GARRISON FOREST SCHOOL
TY’SHEA and CATHERINE, seniors at Garrison Forest, call themselves “partners in crime” when describing their roles as President and Vice-President of Forum, the school’s student government. They have already begun rallying school spirit and support from their classmates and look forward to a great year. Ty’Shea balances this responsibility with dance, basketball, Black Student Alliance and Students for Diversity Council. Catherine, who came to GFS in the ninth grade, also heads Model U.N., participates in One Love and plays three varsity sports.
How do you feel that you best represent your school?
Ty’Shea: I think that the obvious way I show up for my community on campus is through the active leadership positions I always go for and I appreciate those positions the most because it shows how much trust the community and my peers have in me. I also believe another way I show up to represent Garrison is by being my authentic self on and off campus. I make an effort to be my most open and vulnerable self, to an extent, with the goal of fostering relationships and safe spaces around me, which is important because I believe in contributing to the growth and prosperity of every single community I am a part of.
Catherine: I feel that I best represent my school by being involved in various parts of the GFS community. By participating on our sports teams, clubs and leadership positions, I am able to embrace the GFS spirit by trying new things and taking risks by putting myself out there.
What tradition or experience did your school make a point of continuing despite being on lockdown?
Ty’Shea: I think an important one is Grizzly Gathering. Grizzly Gathering is our all school meeting where we all get to come together for announcements, updates, and just overall school bonding. It was completely virtual but I still deeply appreciated the chance to hear from students I didn’t know well, teachers I didn’t get the chance to learn from, and our head of school relatively often. Little things like school and group meetings really made the virtual experience feel less isolated, which is a vital part of online learning.
Catherine: Garrison made it a priority to continue many of its traditions despite the difficulties of this past year. Vespers, the passing of the torch of leadership from the senior to junior class, was just one of our many traditions. Modified to fit space and capacity requirements, the senior and junior classes were able to uphold the longstanding sentimental tradition that has been present for generations.
Do you have a favorite place on campus?
Ty’Shea: My absolute favorite place on campus is the dance studio. This is my favorite place because I was able to find a new love and creative outlet in the studio. Mrs. Heather, our dance teacher, has always been a role model, mentor, and school mom for me since I came to Garrison and she is part of the reason I began dancing. Beyond the actual act, the dance studio allows us dancers to form bonds across grades, identities, and personalities. We’ve formed a dance family and anyone even remotely involved in dance knows, once you’re in the family, you’re in it for life. It is these little coalitions that truly makes the Garrison experience unique and I so deeply love the openness with which we accept each other regardless of our differences and dancing capabilities. While I’m not in the studio as much as I’d like to be, it is definitely like a second home and a true safe haven on campus.
Catherine: My favorite place on campus is the adirondack chairs outside the Meadowood dorm. This is the perfect central spot to work on homework, hang out with friends and just take a break. I think Garrison has the most beautiful campus in Baltimore and there are many places like this where you are able to truly soak in the beauty of Garrison.
What teacher/coach/mentor has made the biggest impact on you?
Ty’Shea: There are too many people who have truly changed my life at GFS to just pick one but for the sake of the prompt I will express my gratitude and admiration for Mrs. Anderson. She was one of the first people I bonded with at Garrison in the sixth grade. While I wasn’t necessarily shy, transitioning to Garrison from a public school was a huge adjustment for me and Mrs. Anderson made the process so much easier. She helped me find my voice on campus through leadership, she introduced me to diversity and inclusion conferences that I now attend yearly, she helped me secure a highly selective scholarship, and made Garrison feel like home. She showed up for me on campus when I needed it most and she set me on the path to becoming the active and ambitious member of the GFS community that I am today. I will forever be grateful that she is in my life and I deeply appreciate every single thing she has done for me thus far.
Catherine: Ms. Corbin, one of the upper school history teachers, has made the biggest impact on me and my Garrison experience. She has taught me for the past two years in three different classes, teaching me how to be curious, think deeper and ask questions. Her commitment to well-rounded learning and encouraging students to push themselves further, has helped me discover my passions and explore topics from diverse perspectives.
If you had to give one piece of advice to your younger/ lower school self, what would it be?
Ty’Shea: As cliché as it sounds, I would tell myself to simply be myself. Adjusting to a predominantly white private school as a Black girl from a mostly Black public school was extremely difficult for a number of reasons, mainly socially. I’d tell myself to stand firm in my identity and to find those who appreciated me for who I was and everything else would fall into place. I feel as though it took me a while to put myself out into the community in the way I do now because of barriers I put up around myself and I would tell my younger self to be empowered enough to fully occupy the space I earned at Garrison.
Catherine: If I had to give one piece of advice to my younger self it would be not to be afraid to try new things and meet new people. Putting yourself out there is so rewarding and coming to Garrison has really taught me how to take risks and try new things.
