Written by Isa Pierry

Welcome back Wildcats!

Although I don’t normally love to disclose this, the first article I ever wrote for the Rye Crop emerged from a meticulous reading of the WikiHow page titled “How to Write an Article: Step-by-Step Guide (With Examples).” That was three years ago during my freshman year. I like to think that I have come a long way since then, and I have definitely learned some valuable pieces of advice. I’d like to share my top three with you freshmen here. 

1. Talk to someone new. In the spirit of embracing this year’s theme of connection, there really is no better time to strike up a conversation with someone you might have never exchanged more than a couple of words with. Whether it’s someone who ends up having all the same interests as you or none at all, you will never know without proceeding past the word “hi.” Who knows, you could even make yourself a new best friend like that. That’s certainly how I made some of my closest friends. High school is about meeting as many people as possible, so I urge everyone to truly connect with the people around them to make the most out of this year as a unified Upper School. 

2. Join The Rye Crop. Yes, I know this sounds biased coming from the person who runs Crop, but I promise you that joining the newspaper team at RCDS will open so many doors for you. First of all, you will meet so many people. When you are writing articles for The Crop, we have a rule of thumb that suggests interviewing at least two people in order to ensure an unbiased report on any subject. Naturally, you will find yourself emailing teachers who have never taught you, faculty members outside your division, and peers you have only seen in passing. You will be introduced to so many new faces and opinions that you will feel immediately integrated into the school community. On top of that, scheduling these interviews can also help you grow tremendously as a person. Pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone to get that quote can help build confidence and communication skills. But to me, the most important aspect of joining The Crop is that you become a storyteller throughout your journalism journey. You learn how to tell stories effectively, improving your writing skills with every article you type. Being a storyteller is one of the most invaluable skills anyone could have– you suddenly are granted the power to not only make your voice heard, but also the words of others. Who wouldn’t want to wield such influence? 

If I still haven’t convinced you to join The Crop, feel free to stop me in the halls and ask me if you should join. I can assure you that I would give you a list of many more reasons as to why you should. You would probably have to walk away, or I would keep on rambling forever. I think you get the gist– join The Crop!

3. Ask many, many questions. High school is a time for exploration– there is no shame in admitting you don’t know how to do something! I can assure you that everyone around you, whether it be your peers, teachers, or faculty, is here to support you and your curiosity. Through its close knit community of intellectually motivated people, RCDS provides you the environment to question everything and anything while also giving you the people who can guide you through your searches. I can guarantee you that no one here is fazed by the stream of “who, what, when, where, how, and why’s?” and are instead encouraged by them. I don’t believe in the concept that knowledge can be capped. If you think you know everything about something, you don’t. There is always some nugget of information out there that is waiting to be unearthed. All it needs is a sentence ending with a question mark to emerge from its hiding place– a sentence that only you could come up with! I also don’t believe in the concept of stupid questions, so please, ask away.

In your question asking extravaganza, you might find yourself on a sketchy WikiHow page, like I once did my freshman year. Read that page! Get answers to those questions! Maybe search for a potentially more reliable source next time! Don’t know what a more reliable source could look like? Ask! 

That sums up my three pieces of advice. It’s up to you if you take them or leave them, although I really, really hope you take them. Regardless, I am beyond ecstatic to kick off my final year at RCDS with a fantastic bunch of kind, curious people in the High School. And I know, the title of this article says “Advice for First Years” but I hope that anyone in any grade can take some pieces from this and apply it to their lives too.

Your Co-Editor-in-Chief, 

Isa Pierry