Jake Andrews is a Shorecrest lifer—a term used to describe students who attended Shorecrest for at least 12 years. "My first memories of Shorecrest are walking into the Junior Kindergarten building and seeing that two-story loft," he remembers with a smile. Fourteen years later, four and five year olds at Shorecrest are still enjoying that same loft - turning it into everything from a rainforest canopy to a gingerbread house, depending on what the students are studying. Jake’s Junior Kindergarten teacher, Shannon Booth Lipan remembers Jake, “He was such a gem! He was such a serious, inquisitive kid—I always really enjoyed my conversations with him. He was also the only 4-year-old who ever INSISTED on me coming over for dinner at his house,” she laughs.
While the physical plan of the school has changed since Jake began in Ms. Booth’s class, many of the hallmarks of the Shorecrest experience have stayed the same—from Poetry in the Park to Fall Festival to Field Day to Homecoming Week class competitions. One of the hallmark Shorecrest experiences that Jake remembers well is his eighth grade passion project, a chance for eighth graders to pursue a challenging project that has significance for them.
“I had been playing piano for years, but I challenged myself to learn the theme of the video game Skyrim. I was too nervous to perform live at the Passion Project presentation, so I filmed myself playing it ahead of time,” Jake explains. “But unfortunately, when I went to play the video, the video file was corrupted, so I ended up having to play it live anyway!”
Jake also fondly recalls the many trips he has taken with his classmates through the years. “A lot of the class trips we took together were really fun,” he says, but one really stands out.
“When we went to SeaCamp in Middle School all the boys went to the bath house to shower off after swimming in the ocean, and spontaneously one of my friends started singing the National Anthem. By the end of the song we were all singing together really loudly and enthusiastically. Some of the non-Shorecrest people staying at the camp came outside to see what was happening, and here we were, a bunch of Middle School boys singing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ together.”
That patriotic thread has carried on through the years for a few members of the Class of 2017. Recently, a group of students sought to find a way to honor those people in our community who serve—military members, police officers, and firefighters. Jake and his peers founded Operation: Red, White, and Blue. He explains, “Through Operation: Red, White, and Blue we work with Wounded Warrior project, we do projects with military vets, and we visit cemeteries and lay wreaths on the graves of veterans.” He adds, “It’s great to honor and serve those who serve us.”