“Where do you go to school?”
“Catlin Gabel.”
“Catlin Gabel?! Really? What’s going on up there? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Why are you freaking out?”
“Well, the headlines…”
These are the types of conversations many Catlin Gabel School (CGS) students have encountered with people outside of the school community since the Oregonian’s reporting of the findings of the sexual misconduct investigation.
Read MoreFrom building forts in the library as a first grader to leading students through the basics of cooking as a junior, Experiential Days, Breakaway, and Winterim have always been a bright light in my experience at Catlin Gabel School (CGS).
Read More“I believe you.” It is a powerful phrase tied to the #MeToo movement often criticized for an instant condemnation of alleged perpetrators of sexual violence and harassment. However, the system in which we hold those who perpetrate these crimes is set up against the very people who come forward. Saying “I believe you” doesn’t mean that we disapprove of healthy skepticism or that we condone the instant condemnation of perpetrators, but with a history of denying survivors the right to tell their stories, empowering them is a step towards justice.
Read MoreIt's commonly known that the Upper School (US) at Catlin Gabel School (CGS) is stressful. But more importantly, CGS is a stress-inducing environment. When I walk on campus, I often can feel a change in the energy; the stress is palatable. My heart rate will start to rise, I notice myself fidgeting, and a restless feeling is inescapable.
Read MoreAt a school where the academic workload is heavy and days can go on forever, some students take on the additional challenge of working a job. While this endeavor presents unique opportunities to enter the workforce and develop connections, it can put a lot of strain on students who must also keep up with schoolwork.
Read MoreThere are no football teams for Catlin Gabel School (CGS) students to cheer on, no graduations with students wearing matching cap and gowns, and no homecoming kings and queens. Instead, CGS students do things in their own unique way. They square dance with their entire grade, play paintball with their teachers, and take an entire day off from classes to clean up their campus. Current students and alumni partake in some of the same traditions that many of their parents and relatives partook in during their time at CGS.
Read MoreNationwide, most private schools are in agreement that community engagement should be a part of the high school experience. A community engagement program can result in many benefits to students, including the following: cultivating compassion, developing a sense of social justice, self-discovery, encouraging civic and social responsibility, and learning about challenges facing local communities such as poverty, hunger, lack of quality education, and homelessness, among others.
Read MoreTwice a year at Catlin Gabel School [CGS], students receive narrative reports with an overview of their progress in each class. At the end of each overview, students can find the grade achieved in the course. Instead of a traditional letter grade, CGS utilizes alternative grading methods, opting for verbal equivalents.
Read MoreThe Diversity Summit is an annual conference that takes place here at Catlin Gabel School (CGS). At this conference, CGS hosts around 150 students from other schools in addition to their current student bodies to alk about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The summit usually includes keynote speakers, workshops, affinity groups, and performances. I wanted to look further into what students think of the summit, and more importantly what critiques they have of it.
Read More“Aaaaahhhhhh!” shrieks Catlin Gabel School (CGS) ninth grader Dylan Beckett, who plays Pugsley Addams, strapped to a torture device.
Read MoreI am quiet. I like to think before I speak. I prefer having few but strong friendships. I start to feel drained in a crowded, noisy room. I love to hang out with my friends, but I need to take some time alone to recharge.
I am an introvert.
Read MoreAge demographics are often seen in nationwide polls: 18 to 29-year-olds, 30 to 49-year-olds, 50 to 64-year-olds, and 65 years and above. But getting a grasp on what high schoolers think is a far more difficult and subjective process. They aren’t included in these polls.
Read MoreMost Catlin Gabel School (CGS) students benefit from systems of power, and students could leave the institution furthering social inequities without proper education about their privilege.
Read MoreFreedom of speech is something hotly debated and contested in today’s socialsphere. However, not many people have talked about how school administrations limit freedom of speech for their students.
Read MoreThe 17 steps up to Dant 10 proved to be a Herculean task as I tried to crutch my way into the classroom before Dave Whitson, the Palma Scholars Program Director, could spew his infamous line: “You’re 15 seconds late.”
Read MoreConsent is often thought of in a sexual context, and lack of teaching consent is an issue that’s often seen manifested on college campuses as seen through the “no means yes” incidents. But at Catlin Gabel School (CGS), consent is taught starting in preschool.
Read MoreEver since sophomore year, I’ve walked onto campus with a smile plastered on my face even though I know that I’m faking it three-quarters of the time. I’ve sat in the student lounge with my friends and felt upset that I couldn’t find the energy within me to join them in their easy conversation. I’ve wondered why it hurts to laugh and why smiling has become just something that tenses up the muscles in my cheeks and nothing more.
Read More“Wow, you’re in the smart people math class!” is something that has followed me around since the first time I placed into Findley Elementary’s “Challenge Math Program,” a math class that met five times a week. During “math time,” a handful of kids from each class in the grade would stand up from their desks, collect their things, and quietly leave to a different classroom.
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