Zoey Stalone
Flipping The Switch
Sophomore Makes Switch From Private To Public School
Certain people may believe private school is better than public school, but sophomore Zoey Stalone thinks otherwise. She switched from private to public school for high school, and she said public school was a better fit for her.
Stalone went to different private schools from third grade to the first couple days of high school. She switched to public school just a couple of days after starting high school to see if it worked better for who she is and how she learned. Once she started, she never went back.
“If I was still in private school, I would not have the friends that I do,” Stalone said. “I wouldn’t have the environment that I do, and honestly I wouldn’t have the education that I do.”
Stalone has been open about how much the switch has affected not only her friend group and how she acts but also her education.
“I feel so much more connected to my teachers here than I do at private school, and it helps me to learn so much better when I have a connection with my teacher because I don’t feel embarrassed to ask questions,” Stalone said. “They understand that I need to ask questions; I need to work slower. They understand how I work, so my education has grown so much.”
Stalone said she built a connection with her teachers and also met new people who she connected with and have become her best friends. Even though she left private school, she still talked to some of her old friends, and that helped her realize who her true friends were.
“There are still cliques, but they are different in some ways,” Stalone said. “I feel like it’s just so much more judgemental there. But this school is so much bigger. I have so many more advantages, and I have more opportunities to make friends.”
Stalone said Staley has more possibilites and things to do, and when she first transferred she thought the school was big, but eventually she learned all about the school and the options of activities.
“I’ve figured my way out around the school,” Stalone said. “It’s not as big as I thought it was. I’ve made what I believe are going to be my lifelong friends, and my education, as I’ve said, has grown so much.”