The Value of Another Perspective

By Esther Schonberger ’25
Ninth Grade Class President

 

Hello Foote School! It is so good to see us all back together again. For those of you who do not know, my name is Esther Schonberger and I am the new ninth grade Class President. Welcome to all new and returning students.

As ninth graders, we have a tradition at the opening assembly of introducing an important topic that is meant to set the tone for the year. This year, our topic is the importance of seeing both sides of a story and reaching out to see other perspectives. Our class demonstrated this during the assembly by debating just what each of us saw in the image to the left. At first, my classmates argued about what they had seen — was it a duck or a rabbit? As they argued, they lost sight of the point of what they were talking about and started to just argue for the sake of arguing. When Eli, Jack, and I stepped in to stop the yelling, we all realized that there was not one right answer and that arguing was pointless. The arguing did not get us a “correct” answer and it was damaging friendships.

We hope that you take the picture of the duck and rabbit with you going into this upcoming school year and remember you should always be looking and listening for other perspectives.  

This year is my 10th fall opening day assembly. I can connect with all of my peers, as I have been a part of every grade of Foote School kindergarten through ninth grade. Today, I am thinking a lot about when I walked through the doors of the Foote building for the first time, on my first day of kindergarten. I was wearing an outfit about 8 sizes smaller than the clothes I am wearing now. I was terrified, and to be completely honest, there were many tears shed. I think that like lots of you were probably feeling in the weeks leading up to this year, my little kindergarten self was afraid of the unknown. If you are like me and a little scared of what you don’t know or of experiencing new things, then the start of the school year has a lot to be afraid of — even for students who have been at Foote for years. But as I learned in my first year at Foote School — and what I have continued to learn up until my first week of this year — is that things that seem really big and scary can actually be some of the best experiences you will have. 

The ninth grade class just came back from a week in Cape Cod. This week looked different than all of my other first weeks of Foote. Like my kindergarten self, I was a little scared. But, I knew to be open-minded, participate with my full self, and take in the good and the bad. With this good attitude, I had an amazing experience. I was able to connect with people who have been my classmates for many years but whom I have never really known. We made bonds with teachers and did a bunch of super cool new activities such as paddle boarding and whale-watching. I am so thankful to be a part of the Foote School community in which I have the privilege of getting to participate in these great opportunities.

I hope my fellow students will remember that looking at something new can seem really scary but if you are only focusing on the scary part of the picture you could end up missing out on the great experiences ahead. Experiences do not need to be black or white. So, as you go into the weeks and months of the school year, try to remember to take a step back, look for that other perspective, and try that new thing.

Here’s to the 2024–25 school year — the best one yet!