But quickly, we heard amazing stories. My cousin loved it at his new school. He was actually challenged. His new friends were bright and friendly. When a group of them came “out to the country” to visit him at his house (I believe for a chorus retreat) my aunt was impressed and pleased that the kids cleaned up her kitchen after dinner and always asked how they could help out.

My cousin told me I had to apply. There was no question.

With two days notice, my aunt offered to drive me to take the SSAT: Secondary School Admissions Test. I hadn’t prepped for the test, and was pretty nervous. The others in the classroom were “career private school attendees” who asked me to which other schools I was applying, and what school I was currently attending. I felt sheepish admitting that I was a public school gal, and that I was only applying to one “private” (I later learned to call it “independent”) school. I definitely felt out of my league, but felt I had nothing to lose.

When I visited the school for my interview, I was surprised at how polite the other students were, and how respectful the teachers were of the students and vice-versa. I had stepped into an alternative universe where learning and interacting with material was a noble pursuit. The kids weren’t all “nerds;” some were outgoing, all were friendly, many were stylish, all fabulous folks who happened to be highly intelligent. The word “diversity” is overused, but that is what I was greeted with: all shapes and colors and cultures. And the kicker is that it was spread out fairly well socio-economically as well. Truth be told, there were probably more rich white kids than there were other types, but for an independent school, we were exceptionally well balanced when compared to other private schools and to the makeup of the city as a whole.

I was ecstatic when I was accepted, though it did seem a bit awkward to grasp that I would be attending a “private” school!

Those four years were incredible. I didn’t feel pressure from social cliques. I felt comfortable in my group of friends and didn’t have longing for any “popular” kids because really such a thing didn’t exist. I was introduced to new ways of thinking and became more “worldly” than I was in my relatively small town an hour away. It was cool to be smart.

When I went off to college, the cliques returned. The notice of someone’s skin color returned. Attention to one’s wallet size returned. I found my niche in a “co-ed literary society” which was a Greek organization that had started out as an all-male fraternity but that had become co-ed in the 70’s and had split off from the all-male arm in the early 90’s. That group was great for me and I felt comfortable in that environment. Overall, college was okay, but I missed the supportive atmosphere of my high school.

When I returned from my adventure back East, I jumped back into the alumni activities and set out to become more involved in the school. It had made such a difference for me academically and socially that I am adamant about continuing its pursuits and encouraging others to attend. It is one of the most popular independent schools in San Francisco, and the caliber of students it attracts is outstanding.

Therein lies a bit of a problem, however, because one aim of the school is to be accessible and to not be snobby. Fortunately, the admissions staff is spectacular at finding students who (like me) never pictured themselves as being “private school” material. There is a “sliding” tuition scale (and nobody knows who is paying full price and who is paying a great deal less, and nobody cares.) The kids today are just as wonderful as I remember them being when I was there. Incidentally, this school has been instrumental at starting a (public) charter school in the city. It is important to spread the educational philosophies and methods beyond just the tiny population of independent school students.

I have the first Board of Trustees meeting of the school year this evening, and I am rearing to go! I get that warm, fuzzy feeling when I walk down the halls and when the Headmaster talks, although I feel really old because he started his employment at the school the same year I was a freshman, and he is in his 18th year now!