The Welcoming and Supportive Community at MICDS

Anouk Joubert ‘19 shared her MICDS experience with prospective families during this fall’s Open House. Here’s what she said:

I moved to St. Louis four years ago from Beijing, China and started my freshman year at MICDS. The scariest thing for me was transitioning to this school not having gone to the Middle School; however, the transition to MICDS was unexpectedly easy.

This was largely due to the students who are so accepting and willing to help. On my first day, I was struggling to find my first class, and I looked around helplessly until a senior asked me if I needed help. I was able to get to class on time and realized this was such a welcoming community.

The students are not the only thing that made my transition to this school easy. The entire MICDS community did. There are countless support systems here. For example, your advisor, college counselor, and dean all stay with you for your four years of high school. My sophomore year, I was hesitant on whether or not to take seven classes, which means you have no free period. The scheduling process requires you to go in front of a committee in this case. I went to my advisor for counsel, and he assured me that I could do it. I went through with it and ended up benefiting from taking seven classes because I had my advisor there as a support system.

Once I settled in, the school helped me narrow down what I wanted to do. I have lived in four countries, and when I moved here, I already knew that I wanted to pursue world languages. It was so easy for me to work with the curriculum and double up on languages my sophomore year. I decided to take both Chinese 500 and Spanish 100 during sophomore year, and then junior year I took AP Chinese and Spanish 200. I am currently in an independent study in Chinese and Spanish 300. Now I know this may not be your chosen passion, but it shows how easy the curriculum is to use to enrich your knowledge in subjects of genuine interest.

In addition to academics, you may also be wondering about extracurriculars and friends. My advice to new freshman is to get involved in a sport during the first trimester. It is the easiest way to make friends with people who have a common interest. Even if athletics isn’t your strong suit, that’s alright. I played volleyball during my freshman and sophomore year and as my second sport I did essential fitness, which involves working out in the fitness center. Then, junior year I joined the JV Soccer team. I also managed the squash team, which included helping the coach with whatever he needed, from arranging the roster to timing workouts, and I had the opportunity to travel to Chicago with the team. I am now currently managing the Boys Varsity Soccer team.

Sports are not the only way to make friends, I was very involved in drama before I came here, so I immediately joined the Drama Club and was able to make some friends there. There are 70+ activities and clubs at MICDS ranging from Marketing Club, which I am a proud co-head of, to Science Olympiad. MICDS is such an inclusive school and welcoming community. I am thankful for the many support systems and opportunities available. It sure has helped me thrive and pursue my passions – from world languages to sports to theater and more!