Adjusting to a new lifestyle is something people go through every day. This new routine may be joining a gym, finding a new career, or taking up a new hobby.
Kinnelon senior Jonny Papendick decided to not only change the lifestyle he had known his entire school career but made the gutsy decision just one week before the first day of his last day of high school. After 17 years of homeschooling, Papendick made the switch to public school and has been adapting to his new routine ever since.
Making such a drastic change in such a short amount of time was described by Papendick simply as a “personal decision just for senior year because it’s the last year.” Papendick has approached this seemingly momentous change with a cool head and an open mind, but there have been some adjustments that have been harder than others.
The greatest adjustment that Papendick is still getting used to is his new sleep schedule. “Earlier wake-up times are hard to adjust to. I miss sleeping in for sure. I feel like I’m still adjusting to school, taking naps every day.”
A decision that usually takes people months to make took Papendick only one week. Even though this decision may seem spontaneous, Papendick states, “That’s just my personality, super last minute, I just didn’t want to think about it.”
In previous years Papendick participated in a part-time program with The College County of Morris ( EDAM- Engineering Design and Advanced Manufacturing) where some days of the week he would go in person, and other days consisted of home instruction. This program has Papendick leaving high school with an impressive 33 college credits and experience in his anticipated career in engineering.
Before making the switch, Papendick competed on the Kinnelon High School swim and lacrosse teams. Papendick has been a standout in both lacrosse and swimming with a total of 129 points in lacrosse and 20 first-place titles in his 2023-24 swimming season alone. Part of the personal reason why Papendick returned to school was to enhance his sports even more. “I want to be more of an influence on the lacrosse team and be around the guys more.”
Making the switch to Kinnelon High School not only has the benefit of creating better bonds with the team but also allows Papendick to have more time to prioritize his athletic ambitions. “If anything I had less time while homeschooled because it requires self-guided learning. Being a former club swimmer, high school swimming takes up little to no time compared to what I used to do.”
Although Papendick is friendly with his teammates, he felt distanced from them when he was homeschooled, “At times, I had no clue what people were talking about, but I still felt close to the team.”
While his dedication to his chosen sports has been a main focus in his life up until this point, his homeschool experience will always hold a special place in his memories of growing up in Kinnelon. For Papendick’s mom, Courtney Papendick, who was raised in Kinnelon herself, seeing her son in his new stage of life has filled her with pride for his past and his future. “Jonny has also challenged himself in the last few years by attending CCM and thriving in their dual-credit engineering program for high school students. I am pleased with the unique path he has taken and how it is helping him think and plan for his future.”
In just one week Papendick made a complicated decision to embark on a new lifestyle that he had never tried and he is making the most of it every day. Papendick is proof that being courageous enough to make a spontaneous decision in life can be worth the risk.
