Igniting Minds. Inspiring Futures.
Student Life Welcome
Alumni are forever telling us that their WA years are some of the happiest moments of their lives. How did that happen? They took advantage of everything the Academy had to offer and they discovered a lot about themselves in the process. We hope you will do the same.
Students find a life full of activities outside of the classroom. There is always something happening on the athletic fields, in the arts, or around the dorms. It could be a field trip to the Downeast Institute for Applied Marine Research & Education, a performance by the WA Players, or simply eating Chinese take-out in the dorms. It is about a faculty member who stays late to help you with a problem or a student who sits with you on the bus trip to an away game. It is a great place to be and as Washington Academy students know – it’s great to be a Raider! We hope you will check out all that WA has to offer.
Meet Tina '22
I have been a musician since early childhood and loved the Washington Academy music program. I participated in concert and jazz bands playing piano and xylophone. I was also a member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, an American organization mentoring high school students as future music education and advocacy leaders. There is a piano in each WA dormitory, and I loved entertaining my dorm mates with my music.
Being a member of the Raider tennis team at Washington Academy is an experience I will never forget. The entire team made me feel loved and special. My achievements have mostly been personal throughout my life, but when we reached the championship title, it was about being part of a team. As an athlete in that championship moment, I felt a sense of belonging that I had never felt before. I was playing the sport I love with the people I love! After finishing the last point, I burst into tears, and the whole team came to hug me. Before high school, I always dreamt about a moment like this and watched these scenes in the movies. On that day, it happened to me and that moment was unreal!
I was a proud three-year member of the Washington Academy National Honor Society at Washington Academy! I also was an active member of the WA Math Team, which placed first in the Downeast Math Conference for two consecutive years. In 2021 I earned the highest score of all the competing students, and in 2022 I placed first in the 12th-grade individual competition. Being a scholar does not go unnoticed at WA; in 2022, I was selected and received a quarterly academic award for my class.
I was the Washington Academy Student Council President for two years and the Class of 2022 President for two years. Being an active student leading change at WA was very rewarding. I loved speaking to my classmates at the start of each day for morning announcements and organizing community service events inside and outside of school. One of my favorite teachers at WA is Mrs. Maker, the Student Council Adviser, and Science teacher, who inspired me to be passionate and how to make a positive impact in the world. It felt so good to be a Washington Academy community leader.
My Washington Academy experience has been filled with laughter and fun as a member of a welcoming community! I remember the day my mom and I spent hours trying to figure out if I would be attending WA or not. I was scared because I didn't know what it would be like to be part of a boarding school community. I knew that it meant leaving Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and making East Machias, Maine my new home for all four of my high school years.
I arrived on campus and quickly learned that there is always something to do at Washington Academy. I was anxious to be challenged and excel in my academic studies, let go of familiar insecurities and conquer new things. In four years I did just that!
A few of my fondest lifetime memories have been made at WA including placing first place in the Downeast Math League in the twelfth-grade individual competition, being a member of the 2022 State Championship tennis team, receiving the 2020 WA Citizenship Award, and inspiring change as a two-time Student Council and Class of 2022 President.
If I could go back and talk to ‘Freshman Tina’ who was struggling to make choices and who was tempted to stop trying, I would tell her that there's no right choice, just make a choice and make it right. Washington Academy was my choice, and it was the right one! Now that I have graduated from Washington Academy, I have faith that I will not stop trying new things and that I have the potential to overcome any obstacle.
Tram 'Tina' Pham, Class of 2022 Vietnam
