“I really felt great when I heard that I had been named a Scholar. I actually heard about it right after a tough loss during basketball season, so it really boosted my spirits.”  BFS ninth grader Theo Eagle, who was named a Merit Scholar at the end of his eighth grade year, is just wrapping up his first year in the Upper School.

Now in its fourth year, the BFS Merit Scholarship awards $10,000 in tuition for each year of Upper School to two or three eighth graders with outstanding academic records and a history of strong contributions to the community. “The students’ academic strengths and the ways that they use these strengths to enrich the whole class is always foremost in our decisions,” said Middle School Head Joan Rappaport.  The class of 2013 Merit Scholars are Amara Granderson and Theo.

Amara, who entered BFS in Kindergarten, said she was "ecstatic" when she found out she had been named a recipient. Her freshman year has been going well. "In some ways it's like a new school because it's in a different building and all of the new students are amiable people."

High school also seems tolerable to the forthright Theo, who entered BFS in fifth grade.  “This has been a good year.  I quickly made new friends.  Over two-thirds of the [ninth grade] class are new and they’re all really great.” Theo’s even become pals with a few of the Upper School administrators. “My favorite part of the high school has got to be the staff in general, and of course,” he admitted, “the free periods.”

Amara, who spent six years in the Brooklyn Youth Chorus in addition to taking ballet, tap, modern dance and piano at the Brooklyn Music School, gave up some of her activities to focus on her high school studies but she still takes piano lessons every Friday after school. The work load had been a concern for her, she said, but she's taken steps to manage it. "Managing my time properly has been a weak spot for me so I've been breaking that habit as the year progresses."

In addition to playing soccer and other team sports Theo’s “really passionate about English,” he said. Greek mythology and The Odyssey, which he read in teacher and English department chair Sidney Bridges’ class this fall, are among his favorites. “He’s taught me so much this year,” said Theo, “I couldn’t ask for a better advisor and a nicer person in general.  I am not, however, enjoying the pop quizzes,” he quipped. Theo’s hoping to get a tennis team or club started in the Upper School, and was nominated for the honor council and class treasurer.  He turned down the former, he said, in order to have more time for school sports.

Amara's also become a fan of The Odyssey this year, her favorite class being English "because we read classics like Annie John, Catcher in the Rye and Oliver Twist, and analyze the characters and plots in depth." She's also doing well in Geometry and Spanish, but her great passion is performing arts. That her advisor is Theater teacher Jeremy Richards is a happy coincidence. 

"Amara brings such joy and energy to everything," he said. "She's a beacon of talent, hard work and energy."