Q:  What has been surprising about this year?

A: “I honestly thought it’d be a lot harder, but I think, like, eighth grade… pushed us a lot, and now it’s easier.”

Q: What’s your favorite class?

A: “World History, just because I don’t know. I have friends in that class, so it’s fun. And I really like the teacher and like the stuff we do.”

Q: What advice would you give to, like, incoming ninth graders?

A: “I’d say probably just like, get your homework done the day that it’s assigned, so that you don’t get behind. Because I procrastinate a lot, so then if I don’t do it, I get behind. 

Q: If you’re going to write your senior speech like, today, what would you write it about?

A: “I’d probably write about like, something that I learned, or like, maybe, like a song that, like, says something to me, you know, like the lyrics” 

Q: What’s your favorite area of the building? 

A: “I really like the Davern entrance, because of the windows and stuff. I think it’s really pretty. And I also like all the common spaces, because everybody hangs out there and it’s fun.

Q: What has been the biggest surprise of freshman year so far? 

A: It’s harder than I thought. I think the work is really hard. English is hard, [because] you have to write a lot.

Q: What have you done to get involved in the SPA community so far?

A: I play basketball.

Q: What do you like about the basketball team?

A: I like basketball, and I like my teammates.

Q: Who is your favorite teammate?

A: Probably my friend, Magarsaa.

Q: How long have you been playing basketball?

A: Like six, seven years.

Q: Do you have a favorite experience from the season?

A: Yeah, probably when we beat St. Croix Lutheran. It was a really fun game. We won by like 20 points, [and] I played good.

Q: What tips would you have for future freshmen?

A: Talk with your teachers about assignments and work.

Q: Aside from your classes, is there anything that surprised you about SPA in general?

A: The people here are really nice and it’s just a really good school compared to other schools. 

Q: How did you choose SPA?

A: I was gonna always go to like a private high school, so [my parents] just looked at different private high schools, and they liked [SPA] the most when we visited

Q: How have you gotten involved in the community this year?

A: I’ve signed up for the Culture Fair. I’m trying to bring some Korean food and stuff.

Q: What’s your favorite class?

A: My favorite class is probably advanced programming because I just like programming and it’s a stepping stone towards my goal of being an engineer.

Q: What’s the scariest thing you’ve done this year?

A: I’m trying fencing.

Q: If you were to write your senior speech today, what would you write it about?

A: I’d probably write it about changing schools so much. I think [SPA] is my fourth school.

Q: What’s your favorite painting at SPA?

A: Probably the chicken man.

Q: What’s been surprising about your first year of high school?

A: The switch. I wasn’t expecting it to be a big difference from middle school to high school, but it’s been bigger than I thought. There’s a lot more free time.

Q: What advice would you give to incoming 9th graders next year?

A: Do your best not to fall behind in any classes [and] try to stay on top of things, because if you do [fall behind], then you’re going to be struggling to get back on track. And that can affect your other classes too.

Q: What’s your favorite area of the building?

A: I think maybe the English commons, just because that’s where we all hang out in our free time.

Q: How have you gotten involved in the SPA community?

A: I’m on SAC, so I get to plan things and stuff.

Q: What’s your favorite class and why?

A: My favorite class is probably math, because I have a lot of friends in it, and my friends can help me if I don’t understand things. And then also, Ms. Bice is good at explaining things too.

Q: What’s your favorite painting in the school?

A: I like the chicken painting.

Q: What’s a hobby you have outside of school? 

A: I play the piano.