The infamous Castilleja question: “Are you excited to move to a new campus?”

Though all students have personal opinions about this tremendous shift next year, the class of 2024 in particular is churning with great mixed emotions.

Ella Debenham ’24 says,“This year, I have been realizing a lot of the fantastic traditions we have at Casti and how a lot of them revolve around being on the Circle and being here on campus, and I am sad I won’t be able to have that next year.”

Casti has incredible traditions that have been a part of their lifestyle for years and years on end, and even though Casti is going to continue these traditions when we move, the sentimental feeling of the campus itself is something that Debenham values. For example, having the tie ceremony and “Having my Ringing Reveal on the Circle, all of these things that you don’t really think that matter [shows] how special Casti is,” Debenham remarked.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Sydney Lowell ’24 has a different outlook on this change: “I haven’t thought much about it. I think Casti is more about the people rather than the physical location.”

She added, “I’m not sad [about the change in traditions]. It’s unfortunate.”

Even though Lowell does empathize with the fact she won’t be spending her last year on the original campus, she looks forward to exploring the new interim school: “I am really excited to have a larger pool and be in a new space.”

Riley Sterling ‘24 states, “I was a new nine, so I am not super attached to the campus, but I understand the point of view of people who have been here for six years. I am actually really excited for the new opportunities and for the athletics facilities. For soccer, we will hopefully actually practice on a field every day.”

For multi-sport athletes such as Sterling, using more qualified athletic facilities is truly going to be a blessing for programs such as soccer and lacrosse, since they now will have an official field to practice on.

Tanvi Prasad ‘24 states, “I feel a little nervous about how the traditions such as Ringing and the Tie Ceremony will occur as I will be a senior next year and I definitely do not want to miss out on that. I do however feel excited about this new change as I feel like it’s something new and exciting that can bring the classes together.”

Combining multiple different viewpoints of excited, nervous, and confused together, Prasad seems to be open to the change in campus, but by no means wants the beloved Casti traditions to be lost for her senior year.

Current junior, Mia Ramirez, explains, “I have a bit of mixed emotions on this campus move. I’m sad I won’t be able to graduate on the campus I have been on since middle school, but I am also happy that other grades will be able to experience the new campus and see how they benefit from it.”

She continues to add, “As for the traditions, I am sad I won’t be able to run across the Circle, but I hope that tradition continues either way. The other traditions I am not so worried about since they will most likely happen, and if they don’t, I’ll really just be disappointed in the school for not handling that part well.”

It is important to her that she is able to experience those beloved Casti traditions, and she wants to make sure that even with the move, she is able to partake in some form of the traditions she has looked forward to since middle school. She is aware that she is not able to change the fact that whether she likes it or not, we are moving to a temporary campus, and simply wants to school to ensure that the class of ‘24 doesn’t miss out on the thrilling experience of senior year at Casti.