During the three-day extended weekend, my friends and I set on our journey to explore areas of the Monterey Peninsula where we have not been before. In the past two and a half years spent in this area, I slowly felt that I had begun to run out of options for places to go on the weekends.

It is almost time for the holidays! The campus has been filled with joy and anticipation for the season, with every corner of it adorned with sparkling lights and tall-standing trees. I arrive in Rosen, where there are tables set up with lines of gingerbread houses waiting to be decorated. Outside, there is a line of cookies and hot chocolate. 

There are many good things that Stevenson has brought into my life, one of them being my advisor. Though I initially did not understand the importance of advisory, or why it is even necessary, it is something that I now believe is essential to our Stevenson community.

We, the Atheneum Leadership Team, was returning from our event at the Carmel Campus, where we screened the documentary Finding Kind and were joined by the seventh and eighth grade girls for the evening. The documentary addressed the issue of girl-against-girl bullying. The two young women behind this campaign, Lauren Paul and Molly Thompson, sharing similar experiences with bullying during their childhoods, found that it was a common issue throughout all communities across the country. Their campaign took off to a start as they travelled the entire country, interviewing many girls about their personal experiences while promoting awareness and reconciliation on the issue. To say the least, it was an eye-opening experience.

Just three more steps…

This was something that I said to myself very often, whether that be during practice or during a race. As a junior, I am running cross country for the first time.

“Five more minutes remaining,” boomed the proctor’s voice from the overhead speakers. As time ticked away, my first AP exam soon came to an end. Immediately, I felt a sense of relief, as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Mission accomplished.

In the waning few seconds of the game, I peered at the scoreboard. The score was 10:10. Watching from the other end of the field, I felt a rush of relief as one of our girls scored a goal. This had been our best game by far, and we all knew how far we have come as not only a lacrosse team but also as individual players. We embraced each other tightly in the bittersweet moment, each of us knowing that this would be our last game as a team.