I chose Animas for my high school education because I believe that it provides a superior learning experience. The student-teacher relationships at Animas provide a comfortable and fun environment that enhances my learning experience. Project based learning is probably my favorite aspect. It encourages complex thinking, formation of unique ideas, and develops reasoning and problem solving skills in contrast to the traditional learning style of lecture, memorize, and recite. Everything that I have learned has had substance and meaning and can be applied to the real world, which makes my education so worthwhile. The socratic seminar and discussion-based classes have pushed me out of my comfort zone and taught me public speaking and reasoning skills that I will use for the rest of my life. And despite the non-traditional learning style, I have experienced work that has rigor and complexity that will prepare me for college level classwork.