Thanksgiving is a special holiday. This day is set aside to give thanks for what we have in our lives. I have given thanks to many things in the past, and always give thanks for my family and good health. I would expect many people to be thankful for similar things. But this year, I will be thankful for something that I thought I would never be thankful for in the past: school. Yes, school, and more specifically, the OHS.

The OHS is a special school in many ways. Arguably, when compared to schools in the United States and perhaps in the entire world, the OHS has one of the best teachers and curriculums. The credentials of the OHS faculty are phenomenal. Yes, what is more, our teachers are amazing instructors! Lets also not forget the curriculum they teach. What high school besides the OHS offers courses like, among many others, Linear Algebra, DFRL, Advanced Topics in Literature, Advanced History Research Seminar, Number Theory, and Modern Physics? I cannot find one. The combination of the outstanding faculty and rigorous curriculum prepare OHS students for college fabulously; in addition, the path of preparation is an unforgettable experience!

In addition to the wonderful faculty and curriculum, the OHS has an amazing student body. Most, if not all, the students at the OHS are motivated to learn and embrace challenges! This kind of a student body is very difficult to find. Having gone to public schools before coming to the OHS, I know what it’s like to be around students who simply don’t care about learning. It is absolutely terrible, and I remember loosing motivation and not wanting to go to school. At the OHS, on the other hand, I am encouraged to learn because of my fellow classmates. Furthermore, I am surrounded by students who do research, and for whom science is one of the greatest wonders of the world! It is challenging to be among young intellectuals, yet so invigorating!

Yet, one of the greatest things about going to the OHS is the freedom. Once I began my studies at the OHS, I liberated myself from the daily discipline that I endured while going to the public schools. No longer was I forced to do what others told me to, nor was I ordered around. Further, I could choose what I wanted to learn and how much of it I wanted to know. The OHS allows me making my own decisions while supporting my choice by amazing opportunities to develop my mind. The OHS, I believe, introduces you to the life of a scholar, who is both, a free thinker and a liberated individual. The OHS allows you to taste what it’s like to fly over everyday problems to the spheres of beautiful ideas and perfect solutions. This opportunity is rare, and for me it is also special. When I reflect on my past two years at OHS, I see how much the school shaped me while supporting my intellectual and emotional growth.

I wish more students could join our community and enrich the OHS with new ideas and excitement. Many don’t know about our school and many do not realize how much OHS has to offer. Most continue to appreciate traditional schooling only because it is hard to change and, a sad irony, to learn! While I am obviously biased, I think the OHS is one of the best high schools in the world, and my family and I couldn’t have made a better choice for my brother and I. I am truly thankful for this opportunity.

Thomas Gosart is a junior at the OHS.

The views expressed in this op-ed do not necessarily reflect those of the “!” Student Newspaper.

Categories: Opinion