ALUMNI PANEL

Virtual Alumni Panel

Traditionally, the annual Alumni Panel is held on campus where several alumni from area high schools convene to share their experiences with Middle School students and parents. Although it was not possible this year to gather in person, eight alumni from seven secondary schools Zoomed in for a webinar with host Mary O’Malley for an evening of recommendation and reflection. Having the event virtually, there was the uncertainty of whether or not the hour-long session would be as informative and beneficial for the viewers. In true Sycamore style, however, the event exceeded all expectations. The question and answer format took off in a different direction with the graduates weighing in together in more of a round-table discussion to address shadowing, counseling, course offerings, socialization, and extracurricular activities. The consensus was that our alumni were very well prepared academically and were grateful that Sycamore created an environment for them to flourish socially at the next level.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS ANNABEL HERMACINSKI ‘20 freshman Zionsville Community High School “The homework that Sycamore gave me, although it was really stressful at the time, actually made the transition to high school so much easier. I was really nervous going into a public high school after spending my whole school career with many of the same kids at Sycamore, but I went into my first day of class on Zoom willing to cast a wide net because a lot of people were willing to make friends, and that’s what Sycamore has taught me.”

LILY HOVDA ‘20

freshman University High School of Indiana “Sycamore prepared us for high school by challenging us and pushing us to do our best. It also taught us how to study and take notes which is helpful in my AP History class.” “Mentors (at University) are people to look up to or are friends to talk to. I use this time to talk about my progress in classes. It’s a nice place to open up and talk and feel comfortable. You don’t have to meet at just the scheduled 30 minutes per week, you can go and talk at any time.”

GEORGIA BOTT ‘19

sophomore Park Tudor “Sycamore gave me the confidence to speak up. If I have a question, I can ask the teacher or bring in more points to a class discussion.” “We have a large counseling group. You don’t have to have a major issue. You can go in and chat if you need someone to talk to. They offer a very welcoming environment for all types of issues or conflicts a student might have. Mental health is taken very seriously at Park Tudor.”

MORGAN STICKNEY ‘19

sophomore Cathedral High School “Not a lot of kids from other middle schools had as much experience doing presentations in front of the class; our 8th grade year we had a lot of projects to present in all of our classes. It really helped me prepare and get ready for all of the presentations that we have in high school.”

“Keep an open mind when looking at high schools because I had been looking since 5th Grade. I went to a High School Information Night and was walking by the Cathedral room so I went to the session. After going to the shadow day, that’s when I made my decision.”

COOPER HOVDA ‘18

junior University High School of Indiana “I had a really good math foundation, and because of that I was able to double up my freshman year, getting both geometry and algebra out of the way. Middle School also helped with note-taking and writing. It made me a much better writer than I probably would have been.”

AANCHAL AGARWAL ‘18

junior Carmel High School “Reflectively, Sycamore has helped me throughout my entire high school career. It taught me how to learn and how to think critically. Coming from Sycamore, you’re used to thematic analysis, figurative language, and MLA formatting. This helped me work on more advanced writing skills. I had a really solid foundation so that in high school I could refresh myself.” “Socially it was a little bit difficult because a lot of students already know each other from the Carmel feeder schools. Don’t be too intimidated by that. A lot of my freshman year friends have stuck with me. If you take AP or higher level courses those people will stay with you.”

SPENCER DURHAM ‘17

senior North Central High School “The counseling office understands what Sycamore is as a school. Sycamore provided a base that no one else had coming in. Being at Sycamore and getting that experience allowed my writing to be that much better.” “Wherever you’re going, look through the course catalog. I was amazed at how many courses were offered by the school and how many choices I would have.” “I remember after finishing my freshmen summer speech class and walking down the two main hallways; I could see how enormous the school was. Even if you’re not a social person, if you interact and join extracurriculars and get involved, you’ll meet a ton of great people, all different types of people.”

SHAAN MISHRA ‘17

senior Brebeuf Jesuit “Focus less on the academics because Sycamore has prepared you very well such that wherever you go, you’ll be prepared to take the higher level classes. One of the things I focused on, and it shouldn’t be ignored, is taking stock of potentially what you are feeling and what you hear...personal stories and anecdotes. Ultimately, there is going to be a lot of learning that doesn’t go on in the classroom: education of the whole person. Not only are you going to be learning about physics, chemistry, and math, but you’ll also be meeting different people from different backgrounds, opening your mind to different ideas,, and creating a more holistic person at the end of the four year process.”

MISS O’MALLEY

Alumni Coordinator “This is why our school song is entitled, ‘Our Great Sycamore’ because of you, the alumni, sitting here right now together (virtually) with students and parents Zooming in to share your valuable experiences with the Middle School community.”