Transcript: Grant Brugger & Colton Gile on Eighth Grade, High School Expectations, and Making an Impact

Good morning and welcome back to the show. We are here with Grant Bruegger and Colton Guile, two-eighth graders from our lower school. How are you, Grant, Colton? I'm doing pretty good today.

Yeah, I'm doing pretty good too. Great. It's great to have two more eighth graders on the show because, I mean, we love bringing our lower school in. Yeah, for sure.

So let's start getting to know you guys. Can you introduce yourselves and tell us a bit about how long you've been at U.S. and what you, some of your favorite things to do inside and outside of school? My name is Grant Bruegger. I came to U.S. in the start of eighth grade, so I'm pretty new to the school.

I love to play sports outside and inside of school, especially football, basketball, and baseball. And then I'm also doing the stock market challenge in school too. Cool. I'm Colton Guile, and I joined in eighth grade this year.

My first year. It's very nice. I love it here. And then in school, I like doing the sports.

That's kind of out of school, but I play football, basketball, and lacrosse. And then I also like fishing in my free time. Nice. Now, looking back on kind of your eighth grade experience at the Shaker campus, what have been so far some of those standout moments, some things that like really stuck with you and made you think that eighth grade and U.S. just in general is super cool?

Um, for me? Founder's Day was really cool. I thought that was cool. They got like all the kids together and did that one big event.

And overall, the whole experience has been very nice. All the teachers are really nice, and I've had a really great time. I'd also have to say that Founder's Day was probably my favorite thing we've done. Just being able to see the whole, all the groups, the whole lowest school, middle school, and high school come together and participate in this one thing was super cool.

And then also the teachers have been super nice helping us with the transition from schools and all the friends who have been super inclusive and everything that's gone on this year. And what house are you guys in? We're both in Murray House. Okay, so we got two McKinleys and two Murrays here.

That's super cool. You know, Kai, eighth grade is a big year because it marks your transition to the upper school. What excites you most about moving to this Honey Valley campus, and is there anything that you kind of, about this change that makes you a little bit nervous? So I'm most excited for all the amenities they have.

They have so much to offer, just like in everything compared to our old school. So I'm really excited for that. I'm a little bit worried about like the homework and the classes. I'm like, I think eighth grade is a lot, so I gotta be ready for that.

I think I'm super excited for like the opportunities, the clubs, and then also the, like college things, college help you get, all the stuff you get to not only succeed in the upper school and also succeed beyond that in college, work, and all that stuff. And then, but I'm also a little worried about like the, again, the homework, the transition from the lower school, even though it feels like, it already feels like a lot. But I'm also glad that I have a group of teachers. That will help me throughout this.

Also, coming from the middle school, you guys will be very prepared. You know, have you guys started doing some of those activities or just started learning more about our upper school campus as you've gone throughout your eighth grade year? I feel like I've tried to do more stuff with the upper school or like get involved because I'm playing, already doing the football training Monday, Wednesday, and Thursdays after school. So like, I'm trying to get involved.

So like, I'm trying to get involved. So like, I'm trying to get involved. So like, I'm trying to get involved. I feel like I can get that, maybe meet some people on the football team, on the other teams that can, that like, that I know from the upper school.

So I'm not like only stuck in this one grade. I can expand once I get here to multiple grades, multiple people in everything I do. So I don't feel like, and in the sport, I don't just hang around that one group of people. I also go and I like introduce myself to everybody that's on the team.

And then what I've kind of done was kind of like in school, I feel like I've kind of like, they're preparing us a lot, especially in like English class. And like all my classes were like, they say like, what it's going to be like next year. And they talk with teachers at the upper school to like help us get ready for that. And I think that's also kind of cool because it's kind of like, they're not just like saying goodbye to us and just letting us go and trying to figure it out.

They're helping us like every step of the way. You guys came up here for your shadow day a couple months ago. What was your favorite part of that day? My favorite part of that day was probably seeing the, like seeing kids from all different classes being, being in one, like all different grades being in one class and being in like, and how the, how the upperclassmen treat, how they treat the eighth graders, like so amazing and how like they're so inclusive and they want everybody to learn and do the best they can.

Yeah. When I came up here, I was just surprised how well everybody got along. Like he said, between the different grades. And also I feel like it's kind of cool, like how they also did that.

Like they kind of like accepted everybody and they like met to their special abilities and they're like, no questions that couldn't really be asked. And they were just like open to answering anything. You know, I know eighth grade has a lot of cool events that you guys are going to have or just already have, such as the DC trip, the tower tour, survival day, just so many different things. And most of these come towards the end of the year, which this year are, which of them, this year, are you most looking forward to?

I'm looking forward to the DC trip because even at my old school, that was something we looked to, looked forward to since like kindergarten or first grade. And we've always just been looking forward to that. So I'm really excited because I haven't really done any trips with school or anything besides like little field trips. So I think it should be really fun going to DC with all my friends and learning.

I'm also super excited for the DC trip. I'm also, because you get to see monuments, you get to learn about stuff. And then also I'm excited for more, like, I'm not really sure what survivor's day is because it hasn't really been talked about, but I'm excited for more stuff that I can do with my house and with the people in my grade. For students who haven't been to the middle school, what do you think makes it such a special place?

Obviously, we talked about this upper school. We talked a lot on our podcast, but what makes middle school so great? Well, I feel like everybody, like even on my shadow day that I first came here to look at it, everybody was really inclusive and they invited me to play with them. They invited me into their friend group or something like that.

So it was really cool how everybody is kind of like, has it like connected almost. And then we also have a study hall and an ILT, which is times we can both go talk to our teachers if we have any problems or anything or any questions. So that, that's really been helpful to help. I feel like, well, on my shadow day, on my shadow day, it was like, as soon as I got there, everyone said, like everybody who knew my shadow said hi to me, say hi, said hi to me and the person I shadowed.

And they like brought me in. They didn't care, like they didn't care about anything. They just said hi and they were super nice. And then I also feel like no matter like anything.

Like where you came from, who you are, they, people at the lower school always include you and they always try to make you feel like special and like you want to do stuff. And then I also feel the extra ILT and study hall have really helped me get used to the workload and homework that I've had to do. You know, looking ahead to high school, I mean, you kind of talked about the sports and how, when you get up, you can guy ingrain yourself into that brotherhood of football. But for both of you guys, you guys play so many different sports.

Are you guys looking forward to high school sports and U.S. high school sports or any other high school activities? I'm really looking forward to sports because that's like that has been my driving. I've loved sports since I could walk and I've played sports since I can walk. So I'm super excited to be a part of competitive sports here in the high school.

I'm also I've heard a lot about One Love, the One Love Club, and I'm pretty excited to be part of that. So I've been here for a while now and I'm really excited to be part of it. I'm really excited to be part of that. I'm excited to be part of it.

I'm excited to be part of it. I'm excited to be part of it. to see what that is and see other clubs that I could possibly do yeah I'm excited for football and stuff because the coaches even this year they're really like they're trying to help you get better they're not just trying to help you get better in the short run they want to help you in the long run and they want to help you become the best player you can and the program is great from what I've heard and seen and then also I'm excited for the clubs because seeing what it seems like is there's a club for literally everybody and if there's not a club for you you can go ahead and make your own and I think that's really cool personally because at my old school there wasn't that many clubs so there wasn't like you couldn't get involved really do you have any clubs you think you might want to start when you get up here um I don't know any specifically that I want to start but I've been looking at the fishing club and that sounds cool because you can like make your own lures test them and go fishing at breaks yeah free block this spring we're going fishing for sure you know when you guys go to DC you guys get to see all these big decisions made for our country but you guys actually had the chance to influence a pretty big decision in your guys's own city can you tell us about how you get help get sidewalks and trails installed in Chagrin Falls and for the viewers a little more about that story uh so in a class called global citizenship we had to write a letter to an official about a current event that's going on uh and we me and Colton both chose to write to the mayor of South Russell uh Mayor William Coon about the safety of the streets Bell Road specifically and how we would like to have some kind of sidewalk or bike lane or something walking path so that to make the road safer and area safer for kids like us to walk to our friends houses walk to school walk to town even so and then you want to say like sure and then so basically we sent the letters after we wrote them and then we were just hoping to get a response back and like a week or two later we got a letter from the mayor and he talked about how that our letters like it was kind of like a subject that they were kind of thinking about but they weren't really acting so then our letters kind of just like once he saw that he's like okay this is an issue we need to put this into play and it kind of just like helps like spark the fire like start the fire almost kind of and it's kind of like started this whole thing because they've received a grant I think it was like eight hundred thousand dollars for these sidewalks because it's like a real big deal from like everybody so and also in the letter it invited us to a town meeting and we decided to go and we were there we were surprised because there were like people there like so many people who were going to the sidewalks would be so important to them because they would they would like their kids to grow up in an area where they can feel safe having them bike to a friend's house bike to school and it's overall like have more like accessibility to even Trigrin Falls near us so yeah that was really cool what do you think you learned from that uh we I I feel like I learned that if so if you ask for something and like you don't and you feel like if you ask for something like somebody wrote about this uh Chown Bell wrote about the same issue who uh and he wrote about this issue two years ago when he was in eighth grade or a year ago when he was in eighth grade and then that sparked it and then if you if you feel like you want to do something always go ahead and do something or go ahead and do it because if somebody might have already had the same idea it's just one more idea can get that plan into action into like into actually in the plan and because of this they're hopefully think if it all goes through the hopefully thinking in two years there should be a big ribbon cutting ceremony where the sidewalks or something it should be completed you know seeing that inside kind of seeing that inside kind of pass into public policy making and just kind of local government has that sparked any interest in doing something like that in your future or do you think that's something that you're going to do in the future no it's just a really cool project that you guys did that helps so many people um for me I feel like it kind of helped me learn kind of this is like kind of on that one too it's like kind of like if you see something wrong in your community you don't have to just sit there and wait for somebody else to do it you can just write one letter and that could change many people's lives like adding sidewalks and allowing them to bike from place to place instead of driving uh I feel like it has I feel like being uh able to experience this has been a lot of fun and I feel like it's been a lot of fun and I feel like it's been a lot of fun and I feel like it's been has definitely sparked a little bit more of an interest that uh than I used previously had and I uh I feel like before I was like I thought about something doing something like helping the community I thought I wanted to do something but I didn't know how so this project has helped me realize what I can do and how I can help the community in so many more ways yeah that's really cool so you made change in your community but we have an interesting question for you guys if you could make one change to the middle school what do you think it would be to kind of make the student experience better if you want to um well one of the big things in the middle school I know right now that's going to change is we're in pods right now I mean it's still a very nice school and stuff but I feel like having that bigger classroom would like really be helpful because like it's all connected and we don't have to wait to go from like class to class like traveling outside and stuff like that so I feel like it's going to be really helpful but probably a big thing that I would change is uh I don't I don't even know there's so many great things about it I can think of one thing that's not uh I would probably have change if I had to pick one thing to change I would probably pick the where the gym is where the locker rooms are uh I would if I could I would like update the gym a little bit update the locker rooms a little bit at maybe add even a little bit of a weight room add something so kids who want to don't have to like don't necessarily have to come up here to like work out with the foot workout do things they can just stay in the school workout and then get picked up from the school because it for some people and for most people who live around there it's way easier to just work out as soon as you're done with school and then get picked up or walk home you know throughout your time at the lower school you've had the chance to learn from a lot of great teachers and just have a lot of great classes or through the middle school you guys have had a lot of time just to see a bunch of classes and see a bunch of teachers has there been a particular teacher or class this year that's really standing out to you and why uh so probably the uh the class that I've learned the most in would definitely have to be English it is is one of the most challenging classes I've ever had but then it also is one of the funnest classes one of the most like one of the most engaging classes because of the way that my English teacher Mrs. Hamburg teaches us and how she is so engaged and wants us to learn everything that we can but if I'm the most impactful teacher that I've had is my homeroom teacher Mr. Pierce he has done he has been there for everything that I've needed he's done he's just welcomed me into the U.S. family and community and he's been like he's been super helpful he's been like if you need to do something get this thing done otherwise you can basically you it's you choose what to do and I feel like he's treating us like we're in the high school we're not like we're not fifth graders anymore like we can handle ourself yeah for me the like hardest class would be English because personally before it I was not a great writer or English student I just like didn't understand it that well and then when I got here Miss Hamburg she really helped us as the class as a whole because one the stuff is way more difficult but also it's like it was really difficult at first for me but once like I started like talking to her about it I realized it wasn't that difficult and she really helped me like get through it kind of and like I feel like I'm way better now and then another teacher that's really stuck out to me was my homeroom teacher Mr.

Waugh um he really just helps me stay on top of everything he's always been there for me with this uh like coming to this new school he's helped me with any questions and really anything so I'm really thankful to have a homeroom teacher like him where he helps me get my work done when it needs to be done and he's helped me overall just come here. You know going to that homeroom teacher point that both of you guys had uh up here we call them the sponsors and so you keep your sponsor throughout all four years do you like that system of keeping the same sponsor through all four years or do you think we should switch just like the middle school over here? I feel like I feel like there are like definitely pros and cons of both the having the same homeroom teacher same uh sponsor all four years is perf is really good because you know that sponsor that sponsor can knows you from the day you come to the day you leave and they get to help you grow they get to help you grow and watch you grow as a student and then uh also I don't I if I'm correct me if I'm wrong but the same people learn that your sponsor all four years so I feel like you know those people like like they're brothers basically at the end of your senior year. I feel like that will that's really good that you get to know this group of people like the family but then I also feel like if you switch sponsors every year you get a little less of like knowing the sponsor but you do get to know you get to meet a lot more faculty a lot more people even if a lot more upperclassmen a lot more lowest uh people younger than you you get to know more people if you switch.

I think um having one would be great because it's like I even after like just a second year a few months in they will learn like your study habits they will learn like everything about you and they'll like know how like just to help you because they know so much about you and I feel like that's really cool instead of like switching where it's like you have to like meet them say like meet them all over again for the four years it's kind of like kind of like what he said it's kind of like you're almost like your second family because you have all these kids and kids that you've spent so much time with in your sponsor family and then your sponsor who's like helping you through this journey even like from just arriving in freshman year to going off to college. And similar concept to the sponsor of the house system I remember when I first came here I just only thought it was from Harry Potter but it's similar uh what was your guys's first impression of the house system? Um first I thought it was really cool that it helps us like or kind of like gets us to interact with maybe kids we don't interact with a lot from other grades and everything and it kind of brings like a bunch of kids with different uh hobbies and stuff it brings them all together as one to compete for the house cup at the end of the year so I just think that's really cool. Uh I love the idea of the house system and when I first came here I also thought wow Harry Potter this was a lot like it and then I was like and then I'm like oh this is super cool it gives people a chance to one talk to people who they haven't it gives a reason for people who are a little different from each other who have different hobbies to interact and to talk about stuff and then it also also has a little bit of like competition a little bit of like rivalries necessary to compete and to beat the house to be the number one house to have the to win the house cup I feel like that level of inclusiveness and like competition is amazing.

What has your guys' favorite house competition been so far this year? Um for me founder's day I feel like that that's just like the holy grail of house competitions so it's kind of like that like I said earlier that that it was just so fun it was kind of like we've got to play games with like friends and stuff and we just had a lot of fun. Uh my favorite house competition would probably be founder's day because You get to see so many people from the upper school and the middle school and the lower school. But then also the house assemblies that we have, they're also super cool because you get to keep up with the house standings.

You get to have a house competition and you get to come together on a Friday and just talk about the one unified house, all the houses. You know, kind of going off the topic of houses, Colin kind of talked about fishing and the fishing club here. And looking at the lower and middle school, although the Shaker campus is already massive, this campus almost dwarfs what the lower campus is. Looking to your high school experience, how do you plan to use all of the 200 acres that we have here?

Well, for me, I plan to do fishing and stuff on that. But also I feel like for science, I've heard you get it used. You get more hands-on because at my old school, we kind of just did computer stuff because we didn't have access to that. So I think having the access to all these stuff that we can like hands-on learn, like this hands-on learning will really help us into the future.

I feel like this is going to be like a massive, like the jump between the lower school, which is already really big to here will be like insane. And then I feel like it's... So big that like you won't, like I won't be able to like capture it all and like fully like use it to its full potential. But I also feel like the science, the planetarium, all the space that we have in the football, back in the football fields, in the pond where we can fish and canoe and do all that stuff.

And then also the fish hatchery. I feel like that would be really cool. To like learn how like the fish grow and how like how they can, how fish and how animals can help the humans like thrive and stuff. And you talked about that gap between, you know, the middle school, Shaker Campus and the upper school.

And obviously it's going to be there because they are 15 minutes apart. But do you wish there are more events between the two campuses? And then if so, what do you think those could look like? Um, I think...

I think maybe a few more could be cool. Like maybe socials. Maybe they could even be house socials. Just to get the kids to be familiar with like the younger school kids.

And like if kids like us have questions about the upper school, they could ask those upper school kids about like more about their experience. And like what they went through. Because I heard it's like different almost for every person. And they could just hear like another point of view.

Yeah, I feel like having more... Having a little bit more interaction between the high school students and the... Middle... And the lower school students would definitely...

People would definitely benefit that from what Colton said. Asking questions that they need... Want to ask. And just like getting to know the older students.

And getting to know the people that you'll be... Like getting to know the fresh... The new 8th graders. Getting to know the freshmen.

Getting to know the... Getting to know all the people that like they might not have known before. Because I feel like... Like personally when I came, I'm like...

And I came up to Founders Day, I'm like... Who... I was a little bit wondering... I was like wondering who all...

Who are all these people in my house's house. I feel like if we had more ways to connect with the... And more ways to like interact and meet them. I feel like that would definitely benefit.

It would definitely benefit. You know, if you could fast forward and kind of give advice to your future senior selves. What would you say? What do you kind of like...

Hope you'll achieve by the time you graduate U.S.? I would probably say something like... Keep working. Keep going.

You will get used to it. Once you get in that... Especially for me. Once I get in that routine.

And once I stick to that routine. And once I know what I'm going to do. I work five times as fast. Five times as hard.

And I like... In football season, I had football practice every day. I knew exactly where... I was going to be at what time.

And what I was going to do. And I was able to knock out work. I also feel like... I would tell myself...

Keep going. Keep pushing for good grades. Keep pushing to meet more new people. Keep pushing to try new things.

Keep going to get more done. And to get the full experience out of U.S. I would probably... I'd ask myself a few questions.

If I could talk to my future self. I'd ask him like how it's been. The four years. Like with school and everything.

And like... I might even be working by then. So I might ask myself about work. But...

Really ask myself like what was my experience. And if there was any tips. Or anything that I could tell myself. About...

Like... Just life in general almost. That would help me through my high school year. You know, finally.

At university school. Students are encouraged to find their passions. Push themselves. And take on just so many different roles.

For each of you. What is your why? This is a question we ask ourselves all the time. What is the thing that really motivates you to work hard.

Get involved. And make the most of your time here. Is there a particular goal, passion, or value. That really drives you every day?

So I'd have to say my why is... Most is helping people do more. And helping people and myself. And everybody around me.

Become the best that they can be. Become the... Like... Become who they want to be.

And I... Don't know if... I don't necessarily know like right now. Like what I want to do in like 10 years.

I don't really know what I want to do when I leave this place. But I know that I want... I know that I like helping people achieve more. And I like...

And like... When I can help other people. It like helps me do better. Yeah.

And also for me. My why of coming here was... I felt like that I could just learn a lot more here. Because they have so many different amenities.

And I could just like learn to my full potential almost. Like if I wanted to do something here. I feel like like learn something. I could almost 100% get to that.

And I thought that if I came here. I would just take 100% of like my time here. And really try to strive. To be the best.

That I can. Like he said. And just... Yeah.

And also like help people in my community. Because we... Like the community service hours here. And just like...

That helps. We can use that. It kind of like motivates us almost. To help in our community.

Even with this letter. That we wrote also. That kind of like... He kind of pushed us forward a little bit.

And just like started us to like help. Realize that there's other people in this community that need help. And we have tools. And stuff that can really help them.

Well, Grant and Colin. It has been great having you on the show today. Thank you so much for taking the time. To share your insights.

Thoughts. Just ideas about the middle school. To our listeners. Thank you so much for watching.

And we'll hopefully join us next Wednesday. For the next episode of Late Start Show. Thank you.