Meet Beaver student Olivia Garrity '28 - Beaver Country Day School

What is life like as a Beaver student? We interviewed several students across all grades—from middle school to senior year—to get a peek into the Beaver student experience. Below you’ll hear from Olivia Garrity—a rising sophomore. Olivia shares about how she found community through sports, writing a children’s book for her Student Directed Project, and what she’s looking forward to in the upcoming year.

Congrats on finishing freshman year! What does your upcoming year look like?
I am participating in field hockey for the second time this upcoming season. Field hockey felt like a community of people who shared a common interest with me, and I felt like our team had a strong bond, especially when I was a new student at the school. I started lacrosse last year, which I enjoyed a lot. I am doing ceramics this year to pursue my interest further in 3D art. I am also in a social psychology class, which is a new subject for me and one that I found interesting to sign up for.

The first day of 9th grade can be intimidating. What were some things you were nervous about? How did you overcome them?
I was intimidated by not knowing any of the kids and not being an existing student. I overcame this by putting in effort to talk to as many people from different places in Beaver as possible to find people I wanna be friends with and going out of my comfort zone to do so and to be more confident.

What activities at Beaver helped you find community and feel a sense of belonging?
I found a sense of belonging in field hockey given that everyone were very nice, supportive, and welcoming people. Field hockey preseason was when I officially met a lot of people at Beaver, and the team’s existing connection and sympathy helped me feel like I was already just a part of the team as they were. I also felt like I belonged in lacrosse because everyone was very helpful and supportive, even though I had never played the sport before.

What would you say is the BEST part of Beaver?
My favorite part of Beaver is that the school lets you find independence in yourself regarding exploring topics other schools might not give you the time or opportunity to do.

I think Beaver prepares students well for the real world, where they can find their passions and have lots of choice in what they want to do.
Olivia Garrity '28

What’s a class you took or a project you worked on that you really enjoyed?
My SDP, student-directed project, was a project I enjoyed working on. I love that Beaver gives the students the opportunity and time to do a project about anything a student is passionate about. I wrote a children’s book and read it to a Pre-K class, and the book’s success went farther than I thought it would, and that made me feel even more proud of that SDP.

Could you share a bit about a teacher who has made an impact on your experience?
I felt as though Mr Eaton has made an impact on my experience with his nice and helpful personality. He has been one of my favorite teachers so far.

Time for some rapid-fire questions!