Alissa Morris ~ University of Virginia ~ St. Mary's Class of 2004
For the
consideration of parents and prospective students, I wholeheartedly
endorse St. Mary’s as a foundation for academic, athletic,
spiritual, and social growth. I can only attribute the successes
that I have achieved thus far in several aspects of my life to the
place where I spent my childhood developing into the young adult I
am today.
St. Mary’s instilled in me recognition of the importance and reward
of effort and hard work, which I carried throughout my years at
Plant High School and is the basis of my work ethic at the
University of Virginia. I will always applaud St. Mary’s for not
only recognizing students who achieved high grades, but also
rewarding those who displayed effort with the implementation of “E
Club”, the “E” standing for “Effort.” This was an additional grade
on the report card and evaluated in every class— it was not based on
a student’s actual percentage grade, but solely based on effort.
This is my most vivid example of how St. Mary’s taught me the
importance of effort, as well as high grade point averages—two
spheres of academics, which I have come to believe, are the recipe
for success.
At St. Mary’s, strong relationships with teachers are encouraged,
which is one of the best assets of the school. I continue to be
friends with many of my teachers from St. Mary’s. All of my
classmates from the class of 2004 developed special bonds with each
teacher and got to know them on a personal level. Moving on to more
advanced scholastic environments, I find myself truly treasuring the
experience of having close relationships with fellow students and
elders. In college, it is important to get to know your professors
and cultivate relationships, especially those students wishing to
apply to graduate schools in need of letters of recommendation.
With the social skills I have learned at St. Mary’s, I am
comfortable enough to take the initiative in getting to know my
professors and have not only enriched my learning experience in
doing so, but also discovered many more lifelong friends.
St. Mary’s is not only remembered as a foundation for important
skills in life, but also a family and a home. This expression may
seem like a clichéd response, but the fact that my former classmates
also feel this way serves to further validate the fact. St. Mary’s
will always be a place I can visit, a place of fond memories, and a
place of good friends— teachers and peers alike.
Top
