As seniors prepare to graduate from Poly Prep, many are also preparing to carry forward interests that developed during their time as Poly students. 78.6%of seniors at Poly feel that aspects of their desired career paths have been shaped by their time at Poly, according to a recent survey that received responses from ten percent of the senior class.
One way Poly shapes students’ interests is through four year long relationships that Upper School students build with their Deans who serve to guide and advise students throughout their time at Upper School as well as aid them in deciding on post-graduation plans according to the Poly Prep website. “Typically with college counseling, you’re just a college counselor, you meet students starting in the eleventh grade. I think starting that relationship building earlier is more helpful to guide students and their families and to navigate the challenges that come up in life,” said Everett Nelor, an Upper School Dean. “Dr. Carter was always willing to chat and work through any idea I had. Not only that, but he also was quick to remind me of or suggest classes that would fit with what he knew I would love,” shared Abigail Mangerson ’26 in an email.
As students progress through the Upper School, they are given increasing control over how they spend their time at school and what subjects and activities they focus on. “You need to be the designer. Now it’s not just something people are telling you to do,” said Emily Gardiner, the Upper School Deans Department Chair and Director of College Guidance. This begins in freshman year when students meet in dean cohorts once a seven-day cycle. In these meetings, Deans help their students figure out what interests them at school, so they can pick out classes, extracurriculars, and clubs that enhance their interests, according to both Gardiner and Nelor. Margaret Cochran ’26, an aspiring actor and model, has taken part in Poly’s productions since her third grade performance of “Hamilton” at Poly’s Lower School. Her enjoyment of the arts at Poly inspired her to incorporate the extracurricular into her daily schedule through selecting Poly’s theatre and dance courses in her course registration. “I would say dance and theater are big, I’ve taken all the theater classes, I’ll give some credit to Mr. Turner as well. Despite the fact that he’s hard on me, he really pushes me to keep going and he’s a great teacher,” Cochran said.
In addition to course registrations, students at Poly are exposed to a wide range of extracurriculars to choose to participate in from sports teams, computer sciences, to performing on stage. “We’re fortunate here at Poly to provide students with such access to a variety of extracurricular programs and opportunities. Kids here can try something on, see how it fits and if it doesn’t feel right, there are so many other things that they can get involved in and discover their passionate about,” said Jared Winston, Dean of Students. Alexander Basham ’26, an aspiring robotic or aerospace engineer, helped found the robotics team in his eighth grade year and now, as a senior, is one of the team’s captains. “It’s a small part of the community, we’re all really tight knit. It helped me learn how to collaborate, how to lead, and how to design and build systems,” said Basham. On the robotics team, students participate in the First Technology challenge where “students develop STEM skills, engage in community outreach, practice engineering innovation, and build confidence to help them succeed,” according to the First Technology website. This year, the team is working together to build a robot basketball system, where robots are trained to shoot wiffle balls into their designated baskets.
Within the busy seven-day cycle schedules of Upper School students is a 65-minute time period to meet with clubs of their choosing. Poly’s Upper School offers a total of 58 clubs for students to participate in ranging from Star Wars club to pre-medical club. “Our student organization program offers students the opportunity to join one club, two clubs, or even three clubs at the beginning of the year, and if there’s one that is really piquing their interest, they can change at any moment,” said Winston. Eden Golomb ’26, who is planning on pursuing a policy-based environmental studies career, has been the president of the sustainability club for two years. Golomb noted that her favorite part of the sustainability club is the annual Ecochallenge which is held around the time of Earth Day. “Ecochallenge is a platform to educate, entertain, and engage the community on ways to drive sustainable habits,” according to the Ecochallenge website. “That one’s my favorite because it involves so many different parts of the community, the middle schoolers get really intense and competitive and high schoolers participate,” said Golomb. “It really gives everyone in the club an opportunity to do something that they’re very good at, whether it’s the artistic side of making posters, or figuring out how to send a school wide email that’s understandable to an eleven year old or an eighteen year old who doesn’t want to check their email,” added Golomb.
“By senior year, not one student has the same schedule as any other student. I think that speaks to how well students come to know themselves as learners, given their interests and passions, because when given the opportunity to take any number of classes, they’re finding that their schedule is like their fingerprint. There’s not one that’s the same,” Winston said.
