the things that teach you how to be a better person, more engaging, thoughtful, and even smarter. You never know who you’ll meet on a tour or what you may learn from that club meeting. Before your time at KO is up, try to do as much as possible; it will benefit you in the long run.
The third thing is making relationships with your teachers beyond the classroom. KO is a small, tight-knit community, and it’s important to build strong relationships with all your teachers. I still say hello to all my Middle School teachers whenever I see them walking down the hallway, and even stop by to catch up with my Form 1 and 2 advisor, Ms. Scig, when I am in the Middle School for senior advising. My teachers have had a strong impact on my life, so I try to strengthen our relationships because it’s important to me.
The last thing I’d recommend is push yourself all-around. Whether it is in the classroom, on the fields, or with your extracurriculars. High school is the time to learn who you are and what you want to be. I always tried to do my best, never settling, and that is what high school is all about. Don’t be afraid to fail because at some point you will: whether it’s a biology test, Student Government election, or a 40-yard field goal, trying is how you grow and inevitably succeed.
If you’re a student and reading this, I hope the rest of your time at KO goes smoothly, and you take my advice and apply it to your everyday life to become your best self within the KO community and eventually in whatever community you end up in later in life. Lastly, to all the teachers, coaches, and other faculty reading this, thank you for everything during my tenure here at KO. The lessons I have learned through sports and academics will stay with me for the rest of my life.
