Blog

A Day In The Life Of An Alzar School Student

Alzar School | 07.04.21

Alzar School offers high school sophomores and juniors the opportunity of a lifetime to study, explore and grow during a semester of their teenage educational years. Prior to attending Alzar School, life looked very different for many students; some remark on how their classes this past year were a hybrid of in-person and online, alternating throughout the week, while others have been studying solely online. For those of us who are curious about what a day in the life of an Alzar School student, here are little snippets from three current students.

Charlie

Sending School: Highland Park High School

Hometown: Highland Park, IL

What did your school days look like before coming to Alzar School?

This past year we had online classes, so I would be on the computer for 8-9 hours each day and I would try and go for a run halfway through the day. Alzar School is the first time I’ve had in-person classes since mid-March 2020. On a typical day, I usually wake up early and do my homework before school. School started around 8:00 am and I would get home around 3:00 pm. I had a busy schedule, so sometimes I would eat lunch in class.

Daily Schedule at Alzar School

7:00 am: Wake up. Take a shower and brush my teeth.
7:25: Breakfast. My favorite has been french toast.
8:25: Classes start
- Class schedule: Pre Calc, Spanish III Honors, AP US History, English Honors, Outdoor Adventure, Capstone Leadership, Chemistry Honors.
11:55: Lunch Time. My favorite lunch has been the dahl curry with naan.
4:30pm: Classes end
4:40: Afternoon Activity
6:20: Dinner circle
6:30: Dinner
7:10: Community tasks and clean up
7:30: Study Hall
9:20: Free time
9:45: Get ready for bed. Brush teeth
10:00: Yurt check-in and lights out
11:00 pm: Bedtime

My Favorite Part Of My Day

I enjoy the different activities with my friends like playing spikeball, hanging out and talking with everyone, and meeting new people.

Where I’m Headed After High School

I would like to take a GAP year. Traveling to Tajikistan has been on my list. I want to explore the Pamir Mountain Range. They are very remote and have one of the largest populations of nomadic people. It would be really cool to backpack through that area and explore the culture. I would also like to visit the Wakhan Corridor (a narrow strip of territory in Afghanistan, extending to China and separating Tajikistan from Pakistan and Kashmir) and see the different cultural influences in that area. I don’t know where I want to go to college yet but I have a lot of interests in either climate activism, politics, or academia and early education.

Martine

Sending School: Montclair Kimberly Academy

Hometown: Montclair, NJ

What did your school days look like before coming to Alzar School?

We had a hybrid schedule, so I would go to school every other day and have online classes the other days. My school operated off of a block schedule, so that means we had four, 70-minute classes each day. My schedule was pretty laid back because some days I only had classes for half the day or a couple of hours. It was also the same schedule and activities each day.

Daily Schedule at Alzar School

7:15 am: Wake up and brush teeth
7:25: Breakfast. My favorite is the pancakes with strawberries.
8:00: Back to the yurt and get ready for classes. Wash face and get dressed.
8:25: Classes start
- Class schedule: AP English, AP Calculus, AP Spanish, Physics Honors, US History Honors, Capstone Leadership, and Outdoor Adventure (similar to PE class. Running is my favorite activity to do for that class).
Lunch: Depending on the day, lunch would either be at 11:10 am or 12:05 pm.
4:30 pm: Classes are over. Head back to the yurt for a quick snack.
4:40: Meet at the traffic circle for Afternoon Activity. Afternoon activity ranges from learning how to use a whisperlite stove, practicing tying knots, setting up a tent, kayaking, yurt cleaning, or a rest day.
6:20: Dinner circle. Usually consists of announcements about schedule changes, group tasks, etc. We then go around and give gratitudes to everyone or give thanks to anyone in the community. During Black History Month, we gave gratitudes to unknown black heroes.
6:30: Dinner
7:10: Community tasks and clean up
7:30: Study Hall
9:20: Free time
9:45: Get ready for bed. Brush teeth.
10:00 pm: Yurt check-in and lights out

My Favorite Part Of My Day

Mealtimes. I like mealtimes because you can sit down and eat with different people that you don’t see throughout the day or live within the yurt. People here are genuinely nice and so nice to get to know.

Where I’m Headed After High School

I want to go to college. I’m not sure what I want to study yet, but maybe Latin American Studies because Spanish is something I want to learn more and be fluent in so I can use it to travel and connect with more people. I’ve also thought about getting a business degree because math makes more sense to me and you can use a business degree in a lot of different areas. I’ve been thinking about applying to Dartmouth and Duke. Both give an outdoorsy vibe and they have good academics.

Chris

Sending School: Twin Bridges High School

Hometown: Sheridan, MT

What did your school days look like before coming to Alzar School?

We were in person every day. We all had to wear masks during COVID though. School started around 8:00 am and I would get home around 3:30 pm. Throughout the year I participated in sports such as football and track and field as well as FFA (Future Farmers of America).

Daily Schedule at Alzar School

7:18 am: Wake up and get all my yurt mates up. I’m usually the first one awake.
7:25: Breakfast. My favorite breakfast is the egg scramble. I always eat as much as I can.
8:25: Classes start
- Class schedule: Spanish I Honors, Pre Calc Functions, English Honors, Chemistry Honors, Capstone Leadership, Outdoor Adventure, US History Honors.
11:50: Lunch. My favorite lunch is macaroni and cheese with chicken nuggets.
1:00pm: More classes
2:50: Free period every day. I usually work on some homework during this time, have a meeting with my mentor, go for a run or lift weights.
4:40: Afternoon Activity. Usually something outside. This week we are going kayaking!
6:20: Dinner circle
6:30: Dinner. My favorite dinner so far has been the pork tenderloin.
7:10: Community tasks and clean up
7:30: Study Hall
9:20: Free time
9:45: Get ready for bed. Brush teeth
10:00: Yurt check-in and lights out
11:00 pm: Bedtime

My Favorite Part Of My Day

Lunch is one of my favorite times of the day because I like to eat all the good food and connect with my other classmates. My free block in the afternoon is a great time to go fishing in the river. I also like living in a yurt with other people. It’s like every night is a sleepover with your best friends.

Where I’m Headed After High School

Well first off, I want to go to a different high school next year, something a little more engaging. Alzar School has taught me a lot about myself, and now I have a different outlook on everything. Instead of always living in the future, I’m more present here. I’m looking at attending the Colorado Rocky Mountain School for a full year. But after high school, I definitely want to go to college. I would like to study either marine conservation or river conservation. I enjoy being outside a lot and I think we all need to focus more on protecting what we have. The fact that the environment in which I spend a lot of time is in jeopardy is scary. My backup plan is to work in Antarctica like my parents. My dad has worked in Antarctica for a long time and has seen the ice melting and glaciers receding first hand. I want to be able to make an impact on either the people or the climate in a good way.

Alzar School offers a unique twist on education for high school students and keeps them highly engaged due to the nature of our busy schedule. Not surprisingly, students can sometimes struggle when adapting to the fast-paced life here. However, our alumni often attest that the packed daily schedule they experience at Alzar School makes them more attuned to getting the most out of their days after returning home. An Alzar School semester is not just about living among friends and traveling through the wilderness. Alzar School is about finding how to be the best version of ourselves – filling our days to the brim with the things that help us lead happy, healthy, and meaningful lives.