The culture of Gone Boarding is like no other. It was as if I had a second family. When I walked into the Gone Boarding classroom, I was always overwhelmed with joy and passion. Each and every student wanted to be there and would push each other to do their best. To this day I have made some of my closest friends because of this class. There isn't a single other class in high school that made students want to learn so badly, or put them in a position to help one another. Although there were two teachers teaching every day, the classroom setting never felt forced. I never wanted to be late or miss class. I was actually excited to go to school. The connections I made in this class with both the teachers and the students are some of the strongest relationships I have ever made. However, I did not only make connections with the students in my class. Every student who goes through the Gone Boarding program is automatically part of one of the best families ever. It's almost like its own tight knit community. At any point I could reach out to a Gone Boarding student and they would be ecstatic to help out. This is not something most high school students can say.

To me schools are creativity killers. Students never get the freedom to experiment and discover new things on their own. This was what I thought until I took Gone Boarding. Gone Boarding was the opposite of school for me. The more creative you were, the better and more support you received. Not only from teachers but from other students as well. I actually got to witness students inspiring one another. Not only did Gone Boarding help develop students' creativity, but it also helped students feel accomplished. Working on a project from start to finish is one of the most rewarding feelings. Especially when you are passionate about completing the project. This class finally gives students the ability to work on something they are truly interested in. Students are opened up to a whole new world of possibilities.