I go to a teensy tiny magnet high school in Michigan. Students come from all over the county, take an entrance exam and cross their fingers. I was apprehensive about my admission, but I passed the test and got my spot. For about two months, I agonized over the decision to go. The school had a grand total of roughly five hundred students and the neighborhood high school I was supposed to go to had about three thousand. That’s quite a difference. In a big high school, I saw liberation. Three thousand students meant that no one would have to pay attention to me. At thirteen years old, that notion felt heavenly. A school with a focus of academic rigor with only five hundred students felt like a threat. At the end of the day, I took my shot and chose to attend. Three years have passed and now I find myself never wanting to leave.
I should disclose that my school is an International Baccalaureate and Middle Years Programme academy. It’s not a school for the faint of heart. It’s easier for some people and harder for others, but from personal experience, I will admit that it has put me through the wringer. But it explains the culture of my school. Most kids have intense academic drive, so my classes are efficient. The teachers devote themselves to our success and there’s always an atmosphere of productivity. This also explains why we get cut some slack occasionally. This is why being an academically-driven child is a good thing: teachers trust you. This relationship between student and teacher means that the administration is not on offense mode by default.
This exceptional environment means that we get to do some fun things. One of our things is Winter Olympics. It happens every year towards the end of January, the week before the winter dance. It’s a spirit week and on the Friday, there’s a pep rally. Overall, there’s generally good sportsmanship.
I’m struggling to encapsulate the bravado of Winter Olympics. It’s always themed with four different facets. For example, this year, the theme was villains. The freshmen were Captain Hook, the sophomores were Hades, the juniors were Ursula and the seniors were the Joker.
People put a lot into these games. It never ceases to amaze me to see everyone come together and pursue a goal. It has to be stressed that our Olympics are only possible because of the incredible student body. We may be small in size, but we are large in might. Yes, my high school is smaller than the size of my middle school, but I’ve met the most incredible people and seen the most astonishing things. You have to have faith in taking a leap with certain things and I still thank my lucky stars I chose to jump to this school.
