“What have I learned at Realms? I’ve learned how to be Realmsian—aka the best person I can be. ”
The past three years at Realms have possibly been the most important years of my life. I have grown as a person in ways I never realized were possible, and I know without the experiences and opportunities I had at Realms, I would be in a far different place than I am now. This year, I am graduating with a 4.3 GPA and will be taking a gap year to travel, work, and write. After my gap year, I will be attending Hamilton College in upstate New York—my dream school and top choice. I was accepted into 9.5 of the 10 colleges I applied to (a waitlist at Princeton broke the streak), most of which offered major scholarship money, and I attribute this success to my time at Realms.
When I was younger, I was a sort of “problem student”. Rote memorization and teaching to the test were boring, pointless endeavors, and the cookie-cutter teaching model didn’t suit a hands-on student like me at all. Often, I found my own methods to do my work quicker and more efficiently—much to the chagrin of my teachers—so I could move on to more fulfilling things. Eventually, I ended up homeschooling by outsourcing most of my classes to a variety of online schools and participating in environmental- and arts-based programs. This allowed me the opportunity to learn to my interests, which was great, but I missed the social aspect of learning with friends every day. From these years, I took away two things; 1) I liked learning outside of the box, and 2), I loved interacting with nature and the arts. Now, if only I could find a school that combined those interests with a brick-and-mortar school experience… During my freshman year of high school, my parents heard about Realms.
One of my favorite stories about my time at Realms is the first time I came to visit. It was in February, the day before Winter Exhibition. I was exhausted from snowboarding all weekend—my first time on real mountains, being from the Midwest—and I felt rather miserable as I came down with a nasty cold, but I loved every second of that day. Realms was absolutely chaotic right before the exhibition, yet I immediately felt at home. The energy and excitement was infectious, and everyone made me feel welcome, despite how busy they were. Kitty Stearns, a now-graduated Realms student, came to my mother after the day was over and said “Can we keep her?”
Suffice to say, Realms definitely kept me.
My family moved out to Utah the fall of the next year, and that was when my three-year stint at Realms began. At first, I struggled with how the school worked—as a kid coming from a ‘homeschooling’ background, I was used to keeping track of my classes and being pretty self-sufficient, but I wasn’t used to Realms’ attitude towards homework. Namely, that they don’t do homework most of the time, because—I quote—“If you learn something wrong at home, then the teachers have to unteach you the wrong way before teaching you the right way.” This was a somewhat revolutionary concept to me, and I appreciate it endlessly, because now, instead of doing three hours of busywork each day, I was able to spend that time doing something I enjoyed, like hanging out with my friends, hiking, playing sports, writing music, working on my stories, or exploring new hobbies.
Before coming to Realms, I knew I wanted to be a writer. It’s what I still want to do, but the way Realms structures its curriculum really helped solidify my plan. Realms requires students to research, plan and execute individual and group projects every trimester, as a part of the normal daily curriculum. During my first year, I chose to do one large individual project spanning the whole year. I wrote, edited, and printed copies of my first novel. It was so rewarding, being able to spend my school time working on something that would truly benefit my future, and also something I passionate about. I received credits for writing a fantasy novel. How cool is that?
Over three years, I’ve done some amazing projects. My first project was my novel, but I also started the Realms Literary Magazine Untitled Document, and joined the Ceramics project group that year—the clay dragon sculpture I made won a regional Scholastic Art Award. The following year, I obtained my PADI scuba certification and presented a talk on the science of breathable air at depth for a chemistry credit, wrote a long presentation/research project on the science behind science fiction, continued the literary magazine, wrote, directed and acted in a play, and completed a big nature photography project while in Equador and the Galapagos Islands. This year, even though the pandemic threw a curve in everyone’s plans, I was able to design and teach a Creative Writing Workshop of my own, which I taught remotely to Realms students, as well as presented to a writing group in my home state of Wisconsin. This final trimester, I decided to try something a little different, and got into dicemaking.
The freedom Realms’ structure allows students is part of why I love Realms so much. This freedom was (and still is) somewhat revolutionary for me, because it allowed me to explore things I was interested in, while also teaching me how to research, plan, execute, and report on a long-term project goal. I have fun while learning life skills. How many other schools have seniors who say that?
More than anything, though, I think the community is the most important thing I found at Realms. The people in my class, as well as those who graduated before me and those who will follow, are some of the most interesting people I have ever met. We come from a wide variety of backgrounds and life experience, which leads to a lot of fascinating discussions about anything and everything—different mindsets and opinions create a diverse, yet respectful environment which every young person should be exposed to. We are more than a classmates—with all the time we spend together in the backcountry and on our international trips, I’d say my friends are more like family at this point.
Working together to plan something as monumental as a three-week international trip, or even a short rock climbing trip to the San Rafael Swell, is a great way to practice team building, but also a great way to get to know and trust everyone. When we go on our beginning of the year camping trip, I learn far more about my friends than I would in any normal class environment—it allows us to catch up about our summers and just be normal, goofy kids together, without the added pressure of jobs, family, or schoolwork. It also lets us get out all the crazy before we need to buckle down and get back to school. The same goes for our international trips, to some degree—we get a ‘break’ from schoolwork to learn other skills, such as navigating unfamiliar places, speaking different languages, and giving back to a community we’re now a part of. Our international trips challenge a different part of us than our school experiences do, and they’re a great way to expose us to the world while still keeping us safe. We’re learning and exploring the world together with people we trust. Talk about some unforgettable memories.
So, as I said before, Realms changed my life. It pushed me to grow in ways no other school could. It’s prepared me to face the real world and take it by storm. Realms is more than the teachers, more than the students. It’s more than a school, more than an education, more than a community—more than the trips, more than the projects. Realms is an opportunity. It’s up to each student to choose what they make with that opportunity.
What have I learned at Realms? I’ve learned how to be Realmsian—aka the best person I can be.