Life at JTD
Student Voice

Caitlyn Gold '06

Thank You JTD

Skipping across the lawn with my friends, I pause for a moment to take in my surroundings, as a tree soaks up the sun. Before me lies the city, sparkling in the afternoon light. The ocean shines like a gem in the bright light, and the mountains beyond stand strong and proud. The sun’s rays shine down upon the ground as pools of molten gold. A light breeze blows by softly, brushing against my cheek like a caress. The laughter and chatter of my fellow students drifts past me, carried on the wind. The grass sways to and fro, to and fro, as a dancer does, and the trees in the canyon rustle their leaves in accompaniment. Above me, the king of the skies, a red-tailed hawk, soars overhead, a blur of feathers, wheeling, always wheeling. When the day is done, he will make his way to his cozy nest and settle for the night. Unlike him, even when I am not at my house, I am still at home, for you see, John Thomas Dye is my second home, a place where I can relax and be myself, a place where I am me. Life is good. I sigh a sigh of utmost contentment and continue along my meandering path down to the lower field. 
When I moved to Los Angeles, I was ready to tough it out at a new school for a few years. I tried to think over every worst-case scenario so that I would not be surprised by anything. I expected school to be a torture. What I didn’t expect was to go to school every day with a smile on my face…I didn’t expect school to be fun. However, I learned quickly to live life to its utmost limit here at JTD, and I will never forget what I was taught here, by the teachers, and perhaps, more importantly, by the school itself.

From JTD, I have learned that you are who you are, and you should never be ashamed of that. It takes all sorts of people to make a school, or, for that matter, the world go round. I learned to be comfortable in my own skin, to be proud of who I am. At JTD there are many people from different backgrounds. While I am certainly not the best off at JTD, I find that that no longer matters to me. My whole life I have heard people say that, to be truly beautiful, you have to be pretty inside and out. Until now, I never really understood what that meant, but here, surrounded by many admirable people, I am starting, just beginning, to learn.

JTD, you also taught me confidence. Instead of teachers who criticized my mistakes, you have teachers who commend the things that I do correctly. Even though at JTD I have received the lowest grades of my life, my self-esteem has never been this high. I have never believed that I can do the impossible more than I do right now. With this knowing that I can reach the sky and past, you have opened up a whole new world for me.

Another lesson that I was taught here at JTD is how to be a good person. Here I have learned to value my friends and to never let anything get in the way of our friendship. From my friends I have learned how important it is to always tell the truth, whatever the consequences. I have learned how to trust others and how to be trusted. When I was first told of the 5 C’s, I thought that they were just a cheesy motto: I never actually believed that they could become a sort of code to living. Well, as they say, “live and learn”. I most certainly learned my lesson!
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The John Thomas Dye School


11414 Chalon Road
Los Angeles, CA 90049
Phone: (310) 476-2811
The John Thomas Dye School admits students of any race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other school-administered programs.

Located In Los Angeles, CA, John Thomas Dye is an independent school for grades K-6. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, fine arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.