Meet Two Outstanding Members of the Wells Preparatory Elementary Academy Class of 2026

Wells Preparatory Elementary Academy has a profile of an ideal student, a way of outlining the qualities that will help its graduates be successful. Timothy and Naomi are two eighth-graders who exemplify this profile. One part of the profile is international mindedness. The school has taken students to Senegal, Greece, Ghana, South Africa, and Spain, and Tim is the one student who has gone on every single trip. 

Naomi represents other parts extremely well. Wells has intentionally built an instructional identity rooted in respectful student discourse, open-mindedness, and cognitive engagement. She will carry on those qualities to Lindblom Math and Science Academy, while Tim heads to Jones College Prep. 

Both of them have been told that once they graduate from college, they should send a picture back to Wells so it can be put up on the wall. At Wells, all roads lead to college! 

We interviewed Tim and Naomi to learn more about their Wells experience. Read more below!

You both have challenged yourself by taking advanced courses such as algebra and English I while at Wells. How has that been going? 

Naomi: When it came to algebra, it felt like being introduced to math, but with a few more challenging factors, like adding letters and finding the equation for literal equations. With English, it was pretty easy because our English teacher tends to go over topics one or two grades above our grade level, so we were being taught things we would know about in eighth grade in seventh grade. 

Tim: In the algebra class, I didn’t struggle too hard, but I did have a little bit of trouble on subjects such as parabolas and linear exponential equations. I also found the literary analysis we did in my English class challenging. But even though I struggled a little bit, I feel like I grew a lot as a student. 

What are some of your favorite memories of being a Wells Prep student? 

Naomi: On my first day of school, I was crying for my parents. That is when I first learned that the teachers here are so nice and extremely sweet. Another memory is whenever a graduating class is leaving, because seeing them walk out makes me feel a mix of both happiness and sadness.

Tim: When I was in sixth grade, one of my friends was graduating, and I felt happy for them, even though I also felt kind of sad. 

What advice would you give to the future eighth graders at Wells Prep? 

Naomi: Even if you latch onto topics quickly, you should still write them down and study them. For example, on the Algebra Exit Exam, there was a part about arithmetic and geometric equations. I felt lucky because I had just asked a question about them the day before!

Tim: Focus on your work, because you need a lot of studying to do well. If you don’t prepare, you probably won’t be ready to do your best in high school. 

What are you most excited about for high school? 

Naomi: Learning new languages and new topics. At my high school, I’m going to be learning Arabic!

Tim: The lunch! 

If you could sum up your time at Wells Prep in one word, what would it be and why? 

Naomi: Memorable. So many of my memories come from this school. It’s really sad that I’m going to have to be leaving pretty soon, because I’m really going to miss this place.

Tim: Worthwhile. A lot of the work here takes a while, but, in the end, it’s worth it.