The 2017 school year will soon be coming to a close, which also means the end of a very important chapter for 72 students. The Class of 2017 will be graduating in late May, shortly after the wonderful week of AP exams and a class trip to Disney! However, life as a senior is not as fun and dandy as it may sound. In fact, the month of March (otherwise known as the month of misery) is typically when all college release their admissions decisions. Now that it is finally coming to a close, I thought it would be appropriate for me to catch up with a senior to reflect on their personal Northland experience and what they are looking forward to as it nears its end.

Margaret Purcell, Northland student since kindergarten, feels quite nostalgic about the fact that she will “see her entire Northland experience come full circle,” because “many of the people [she] celebrated [at kindergarten graduation]…are also graduating with me again.” Although staying in the same small class for over a decade might sound difficult, Margaret has taken away valuable lessons from it. She explains that she enjoyed “seeing how [they] have all grown up in diffe

rent ways, yet [they] share similar values and characteristics,” which “provided a security and stability in [her] life.” Not only has Margaret balanced well with her classmates, but the christian school aspect has allowed her to develop a better relationship with God. For instance, the most invaluable piece of advice she received at Northland was “to just rely on God when you are facing hardships and let Him guide the way.” It’s clear that Northland’s intimate environment and spiritual opportunities paved a pathway for Margaret to flourish, both in the classroom and out.

Beyond the confines of Building 7, Margaret dedicated hours after school and plenty of weekends to being a member of the debate team. During her senior year, she was elected as co-captain of the team and reached elimination rounds at multiple national-level tournaments. While trophies (or “hardware”) are nice and all, Margaret took a look at the bigger picture to analyze how debate has shaped her life and overall high school experience. Debate has taught her to “not accept things at face value and discover the cause and effect relationship behind it to understand truth behind a subject,” and even “strengthened [her] love for current events.” Margaret’s intensity and passion for debate itself may have come to an end at her last tournament on March 24th, but it shines in other areas of her life. For example, she plans on studying either International Business or Political Psychology at the University of Oklahoma next fall (sound a little bit like debate?).

It’s clear that Northland has produced some truly amazing people, and Margaret is undoubtedly one of them!