The best thing about Salem's academics were the teachers. They were always available. On Thursdays, classes were shorter and we had a time set aside to visit with teachers where they would help us with any problems individually. They also challenged us.

There was always so much work! I felt like I had nothing to do once I got to college!

Anyone was able to participate. The entire faculty was encouraging and supportive of students who participated in sports. I am about the least athletic person I know, and I was even able to be on the swim team. Additionally, the school offered a unique variety of sports. For instance, we had both a swim team and a field hockey team.

Salem had a P.E. requirement that meant you either had to participate in a sport your junior and senior years each semester or be in a PE class. I really just wanted to get out of athletics.

I participated in the music program. Not only was I able to sing, but I was able to start a clarinet ensemble that played in a variety of on-campus concerts. There were many opportunities in music and people were encouraged to play or sing and were given many opportunities and venues to do so.

I always wanted the school to have an orchestra or a band or something bigger. Although I enjoyed my clarinet group, we were pretty small.

There was truly something for everyone. We had activities ranging from mock trial to key club. In addition to activities you could participate in at a regular high school, we also had an honor cabinet. The school adhered to a strict honor code, and as a member of the honor cabinet, students were called upon to be a true jury for their peers. This was a unique element that I have rarely seen implemented at other boarding schools.

One problem with the school was that it was all in one building. Thus, if you were doing extracurricular activities, you typically never saw the outdoors unless you were involved in music or a sport. When I was at the academy, I think there was only one volunteer service organization.

I liked the structure that was imposed. As a high school girl, I needed some structure. We had "dorm mothers" who enforced lights out times and kept order. In addition to enforcing the rules, they were there for us to talk to. We were always up to something crazy.

Salem's facilities are pretty outdated. I didn't like the outdated nature of the building--the lack of AC, the lack of phones, the lack of internet availability. Other than that, it was great.

Salem had family style dinners. We were assigned tables for lunch, and this way we were able to get to know a variety of people. At supper, seniors had tables where underclassmen could sit. We had rules that had to be followed at meals that taught us all manners. In every aspect of life at Salem, we were learning something that would help us out later.

Although the family style dinners were nice, oftentimes the food was cold because it was sitting out on the tables.

I went away to school when I was 13. I felt pretty isolated, but I don't think it was anyone's fault but my own. Once I allowed people to get to know me, people were so friendly and welcoming. To this day, there are very few people I can think of that I didn't like. Additionally, people of all backgrounds and beliefs were welcomed by all students. I had friends who ranged from total nerds who did strange things to the "cool" kids. Regardless of where you fell in that spectrum, everyone was super-nice to you, and you were able to fit into some group.

We had students from all over the country. I once even had a roommate from Japan. In my later years at Salem, we began to have more exchange students. Everyone got along and was welcoming to people from all different backgrounds and races.

Had dances at boys' schools, went on mall runs, went to movies, had movie nights at school, went to dinner, went to ball games, went to theater productions, went to concerts, went on ice cream runs, and sometimes, we just hung out in the dorm and were silly.

Winston-Salem is a great city. We had the school of the arts right down the street, so we had opportunities to see plays and operas regularly. There are several other smaller theaters and art galleries in town that provided a variety of opportunities for cultural experiences. Additionally, there are many restaurants in town (both chains and locally-owned) where we could get out and get some other types of food. There are movie theaters, a mall, and many other shopping venues. There was always something to do.