David Bowie knew what he was talking about when he sang, “Ch-Ch-Changes.”

Change is in the air at Malvern this year.  It’s important for individuals to step outside their comfort zones, too. Trying something new can open up new horizons that would have otherwise seemed impossible.  If it ends with failure, then it’s a lesson. With all the changes Malvern has seen during the course of the past year, it’s time we start willingly trying new activities, whether it’s the changing schedule, sports, the arts, or the method of administering final exams.  Change is in the air and it’s becoming a popular train to hop aboard.

This year, six of the newspaper editors, (Josephat “Indio” DiSipio, Brian “Mouthpiece” Tatlow, Dan “Hot Sauce” McGlinn, Anthony “Luis” Abron, Matt “Pepe” Magargee, and Brendan “Flapjack” Hallinan) were involved in the Malvern Theatre Society production of West Side Story, and this was a completely new experience to four of us. While a step on the stage was certainly a step out of the comfort zone, it turned out to be a great experience for all involved. “I have no regrets in doing the play. It was a lot of fun and a great activity to do last semester of senior year,” says senior Dan McGlinn.

From talking to any of the seniors who decided to take to the stage in their final year, one learns that it was an experience unlike any other. Finding the confidence to step on stage for the first time can definitely be challenging, but DiSipio says that the biggest motivator was doing it with his friends and to follow the guys who had done so before him in the past. Though this year’s cast is arguably the best ever, it would not be complete without the inspiration of class of 2013 alumni like Andy Johnson, Marty Farrell, and Colin Sweeney, who performed in Footloose their senior year as first-time actors.

However, the play isn’t the only option to try something new.  High school is a time to stretch borders, step outside comfort zones, and try something new. It’s important to experiment, to step a foot in different activities.

“I wouldn’t ever have run if I didn’t go to Malvern,” says senior Brendan Stec, a previous Student of the Issue for the Blackfriar Chronicle. Ben Aman agrees. “Speech and Debate has opened my mind to a new, pragmatic way of thinking about things from many different angles,” he says, happy to have taken advantage of the opportunity to do something about which he is passionate.

And if you know Ben, you know he is a top-tier arguer.

These are just a few of the countless stories of Malvern students who found something they loved doing yet never would have done if they hadn’t tried something new. But the great thing about trying something new is you don’t have to love it. High school is supposed to be the time where we figure out who we are, what we like, how we like to learn. Though often clouded by the implications of college, trying a new activity at Malvern is so easy, and non-binding, so that if you have the tiniest inclination to join, you should. The worst that happens is you tell the moderator that it isn’t for you.

As one nameless editor will tell you, he has been a one meeting attendee to at least 5 different clubs. This isn’t because he is completely lazy or shy, but because he found that he wasn’t interested, but he has never regretted trying.

As anyone who hasn’t lived under a rock over the past year knows, the academic structure is set to be modified. Block schedules, project-based learning, 3D printing, collaboration, connections, you name it, the 21st century is beginning to kick in gear. These new changes aren’t just happening all at once, however. There have been experiments with project-based learning in the classrooms. Collaboration can be seen all over the walls in the learning commons. And this spring, the entire format of final exams is changing, as students will only be taking a “traditional” Theology and Math final. Much of this has to do with the loss of school days, but it also provides an opportunity for teachers and the administration to, once again, try something new.

Though resisting change is characteristic of the rebellious male adolescent time period (or so my mom’s parenting books say!), evolution is the key to survival. The school around us in completely changing in nearly every facet, yet change can often be a good thing. We, as students, should try to embrace changes and even try something new with our life. Who knows, you maybe one day you’ll be backstage of a Broadway musical wondering what your life would be like if you never tried the play in high school.

Don’t have any ‘ragrets.’ Enjoy your precious time at Malvern and try something new.