Below are testimonials that describe student experiences at Spring Street. 

Wesley Rich (Graduating Senior)

I was asked to give Spring Street one word to define the school and I have to go with “Faculty.”  

Spring Street is the sum of its faculty.  I have attended Spring Street since 7th grade and I’ve completed many, many assignments…  not because I wanted to,  but just because of my respect for my teachers… I didn’t want to let them down.  Every student works harder when they know their teacher wants to see them succeed as much or more than the student does. 

I have had such a support system from the Spring Street faculty that I feel like I could depend on any one of them for help. Spring Street teachers make the students feel like they are not an authority figure that they have to look up to, but rather a friend or mentor to help their students achieve their goals. 

One of the many appeals of Spring Street is the potential to get plenty of attention from your teachers.  But students can only get solid one-on-one assistance from the teachers if the teachers are willing to provide it.  With the incredible faculty that Spring Street has accumulated I always felt like I could depend on the teachers to help me.  

Most of the Spring Street staff has been excellent and I have to be careful name-dropping a few because I know I will leave others out.  But I do want to mention some who influenced my Spring Street experience so much. 

The first teacher I met at Spring Street when I visited in fifth grade, was Kate.  Can there possibly be a better ambassador for the school than Kate?  Thank you, Kate!!

Jeff was always someone I could count on to help me with homework, get help on a project, and just talk to in general. His patience with how I operate in the classroom is something for which I am beyond grateful. 

Another significant faculty influence on me is Heather.  Heather defines patience, and God knows she’s needed it at times with me.   When someone like Heather cares about you as much as Heather cares about me there’s no way you can let that person down.

I’ve been lucky enough to work with Mike Schemmel every year I’ve been here, as my teacher and advisor.  The Mike classes I have taken were all structured very well and have made me feel like I was prepared to write an excellent paper.  But that’s not the only reason Mike is one of my favorite faculty members.  I respect Mike so much because I know how fair he is.  Mike too has been very patient with me.  

One teacher that I will never forget is Robert, although he does not work at Spring Street anymore, which is very sad.  He’ll always be one of my favorite faculty members. Robert’s passion for math and physics made all of us excited for…  math and physics. Losing Robert was a blow but I was lucky to have him as a teacher. 

Another amazing influence on my life has been Jen.  Jen helped me so much on my college journey that I truly do not think I could ever pay her back.  She spent hours investigating and reaching out to schools on my behalf.  She provided many suggestions on how to best handle my application process.  Most importantly, she was absolutely determined to give me the best chance of getting into the schools I was considering.  Jen’s hard work alone gives Spring Street a leg up compared to other schools. 

I write about these six teachers not to say the other members of the faculty are less impactful, but to give examples of the power of having an excellent faculty and how much a really good teacher can affect the overall experience a student has. 

This Spring I was lucky enough to have been accepted at 11 universities. Without my parents’ support, my own efforts, and the great efforts of my teachers… well, also Linnea (!)  this would not have happened. I feel very fortunate.  

Thank you very much Spring Street for knowing that everything starts with your faculty, resulting in an incredible educational experience.  And of course a sincere thank you to all my teachers. 

Emma Defreest (Graduating Senior)

My word for Spring Street is: unconventional. I moved to Spring Street International school in my sophomore year from Bellingham High school. In Bellingham, I had the typical high school experience: large lunch rooms, long lines of unfamiliar faces at the vending machines, football games full of popcorn flying through the air and plastic fold up chairs doused in sticky red sugary drinks. It was a large school, easy to get lost in. Every time I walked down the hallway, there were new faces that kept their eyes on the ground. For the first couple weeks, I smiled at other students. Apparently this isn’t something you do because I got strange looks from people and then their eyes fluttered back down to the ground. I understand; high school is the time in everyone’s life where changes and uncertainties are inevitable, but I wanted to smile.

Quickly I learned the norms of high school, and kept my eyes on my feet walking through the halls class to class.  

We moved to San Juan island partly because of Spring Street, and partly because we fell in love with the place. I mean, how could you not?

People at Spring Street don't behave like those just at any other school. When I visited, people introduced themselves and even hugged me as I left. It was surprising in the most wonderful ways. Now, as I have attended this school for three years, I can confidently say that the parents, students, and faculty, have worked incredibly hard to create an atmosphere where people smile. 

It is sad for me to think that this type of atmosphere is unconventional for high school, but Spring Street is changing this normality not only by creating the space for support, but also forming students who want to go out into the world, raise their head, and smile. 

My experiences at Spring Street have been filled with connection, love, and support from all affiliated with the school. I have learned the value of unconventionality through card games driving to the Cascades and learning how to dispose of waste in the mountains. I have learned the value of dedication through tiny classes with teachers committed to the education of each individual student. I have learned the value of passion by traveling to areas I never would have seen without my peers and teachers, and I have learned the value of connection through all-school games sitting in each other's laps at the start of a school year.

At the beginning of every year, there is normally a camping trip to the Cascade mountains. Students pack up their usual camping gear and travel with a selected group to hike through snow, hail, and muddy terrain.  

I didn’t have “usual” camping gear. My parents and I took the gear list out to REI and collected the rest from friends and family. Once I took a field trip called “mountain camp” to Mt. Baker with my school in fifth grade.  We stayed in lodges for three days with hot water and toilets. This was the closest thing I had ever done to the Cascade trip, and they are not similar. 

There are no toilets or hot water or multiple changes of clothes or fresh food, but these were not my greatest worries. What was I going to do in such an uncomfortable environment with no one I knew well for a week? I thought I was going to be miserable. I was wrong. This trip pushed my comfort zone, a lot, but only in a healthy way. That is what Spring Street does. The school pushes students to believe in themselves and what they are capable of, and these are exactly the experiences I need to reflect on now while going off into life. 

It is unconventional for any school to have experiential education for their students. But with this education I am more confident in who I am going off to college and am ready to embrace all the adventures that come next. 

During our time with online classes, I have heard of my old friends from Bellingham losing touch with their school and everything they expected their senior year to be. Of course, I never expected my senior year to be under these circumstances either, but I am incredibly grateful for the support I have felt from Spring Street. When everything else seemed to be unstable and unreliable during the difficult times of shutdown, the people of Spring Street stayed strong. Students communicated with one another just to make sure everything was okay, and teachers were never afraid to reach out either. The community Spring Street has developed is not something that could ever dissipate easily. A world-wide pandemic has proven this. I am forever grateful for the support I felt being a part of this community.