Through the Lens of Emma Tootell 

Emma Tootell ’23 has grown from a timid middle school student to a confident, determined self-starter. As a varsity field hockey and lacrosse player and a leader on the Community Service Board, she is driven to make the world a better place by combining her passions for athletics and service to serve the San Diego community. 

Emma shares her experience below. 

Every year, my field hockey team and the Community Service Board hosts the Orange Game to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. After two years of participating in it, I organized it the past two years during my junior and senior years. The annual Orange Game is a fundraising and awareness-building event that brings together the field hockey team and the entire school. Watching the event grow as the field hockey program has become even more dedicated to fundraising for an important cause has been amazing. 

When I was ending my freshman year, it was in the middle of COVID. I did a program called WIT (Whatever It Takes), which is a social entrepreneurship program that teaches you how to start a social enterprise. I was looking for ways to give back to the community through my passion for sports, so I started my own social enterprise, Sports and Smiles. Originally, I wanted to host sports clinics, but we were in the middle of the pandemic, so I created almost 100 sports kits from gently used equipment that I got from the community as well as donations through my Amazon wishlist. I put together field hockey, soccer, basketball and lacrosse kits and brought them down to a school in Linda Vista called San Diego Cooperative Charter School.

It’s very easy if you want to take initiative at school. Anyone can start a club or a FLEX. I think that that environment helped me be comfortable with starting things. Also, as the oldest of four, I’ve always started things myself. I wouldn't have been able to do much of what I've done if I hadn't stepped up or asked someone if I could do it. 

On Field Hockey & Lacrosse 

When I first started field hockey in freshman year, our team was small and struggled to compete with larger high schools. I had never played field hockey before, but there was a group of freshmen (now seniors) who all started together. We made it our mission to make the team better. It’s definitely been about perseverance. We’ve had a JV team the past two years, which we never had before, and we’ve made it to the CIF semifinals. I enjoy field hockey so much because we’ve been growing every single year, and the program is only going up, so I’ve really enjoyed being part of that. 

In lacrosse, we’ve also been super successful. In my sophomore year, we won the CIF championship, then moved to Division 1. While I am not a captain, I’ve learned to be a leader in small ways on our team. One of the main things we talk about in lacrosse is our energy. Each day, I try to be a leader by having good energy and a positive attitude. I’ve definitely realized how important that is.

This year in math, I’ve had Ms. Valji, and she’s probably one of the best teachers I’ve ever had because she devotes so much time to helping us. I didn’t use to like math at all, but I think this year, because of her, I feel like math is probably one of my favorite subjects now. 

When I started in eighth grade, I was so shy. My teachers would always call on me because I would never talk. Now, I’m pretty outgoing, even in the classroom, because it’s just not really something I fear anymore, talking in class.

I feel like I’ve taken advantage of the classes here because I’ve taken on a challenging schedule. I think Country Day pushes you to challenge yourself but not overdo it. I feel like I’ve always pushed myself more every year because of how supportive the environment is.