Rabun Gap Stories

Student Feature: Jasmine '27

"The teachers push me further than teachers in my past schools. They care about us in the classroom and outside of the classroom. My friends are trustworthy, and they care about me as a person. I know that I can count on them to encourage me and to also be people I can have fun with."
 
Jasmine ‘27, of Highlands, NC, is a fifth-grader at the Evelyne Sheats Lower School. Her teachers are Ms. Mattis, Ms. Christie, Ms. Cantrell, and Mr. McGrath. She is a great student and loved by her peers and teachers alike. Jasmine particularly enjoys learning science and participating in PE. Her brother, Cameron, is in seventh grade at the Rabun Gap Middle School. 

What makes being a student at the Lower School special to you? What is your favorite thing about the Lower School?
Something that is special about being a Lower School student is, when I’m here, I look forward to going to school every day. The people are by far my favorite thing about the Lower School. The teachers challenge me to be my best, and I have lots of great friends here.
 
Who are your teachers and what are they like?
Ms. Mattis is really outgoing and if I don’t understand an assignment, she will explain in a different way, and she helps me understand details. 

When we are doing homework in Ms. Cantrell’s class, she always explains things multiple times to make sure we understand. 

In Ms. Christie’s class, she lets us choose where we sit, and we have casual seating. It lets me feel free to learn the way I want to learn. 

Mr. McGrath lets us choose our partners, which makes me know he really trusts us.

What is your favorite subject and why? 
My favorite subject is science! One, because I love all things science-related. Second, because I love doing active things. We have lots of hands-on, active projects and assignments in science. I am really looking forward to dissections later this year. 

My favorite project in science this year was our planet project. I chose the planet Venus, and I learned lots of information about Venus that I did not know before.  

What is your favorite Encore class (PE, music, art) and why?
I really like Art, but PE is my favorite. I like that it’s a predictable format in PE. This lets me know when to spend my energy and try my hardest. We get to run at our own pace, and then we apply our skills to different games.

What activities do you want to participate in when you are in the Upper or Middle Schools (sports, arts, etc) and why?
I’m looking forward to playing soccer. I’m motivated while playing soccer, and like that I get to run while playing soccer.

I think I’d like to try volleyball as well. I like the idea of playing volleyball because of being on a team and learning a new skill.

If I can participate in swimming too, I’m also interested in being on the swim team. I swim on the Highlands Hurricanes Swim Team during the summer, and I think I could positively contribute to the swim team here at Rabun Gap as well. 

What has been your favorite assignment or project that you’ve worked on while at the Lower School?  
We completed a force and motion project in science class. Ms. Mattis didn’t give us a template to work off of, so we were really able to use our imagination and creativity. The goal of the project was to create a car using only recyclable materials that you find around your house. The car should be able to move faster than other students’ cars. 

The winners received a prize, but the real prize was applying the skills we had been learning about in class to a real-world model. I could see how science applied in real life. Plus, the competition was fun, and we all got to cheer for each other. 

What do you like best about Rabun Gap?
The people! The teachers push me further than teachers in my past schools. They care about us in the classroom and outside of the classroom. My friends are trustworthy, and they care about me as a person. I know that I can count on them to encourage me and to also be people I can have fun with.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
I used to want to be a photographer, but now I want to be a detective! I am really good at telling when people are lying. I think I have a big conscience, and I choose to do the right thing. I want to help figure out why people are lying, and then crack cases about what they’re lying about. Cracking cases will help people who have been wronged. I have always wanted to protect things and people, and I think being a detective uses lots of my abilities and my desire to help people. 


Back
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School is a private, coeducational day and boarding school for grades Pre-K through 12. Centrally located between Atlanta, GA, Greenville, SC, and Asheville, NC, we prepare young people for college, career, and a lifetime of leadership and service.