Students in the Astronomy class participate in a lab activity. “We want to take the fact that our students are going to be competitive and going to want to be excellent and turn that into something that is fun and not stressful and helps everybody succeed,” Malcolm Eckel, Challenge Success Staff Representative, said. “[Through] classes that I think are difficult but not stressful, that’s the kind of thing that we’re going for: having enough student options enough student control that everybody can find their own path to success that feels genuine to them.” (Fiona Zheng)
Students in the Astronomy class participate in a lab activity. “We want to take the fact that our students are going to be competitive and going to want to be excellent and turn that into something that is fun and not stressful and helps everybody succeed,” Malcolm Eckel, Challenge Success Staff Representative, said. “[Through] classes that I think are difficult but not stressful, that’s the kind of thing that we’re going for: having enough student options enough student control that everybody can find their own path to success that feels genuine to them.”

Fiona Zheng

Racing to stay ahead

At a school where standing out is students' priority, when does competition stop being positive?

Minjoo Song, Miriam Antony, Tammy Ding, Forrest Meng, and Claire Wilson

December 16, 2020

Freshman year. As she walks through the Jefferson dome for the first time, Rhea Vidyababu’s eyes are wide open at the prospects of intellectual collaboration that surely lie ahead. It’s not until her IBET group begins comparing their scores on the recent biology test that her focus shifts from expanding knowledge to beating her friend’s 96%. 

Sophomore year. Vidyabubu spends this year exploring her interests in a variety of clubs, including yearbook and Urban Dance Movement. But once she hears word that the girl in her math class founded a nonprofit and the boy who sits next to her in chemistry created a club, she begins to question herself: shouldn’t I do something like that—wouldn’t it look good? Doing these things must make me an accomplished person; it would feel nice, right?

Junior year. With college apps on the horizon, Vidyababu endeavors to secure a summer internship position. Even as she slogs through hours of physics homework, she still tries to convince herself that the horror stories the upperclassmen told her last year are just a fantasy. Now, she’s a swim team manager and interning outside of school: but it’s not like I’m the president of Science Olympiad. Am I standing out enough?

Senior year. College apps: the supposed culmination of all her late nights studying, contests for leadership positions, and efforts to stand out. Did the four years of competition motivate me to get to this point, or was it more draining than it was worth?

Vidyababu’s experience reflects that of too many students at Jefferson. An environment of high-achieving students naturally gives rise to a competitive environment—there exists a constant pressure to not only do well but also to outshine others

 

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