OES Spotlight: Joe S. ’25

Joe S. ’25 has attended OES since he was in pre-K, and on Saturday, June 14, 2025, he will graduate. The time has flown by. “I appreciate everything OES has done for me and my family in the past 15 years,” Joe said. “My family and I just love this school.”

One of Joe’s biggest loves is basketball. He also played soccer and sampled lacrosse and golf, but basketball is his favorite sport. “I’ve played basketball my whole life and at OES since sixth grade, the first year they offer it as a school sport. I’ve been in the OES basketball community for quite a while.”

He will take the valuable skills he learned from basketball with him as he moves on with his education.

“I learned a lot about teamwork and leadership from basketball. During my freshman and sophomore years, I learned a lot about being on a team and following great leadership through my captains. And I guess, growing up with an older brother [Sam ’23] helped me develop my leadership and responsibility skills.

“Then, being a captain my junior and senior years definitely helped me evolve as an overall leader. It helped me find my voice, and I learned a lot from that experience. I would say basketball has taught me a lot about how I can operate in the world through using my voice with power,” Joe said. (And congratulations to Joe, who just received the 2025 Athletics Award for Boys at the Upper School awards assembly on June 12!)

As far as school subjects go, a favorite has been history. “I think the history classes we have in the Upper School are very interesting. “Our teachers are very professional and some of the best history teachers I could ask for, like CT Henry, who makes you a better writer, and you learn a lot in his class,” he shared.

Mathematics is another favorite subject of Joe’s. “Even though I am not the best at it, I just feel like it makes the most sense to me. This year, I did statistics and calculus, which were both very fun. I learned a lot, but they are very difficult classes for sure!”

Among his favorite OES memories is the 2023 Winterim, when he went to Costa Rica. “We had a great time, and it kind of revolved around sports, which was really cool. We got to play soccer with some younger kids, which was fun. I’ve never had an experience in a foreign country like that.”

Joe said that class trips also stand out as favorite memories, starting with overnights in the younger grades, and then getting more challenging in the upper grades.

“One thing I think the Upper School does very well is at the beginning of each year, each class takes their own trip, which is a great way to connect with your class, and meet new people that you don't usually talk to,” he said. “Those are definitely some of my best memories of high school, especially this last senior trip at the beginning of the year. I had a lot of fun with my friends and got to spend time with people I didn’t know as well, and teachers. Being able to connect with your teachers on a more personal level is really great to have.”

What advice would he give to students who are coming up behind him at OES?

“Cherish the time that you have in high school and don’t take it for granted,” he said. “You are really lucky to have the faculty that you do. Not a lot of other schools have the college counseling that we do, which is a huge bonus and very helpful. Don’t take anything too fast, and don't take anything too seriously. Make sure to have some fun. And just enjoy it while it lasts!”