Zebra Tales
Zebra Tales
2019-20

Elyse '22

Hometown: San Francisco, CA

Groton activities: Girls basketball, field hockey, Computer Science Club, Groton Mentorship Program

Most surprising when you first arrived at Groton: The bond between students in different forms. Through the prefecting system, sports teams, and advisory, Groton provides the unique opportunity to interact and become close to students that you may not meet in classes. I met many Fourth and Fifth Formers in sports and clubs, and I grew to become close friends with the Sixth Form prefects in my dorm.

Favorite classes: Biology and English. My biology teacher, Mr. Belsky, never fails to explain new concepts in fun and engaging ways. The labs and projects allow me to collaborate with my classmates and visualize the concepts being taught. My English class gave me a new perspective on literary analysis and class discussions. The class’ structure allows each student to be personally mentored, to learn from other students, and to see things from others’ perspectives.

Most memorable Groton moment: Despite the engaging classes and beautiful campus, my favorite aspect of Groton has always been the people. My most memorable Groton moment is honestly not even that out of the ordinary. The night of spring formal, after spending the larger part of the evening dancing, my friends and I returned to the dorm common room to just talk and decompress. It was in that moment, laying on a giant blue teddy bear with some of my favorite people in the world, that I felt completely at home.

Favorite Dining Hall food: Sautéed tofu, rice, and dumplings

List of 5 news stories.

  • Cultural Day

    Only at Groton could someone feel like they were everywhere in the world in an instant. For me, that instant was this year’s Cultural Day.
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  • Field Hockey

    There is a different feeling that accompanies being one of the older members of a team. Last year, I was one of the the youngest and least experienced players on my field hockey team. I spent the whole year trying to learn the rules and getting to know my older teammates. This year, however, was completely different.
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  • The Corners Less Traveled

    At first, when I returned to school after the summer, I felt like no time had passed. I reunited with my friends and greeted my former teachers as they strolled around the Circle. I started to fall into my old habits, swinging the rope on the Chapel fence as I passed. Before I could even finish unpacking my boxes, Fourth Form crashed over me like a wave. Groton began to seem different. Although it was the same place that I had begun to call a second home, Upper School life led me to discover the less-traveled corners of the Groton experience.
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  • Leaving Home All Over Again

    As my first year at Groton came to an end, I found myself immersed in a mixture of feelings. Saying goodbye to the graduating Sixth Formers and to my Third Form dorm was bittersweet. Until that last day, I never realized how much I would miss the people and things which I had grown to take for granted over the course of the year.
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  • My First Job

    After finishing my first year at Groton, I realized that I had grown up considerably. Attending boarding school away from home, I learned to take better care of myself and self-advocate. When I returned home to San Francisco for the summer, those newfound life skills stayed with me as I took my first paid job, an internship at the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
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