As I walk through the Upper School’s double glass doors, the familiar sound of Sami Aday’s “Hi Alexa” greets me. Next, a teacher I have never spoken to—yet who somehow knows my name—holds open the door for me and asks about my morning. I trudge up the three flights of stairs to the Learning Commons to fill my water bottle with my favorite pebble ice. As I walk, the smell of the day’s breakfast—crispy bacon and tater tots—wafts throughout the stairwell.
Junior Abby Feller’s mornings at Lane Tech High School look a little different. She stumbles through Door M, placing her iced coffee next to the array of Red Bulls on the table beside the metal detector. Shoving her backpack through the conveyor belt, she scrambles to find her badge before an officer shouts at her to put it on. After security, she pushes through a clump of students, racing to beat the 8 a.m. bell.
At 8 a.m., my typical Tuesday begins with my American Families English class with Ms. Lemieux, who sports an earth green “Welcome to Darwin” sweater, a pink flamingo plastered in the center. After 50 minutes practicing our persuasive speeches, we hurry to the kiosk to grab Jade’s vanilla latte. Treats in hand, we return to class, the smell of toasted bagels permeating the room.
Instead of bagels, Abby describes her class smelling dry, earthy, and slightly stale, though the view of Lane’s sprawling college-like campus makes up for the smell. Abby and 27 other AP Language students begin class with grammar bellringers and warm-up games. After 50 minutes of non-fiction analysis, Abby strolls out of class, thankful that of all the rooms on the 33-acre campus, her U.S history class meets next to English.
While Abby begins history, I enter community time, where the period rotates from Gabi Raviv’s cello performances to building graham-cracker sukkahs for the Jewish Student Connection Affinity Group during affinity time.
Abby’s days lack these interruptions, though her elective at the student-run Writing Center allows her to split her time between tutoring, studying, and scrolling on TikTok before her next class. After a morning packed with classes, Abby patiently awaits her favorite time of the day: lunch. Rushing past the herd of students leaving their 9:40 a.m lunch period, Abby and her friends speed toward Potbelly or Starbucks, scrambling to find an empty seat among the sea of overflowing tables filled with hungry students.
Rather than leaving school, I typically have lunch at Latin. In the servery, Taylor Swift’s “Style” blasts in the background, and the pungent smell of buffalo chicken shocks my senses. I decide on a toasted turkey on sourdough sandwich, pairing lunch with a new kiosk edition, a strawberry lemon Poppi. After lunch, both Abby and I head to class. Though my after-lunch class varies each day, Abby’s stays consistent: AP Calculus AB.
For Abby, during calculus, they follow a regimented formula, answering questions, studying for tests, and going through the textbook. This structure reflects a common thread through almost all of her classes, where learning the material remains the focal point of her school day.
For me, school feels less about content. In biology class, we pester Ms. Kutschke with our endless questions: How does Ozempic work? Does turmeric cure acid reflux? Can creatine actually grow your muscles? Instead of shutting it down, Ms. Kutschke leans into the chaos, sending me a personalized email the next morning with articles about acid reflux. Mr. Legendre understands that I sometimes cry after a bad test, and Mr. Mahoney notices when I am struggling with our probability unit, reaching out unprompted, offering to meet the next day.
Though this learning style works better for me, this isn’t the case for many students across the city. Not only is Latin incredibly costly, which discourages many students from even considering applying, but Latin lacks many of the typical high-school experiences that Lane has. Although many people can’t even afford Latin, many others, like Abby, choose to attend Lane instead of Latin because of these unique opportunities. From Friday night lights to electrifying pep rallies to a wider range of AP classes that allow students to test out of college courses, Lane Tech provides a space for students to feel like they are a part of something larger, something more traditional, and a more classic “High School Musical” kind of fun.
Both Latin and Lane produce smart, curious, and successful students; however, I badge into school grateful not just for my education, but for the people, like Sami, who know my name, the teachers like Mr. Legendre who understand my sensibilities, and the community that supports one another at the varsity girls field hockey games, the musical “Anything Goes,” and Cece and Eliza’s Sarah’s Circle baking volunteer events. While I understand the importance of the content I am learning, the majority of my growth has occurred outside the classroom. Developing the essential life skills of self-advocacy, communication, and empathy stems from interacting with this vibrant community that’s invested in my growth. For the type of people-oriented job I strive to have, learning these skills, I believe, will help me as I move beyond the school environment, something I may not have gotten at a larger school like Lane.
Abby doubts she will return to Lane’s campus after she graduates from high school. When I leave Latin next year, I know I will return. I may not have a physical seat in the crowded auditorium post-graduation, but there will always be a place for me.
