Alumni Spotlight: Tristan Fishel

In celebration of our 25th anniversary of Ambleside School, each month we’ll be featuring a short spotlight article about graduates of our school and what they’re doing now.

Ask any child their favorite subject in school and almost all will answer “Recess!” And that same sentiment is true for Tristan, even in adulthood. At the center of his elementary and middle school memories at Ambleside are the joys he experienced during recess.

“Playing capture the flag or sledding down the big hill, playing tag out past the graveyard — these are super vivid memories for me,” says Tristan.

He shares some of those memories with his brother, Elijah. They both attended Ambleside at the Dranesville campus for over a decade. Even their parents were a part of the school, volunteering for the Shakespeare festival and other events. His mother also served on the school board.

Another Ambleside experience Tristan looks on fondly was preparing for the Shakespeare Festival in 7th grade when his class was rehearsing Act 5 from King Henry IV. His teacher, Mr. Ayers, had painstakingly made a number of wooden prop swords for them to use for the rehearsal, and Tristan and the other students were very excited to re-enact the big battle scene.

Unfortunately, they ended up breaking over a dozen of them, shattering them on each other over and over again. “Mr. Ayers was a good sport about it, though. Every other day he'd come back with another couple he'd thrown together.”

Besides fun memories, what Tristan has carried with him into adulthood also came from his time at Ambleside: a love for stories. This love was birthed in third grade when his teacher, Mrs. Lyons, would read Greek myths aloud to the class. Read-aloud was something he always looked forward to.

Now, Tristan is a full-time student at CNU. The dictation and narration lessons he received at Ambleside have prepared him well for his college classes — both with note-taking and retaining what he learns.

After graduation he plans to pursue a career in writing. For him that journey has already begun. He has published a book with his brother, Jonah, and plans to keep on publishing, his Ambleside education strengthening and encouraging him in his pursuit.