My name is Frida. I’m an eighth-grader and founding student at Rainier Prep, a charter public middle school in Highline. Before I found Rainier Prep, I was struggling. My mom was really determined to find a school that was a better fit for me—a school that really focused on the kids.
I heard about Rainier Prep from a flier I received at a summer program. The flier said that the school took into consideration all the different types of students and their different needs in the classroom. Four years later, Rainier Prep is fulfilling that promise, and I will be graduating prepared for success in high school.
There were some big changes from my elementary school that I had to get used to at Rainier Prep, like switching classrooms and having multiple teachers. One positive change I noticed was that I got more help with my class work.
I didn’t learn division until I started at Rainier Prep. In fourth grade at my old school, we were working on division and fractions and I didn’t understand it. I felt like they just showed us how to do the problem for five minutes and then the teacher would say, “Okay, here’s a work sheet, figure it out.” Here, they jumpstart you, we do it on our own, and then we review it as a whole class and talk it out – until everyone understands it.
Another big difference at Rainier Prep is the teachers. They really care, not just how we are doing in class, but how we are doing personally. With my advisor, we have something called “Peaches and Pits”. A “peach” is something good that happened that day, and a “pit” is something that didn’t go as well. Our advisor takes it really seriously because it’s a time to connect with her and other students.
My science teacher, Ms. Anderson, was also really helpful. At the beginning, when I was struggling with math, I was too nervous to ask for help. My mom told Ms. Anderson, and she helped me get meetings with my math teacher. Now math is going really well. I used to have a C- or C and now I have a B+ and I’m working my way up to an A. All of our teachers make class fun – but they also help us get everything done.
Another thing I love about Rainier Prep is Student Parliament. In Student Parliament, the kids are in charge and we get to choose what the school does. Obviously, we have to get our ideas approved and we have certain limits, but right now our Student Parliament sports committee is working on a basketball team, our team logo, jerseys, tryouts and figuring out who we’ll able to play against.
After four years of school at Rainier Prep, I feel so prepared for high school. What I’ll take with me from Rainier Prep is grit, one of our core school values. Our definition of grit is to not change your attitude based on the situation you’re in even if you’re in a tough situation. Having grit will help me push through projects and will also help me push through any nervousness and meet new people. Grit will also help me get into a very competitive school. I’m so grateful for Rainier Prep, because it has taught me that I can set high goals for myself and achieve them.