WELCOMING NEW STUDENTS

CHARLIE KURTZ ’36

Learning can be fun. That’s the primary takeaway from Charlie Kurtz’s ’36 first year at Collegiate. His mother, Ginnie Friddell Kurtz, graduated from the School in 2004. His favorite discovery made this year has been learning just how big the sun is. He has also enjoyed playing on the JK Village’s playground. “I love when we do fun activities like building sandcastles,” he says. “I’ve made a lot of friends, and that makes everything more fun.”

KONNOR JACKSON ’31

What stood out the most to Konnor Jackson ’31 during his first year at Collegiate were the math games his teacher Emma Harrison frequently played with the class. “We have all these really fun games we play in Mrs. Harrison’s class that help us learn,” he explains. “I’m learning things like music and math in different ways.”

And the friends he’s made brighten his days. “A lot of people at Collegiate are nice, and I’ve been making a lot of friends. I love playing basketball with friends during recess.”

His favorite lesson he’s learned this year? Cursive. Because, Konnor says, “It’s just a new way of writing that I enjoy.”

STELLA VETROVEC ’26

In late October, after Stella Vetrovec ’26 participated in her first Homecoming Pep Rally at Collegiate, she knew she found a school environment that was both rigorous academically and engaging socially.

“After Homecoming, I remember thinking that I definitely made the right decision in coming to Collegiate,” says Stella, whose father, John Vetrovec, graduated from the School in 1994.

She’s really enjoyed the small class sizes, which she feels allow her to connect with the teachers. “I think the teachers here are great,” she says. “When I’m struggling in a class, I feel like all the teachers here are willing to help. At Collegiate, you get to make really close connections with both the students and teachers, and I think that’s been encouraging.”