Undoubtedly, AHS has changed us all. For most of us, it means more than an education; it means friendship and tears (sometimes for better, and sometimes for worse). Most importantly, it has changed the way students approach their world, and themselves. For me, I have learned that the best classroom is that which hosts a variety of informed and diverse perspectives. The way in which I define myself and how I interact with my peers has been transformed as a result of AHS. I am not the only one who feels that way, however. Here are five manners in which AHS has changed the perspectives, and lives, of various students:

GOING TO PUBLIC SCHOOL

Senior Marwa Eltahir, an IB Diploma candidate who is taking full advantage of the coursework AHS has to offer, has certainly felt change. “Throughout middle school and elementary school I went to private school. So when I came to AHS, it was a great shift in terms of my education.” During her private school education, Eltahir had not been exposed to the variety of perspectives that pervade the classroom discussions and halls of AHS. “Going to a public school has had a large impact on the way I view relationships with different people. Not just in terms of ethnic diversity, but also in terms of intellectual diversity. There are so many different types of people, and having the opportunity to have them as my peers has given me a chance to change my prospects for the future,” Eltahir said. For many students like Eltahir, AHS has not only changed their present perspectives, but also how they plan to deal with that which lies ahead of them.

LEARNING ABOUT DIVERSITY

Junior Kaitlin Martindale said, “The environment at AHS is so diverse that I always feel as if everyone accepts each other for who they are.” Martindale’s sentiment is not uncommon. In a school in which 57 languages are spoken in the halls, it is difficult to feel strange. “AHS has made me feel more open to people. With all the different types of cultures and types of people it’s easy for people to accept you,” Martindale said.

OPENING TO WORLD VIEW

“Being in a diverse school and in a productive learning environment that offers difficult classes has changed me on an intellectual basis. I feel like every class I have taken at AHS has changed me little by little. This is true whether it has been when I’m sitting in IB Anthropology learning about Ju’Hoansi culture, or learning new ways to study and memorize the periodic table in chemistry,” senior Raheemah Tauhidi said. Tauhidi’s self-awareness has been most affected by the classroom instruction she has received during her tenure at AHS. “Every day, the lessons that I was able to comprehend have somehow changed my way of thinking, studying and some of my opinions,” Tauhidi said. “Each of my teachers have different teaching styles, values, and their own experiences which they bring into the classroom. It has all affected me and has changed my way of thinking in a classroom setting,” Tauhidi said.

MOVING TO NEW HOME

AHS has also provided a place in which new students can feel welcomed and at home. Junior Lailumah Faisal said, “AHS has changed me as a person entirely. When I first moved here a couple years ago, I was really quiet. Now if you meet me I’m much more open and loud!”  The vibrant student population has changed the way in which Faisal views herself and approaches the world around her. “The thing that made me like this was the students at AHS. We’re not exactly the most timid school out there, in a good way. I wouldn’t change a thing,” Faisal said.

MAKING LEADERS 

“I used to be very shy and reserved, but I built more confidence as high school went by. I would never raise my hand in class because I feared speaking to large groups of people. Now, I enjoy voicing my opinions and contributing ideas,” senior Ashley Lok said. Lok is an executive board member of the Class of 2013 at AHS, and has had the opportunity to lead one of the most diverse classes in FCPS. For Lok, the lasting impact AHS will leave on her life will be her approach to leading others. “I don’t have a problem with public speaking anymore because the teachers and students at Annandale are so friendly,” Lok said.