{photos by Haley Haynes Carstens}
Our Day in the Life series has been a fun, engaging way to relate to and connect with other families at our school. We learn a lot from each other, laugh together, and know that through both the struggles and wonders, we’re all fortunate to live this messy but amazing way of life.
A couple of our high school students have volunteered to do their own Day in the Life this year, and we are thrilled to hear from them! Our high school program is thriving, and there are many people out there who want to know more about how it all works. There was a lot of info given last night at our High School Open House, as well as Q&As for parents and students.
Today we get to hear a bit more about the nitty gritty of high school life from sloCAHS student Haley Haynes Carstens. Haley is a junior this year, and this is her 7th year at SLO Classical Academy. She attends classes Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and then has Tuesdays and Thursdays to complete her assignments at home. Here Haley shares a bit about both a school day and a home day:
What happened over weekend: Got to surf with Mom, Dad and friends Saturday morning then stopped by the Gem and Mineral show in Cayucos (which was super neat), then spent the rest of the day doing homework. Also spent majority of Sunday doing homework. Don’t worry guys, junior year is just as hard/stressful as everyone says it is.
Monday, October 27th
5:50 am
Spin class starts… without me.
6:30
Alarm goes off. Why are beds the most comfy when you have to go to school?
6:30-8:00
Shower, find school stuff that somehow always ends up strewn about the entire house after the weekend, make lunch, and leave for school at 8.
8:30-3:30
School! Trigonometry, Composition, Spanish, History, and Chemistry. Learn cool things and try to keep eyes open towards the end…
3:45-4:50
Coffee with mama and a friend. Chat about school, friends, and life. Then off to the gym!
5:15-6:15
Stop by the pool to say hi to coach and team mates (I haven’t been able to swim for several weeks due to cough and mom worrying about me getting pneumonia…). Then go “lift weights” at the gym. That lasts for barely a half hour…
6:30
Finally back at home!
6:30-8:00
Pillage the pantry for snacks, check Instagram & Email, sorta kinda clean my room a little bit, and start Composition homework.
Honey crisp apples with crunchy peanut butter… yum!
8:00
Dinner with Mom and Dad. Mom has always made sure we have dinner as a family (even when my brother had gymnastics and wouldn’t get home until 9pm), which is nice because it lets us talk about new life happenings and see each other/talk to each other at least once a day.
8:30-9:30
Finish Works Cited for Beowulf essay, and work on final draft (while occasionally checking Instagram… sorry Mom.)
9:30-10:30
FaceTime with boyfriend (who is in Colorado) while rewriting history notes into comp book and working a little more on the final draft for Beowulf essay.
10:45
So tired and so happy to get some sleep! (Us teenagers can never get enough sleep.)
Tuesday, October 28th
8:30 am
Wake up because the sun is shining in my eyes, glance at the time, then convince myself I don’t have that much homework today…
9:30
Finally get out of bed, stay in pjs and put on some slippers. It’s definitely one of my favorite parts about going sloCAHS!
9:45-10:00
Make breakfast and coffee, reading a little History while eating. Mom asks me to switch the wash… it can wait a little longer.
I can't think of a better way to read about the vikings than on the bed while wearing pajamas!
10:15-10:45
Redo Chemistry problems I did wrong. (Can’t forget to convert Celsius to Kelvins…)
10:45- 12:15
Feed the dog, make some tea, and do Math homework. After Math homework, I round up all loose papers, organizing them into my binder, put math things back into backpack, then start Spanish.
12:15-12:40
Do Spanish homework, after that I finally switch the wash and make my bed.
12:40-1:30
Shower, pack swim bag, do some laundry, and leave for the dentist in SLO.
2:00-3:00
Get teeth cleaned and all that fun stuff, then make a quick stop at Jamba with my mama.
Jamba with Mama on the way to swim!
3:30-6:15
Coach Cubs (a pre-swim team class for little kiddos) for a half hour then have my first day back in the pool after being out for over two weeks! Happy happy.
6:45-7:30
Get home, rinse off, then get to have burritos for dinner!
8:00-8:45
Finish the last of the History reading and IDs (with a little help from handy dandy Wikipedia).
8:45-9:30
Pack up school stuff, find some clothes to wear tomorrow, get ready for bed, make appointment for DMV, set alarm, and it’s sleep time for me!
Recap: Life sometimes gets busy, school sometimes gets hard, and sometimes you are just exhausted. But the Chemistry tests won’t magically get As and, in the end, the hard work does pay off. I am grateful for my family, and my friends who feel like family, for keeping me sane through the Trigonometry problems (and life problems) and whom I am lucky enough to share life with.
Thank you Haley – what fun to step into your shoes for a moment and remember life as a teenager! Though it's hard work, we can see that you're enjoying what you are learning (well maybe not Trigonometry…), and loving the flexible schedule. It's also encouraging to see how close you are to your family. It's clear that you are flourishing at sloCAHS!
If you have any questions about our high school or want to know more about sloCAHS, email our High School Director, Kateri Rein at [email protected].
