8th grader Izzy: The first specialized high school

Posted by izzy at 1:17 PM

This past Thursday, I visited my first specialized high school. Before I even arrived at the open house, I already had an issue about the school: it's about an hour away from my apartment by car or subway, which would take a huge chunk of time out of my day. However, as soon as I walked in the doors, all my concerns about the travel time fell away, and I fell in love. The building was huge and beautiful, and there was a massive mural painted across the front entrance wall. Students were masterfully playing soft classical music in the corners of the room, and upon entering the auditorium, it was plain to see that the entire school was going to be just as grand as that front entrance.

All of the classrooms looked fantastically equipped with state-of-the-art computers, science equipment, and literature, and every wall was littered with ribbons and trophies from past victorious competitions. Each club had its own display somewhere along the hallways: robotics, boat crafting, and cooking, to name a few. Some of the best features, in my opinion, were the vast courtyard behind the school, the planetarium on the top floor, and the animal room, complete with a range of live animals.

After touring this school, I am pretty sure that it’s the right one for me. However, I have to decide if the trip is going to be too much for me, and I still have to pass the Specialized High School Admission Test.