At The Children’s School, our eighth graders are the leaders of our pack. Throughout their time at TCS, they’ve honed their leadership skills to become role models for our younger students, while inspiring them with their courage, curiosity, and commitment to our community values.
TCS doesn’t simply prepare students for the next academic step; we launch lifelong learners, empowered advocates, and future leaders. Our graduates leave with more than just a strong academic foundation—they carry a love of learning, the confidence to voice their ideas, and the resilience to tackle challenges head-on. They are ready to thrive at their next right-fit school and make meaningful contributions to the world.
As we celebrate the Class of 2025, we honor their unique journeys, their growth as leaders, and the lasting impact they’ve made on our community. Their reflections showcase the heart of a TCS education: a blend of academic challenge, joyful learning, and the development of compassionate, engaged citizens.
Meet the remarkable individuals who have led the way and are now ready to embark on their next academic journey.
Audrey Brasfield
High School: The New School
Q: How would you like to contribute to making the world a better place?
A: By taking part in activism, protesting, and spreading the word about different problems in the world.
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: I learned how to plan for the future while also being in the moment. This helped me stay on top of my homework and projects.
Q: What is your favorite TCS memory?
A: The 6th grade, whitewater camping trip
Q: When you look back on TCS in later years, what will you remember the most?
A: I will most likely remember the friends I made and the camping trips.
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The importance of play in learning.
Austin Brownlee
High School: Midtown High School
Q: How would you like to contribute to making the world a better place?
A: By doing what I can, when I can, to help to the world
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: An important thing I learned was that being yourself is always better.
Q: How has TCS prepared you for high school?
A: I think TCS has prepared me by showing me that some things are not okay and to stand up for yourself.
Q: Who has inspired you? Why?
A: One person who has inspired me is my dad. He works extremely hard and does so much for my family.
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The campus
Chandler Docka
High School: Mount Vernon School
Q: What advice do you have for next year’s graduates?
A: To make most of the little things in your last year in middle grades and take advantage of opportunities.
Q: What is a value or belief that’s important to you?
A: I believe in making others smile.
Q: How has TCS prepared you for high school?
A: I have learned about time management and priorities.
Q: What is your favorite TCS memory?
A: My favorite TCS memories have been playing all the sports TCS has to offer. Whether we win or lose, it’s always been a fun team experience.
Q: When you look back on TCS in later years, what will you remember the most?
A: I will definitely remember the tight-knit community and welcoming environment.
Owen Griffin
High School: The Paideia School
Q: What is a problem in the world you would like to solve?
A: I would like to solve climate change.
Q: What are values or beliefs that are important to you?
A: Respect and kindness. These will guide my life because these are the two values that I go by and make every decision with.
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: My favorite PBL was the food and culture project. I studied my ancestry and brought out some of my favorite memories of eating the food I made.
Q: When you look back on TCS in later years, what will you remember the most?
A: Making great friends and having fun with them
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The community and how the school teaches
Silas Langley
High School: Maynard Jackson High School
Q: What is a value or belief that’s important to you, and how could it guide your future actions?
A: Accept anyone. When I’m in high school these two words will help me make lots of new friends.
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: That community is everything
Q: How has TCS prepared you for high school?
A: By treating 8th grade like it’s high school
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: My favorite was probably the World Peace Game. It taught me so much about real life.
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The curriculum
Ava Lopez
High School: The Paideia School
Q: What is a problem in the world you would like to help solve?
A: World hunger
Q: What advice do you have for next year’s graduates?
A: Try your best to stay organized
Q: What’s the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: That being nice to people can do good
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: Wolf’s Den because we get to help out with the Spirit Shop
Q: When you look back on TCS in later years, what will you remember the most?
A: All the experiences with my friends
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The community and the size
A.J. Mitchell
High School: The Galloway School
Q: What is a value or belief that’s important to you, and how could it guide your future actions?
A: A value that is important to me is that you guide your own future, and I use that in my life to make decisions for me and not to please others.
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: Accept others for who they are.
Q: How has TCS prepared you for high school?
A: The BCC traits have taught me the way that a good community works.
Q: When you look back on TCS in later years, what will you remember the most?
A: I will remember the friends I made here.
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: I hope that TCS’s spirit stays the same. More specifically, I mean the way that almost everyone knows everyone else.
Isa Oakley
High School: The Paideia School
Q: How would you like to contribute to making your community or the world a better place?
A: I want to be an active member of my community contributing to important issues and being supportive. I also want to try to help the world, but I’m still working on how to do that.
Q: What advice do you have for next year’s graduates?
A: Keep being leaders of the pack supporting each other and your little buddies.
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: School should be a place where learning is fun. Play is serious learning! The sense of community here is something I’m looking for going forward.
Q: What is your favorite TCS memory?
A: Rug tufting in Kelley’s art class was so cool. Being able to create a real-life rug was an amazing experience.
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The amount of trips we take, the spirit the community brings, the leadership opportunities, and the amount of time we spend making learning fun
Maddie Paga
High School: Midtown High School
Q: What is a problem in the world you would like to help solve?
A: Reproductive rights
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: To advocate for myself
Q: What is your favorite TCS memory?
A: When we flipped in our raft
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: World Peace Game because we were learning, but also having a lot of fun
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The library
Sophie Parke
High School: Academe of the Oaks
Q: What is a problem in the world you would like to help solve?
A: Kill shelters
Q: What advice do you have for next year’s graduates?
A: Be nice to each other. You won’t be with them for long.
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: That friendship is magic
Q: When you look back on TCS in later years, what will you remember the most?
A: My friends and the teachers
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: Everything
Fiona Roerig
High School: Miss Hall’s School (MA)
Q: What is a problem in the world you would like to help solve?
A: Children Suffering- through corrupt systems.
Q: How would you like to contribute to making your community or the world a better place?
A: Better trash and recycling systems in order to lower waste
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: World Peace Game
Q: Who is one person who has inspired you?
A: Maya Angelou
Aidan Rosen
High School: Decatur High School
Q: What advice do you have for next year’s graduates?
A: Make sure that you remember this year.
Q: What is a value or belief that’s important to you, and how could it guide your future actions?
A: I believe that empathy is very important, and it can help you make better decisions.
Q: How has TCS prepared you for high school?
A: That as long as you have a goal, you won’t fail.
Q: When you look back on TCS in later years, what will you remember the most?
A: My 7th grade Algebra 1 class
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The teachers
Cruz Ruff
High School: Woodward Academy
Q: What is a value or belief that’s important to you, and how could it guide your future actions?
A: If you believe that something can happen, it will.
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: The most important thing I learned at TCS is how to be cooperative.
Q: How has TCS prepared you for high school?
A: TCS has helped me by giving me a homework load that is almost the same as high school.
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: Food and Culture. This was my favorite PBL unit because I liked how we could bring in food and try others.
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The energy
James Satterfield
High School: Academe of the Oaks
Q: What is a value or belief that’s important to you, and how could it guide your future actions?
A: One of my core values is that everyone deserves to be treated with respect as long as they respect others. This could guide my actions by influencing me to learn more about and contribute more to social activism, whether it’s the BLM movement, fighting for LGBTQIA+ rights, women’s rights, or anything else.
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: The BCC traits and how to follow them.
Q: How has TCS prepared you for high school?
A: By allowing me to take high school level classes (Algebra, Advanced Algebra)
Q: When you look back on TCS in later years, what will you remember the most?
A: My friends. My friends at TCS have helped me through some really hard times in my life, and I’m grateful for them.
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The teachers. The TCS teachers are amazing, not just from a teaching standpoint, but also from how approachable they are when you ask them for help.
Kaden Sullivan
High School: Decatur High School
Q: How would you like to contribute to making your community or the world a better place?
A: I would like to volunteer at animal shelters like the Humane Society and help prepare animals for adoption or just help keep things running.
Q: What is a value or belief that’s important to you, and how could it guide your future actions?
A: Listen to other people’s opinions no matter what. This can help guide me because it helps me realize if I’m wrong about something and see other’s perspectives fully with compassion and understanding.
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: I learned to not judge others on how they live their lives without hearing their perspective.
Q: When you look back on TCS in later years, what will you remember the most?
A: I will remember the accepting teachers and overall community.
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: I hope the engaging classes and projects stay the same.
Archer Wood
High School: The Paideia School
Q: What is a value or belief that’s important to you, and how could it guide your future actions?
A: One of my beliefs is that everyone should be happy, and I want to be able to do work in the future that’ll make people happy.
Q: What is the most important thing you learned at TCS?
A: Being able to advocate for myself and others
Q: How has TCS prepared you for high school?
A: TCS has challenged me appropriately, and has given me many opportunities to grow and socialize.
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: My favorite TCS PBL unit is the Element Project. It had so many different parts that let us do the thing that we are good at and some of the things we need to grow on.
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The project-based learning
Charlie Wood
High School: The Paideia School
Q: What is a value or belief that’s important to you, and how could it guide your future actions?
A: That everyone deserves a fair chance at life regardless of their origin gender or skin color. Only judge them on their past decisions, and it will help me give everyone a fair chance.
Q: How has TCS prepared you for high school?
A: It has given me the tools I need to get through the rest of my life.
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: The World Peace Game because we had full control over our decisions.
Q: When you look back on TCS in later years, what will you remember the most?
A: The friendships I made along the way
Q: What do you hope remains the same at TCS?
A: The welcoming community.
Jordan Zackery
High School: Benjamin E. Mays High School
Q: What is a problem in the world you would like to help solve?
A: Helping Black and Brown people get into prestigious colleges
Q: How would you like to contribute to making your community or the world a better place?
A: being able to open up programs to help (Black and Brown people get into prestigious colleges)
Q: What is a value or belief that’s important to you, and how could it guide your future actions?
A: Having trust in yourself
Q: How has TCS prepared you for high school?
A: Helped me prepare for the interviewing process
Q: What’s your favorite TCS PBL unit and why?
A: In fourth grade, we did an eco-city which was fun to create because we had to be put in the shoes of people who actually start up towns and businesses.
