After spending a year at Castilleja’s satellite campus at the JCC, the Class of 2030 returned to the Bryant St. campus last fall. Now, the current eighth graders are reflecting on their time away and their transition back to the typical Castilleja routine.
A common theme among students was the strangeness of switching campuses between sixth and seventh grade. “It was odd because it felt like starting middle school all over again,” Mina K. ‘30 said. “My younger sibling asked, ‘Where are the bathrooms?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know.’’
However, students shared that the JCC served as a helpful transition period. “I feel like the JCC was a place between middle school and elementary school. It gave us time to adjust,” Sofia L. ‘30 said.
Castilleja’s space at the JCC consisted of a main hallway leading into one large room, separated by dividers into three classrooms. With unavoidable proximity, the small space simultaneously created a sense of community: “It made us a lot closer and [built] a more tight-knit community because we had a small space, and we were always together,” Sofia said.
Aya M. ‘30 echoed this sentiment, sharing that she “actually really enjoyed being apart from the other grades” because her class “made a lot stronger connections.”
“Everyone got to know each other a lot better, and now we’re all really comfortable together,” Aya said. However, these bonds haven’t felt quite the same since moving to Bryant St. With more space, more activities and more people around, some have noticed a shift.
“Everybody was excited to come to the Bryant St. campus, but I kind of miss the JCC after staying here for a while. [At the JCC,] everybody talked to everybody. [Now,] I feel like we don’t always see everybody that often,” Namrata G. ‘30 said.
One thing remains undisputed: the food. It was bad. “We ate spaghetti every day,” Sofia said. “I still can’t eat spaghetti.”
More than just the froyo machine, returning to the Bryant St. campus has its perks. Both Sofia and Mina highlighted the library as one of the biggest upgrades, describing their excitement at being able to check books out and the wide variety available. At the JCC, the library was “super small,” and they “read every book in that thing.”
Overall, the current eighth graders expressed gratitude for the effort Castilleja put into making an unprecedented year into one of connection and community.
“We’re grateful that they really did try to make it as good an experience as they could by bringing the teachers and the books over. That mattered. Not everything about the experience was perfect, but we did notice that,” Mina said.
As Castilleja prepares to transition to the academic village next year due to the renovation, some students have expressed discomfort and unease. Yet, the Class of 2030’s resilience serves as a reminder to stay flexible and to keep an open mind.
“We’re going into the renovation, and in some ways it’s similar, in some ways it’s different, but just keep in mind things that stray away from the typical school campus aren’t necessarily a bad thing. We did it once, so I think we can do it again,” Mina said.
