Edie Menard ’26 is a senior boarding student from Lincoln, MA. Deeply committed to supporting the Concord Academy community, Menard has created many strong friendships throughout her time in high school.
One of the many ways Menard makes a positive impact on CA is through her role as Head of House in Wheeler. Although she lives only fifteen minutes away from campus, Menard elected to board at CA because she wanted to be adventurous and step outside of her comfort zone. Now, she finds it incredibly rewarding to help the boarding community flourish and help make CA feel even more like home. Menard also enjoys getting to know people that she might not otherwise talk to through evening check-ins and house competitions, and thinks it is important to offer support to everyone in her house. “I love helping…people [for] which Concord is not their home to [make] CA feel a little bit more comfortable…because boarding can be hard,” she said.
In addition, Menard loves to write, being both a Writing Associate for the Writing Center and a staff writer for the Centipede. She especially enjoys poetry. However, this was not always the case. “I used to hate writing in general, but now, as I've gone through high school, I think … I’ve learned to love the process…more and I think the Writing Center allows me to share that with others,” she said. Through her role as a Writing Associate, Menard can both further her passion for writing and be a resource to others.
In addition to writing, Menard loves being outdoors. She enjoys sports like running and lacrosse, but her favorite activities are backpacking, hiking, or anything that allows her to be outdoors with friends. She finds that being in nature without access to social media is a great way to connect with people and thinks that the best conversations always happen out on the trails. “[Hiking] is where I get to appreciate nature, see new views, …[and] just [be] spontaneous with friends,” said Menard.
Looking ahead to life after graduation, Menard is interested in studying environmental studies and policy, though she is excited to explore many different topics before committing to one area of study.