Spotlight: Jeffery Smrha-Monroe
You may see this student holding the door for other students or walking the hallways, but you have likely never talked to him. This student is Jeffrey Smrha-Monroe, the younger brother of Seabury alum Katherine Smrha-Monroe. Being a student of very few words and a student that slides under the radar for the most part is likely one of the main reasons that you have never really gotten to know Smrha-Monroe.
Another one of these reasons is that Smrha-Monroe does not spend much time in Lawrence outside of school. He lives a thirty minute drive away in Baldwin City. Having lived in Baldwin for his whole life, he has always attended the Baldwin Public Schools system. He provides an intriguing comparison from Baldwin’s public middle school to Seabury’s private high school. “I came to Bishop Seabury in the first place because there is more of an incentive on learning,” he says. Smrha-Monroe, as an inquisitive learner, expressed that Seabury ended up being a good fit for him because it is more difficult than the public middle school in Baldwin. Many students would often shy away from the challenge of joining Seabury’s challenging academic culture in freshman year, of all years, but not Smrha-Monroe. “This is a lot more difficult. I didn’t expect it to be this difficult, but I have adapted enough,” he says. Though academics at Seabury are more challenging than at Baldwin, he expresses that he had less of a transition with the acceptiveness of the school. “Baldwin is actually very friendly. Anyone who bullies is cracked down instantly, but it just wasn’t very good as a school. It did not have the funding or the facilities to support it,” he says. Smrha-Monroe also says that one of the toughest things for him to overcome in the transition to a new school was learning a truckload of new names. “I can remember all the faces, but not the names. It always feels terrible when I forget somebody’s name.”
Smrha-Monroe also says he likes to spend most of his spare time reading books, specifically fantasy fiction. “I really liked the book Eragon, and I am also reading a series called Wheel of Time,” he says. Smrha-Monroe also takes an archery class once a week, archery being one on the least common sports one can practice. He says the class involves checking the sights on the bow after a few short stretches, and then the class really starts. “My bow is compound and I use fiber arrows, which I use to fire at wall targets and sometimes a model of an animal that the instructor put out for the day.” He also mentioned that there are rankings in the class, but these rankings are measured by distances. “I am at 20 meters currently,” says Smrha-Monroe. Though he may not have a very extroverted personality, he is definitely a Seabury kid that will gladly lend a helping hand.
“Jeffrey tears up the dance floor.” Gabby Aubel
“Even though he is the weak link in our advising, everyone loves him! He is like the new hero!”
Krista Barbour
“He is Jesus. He is the best person.” Cole Schumaker
