Insight: Back on Campus
By Bart Gummere, Associate Head of School
One of the nicest parts of the holiday season at EPS is the large number of young alumni who return to campus. Our college-age alumni visit frequently both before and after our break. They come back to campus to see younger friends, reconnect with faculty and staff and eat Javy’s potatoes and all the other delicious food served here.
As much as these joys mean a lot to them, they mean even more to me and my colleagues. Being a young adult and eager to come back to your school is one of the greatest compliments we can receive. Their return signals that their time here was not just transactional. It was more than hard work given and a diploma exchanged in return. These walls framed a community and a home for them, one they truly appreciate and miss later.
That sentiment was clear this past Monday. First, four recent alums got up early (late morning is very early for college students on break) and spoke during Eagle Con to our 9th, 10th and 11th graders about life at college. Through our alumni sharing their experiences and insights, our current students begin picturing themselves in different environments and circumstances as well. They begin to think critically about the qualities of a campus and school that might fit best and the environment in which they might best work.
As our alums spoke and answered questions, it was readily apparent to our students the hard work they put in here is positively impactful later in college. Similarly, the community in which they exist and work here prepares them well for interacting productively with college classmates and living in a new environment. On several occasions on Monday, our panelists also mentioned the values instilled here at EPS continued to have merit long after leaving high school.
Then later on that day, we hosted our annual reception for college-age alumni. Over 30 members of the classes of 2022-25 showed up for a few hours of enjoying Chef Jacky’s food and mingling with friends and faculty. The central mission of the event was to make, wrap, and box over 400 sandwiches for donation to the Union Gospel Mission. By the next evening, those sandwiches were out being distributed to King County’s homeless.
Watching those alumni dive into the project with energy and enthusiasm was wonderful. And hearing the chatter and conversation along the way was highly affirming. Our young alumni are finding their way through college and life with great success and joy. And they still like being back here where they built such a strong base from which to live.