Interview with The Sterling Hall School Alum, Tolu Fadeyi

I think one thing that stood out to me was the teachers and the teaching structure at the school. I felt like the teachers really cared about me as a student, and it showed through their teaching and their very hands-on approach to learning. It was effective for me as a student because it made me excited to go to school to learn every day.

I think that one thing that makes Sterling Hall very unique compared to other schools is the community. I feel like Sterling Hall is a very welcoming community, and everyone helps each other out, whether it's in the classroom or even on the playground. I noticed that immediately when I first came to Sterling Hall.

If Sterling Hall were a person, the personality traits I would give it are creative and adventurous because they always go out of their way to help teach us in a very creative way.

I would also say courageous because they help build our confidence in our answers and ensure that we are courageous enough to try something new and step out of our comfort zone. They want us to become more self-confident and face things that might be scary or that we might fear at first. It's always good to be able to step out of our comfort zone because we're able to learn something new and discover if we actually enjoy that activity. For example, whether it was music or drama, having opportunities to step out of my comfort zone and try something I wouldn't regularly do helped expose me to something interesting that I could pursue later on.

I would say kind as well because there was a very kind community. Sterling Hall encouraged us to develop the habit of being kind to other people, being helpful to each other, and interacting respectfully. Everyone always likes helping one another and just being there as a fellow student and friend. The Sterling Hall community is very welcoming and kind. Sterling Hall helped to build that community. I would say the thing that connects students at Sterling Hall is the community.

Being put in a House helped me engage with people from different grades and build camaraderie with my classmates. So even when I was walking down the hallway, I would see someone from my house and be able to say hi or even hold the door open for them. It's just another face or person you get to know within the school.

They also helped build a community that connects students through the advisor group program they run. Through that program, it was another opportunity to talk to people from different grades or classes—people you wouldn't typically have the opportunity to talk to. That's what helped to build that tight-knit community feel.

They promote perseverance because they always push us to keep going for our goals, even when it gets hard. Sterling Hall has helped shape me into who I am today. It built up my confidence and belief in myself through activities and classes. Sterling has also helped teach me the importance of taking responsibilities seriously, managing my time, and giving us leadership opportunities, which will help me in the future, whether through clubs or sports teams.

One thing that could have made my experience better would have been to have more information at the start so I could be more involved in more clubs and sports and take advantage of those opportunities. They have a lot of opportunities, but you have to stay on point and connected to know when these things are happening.

I would recommend the school to other families because of the community. They have a very tight-knit, warm, and welcoming community, which was great to have at that school.

The learning experience was very good as well. The academic program was rigorous, and I learned a lot at Sterling that I could build upon in high school and even now in university.

Sterling Hall offers many extracurricular activities that a lot of schools can't provide at the elementary and middle school levels. There are sports teams like soccer, basketball, hockey, and baseball. On the artistic side, there's the music club, drama club, and even the debate team.

For new students, I would say, first, take advantage of all the opportunities presented to you so you can discover what you like and what you're interested in. If something becomes important as you move forward, you'll have a better idea of what you want to pursue and the skills you want to develop. Second, don't be afraid to ask questions. As you go through your time at Sterling, it will probably become easier to ask your teachers questions about what you're learning in class.

I really enjoyed my experience at Sterling Hall because it provided me with a complete middle and elementary school experience. There are so many things that the school offers through its extracurricular programs, academic programs, and community. Having these things as part of my middle and elementary school experience helped me grow as a person and prepared me well for high school.