INSIGHT:  A Home Away from Home

By Vedant, EPS Class of 2026

I remember receiving a package from Eastside Preparatory School in the mail. I am intrigued, I don’t usually get mail sent directly to me. Opening the package, I find a “Welcome Box” from EPS. I absorb the distinctive blue and yellow colors and then it hits me “I am actually going to EPS; I’m going to high school!” A part of me is excited to partake in the fabled “freedom” that is high school, yet another part of me is scared. What if I don’t know anybody? What if I don’t make any friends? What if I do something stupid?

I carry this panic with me to the first few weeks of school. On our fall overnight trip, I meet more and more people. And as the fall trimester continues, the faculty, students, and staff embrace me with open arms. I learn what EPS is—more than a school, a family. Over the coming weeks, I find my “people,” whether it be through Ultimate Frisbee, Board Game Club, or shared classes.

Now as I enter Winter Finals, I have a network of people I can rely on, and I have a newfound “family”. The teachers at EPS genuinely care about the students and help push us to our limits. And the students at EPS are constantly there for each other and are a tight-knit group.

So, what does 20 years of Eastside Prep mean to me as a new student?

It represents 20 years of new students realizing they are coming to EPS. Twenty years of opening that “box”. Twenty years of panic. Twenty years of discovering a new family. Twenty years of forming lifelong friendships, connections, and memories. Twenty years of joy. Joining EPS was one of the best decisions I have made and as new students plan to join us like I did not too long ago, I hope they feel the same way.