The first week of March marks spring break 2019; a well-deserved break for the students of the Gatton Academy. For the juniors, spring means Advanced Computational Problem Solving. Spring break is the perfect opportunity to catch up on some sleep and prepare for the second half of the second semester of the year. For the seniors, this marks the last eighth of our time at The Gatton Academy. It has gone by incredibly fast, and I cannot believe that this time two months from now we’ll no longer be high school students. Senioritis is setting in for some of us as March equates to the beginning of college decision crunch time. The last batch of college decisions will be coming out throughout the next month, and by May 1 the Gatton Academy Class of 2019 will have all decided where we are going to be spending the next 2-4 years of our lives. It’s a bittersweet time of the year for the seniors at Gatton as we teeter on the brink of the last stretch of high school.

On a more cheerful note, spring at Gatton also means it’s almost time for prom. Junior prom at Gatton was by far my favorite dance of the year, and for myself and a lot of other juniors it was
the first prom I had ever attended. Gatton Academy students have been looking forward to and preparing for prom all semester. Students recently voted on the theme for this years dance: head in the clouds. Prom committee has been working hard on decorations and arrangements for this semester highlight, and it’s something to look forward to as everyone works hard to finish out this last semester strong.

This Saturday, September 22, marks the first day of the fall season. While it may technically be (almost) fall, it sure doesn’t feel like it! Bowling Green was around 90 degrees every day this week, definitely not the fall—or even summer—weather we are all waiting for here at the Gatton Academy. The 5-minute trek up the hill to get to Snell for biology or COHH for calculus seems a lot harder with the sun scorching our backs and the humidity causing a perpetual layer of sweat on our foreheads. Suffice to say that the heat is not ideal, but we’re still not letting it get us down. Intramural volleyball is in full swing, and Gatton’s teams are representing the Academy well. Last weekend was the BARK for Life, where many Gatton students volunteered their Saturday morning to walk dogs for the American Cancer Association. Next weekend is one of my personal favorite Bowling Green activity, the annual International Festival downtown. Furthermore, at night it’s the perfect temperature to work on the Colonnades or just sit outside and listen to music. If you find yourself on campus you’ll definitely find some Gatpacks doing just that before it gets so cold that no one wants to be outside to walk to dinner, let alone work or hang out with friends. I would say Gatton students definitely find a way to beat this never-ending heat and take advantage of these warm summer nights while we still can. Fall is right around the corner, my personal favorite season to experience at Gatton. The weather is so nice that you just want to be outside all the time, and even more festivities will be happening to take advantage. Plus there’s one of my favorite experiences, the Dogwood trees lining the sidewalks of campus changing color to beautiful pink blossoms that disperse campus.

Elizabeth

I am a Gatton Academy Avatar—in training at least. My name is Elizabeth Roebker, and I am thrilled to be a senior this year. All about my life and Gatton in a paragraph: Unlike a lot of my peers, I did not know about Gatton until December of my sophomore year of high school. I am from Northern Kentucky, Kenton County to be specific, and my sending school is Notre Dame Academy in Covington, Kentucky. I am the oldest of four, and have lived in the same area my entire life. Since I went to a private school Gatton was not really promoted at home or something I was even aware existed. I found out about Gatton when an article was published about its success as a unique public school in Kentucky. My interest piqued, I scoured the website, like you may be doing right now, looking to see if hurrying up to finish the application was worth my time or something I was interested in doing. I realized pretty quickly that Gatton looked like a great fit for me, and here I am now.

Thus far, my time at Gatton has been phenomenal. I am taking some really exciting courses, both related to STEM and other more humanities-based courses. This semester I am taking my fourth year of Spanish, a really interesting public health class, and a business class along with the standard Gatton biology and math classes. I love having the freedom to choose classes that really interest me and schedule my day the way I work best. As a night owl, for me this means no 8 AMs for the first time in my life!

Since my first semester at Gatton I have been doing biology research with Dr. Noah Ashley on sleep deprivation in mice and zebra finches. Research has been a major aspect of my high school education, both at Gatton and at my sending school. In fact, it was probably the most compelling aspect of Gatton for me. At Notre Dame I took a science research course that required me to complete at least 144 hours of independent science research to be presented at at least two different conferences. Research at Gatton has been just as instructive, but also very different from research at the high school level. In high school I came up with the idea and grew the project from start to finish, whereas here at Gatton students find a project or professor they are interested in and then can work on their own project under that professor if desired later. I place a lot of value on both experiences and have learned a lot about myself and what type of work I like and dislike as a result.

I have always tried to participate in clubs and activities, both at Gatton and at my sending school. I think that getting involved really makes a community feel like home, which is why continuing to stay involved once I arrived at Gatton was so important to me. Last year I was involved with Y Club, FBLA, and Circle K Service Club. I also volunteered a lot at a hospital in my hometown and at Gatton’s Preview Days. I also enjoy taking advantage of WKU’s recreation center and group classes.

Aside from research one of the major reasons I had for applying to Gatton was its study abroad opportunities. Before coming to Gatton I had never left the country. This past summer I went on Gatton’s Harlaxton trip with 48 other incoming seniors in my class. Harlaxton was an amazing experience that I would definitely recommend. I cannot believe that I got to spend three weeks traveling around England with my best friends. Not only that, but I got to take a really cool class, Introduction to Literature, and see everything I read about come to life on our field trips. I absolutely loved London, even though it was very hot, and all the field trips from Harry Potter Studios to Stratford-upon-Avon. I am really hoping to travel with Gatton again over winter break, hopefully to Costa Rica to study Costa Rican biodiversity. I have heard great things about this trip from my peers, and think it sounds like another unforgettable Gatton experience.

Elizabeth