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Selected Excerpts from "Writing Letters of Recommendation"

Silvia:

Silvia Morconi has been a student at the Academy School since grade six. She came to us engaged and conscientious, but by ninth grade went through some growing pains, which manifested themselves in a variety of ways including weaker academic performance. She is rallying now, returning to her focus on learning. Happily, the past two years have proven a period of significant growth for her.

With a fresh interest in her studies, Silvia has chosen to take a course at a local college in mathematics. The commute is lengthy, the challenge, praiseworthy. We find Silvia fulfilling her academic potential and fully focused on her future plans to study science and math in order to pursue a career in engineering.

David:

David Nguyen is a very bright student, and a talented young man with an earnest and inquiring nature. He is an eloquent speaker and writer, and thinks critically and deeply “in the moment”. Though his transcript shows uneven performance in the past, we have witnessed tremendous growth this year. Teachers have been very impressed with the strides he has made. In the past, David had greater than expected difficulty with some elements of his academic experiences, particularly in his ability to complete work on time. He has overcome this and has shown strength in organizational skills and thoroughness in his work. We see his previous lack of assignment completion as a result of his perfectionist style. Now he has turned this around had does beautiful, meticulous, thorough work.

Katherine:

Because Katherine always puts in her best effort, even for subjects that are not her favorites, her teachers have the highest regard for her. She knows how to focus on the work at hand, sift out the substance, and then integrate it into a broader framework. She is a serious student with a whimsical side to her personality. Teachers consistently say that she is great fun to have in class, with her unique sense of humor and an unparalleled ability to spin tales about her adventures. Sometimes dramatic, sometimes funny, Katherine has been known to bring a crowd to tears!

Katherine is sincere, cheerful and truly unaffected. Her sense of wonder and joy helps others to also take more time and see things in new and uncommon ways. A visual artist and student of dance, Katherine has discipline and enormous amounts of energy. She has taken numerous courses at a local museum of modern art and also commuted to the capital for two semesters to continue her studies at the Art Institute. She knows how to maximize her time and never forgets to enjoy herself.