Senior Year at Hyde: An Experience Unlike Any Other
By Hyde alumna Jane McCaffrey ‘13
When I decided to attend Hyde as my final high school, I didn’t realize it would become a journey that would change my life forever.
Looking back, I see myself as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Landed in a strange new kingdom far from home.
It was when I got to know my math teacher that I found my “Scarecrow.” She challenged me mentally and really made me think, inspiring me to take an AP and honors class, which I had never done before in my life! I learned that I needed to believe in myself because she saw how intelligent I was. I had a brain, I couldn’t hide it away anymore, and I had to use it. She challenged my learning attitude and brought light to the way I acted, which no one had ever done before.
I was then introduced to a whole myriad of opportunities, and new passions. I discovered I had a secret talent for logarithms and equations and that math was something that I was good at and had fun doing.
My “Tin Man” came in the form of a coach at school. I didn’t get the opportunity to interact with him until the end of the year, but he forced me to take a good look at myself, which was something I had been dreading.
At first I was intimidated by his tall frame and our brief interactions. I would try to avoid speaking with him as much as I possibly could, and only spoke to the assistant coach. Then one game when the assistant coach could not make it, I sat next to him on the hour long ride. I listened to music for the first 15 minutes, but when my iPod died I sat there in awkward silence before he broke it by asking me about myself. I answered him quietly, in very short sentences. He then nudged me and smiled widely before saying “You can do better than that.” That was when our friendship started.
He turned into someone I could always count on to give me honest advice and a strong push whenever I needed it.
The one who helped me discover my confidence came in the disguise of a best friend. I have always struggled with who I am as a person, never having very strong, genuine friendships because I did not believe in myself as much as I should have. Through both the drama production I was in, and my roommate, I met my “Cowardly Lion.”
As the two of us began getting closer she introduced me to what it was like to have a real genuine friend who would force me to deal with the outside world, not just my room. I began to hang
out with more students. She helped me draw away from friendships that were poisonous and she helped me become an all-around happier person. She has become someone I can count on for both emotional support and physical support. We have begun to push each other to work out and eat healthier. This helps us both gain the confidence that we see in each other.
The final person who helped me was a teacher who wasn’t an advisor, or even a teacher of any of my subjects, but a woman who would check in on me and make sure I was doing well. She could be the most important out of all; she was my “Glinda.”
I first met her during my summer at Hyde; she was in charge of the Performing Arts show. So of course I wanted to get to know her very well; however fate had a totally different approach. The time that I got closest to her was during the spring performing arts show, which as luck would have it, was a Wizard of Oz themed production with me playing Dorothy. She turned into someone I could always count on to help me to find the tools I need to succeed.