| What Others Say About Khalsa Montessori School |
Graduation 2006
Guest Speaker, 2002 KMS Graduate
Riley Carpenter
When I went to Khalsa, I didn’t always like it and I didn’t always understand why I had to do certain things. I didn’t understand why Great Books discussions were of any value, I didn’t get why an Albanese card was worth the paper it was printed on, and I didn’t realize the importance of taking notes before writing a research paper. To me, all of these things were chores that the teacher assigned, with joy, to make my life harder. It wasn’t until I got to high school that I saw what Khalsa had done for me. I left Khalsa to attend Brophy College Prep, the best, and one of the most challenging high schools in the state. As a freshman, while my peers were struggling to adjust, I found the course load quite manageable, thanks to Montessori. Khalsa didn’t just prepare me academically; it gave me a skill set that is invaluable whether you are a high school student or the president of the United States. I was self-motivated, resourceful, and able to work efficiently by myself or with others, all skills that Montessori structures its curriculum around. A Montessori education is incredibly unique because of its structure, or rather lack of structure. There is so much freedom and opportunity for each student to grow and learn as he or she wants to, and that self-directed learning is key to success.
One of my least favorite things to do while I was here was to write research papers and poetry, two of my teachers’ favorite things to assign. I didn’t like it and I didn’t know I was good at it, and I certainly thought it was unfair that we had to write papers the same way high school students did, but now, I can’t tell you how much the ability to write has helped me. I was graduated last weekend, and before graduation, Brophy honors one senior who excels and stands out in each academic subject, and I got the award for English. I didn’t get it because I was smart, and certainly not because I read all the books. I got it because I know how to write and communicate effectively, a skill I owe almost completely to my Montessori education.
Another thing that I owe to Khalsa is my current job. One of the requirements of Montessori middle school curriculum was a one-week internship per semester at the office of my choice. At the time, I really wanted to be an architect, but after spending a week in an architect’s office, I realized that was the last think I wanted to do. Since architecture was out, I spent my next internship at Kitchen Sink Studios, a visual communications firm that my neighbor owns. I had so much fun and learned so much during that week, I asked for a job my sophomore year in high school and I have been working there for three years. Since I have been there, the firm has doubled in size, I have been given two promotions and now have my own clients, and Kitchen Sink Studios has become a nationally recognized, multi-million dollar visual communications and marketing firm.
The opportunities that Khalsa has created for me are endless, and even though I no longer attend a Montessori school, my Montessori education has equipped me with the skills to create my own opportunities. Some of you may not be coming back next year, and some of you may have another 5 or more years here, but my challenge to every single one of you is to make the most of your time here because it won’t last long. You have an incredible opportunity to get an outstanding education that you are in control of. You can learn as much or as little as you want, and it would be a shame to throw that away. The schoolwork won’t always be fun, and if it were, they wouldn’t call it work. But make the most of all the tools provided to you, because the work you put in now will pay off tenfold down the road. You may not see it now, but the things you learn here will show up when you least expect it.
