What is Carlmont?

From performing arts to school sports, the definition of Carlmont continues to be shaped by its students, which in turn shapes student lives along the way.

  Students spend most of their lives here at Carlmont. For a total of six hours a day, five days a week, students can be found in these classrooms and hallways. They have the same teachers, take the same classes and they even eat the same hot lunch. Yet when asked to answer the question, “What is Carlmont?”, students came up with very different answers.

  For some, the academic programs are the most notable aspect of Carlmont. Junior Andrew Cardozo talked about the expansive math and science programs. “We have so many high-level math classes,” he said, “like multi-variable and AP statistics. They’re really hard classes, and they show the high academic level of the kids at this school.”

  Sophomore Ryan Dimick believes that the wide variety of classes is an important feature of the school. “We don’t really focus on one subject,” he said. “We’re more of an all-around school. We have a lot of programs other schools don’t have, like biotech. They even put in an entire new building for that, and not many other schools can say they have a whole building just for biotech.”

  Regardless of what courses or programs they’re involved in, it’s clear that academics plays a large role in the lives of Carlmont students and it shows through their dedication.

  “Students really have to put in a lot of effort at Carlmont,” Cardozo said, “We take really hard classes with a lot of homework, and on top of that people are involved in sports, which can be really demanding too. I think that the amount of dedication Carlmont students have is a big part of what makes our school what it is.”

  On the other end of the spectrum, the social aspect of Carlmont is the most important for some students. Junior Gillian Spring cited school friends as the reason most kids come to Carlmont in the first place.

  “Socializing is a big part of Carlmont,” she said, “A lot of kids here don’t show up because they like going to class. They show up because they want to see their friends.”

  Beyond small groups of friends, some students, like junior Emma Smith, mentioned school-wide activities and spirit as an outstanding feature of Carlmont.

  “I feel like school spirit is a big thing here,” Smith said, “We have ASB who does things in the Quad during lunch every day, and they put together assemblies like Homecoming and the Heritage Fair. The Screamin’ Scots go crazy at the football games, and the rest of the sports also have a lot of school pride. Whenever the school comes together for something...that’s what I think represents Carlmont the best.”

  All of the students interviewed could point out different things that made Carlmont what it was, whether it is a certain class, a club, or a sports team. However, there was a common thread connected the answers. They all showed that in some way or another, Carlmont shapes the lives of its students just as much as they shape their school.

  Student Body President Kelly Robinson thinks that how Carlmont changes the lives of its students is the most important feature of the school. “Carlmont is a different school depending on what you’re into,” she said, “but everybody has something here for them. People are always starting new clubs, joining new teams, and those are places that shape how those kids go through their lives. They’re changed by what they do here.”

 Robinson went on to say that going to Carlmont has changed who she is as a person. “It’s where I made my friends that I spend every minute with,” she said. “It’s shaped my views, my opinions about everything. I’m so much more outgoing now than I was before coming here. Carlmont has changed me for the better.”

Smith agreed, and said that Carlmont is a “comfortable” place for its students. “The teachers here have helped me so much,” she remembered, “and they’ve opened my mind to new possibilities that I would never have gotten had I not gone here.”

  So, what is the right answer to, “What is Carlmont?” An intellectual environment? An opportunity to socialize and make new friends? A place that grows along with the students, and that helps them grow along the way?

  Robinson put it best when she simply said, “Carlmont is my home away from home.”

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