O’Neill 1

Mr. Tierney
Pre- AP World History
5/16/19

AGS Sophomore Year

What are the most important things that you learned in AGS this year?

My last Idea Book…. This feels weird. AGS Sophomore Year has been so many

emotions and memories. I can honestly say that I have learned so much this year that has

helped me grow as not only a student but person. Though it’s weird to say, the 4 pillars we have

come to know in AGS, “Investigate the World, Take Action, Communicate Ideas, and Recognize

Perspectives” has become something I have been finding myself to really value. These four

pillars though, didn’t really start to mean anything until sophomore year in my eyes. The

curriculum in all areas whether that be Lessons, Projects, and the Travel started to become

something to be taken more seriously and to heart. As I am starting to reflect on my year, the

more I value the little struggles that came with it, and how AGS has taught me to manage them.

The World is such a hard thing to learn about in most ways. Whether that be the cultures

of people who live on it, or even where you live, there’s so much that there is to learn. Though

something that AGS has given me, especially this sophomore year is a little piece of the world I

never thought I could learn about. Something very special about this year has been how we

have learned about the cultures of people all around the world. From literature, film, to the

travel, all of it has inspired me and many of my peers to learn about how people live all around

the world. To be more specific, Costa Rica was truly a magical experience in what I was able to

see and learn about. This trip was enriching in so many ways and a true example of learning

outside the classroom. For example, I thought for the most part in life money = happiness,
 O’Neill 2

although it’s something I do not love to admit, I think the world we live in paints this picture of

money being apart of an ideal lifestyle. But while in Costa Rica a memory I will never forget

occured, I was speaking to one of the Finka owners and just talking to them about their life and

how they came to what they do. He explained how he loved what he did and although it did not

earn him all the money in the world he wouldn’t trade his life for anything, he was so happy.

Something about this experience stuck with me in a way I can only try to put into words, it just

flipped a switch for me. It showed me not only how to be a global citizen but how truly special

and easy it can be to connect with someone who lives in a completely different country than

you. This experience was something that made me proud to be an AGS student, and how far

what we are learning not only in the classroom but from the four pillars can truly go.

The process of growing up has also occurred within this sophomore year. Learning

about yourself and what your starting to see as right and wrong in the world, is something that

can be at times difficult. Though this school year has helped me grow as an individual

immensely. In most cases of life as your getting older most aspects of life start to become a little

bit harder, whether that’s becoming more responsible, or finding out who you are. To be a little

more specific this aspect for me was school. For me the beginning of sophomore year was

scary with the idea of more homework, harder projects, and deeper thinking within the

classroom. But what I found was to be the complete opposite. This sophomore year taught me

to tend to the things I cared about in and outside the classroom, especially through projects and

ideabooks. Both of these aspects of AGS allowed me some freedom to express what interested

me. While doing these projects I learned so much about myself and what I came to find truly

interesting not only for school but outside of it as well.

Overall, the idea of sophomore year being over is quite gratifying and scary all at the

same time. The memories I made this year had a big part of what I also found to value out of the
 O’Neill 3

four pillars. AGS is something so special that I am enough lucky to be in. This academy has

taught me to learn about the world we live in and not just sit around as it changes. Sophomore

year has played a big role in that specific ambition of wanting to learn and become a better

global citizen. Though goodbyes are hard, I know with AGS more amazing memories and

lessons will be coming along in my next two years here.