5-year-old Audrey Enghauser (left) poses at a Mother’s Day tea party at Athens Montessori School in 2009 and 14-year-old Enghauser (right) poses in front of her house before her first day at Clarke Central High School on Aug. 7, 2018. Enghauser attended AMS until the 2018-2019 school year and is new to public school. Photos courtesy of Rebecca Gose
News staffer Audrey Enghauser started school at Clarke Central High School last fall after attending a small private school for most of her life.
Coming from a small private school, starting freshman year at a large public high school was scary, but I was excited to get a fresh start at a new school.
Athens Montessori School school focuses on an alternative approach to teaching that focuses on hands-on learning, as opposed to direct instruction from the teacher. Attending the school for 10 years fostered a love for learning from a young age that continued throughout my life.
I made friends, built strong relationships with my teachers and worked hard. Nevertheless, while my middle school years did help me prepare for adulthood with opportunities like internships and business ventures, I wasn’t sure if the alternative curriculum had taught me I everything I needed to know for ninth grade.
Too many times I felt the weight of my education on me — that I would have to teach myself topics on my own to prepare myself. I was afraid the lack of curriculum at AMS would loom over my high school years and cause a great deal of stress about catching up to everyone else.
I entered high school excited to meet new people and take advantage of the school’s many opportunities like clubs and sporting events. I didn’t want to learn unconventionally anymore. I wanted to break out of my bubble and be a part of a larger school and community.
Just as I had imagined, public school is vastly different from AMS.
Quickly, I found that CCHS is the place for me. From the structure of the school day to the extra help and resources the teachers are able to provide me with, I felt like I fit in. I liked that the student body is large and diverse because it gives me the opportunity to meet people with different backgrounds and experiences than me.
I soon found that I didn’t have a problem keeping up in class — for that AMS had prepared me well. Through the ODYSSEY Media Group, I met people with similar goals and personalities as me and bonded with some of the upperclassmen that I looked up to. I now consider them some of my closest friends.
Looking back, AMS was a good experience because it gave me a strong work ethic by instilling the idea that my learning was my responsibility. However, starting at CCHS was the best change I’ve made — and I can’t wait to spend my next three years here.
