LOVE OF LEARNING
a conversation
Cultivating Academic Depth
“Viewpoint has been my everything for so long . . . But I’m not afraid, I think, to leave Viewpoint, I’m excited, I feel ready. I feel like Viewpoint’s done its job. It’s been a home.”
going on to make sure that we’re adapting to the need, because students are needing those resources more, maybe than they were before. Benji: I agree with Zach about having support for students outside of
the classroom. Whether its caring for mental health, or seeing us as individuals, not just people in the classroom, is something that has been really important after COVID. I remember when we came back on campus, everybody kind of had a look in their eyes that was a little bit tired and a little bit stressed, but excited to be back. I think that’s kind of stayed in people’s minds. It’s been a very tough couple of years, people have had individual loss. The world has been hit very hard. And seeing us as individuals outside of just students who have grades, has been super helpful. And I think two years ago, the relationship between the teacher and students was different, because I think we’re a lot more cohesive now. We’ve all had a collective kind of hit that we’ve taken and I think our teachers have cared for us a lot more as people throughout the last couple years and I think that’s a good thing. It’s preparing us for the future by giving us a foundation, these are people who care and want to see you learn.
MADELEINE CASE ’22
Allie: I think so. John: Yes. Madeleine: Yeah. Like we were all saying, it’s so unpredictable, but I think being excited and feeling like you have a sturdy foundation is sort of the best that you can do, and Viewpoint has definitely prepared me for what comes next.
Mark: I hadn’t thought about it that way. In terms of how teachers
and students have shared this common experience. Switching gears, Viewpoint’s new mission statement underscores these five words: Love, Honor, Excellence, Imagination, Optimism. I think we’ve talked about a few of them. Is there anything more you would like to say?
Zach: I look forward to just using
everything I’ve learned to continue doing things that I really enjoy doing, things that I love and trying to make a positive impact while being happy.
Madeleine: I think that this may sound cheesy, there’s a lot of love
at Viewpoint. Just reflecting on being a lifer and seeing both Bianca Gomez and Richmond grow up, I remember them when they were little and now everyone’s talking so eloquently about Viewpoint. That’s so special. Allie: I definitely think there’s a lot of space for imagination at
Viewpoint. I know that I always have a space to express myself in photos and express what I see around me. Benji: I would say excellence. I think we hold ourselves accountable.
We just made a film a few weeks ago, and I think as a crew, we hold ourselves to a very high standard. We have been given these tools as filmmakers since Ninth Grade. We’re going to make our project, and we’re going to make it to the best of our ability, but also, we’re not going to be satisfied and we’re not going to stop until we really have what we want. We hold each other as a crew to a very high standard, but individually, we’re all very hard workers, and all very creative, but collectively, we hold ourselves to a standard of excellence. And again, that goes back to the team building and the love and optimism, but mostly we hold each other to a very high level of excellence, because we know that we can and that means a lot.
Bianca Richmond: I just think through my 13 years here, I’ve never had a moment where I wasn’t proud to say that I’m a student at Viewpoint. I’ve always thought very highly of this school. And I think that’s through both academics and also just having an amazing support group at the school, whether it’s my friends or teachers or anything. I’ve always been very happy to call this place my school, and come here every day. That’s my version of honor. Mark: Do you feel ready for what’s next in your life?
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VI EWP O I N T
M AGA Z I N E
From L-R: John Yang ’22, Benji Meppen ’22 From L-R: Bianca Gomez ’22, Mark McKee
John: I always think about something Elon Musk said, in one of his interviews, which is, “Be useful.” It’s actually very hard to be a useful person in the long term. I think all of us here today actually have the mindset of whether it’s in college, after college, it’s about being useful to people around you. To the community, right? And ultimately to the world, and to have that mindset, which is really one of helping make a difference, is one of the best gifts ever. Mark: If you were to think about it, and sum it up in a word what
Viewpoint has given you, what would that be?
Allie: I definitely think community. Like I said, I went to a much
different school before I came to Viewpoint, but it feels like such a tight-knit community, and I think that goes for every single aspect of the school. The swim team is self-described as a family, and I think that kind of sums up Viewpoint. Bianca Richmond: I would say support. Everyone feels very comfortable, and if anything goes wrong, I know that there are people to talk to whenever I need it. I’ve had to face problems and face happy times too, and every time Viewpoint has been so amazingly there for me. Benji: I think perspective, because I went to a school before Viewpoint
that was much smaller. I think it’s given me perspective that not all
schools are like this. I think a lot of us will go into the world and see that not all schools are like this, not all communities are like this. I will face challenges and I will meet people who are not as warm or who don’t have the same views as me, but I can fall back on the lessons that I learned here. And Viewpoint has given me the perspective of having a very lucky college preparatory high school experience. I grew into who I am in my four years of high school, and now I can go on and do different things and grow in other areas. John: I’d say it’s independence. It’s ability to kind of think for yourself, to understand the world around you from each other’s perspective, to know that you can trust the people around you, and you can actually decide on a direction to take. It’s having the confidence to know that you are going to do great things, and so independence is cool. Zach: I like all your words. I would say opportunity, and I’ve just
really appreciated the opportunity. I’ve appreciated the ability to pursue anything I want, have the support to do it well, and grow and learn from it.
Madeleine: It’s hard to come up with just one word. Viewpoint has
been my everything for so long. I’ve been here since Kindergarten, it’s how I was raised. But I’m not afraid, I think, to leave Viewpoint, I’m excited, I feel ready. I feel like Viewpoint’s done its job. It’s been a home.
John: I agree. Home. I think my word for Viewpoint is home. Mark: That is probably one of the best words. Zach: Yeah, home is a good one. Mark: I am incredibly grateful to all of you for meeting with me today, and I can’t tell you how much this conversation means to me. Thank you. SPRING
2022
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