Most students in high school more than likely stay with the school they started out with, whether that be a public or private school. More importantly, most student athletes stick with the sport at the school they attend, while allowing their game to develop over the four years at the public or private school. However I didn’t follow this norm, and got to experience both a public school and a private school. With my experience in both settings, it’s effortless  to compare as well as contrast to two, while explaining my experience in both types of environments, and how they each played pivotal parts in my life.

    My public school years were quite the experience. I attended Dieruff high school, a fairly overcrowded poor school in one of the worst cities in Pennsylvania. I had just moved to my dad’s house from Brooklyn, New York, so Pennsylvania was a new experience and vibe for me. As a new kid, basketball really grew my popularity which I needed being from a whole other state. I was also a 5”5 sophomore, so leading the school as a basketball player did wonders to my confidence. Going to school was kind of like what you see on tv or in some movies, there were fights if not everyday, every other day. We had a dress code but students would show up with pajamas, and quite frankly anything they felt like wearing that day. Teachers were more friends with students than actual authority figures, work was barely handed out and I can’t even describe the testing environment. Students taking pictures of the test and sending it to the class so everyone would get a good grade. Lunch was packed, as some students had to sit on the floor, we had three separate lunch periods and every single one was crowded or over filled. Students would skip class and go to their friends’ classes while the other teacher allowed it. Cussing and derogatory phrases were used unconsciously from students, but from teachers as well. Admittedly,  I was a part of a lot of these  misbehaviors, but being around it so much you’re bound to pick up on some of the bad habits exhibited. In terms of basketball, I was averaging 25 points with no offers and no schools in my phone. My game wasn’t polished enough, as I played like an inner city Brooklyn kid. A chip on my shoulder with ill regard to how anyone feels including coaches. I would quickly learn how detrimental this would be to getting a college offer.

   As a 5”9 junior in high school it was beginning to be crunch time, me and my dad had a lot of thinking to do. We started reaching out to prep schools , hoping for a better opportunity as far as academics and of course basketball. Perkiomen School  came up through a basketball influencer my dad knew. I ended up going on a visit, they interviewed me on the academic side and then I had a basketball workout with the head coach. You could tell just by the visit the maturing I would have to do, many little things that made  the school better than my previous school . A quick week after my visit we applied and told the coach I was ready to make the jump. When going prep the school advises for students to reclassify, which is doing the same grade over again. Most people think it’s just for sports, however that’s not true it’s actually my guidance counselor who would end up being a person I will have by my side for life’s idea. It’s to get an extra year to adjust to rigorous academics prep school has to offer, obviously it also helps in recruiting and getting an extra year to play on a high level for college coaches to see. I jumped back to the class of 2021 and began my repeat junior year as a perkiomen school panther. Going into it I was very nervous, skeptical, and uncertain. Little did I know how different the environment would truly be , but also how  influential and promising this school would be for me, and those I love most.

   From the jump you can see how rigorous not just the academics were , but the school as a whole. We had a suit and tie dress code and consequences would occur without following such rules. I was always a disciplined kid so it took little time for me to acclimate to the boarding school lifestyle, such as workouts at 6 in the morning, breakfast, school, then practice, then homework that was college level work. There were no shortcuts in this school, you got  what you put in. My use of slang, and non dictionary words were ridiculed by teachers and staff. The sagging of my pants was sought after vigorously, and procrastination got thrown out the window all in the span of a couple months. The school is so diverse, and brought me together with people I would have never thought would be my friends. So many different cultures and ways of thinking about things really enhanced my knowledge on many different things. It’s a college prep school , so juggling basketball and school was not easy, however I was never the type to back down from a challenge though, my actions came up to par and I ended up having a great year and  season as a junior.

There’s pros and cons to all situations in this world, and of course in my situation there were many. Brooklyn made me have to carry myself so confidently, as if I was untouchable. Show no weakness in no shape or form, I’ve been in many fights, suspended from school and even got jumped. Dieruff high school resembles all these things, so my attitude and the way I carried  myself never really changed. I’ve never been a yes man type of guy , but was never a tough guy either. Growing up that’s the image I had to portray, at Dieruff it was the same thing if I didn’t want to get taken advantage of or looked at as a target. At Perkiomen I was more of myself, which is a mixture of both. A very articulate prominent speaker, approachable person, fun to be around, teachable and coachable. I stood out as a student athlete at the school, and the school instilled morals in me I will keep for the rest of my life. The school’s motto is “Risk becoming your best” you can associate that with anything you do in life, not just school and basketball. Making Dieruff sound like the worst high school ever is not my intention, actually the school helped me in ways as well. Dieruff high school taught me to go get what you want as nothing is given to you, especially in a small inner city school like that. It gave me grit and a sort of mental toughness that only comes from experience. I still to this day cherish some of the friendships I made, and on the basketball side my confidence grew astronomically in my years as a dieruff husky , as I was able to hone in my skills and really be able to take my talents to the next level.

   Honestly though just like most things, there were negatives to prep school too not as much as my old school but there are cons in everything. As a boarding high school student you lack the freedom of a day student who travels back and forth. Living with roommates you have to share bathrooms and have less privacy then in your own home. It made me more selfless and caring for others though, which is also an important trait for a young man. Having a bedtime with teachers checking up to see if you’re sleeping could get annoying too, especially once I turned 18 and was a thriving young man. Of course the worst of all is being away from family , especially my mom and little siblings who I’m supposed to be there for. The end goal though however is to take care of them, and prep school was a step to getting me to that goal.

  Public school and prep school differ in many ways, however both played pivotal roles in my life and have excelled me to get where I am today. I have taken mindsets and actions from both places and learned how to balance out the two to make me a respectable young man. I am now a division 1 basketball player with a free education and a mind to learn. As I get older neither of places will ever leave my heart or mind, I am forever embedded in both discourse.

HR: None