The Student News Site of the Latin School of Chicago

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The Student News Site of the Latin School of Chicago

The Forum

The Student News Site of the Latin School of Chicago

The Forum

To The Freshmen: There’s Nothing Like Project Week

Lily Campbell As November comes to a close, upperclassmen and underclassmen alike scramble to figure out their plans for Project Week. For upperclassmen, the long-awaited reveal of Project Week assignments is especially nerve-racking, with only a few years/opportunities left to take advantage of the Latin staple. However, the overarching feeling amongst all freshmen tends to be one thing: anxiety. This article, while it cannot cover everything, is a short run-down of what Project Week is truly like from my perspective, and that of a few former freshmen. While Project Week, or “PWeek” as it is commonly referred to, seems like eons away to some, it feels much closer for the directors, Ms. Wells and Mr. Mahoney. Project Week is a key aspect of our community that contributes to Latin’s uniqueness in comparison to other schools, which is why Ms. Wells and Mr. Mahoney spend many hours ensuring that each student gets a Project Week that will enhance their Latin experience in some way. While not everyone may get their first choice, in the end each student hopefully takes something away from their Project Week . There is much debate about which is better: going out-of-town or staying in-town. But for freshmen, both can be equally frightening. From the perspective of someone who went out of town last year and was the only freshman, I can safely say I was very nervous. I had never been on a Project Week before, let alone been the only freshmen in a group of upperclassmen. And on top of that, I hardly knew anyone on my trip. However, that soon changed. Bianca Voss, a current sophomore, was also the only freshman on her Peruvian Amazon trip. “Initially finding out I was the only freshman on my project week, I was beyond nervous,” said Voss. “Traveling to the Peruvian Amazon was scary enough on its own. But after we started traveling, it was super easy to connect and make friends with the other kids on my trip. Looking back on my Project Week, I am so glad I was the only freshman on my trip, as I was able to connect with people from different grades and really get out of my shell.” Like Bianca, I too found myself nervous at first, but then completely at ease by the time my trip was over. I got to know tons of upperclassmen whom I probably would’ve never been introduced to had it not been for Project Week. Morgan Kmety, another sophomore, even commented that she “assumed each grade would spend time with the others in their own grade.” But Kmety, just like Voss, was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. “Everyone was extremely outgoing and before I knew it, I was taking pictures with people had never talked to before in front of the Eiffel Tower.” So while taking that big leap as the only freshman on an out-of-town may be daunting, you get to step out of the freshman bubble and connect with other like-minded upperclassmen, making the entire experience worth it. From the in-town perspective, while many freshmen randomly get placed in-town, others feel it is necessary to stay in-town their first year to either complete the in-town requirement, or to truly get a feel for what Project Week is like. Hannah Korach, a sophomore on the Uptown Photography Project Week last year, explained her reasoning for staying in-town. “As a new freshman, getting an out of town Project Week seemed somewhat daunting since I didn’t think I was ready to go on a trip with a randomly formed group, especially when I barely knew my own grade.” But Korach also explained that while she had her mind set on staying in-town and had a great project, she couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of all those who went out of town. “Seeing my friends all around the world definitely made me envious of their experiences, but it also made me so excited for the next three years of Project Week. Knowing that I had already checked off my one in town and feeling comfortable at a new school gave me opportunities to go on amazing out of town trips and learn and do new things in the future.” So freshmen, whether you go out-of-town or stay in-town, you may or may not feel nervous or afraid for what Project Week will bring, but you will definitely learn something new or gain a new friend along the way. Project Week was made to introduce Latin students to the world around them, so immerse yourself in whatever project you are placed in and try to soak up everything around you, as it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience (or, at least, four-in-a-lifetime).]]>

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To The Freshmen: There’s Nothing Like Project Week