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
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