Jake Snyder

As an eighth grader at St. Michael, sophomore Jake Snyder knew he wanted a high school that would give him a strong sense of community like he had in grade school, while also providing great opportunity to achieve his athletic and academic goals. Throw in that he could go to the same school as his older sister, Morgan, ’22, and it made Roger Bacon an obvious choice. "I definitely wanted to go to a school where I could have great academics, and have the opportunity to play four years of varsity soccer. When I shadowed Roger Bacon, I just felt that overwhelming sense of community. I knew I could be myself here. I saw the way people took care of each other. I also wanted a co-ed school, because I liked the real world feel of that, and being able to go to school with my sister,” shares Jake.

As his sophomore year winds down, Jake has found what he was looking for and more. Jake has been on the Honor roll for all of his two years at RB, while taking a rigorous schedule filled with Honors level classes. He has done so while also staying busy with soccer, playing year round for both RB and club. Jake is one of the foundational pieces of the Spartan varsity soccer resurgence, earning All-Conference honors both freshman and sophomore year.

Jake has also thoroughly enjoyed embracing the family environment Roger Bacon is known for. “I love how everyone here knows each other. It is just a tight-knit community that I don’t think you could find at a lot of other schools, especially bigger schools,” explains Jake. “I have a lot of friends, and they are all so different, and have such different backgrounds, I love that about Roger Bacon."

Jake’s favorite class is Algebra II, but his favorite teacher so far at RB is in the English department, Mr. Nick Rosenfeldt. Says Jake, “Mr. Roselfeldt is just a very genuine, thoughtful person makes you comfortable so you can just be yourself, and is pretty funny.”

Jake has started to look ahead towards the next few years. He is excited for his junior soccer season, as the Spartans continue to improve and ascend the ranks. “We had a very young team last year, so I am excited to see how we continue to grow and compete,” shares Jake. He also looks forward to being an upperclassman, and all of the fun that goes along with it, including watching other teams compete for state titles, and the social events such as Homecoming and Prom.

Jake also has started to look ahead to life after Roger Bacon. Jake’s dream school is Florida Gulf Coast,and he plans to play soccer in college, while pursuing Sports Psychology academically. “I feel this would be a great way to help athletes become the best versions of themselves on and off the field, and I believe sport specific mental training is something that isn’t implemented enough as part of athletic training, and I feel I could help pioneer that in the future,” states Jake.

Jake's advice for those prospective students who are thinking about their own high school decision goes back to a familiar theme in our Face of RB profiles – family. “The community here is just special. It is diverse, with boys and girls, and so many different backgrounds, but we all get along and we are all friends,” shares Jake. “Roger Bacon is just a place you can be yourself every day, and know that you will be accepted and supported, and people will always have your back!”