Student Spotlight – Johari Bevington

Our final Student Spotlight for this school year is our beloved Johari Bevington. If your looking for help for a project, or help coordinating something at the school you can always count on Johari. She is by far one of the hardest working students, and we are so lucky to have her at Olney Friends School.

Johari Bevington

What is your name/preferred name? My name is Johari, but lots of people call me Jo. 

What grade are you in? I’m in 10th grade. 

How long have you attended Olney Friends School? I’ve attended Olney for two years, but I’ve been involved with the school since I was little, five I think. 

What is your most enjoyable class? What do you enjoy about It? This is such a hard question, I really Love Humanities cause Roger is the absolute best and we have some really good discussions. We explore a lot of topics that I’m really interested in and passionate about. However, I also find a lot of joy in Geometry. It’s really embarrassing though. I’ve always been really into puzzles and geometry kind of feels like one big puzzle. 

Do you have a chosen career path? If so, what? I do not, but I have lots of time to figure it out so I’m not stressed. I’m so indecisive so I find it hard to pick just one thing that I want to do. 

Tell me a little about your life at Olney. 

What is your favorite thing to do on campus outside of normal school hours? Probably hang out with my friends. I also really enjoy volleyball when the season for it rolls around. I’m not super sporty but I found that I really did enjoy volleyball. 

What would you tell someone who wanted to attend Olney Friends School? If you are choosing to come here you should know that the academic side of the school is no joke. Nevertheless, you’ll learn a lot, emotionally and academically. The things that Olney prepares us for go beyond an average education. The nice thing, though the academics are very rigorous, is that you will always have your classmates to support you. The community is very tight-knit and so if you ever need help there is always someone around to offer it. That is something that I value about Olney and something that the small school experience offers that a large school does not. You can always find someone who will listen to and understand what you’re going through. Also, if you value an active outdoor life in addition to an academic one you can easily find those opportunities at Olney. 

What should school “Do” for you? I think school should teach the importance of caring for one another. And in addition to the basic things like math and history, it should teach you how to be an independent person. Especially in high school which acts as a pivotal point between being a kid and living with your parents and being an adult and being independent. 

How important is education to you? I find education very important to me, but I do not think that a formal education is the life for everyone. I was homeschooled for the majority of my life, up until Olney. So I have seen a lot of different methods of education. I think that each person should do what they feel is right for them. Nevertheless, I think that if a formal education is what one finds is right for them they should have ample opportunity to receive it. 

What is your least favorite thing about attending Olney Friends School? Sometimes the workload feels like a lot, I know that in the end, I’ll be better prepared but it does sometimes feel unnecessarily overwhelming. 

What’s the best piece of advice someone has given you? Probably to care less about what other people think of me and to do what makes me happy. And to always try my best, cause that’s all I can do. 

What are three awesome things about yourself? I’m pretty go with the flow, I can get along with almost anyone, and I try really hard. 

What is a big world problem that you would like to change, or has a large impact on you? Racism and climate change, because both affect me, and someday when/if I have kids I hope they do not have to be affected by them.