Growing Up In A Small County

I grew up in a small town of about 500 people. In my hometown it seemed as if everyone knew each other, so much so seeing a new face was a rarity. There weren't many commercially owned business, but an abundance of family owned businesses were present. The most popular thing to do in my hometown was to eat at Jay's Flying Pizza, one of the aforementioned family-owned businesses. Their pizza is outstanding, so much so the local newspaper, The Bridgewater Independent named it "The Best Pizza In Town".

And similarly to the young boys of the Oakland study, I rebelled against the unjust punitive social controls punishing me despite my innocence and restricting my freedom, and I withdrew from the school despite its second place state ranking and the spot it would have guaranteed me at the number one high school in Tennessee. I started home-schooling instead, a decision that helped my stability but has also handicapped me to this

Living and growing up in a small town is better than doing so in a big city.

One year ago, my life changed forever. I walked into the same interview room and I stepped up on the same stage as these girls and I was blessed to have those few moments turned into a year of memories that I will never forget. I have had the amazing opportunity to participate in what I think is the greatest fair in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Russell County has definitely spoiled me, especially in terms of horse shows; I definitely will not ever settle for less after spending hour after addicting hour down in the arena. Russell County is also the only fair I have ever known to have a Special Needs Day and I am forever grateful to have been a part of a fair that is as passionate about the inclusion of those with special needs as I

When I think about Mississippi, I think about our contriteness, the things we eat, and how family-oriented we are. We other people think of us, they think that we’re fat, dumb, and lazy. No other state is superior to one another. Down south we’re trying to live just as everyone else. The point I’m trying to make is, I don’t understand why we’re at the bottom of the bottom when it comes to education. There is so much hidden talent here in Mississippi. We have mathematicians, aspiring dancers, doctors, businessmen, and lawyers. You can give a school all the funds in the world, but knowledge has no price when you’re looking for best child interest.

To put it simply, Geneve is quite reclusive. This being the affect of growing up in a semi-isolated area. She isn't fully anti-social, however she could go without much communication with others. She is a traditionalist, and believes in the ways she was raised on. Given, that's all she's ever known. Growing up in Halein, she became very accustomed to nature. Thus leading her to have a deeper connection with the world rather than humans. The Haleinian woman was raised by her father, Godfrey, along with her 3 elder brothers. Thus inheriting a few of their traits. Such as; a foul mouth, the ability to handle herself in a brawl, and the capability of surviving on her own. Geneve is thoroughly independent, only relying on herself. She would be classified

April 1, 2016 my family moved to Lancaster, CA. We had been living in the city of Inglewood

Pike County has been my home my entire life. Over the last sixteen years I have seen it change in many splendid ways, but I feel that our county can do more to change for the better in the next few years and therefore benefit its citizens even more.

Growing up in the city of Lagos Nigeria where everything is immensely distinct in comparison with parts of the country with a fast pace flow of things, with people from every ethnic group and religion you could never feel isolated in Lagos it almost reminds me of New York City vibe filled with clustered building and congested with an abundance of people. One evening we received news that we would be heading to the village to visit family and at last go, to the farm we heard so much about my dad is from the village known as IVIUKHUA which is located in Edo state nicknamed the heartbeat of Nigeria. See compared to the city life the village life was rough but my grandparents seem to love it and I remember visiting them ever so often you know you know you were in the village once you start to notice the absence of electricity poles that alone gives you an idea of what a day to day would be in the village. The village consisted of several walking distance towns and villagers tend to spend their everyday lives tending to their crops in farms. I learned so much in such a short time at the farm

Now you may be wondering why the heck would I move to a small town like Portage. The answer to that question is very simple because unlike other small towns we have 3 grocery stores including the following: ALDI, Walmart, and Pierces. We also have many fun things like skiing at Cascade mountain or going to one of our many parks. For the size of our town we have a nice theatre and once you have finished watching a movie you can stroll on over to our bowling alley. Most importantly we have a really nice and relatively new hospital for any of your medical needs.

I used to allow it to eat at me, but now I have became the strong, independent young woman I am proud to be. I have yet to move back to my mother’s house because of my friends. I have came thus far, and I will not give up this close to graduation, even though my mom is begging me to live with her. At one point in time, I was between houses, and different friends would take me in like family. One in particular, Emily, her and her family treated me like royalty and loved me to death. I love my friends like family and I strive to graduate from Thomas County Central, even when a better life is waiting for me at the lake.

In these states, we don’t like to dwell on failures. Keep moving forward is our motto in public schools. We push our children through K to 8th, by then everyone learns that they’ll get through school, no matter what happens in the end. You say “I need help” and we’ll reply “You’ll figure it out next year!” This is a system based on outcomes, and through this we cultivate the best and brightest.

I love my sweet old Johnston County, specially Smithfield North Carolina. It has been my hometown since the age of eight, since I came from another country everything was just so different. For some time I hated it but I soon learned to love it. I spend the rest of my childhood and my teenage years there, so it holds a special in my heart. However, as I was growing up there was not many people like me, and by that I mean hispanics. As more hispanics came to town I started to notice a little bit of discrimination and racism, ofcourse I love my town, therefore, at the beginning I denied it being a problem but I started to realized that it was indeed a problem. In all honesty it broke my heart to realized that my town was being discriminatory

The mass majority of individuals past the age of thirty seem to trivialize problems that a plethora of American youth suffer from today. Simply put, the French author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry describes it best in his book, The Little Prince, in the quote, “All grown-ups were once children…but only few of them remember it.” We are inordinately exhausted from classes and extracurricular activities that promise college appeal, we are emotionally inept from the expectations of our family’s and peers, and we are despondent from the inability to caste away anxiety filled doubt at a future that seems implausible. My greatest contribution to my school and my community is my dedication to establish compassion and comfort for an improved quality of life. The known establishment of my human gifts to my region came about from my own experiences that caused a realization that various students in my community feel outcasted by our society. By creating a persona that promotes nondiscriminatory listening while also creating three clubs that perform as a safe space, I believe my greatest attribute to my small town of Forest City will endure the hardships of time.

Table 2 Variables used in Cloke's index of rurality (after Cloke, 1977; Cloke and Edwards, 1986)