Anna Lee ’20
Photo Courtesy of Episcopal Academy
Since 1785, Episcopal Academy has been preparing students for college life and beyond. On the field, playing sports give students life long skills and fosters strong friendships. In the classroom, the rigor of Episcopal’s curriculum has prepared students for their transition from high school to college.
Andrew Brenner ‘87, a lifer at Episcopal, currently serves on the Alumni Board of Managers. During his time at Episcopal he played soccer, baseball, and football. Brenner explained that from sports he learned “camaraderie, learning how to work in a team environment even with people you may not see eye to eye with.” Brenner added, “And creating friendships that probably wouldn’t have occured if I didn’t play the sport.” Brenner was able to utilize the skills he learned by playing sports at Episcopal in the corporate world. He said, “…certain people have strengths in certain areas. What I learned from Episcopal is to try and focus on highlighting each individual’s strengths while helping them develop areas of opportunity and areas that may be challenging for them.”
Not only has Episcopal helped students grow in personal character on and beyond the field, it has prepared their students for college life. It is no secret Episcopal has a challenging curriculum, but its rigor is what prepares students for college in a seamless transition. Brenner, recalling his transition to Dickinson College, affirmed, “It was not as difficult a transition as it was for others who didn’t have the rigors of going to Episcopal Academy.” Bella Merchant ‘17, who attends Bryn Mawr College, said “EA is such an academically rigorous school, I think that (for better or for worse) it teaches its students from an early age how to work under a lot of stress.” She said, “I think a lot of students get to college and get really overwhelmed by the workload and the responsibilities, but I feel like most EA students are accustomed to heavy workloads and busy schedules by the time they get to college so this isn’t as much of an issue.” Merchant explained, “I’ve grown accustomed to working really hard and am better able to manage the workload than I might have been if I had gone to a more lax school.” Fellow Alumnus, Margaux Viola ‘03, who sits on the Board of Alumni, echoed Merchant’s statement and felt that “EA did a great job preparing me for college” explaining, “I learned how to ask good questions and manage a full course load, sports, extracurriculars and other commitments.”
Alumni have also praised the English and writing curriculum for preparing students for college and their careers. Lewis Hart ‘63, who sits on the Alumni Board of Managers and who wrote for the sports section of the Scholium during his time at Episcopal, felt that Episcopal helped with “the ability to write and communicate in writing” and “also to write stylistically so other people liked to read what you write.” Hart said, “It started in what was middle school, then grades 4-7.” He said that he received “an organizational framework to write that coincided with what people who were good writers wrote… I think it really helped to be a mechanically good writer.” The writing skills Hart learned at Episcopal later aided him at the University of Pennsylvania where “in English and foreign language classes I felt pretty advanced relative to a lot of other kids.” Merchant also appreciated the fundamental writing skills Episcopal taught, saying, “ …I most appreciate the ability to write an essay and to do the text analysis both thanks to EA Lit Classes and AP U.S. History with Mr. Bryant.” Episcopal has given essential foundational skills to generations of students.
From camaraderie on the sports field to the rigor in the classroom, Episcopal is able to challenge each student. Brenner summarized this, saying that “Episcopal creates an environment that pushes individuals’ boundaries while allowing them to establish their own individual identity… ” He says, “The number one thing Episcopal brings to the table is the ability to learn how to learn.”