I am an eighth-grader. I have been at Bay Farm since kindergarten, and I really love this school. I chose to stay at Bay Farm for middle school because I thought it would be a wonderful learning opportunity that will help me in high school and above.

Bay Farm is ranked one of the top schools in the Bay Area. It has a very high-quality teaching staff and provides an amazing education. The middle school is no different. The original sixth-grade teachers, Mrs. Reynolds and Mrs. Oducayen, along with our principal, Mrs. Freitas, hand picked the seventh-grade and eighth-grade staff. In my opinion, they couldn’t have chosen more wisely.

Since our middle school is so small and has currently only five teachers, the students are able to get a better education. How? Students are able to go to the teachers and ask for help personally. Our teachers know every student and their strengths and weaknesses. The teachers can really help improve every student. Other middle school teachers have about 160 students passing through their class on a daily basis, while our staff only has about 50 or so. This is one of the main reasons I stayed.

Passing through each class and grade, I really got to know each of the teachers very well. This made them more approachable and made learning more fun. There was never a time that I felt that I couldn’t talk to one of the teachers on campus because I thought they were too shrouded in mystery.

One drawback I can potentially see is the small number of kids who stay for each grade. Over time, students connect with each other, but those who stay for the full three years could get bored with the same students they see every day. However, this hasn’t been a problem for me. As the middle school program grows, there will be more students filtering in, so the middle school could possibly have almost 200 students someday.

The middle school has really grown as a community over the years. Students are able to communicate with one another and get to make decisions concerning the welfare of the middle school. We now have our own student-run leadership that will help the middle school family stay connected.

I really love Bay Farm. It’s been my home for almost nine years, and I am very glad they decided to install a middle school. Now, I feel as though I will be very prepared for high school next year and won’t fall behind. I am very confident, thanks to Bay Farm.

Rowan Esquer is the editor-in-chief of The Dolphin Tail. Her editorial represents the collective opinion of The Dolphin Tail newspaper staff and does not intend to represent the views of any other person or persons, including Bay Farm School and its staff or administration, or the Alameda Unified School District. Opinion submissions from Bay Farm’s school community, staff and students (of all grades) are welcome and will be considered; send to the editor at BayFarmDolphinTail@gmail.com.