Should I wear make up? Should I wash my skirt? Should I wear my hair down? It was the day before Rockhurst boys would be shadowing me and I was a little anxious. And although these questions that went through my mind sound a little selfish, my main concern was how every other girl at STA would react to their presence.
My first hint that there might be too much excitement building for the boys arrival was when a fellow Dart staffer told me that a girl in her advisory said “Oh my gosh! I hate her,” in response to the news that they would be shadowing me.
The rest of day leading up to this boy invasion didn’t go much smoother. As I discretely tried to tell my teachers to expect guests in tomorrow’s class, girls frequently overheard and shrieked in excitement. “Who’s coming?”, “Where will they sit?” and “How did you get chosen to do this?” were all questions thrown at me.
I went to bed that night thinking about the high expectations I had for my fellow STA sisters. I thought they would be calm and collected about these boys coming. I thought they would be their normal, intelligent, confident selves. Instead, it seemed like tomorrow would be a day of girls making cutesy comments and playing with their hair during class discussion.
As I arrived at school the next morning, each minute I became more nervous about how the boys would view our school. I met my shadows for the day, Rockhurst seniors Blase Capelli and Matthew Gude, and we were on our way to what I feared would be an unflattering day for STA.
My fears quickly lessened during my period one free. Blase and Matthew were both impressed with (and possibly jealous of) the freedom we enjoy in our scheduling system. Here were about 20 girls sitting in Mr. Sanem’s room just studying and working on homework, not flirting with the boys, during their unstructured time. Girls displaying independence and maturity? Check.
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More fears disappeared in my AP Government class. Three girls presented on notable Supreme Court cases using slide shows and handouts. Their knowledge was impressive and their understanding was obvious. Both Blase and Matthew were in government classes at Rockhurst, so they got to experience the same material in a different way. Girls displaying knowledge and different learning techniques? Check.
Lunch came and STA’s love of food was instilled immediately as the boys received their two Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches a piece. The atmosphere at my table was crazy to say the least. There were girls studying for Spanish, girls eating frozen meals and girls taking funny pictures. At one point, Matthew told me he was a little “over-stimulated” with everything going on, but he and Blase also told me that they enjoyed the fact that we were allowed to choose what we did with our lunch period. At Rockhurst, they said that lunch is strictly for eating. No studying allowed because your work will be taken away from you. Girls displaying a fun-loving and academically-driven atmosphere? Check.
As the day went on, I kept getting more and more impressed with my fellow STA girls. Girls exuded politeness and studiousness in every class I went to with the boys. When it was time for them to go, Blase and Matthew mentioned the many aspects they enjoyed about STA. It was then that I realized I never had anything to worry about. We STA girls are smart, confident and responsible on a daily basis. Girls being themselves and demonstrating all the things that are great about STA? Check.
