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National Merit Finalist Alec Harvey '22 Builds Confidence and Academic Foundation at High Meadows
National Merit Scholarship Finalist and High Meadows School graduate Alec Harvey '22 longs for a conversation with the four co-founders of High Meadows School & Camp. “I’d like to thank them,” he said, his voice full of emotion as he reflected on his time at the school. “I want to say thank you for the opportunity to be on a campus where we could learn by being outside and playing with our friends. It was all fun and made learning exciting, which continued to help me in the long run. It put me in the position I am in today.”
Alec is a high school senior at The Walker School in nearby Marietta and plans to major in mathematics at Georgia Tech. That’s no small feat, and his passion began in Dr. Babiar’s math class. “I took Dr. Babiar’s class in seventh and eighth grade,” he recalled. “That’s really what made me enjoy math. I had a chance to keep doing math at a strong level. She was an amazing teacher.”
That same excitement Alec felt for math carried over — even to homework. It’s rare to hear the words ‘enjoy’ and ‘homework’ in the same sentence — but not for Alec. “I appreciated the way homework was introduced,” he reflected. “It was light at first, but in eighth grade, Mr. Wolf’s class helped me more than anything.”
Mr. Wolf is a favorite teacher of many alumni and is also known for difficult assignments that prepare students to succeed in high school and college. That’s true for Alec. “I learned how to be prepared and do outlines; even today, I still use those methods,” he shared.
Outside the classroom, Alec played on the High Meadows Hawks basketball team and immediately got involved in student life at Walker. On Friday nights, if you attend a Walker football game, you’ll hear his voice booming over the stadium speakers as the public address announcer. He is also a member of The Walker School’s varsity baseball team.
Academically, he was named a National Merit Scholarship Finalist due to his performance on the PSAT/NMSQT, as well as essay writing.
“I was prepared for this by being ready academically as I moved from High Meadows to Walker. The teachers helped me succeed and taught me to speak up for myself. Even as early as fifth and sixth grade, unlike a lot of people, I knew I could go up to my teachers and talk to them. I am confident speaking to large crowds. My confidence when talking to people is a great skill I honed at HMS.”
Alec spent kindergarten through eighth grade at High Meadows School and says that going to HMS is the best decision a family can make. For Early Years and Lower Years families, he says that students will “have a tremendous amount of fun” and love learning across campus and in traditional classroom spaces rather than sitting at a desk all day.
He remembers time with friends on the Meadow and writing books in kindergarten as early core memories. “Your child is going to enjoy their time and still get the learning experience. Everything I remember about early years was just pure fun,” he said with a beaming smile, recalling the friends he made and the joy, wonder, and connection to nature he experienced when exploring the woods, meadows, and forests.
Alec knows firsthand that the Middle Years curriculum and faculty provide students with the toolkit to succeed in high school. “High Meadows is a great way to set you up for success. The teachers are going to be supportive . . . you will find a way to succeed at High Meadows.”
Would your child benefit from an experience like Alec’s rooted in curiosity, joy, and lasting academic growth? Schedule a visit to see how learning unfolds across the Meadow, in the woods, and in classrooms where discovery is part of every day.
The High Meadows community celebrates and perpetuates each individual’s quest for knowledge and skill, sense of wonder, and connection to the natural environment. We empower each to be a compassionate, responsible, and active global citizen.
Age 3 through Grade 8 | Authorized IB PYP World School
1055 Willeo Road, Roswell, Georgia 30075 | (770) 993-2940 | info@highmeadows.org
1055 Willeo Road, Roswell, Georgia 30075 | (770) 993-2940 | info@highmeadows.org
