“I can recognize an 91ý grad because they're leading without being asked. They're always keeping an eye out for others.”

The sense of community that is nurtured at 91ý continues well beyond graduation, and that was made clear in early December when a group of alumni donated their time to help current students make the most of their years at 91ý.

Speaking to a captive audience of 7th-9th graders, the alumni shared lessons learned from their 91ý experience, the 9th grade program, and how 91ý prepared them for their life in secondary school. The visiting alumni were: Dire Adeosun ‘20, Dore Adeosun ‘20, Georgia Perkins ‘22, Rory Perkins ‘22, Chris Wong ‘21, Yujin Kim ‘20, Dymond Johnson ‘20, and Joy Gao ‘21. The students currently attend Phillips Andover, Choate, Williston Northhampton, Kent, and Berkshire.

“I had a much better idea of what I wanted to get out of high school because of my 9th grade year at 91ý,” said one of the alumni, and many agreed that the structure provided by 91ý was crucial to learning how to manage the balance between academics, down time, and athletics in high school. One alum added, “Even if that’s what I pushed back against the most, it was a blessing in disguise.”

As the panel fielded questions from the audience, there were some useful bits of advice such as, “take advantage of assigned seating at lunch and dinner because you really get to know everyone, and it takes a lot more work to do that in high school.”

Throughout the discussion, one powerful message came through: take advantage of all that 91ý has to offer. “When you go to high school, you’ll be presented with numerous opportunities, but it requires courage to step into them. 91ý gives you that courage.”

Many thanks to these very special visitors for sharing their insight with the 91ý community.