Croton Teen Tempts Fate

Recently back from representing the United States in an international competition in Belgium, budding teen linguist Caroline Norfleet has just graduated from the Oakwood Friends School in Poughkeepsie.

Formally or informally, at Oakwood Friends she has studied Spanish, French, German, Chinese and Japanese.

This fall the Croton-on-Hudson resident will be moving to St. Paul to attend Macalester College, a small liberal arts school with a strength in the study of global issues. She plans to major in linguistics.

Norfleet was one of just two American high school students to participate in this year’s International Philosophy Olympiad. The related essay must be in one of three official languages: Spanish, French and German. She chose Spanish.

For her topic she selected various English sayings for her analysis. All relating to fate, they included “Life isn’t fair,” “it is what it is,” and “what goes around comes around.”

She considers the question whether she personally believes in fate. Mild-mannered up to this point, her tone becomes vehement. “No I do not. Once you decide something is your fate then that something becomes your fate. It makes itself true creating a self-perpetuating prophecy. If instead we assume fate is not real, then we end up having more freedom.”

“At Oakwood Friends, I had such great opportunities to branch out and try new things,” she says. “There is a strong sense of community as teachers are more accessible and there are no cliques.”

Oakwood Friends School, founded in 1796, is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory day and boarding school serving grades 6-12. Guided by Quaker values, Oakwood Friends educates and strengthens young people for lives of conscience, compassion and accomplishment. It fosters a diverse community of students and staff in an atmosphere of mutual respect and enrichment, sensitive to the world and its needs.

Photo by Michael Gallo Farrell/ Oakwood Friends School