If you had told me three years ago that I would end up going to a big New England prep school, I wouldn't have believed you. When I came through the front gates of campus on my first day, I felt as if I was walking into the color part of The Wizard of Oz. I've felt my points of reference expanding every day since.   Acting is what I love to do, and so far I've been in five stage productions at NMH. For me, acting is an escape, a learning experience, and an ego killer. Believe it or not, I think it's been the number one aid to my academics. Understanding character, vernacular, time and place, purpose of action, emphasis, timing—these are all skills I've developed doing theater, and they're all important in real life.   I'm also a writer and a founder of the resurrected Hermonite newspaper. A group of students saw that there was room for a student-run newspaper as healthy competition for the existing school paper, The Bridge. When I heard about it, I got on board right away. I write film reviews, and when a new issue comes out, there are always teachers—even ones I've never had in class—who talk to me about what I've written. Support like this has encouraged me to write more outside of class. This year, for the first time, a short story of mine was accepted in Mandala, the school's annual arts magazine.   Being a day student at NMH is like having two full-time jobs. In what little free time I have, I like trying to find new places on campus. I also like looking at all the wild books they have in the library. I wish I had the time to read them. Mostly, though, I spend my free time standing hopelessly around areas frequented by girls I'd like to get to know better.