Alumni in high school offer tips at Chandler and Beyond

Chandler and Beyond is an evening event that gives Chandler parents a chance to hear from eighth graders and alumni in high school about their experiences in and after Middle School.  

 

The 2016 student speakers included eighth-grade students Simone Cundieff and Leon Kuo, and alumni Pearl Harris ’16 (Mayfield Senior), Cristian Pang ’16 (Harvard Westlake), Madeleine Pearce ’15 (Westridge), Conrad Jensen ’14 (St. Francis HS), and Dean Johnson ’13 (Polytechnic).

 

Chandler’s eighth graders had two messages for parents: the transition to Middle School is easy, and Middle School is fun! Both students said the work load increases incrementally, so they never felt overwhelmed. They loved their Boojum trips, and are enjoying a relatively stress-free process of learning about local high schools.

 

Chandler’s alumni in high school offered these words of advice to parents:

 

On their preparation for high school: Every alumni felt well-prepared to handle the pace, level of material, homework load and exam pressures of their high school. They said they were grateful to Chandler for preparing them so well. Unanimously, they agreed that at Chandler they learned how to manage their time by juggling a significant workload and extracurriculars.

 

On picking a high school: Each alumni encouraged students to be open-minded and allow for changes of heart. “Let the right high school find you,” urged Dean. Other advice included: don’t pick a high school without touring and seeing if you feel welcomed by students there; choose the school that fits you best, not the school your friends are looking at; and don’t be afraid to choose a religious high school even if you’re not of that faith.

 

On the transition from Chandler to high school: Dean observed that he’s getting ready to transition from high school to college and knows he’ll be successful because he already navigated the transition from Chandler to Polytechnic. Making new friends takes effort, other alumni said, but it’s nothing you can’t handle. Cristian said he enjoyed the experience of having 260 freshman classmates to get to know at Harvard Westlake. Student-athletes said involvement in club sports helped smooth their transition to high-school sports.

 

If you have questions about Chandler's Middle School or the high-school placement process, you are invited to contact Assistant Head of School and Middle School Director Anneke Emerson. You can find more information on high-school placement and alumni stories on Chandler’s website.