Isabella Madrid ’20, shared the following comments with a donor gathering in fall 2020.

The main thing that I really appreciate about EMS is being able to freely share my religious beliefs with others and learning about what others think about religion. I find it very valuable that I’ve been able to grow my faith in a place where I feel safe to talk about it.

Another really great aspect of EMS is that we have quality English teachers that truly care about refining each student’s writing to be the best it can be. I first realized this in ninth grade when I enrolled in Mrs. Cranston’s English class. She’s definitely not the type of teacher to hand out free As on papers like people hand out candy, because she truly wants all of her students to understand that learning how to write well and edit your work is a skill that will always be useful.I’m glad I had Mrs. Cranston that year, because I decided to write an essay about immigration with the writing tips that I learned from her. I entered my essay in a contest and ended up winning first place, a trip to DC, and $1,000 dollars, which REALLY gave 14 year old me some nice physical evidence of what good writing can do.

Two other features that I’d like to highlight about EMS are the choir and theater programs. Before coming to this school, I would have never thought about joining choir since I’ve never really liked to sing, but it was impossible to not want to join once you’ve heard how good the choir sounds, thanks to our fantastic director, Mr. Stutzman.

And as for our theater programs, since we are a relatively small school, there are opportunities for anyone to be able to join no matter how much experience one has. I’ve made many of my closest friends at EMS through the high school musicals for the past three years and I’ll always cherish those memories.

As a senior, I always get the question, “So what are you planning on doing after you graduate?” Or, “what will you major in college?”

To be honest, I’m not entirely sure. I have so many interests that have developed during my time here and it’s hard to think about choosing just one thing to focus on. One thing that I am certain of is that the wisdom and advice I’ve received at EMS will help me in whichever career I end up pursuing in the near future.

Thank you all for contributing to the school and making all of this possible for us students.