Orchard Graduate Christopher Skalnik
Christopher Skalnik is a 2013 Orchard School graduate who recently completed his high school studies and received a high school diploma from Park Tudor. This year Chris was also the recipient of 3 prestigious awards from Park Tudor: the Emily S. Rood award in science, the top computer science award (given to two students), and the top Orchestra award.
Chris attended The Orchard School from 1st-8th grade, where his curiosity and love for the cello grew. When asked how Chris’s Orchard education helped him reach the place he is today, his response was, “My experience (at Orchard) primed me to develop relationships with teachers and ask questions beyond the course materials.” His 4th, 7th and 8th grade math teacher, Mr. Lambert, says Chris, is who he attributes his gained tendency of taking the first step toward solving a problem without worrying about how he would finish a problem.
Chris strongly feels that there is something to be said about learning and developing an innate curiosity during his time at Orchard and using that curiosity all throughout high school. He shares that he “certainly didn’t go to high school with a plan or resume, but instead I pursued my interests and found what I was willing to devote my time to and trusted that it would help me in college.”
We asked Chris for one piece of advice that he thinks is helpful to share with students of all ages. His response was to “Resist the tendency to shove aside curiosity and sacrificing understanding in favor of finishing.”
We could not be more proud of the 2013 Orchard School graduate, Christopher Skalinik, who will be attending Stanford in the fall and starting his studies in Computational Biology to see where his curiosity will take him!
