Personal Narrative: Christian Brothers High School

When I was a little girl, my grandma would always take me to her school with her and let me sit in on her classes throughout the day. I always begged her to let me go with her because I had loved getting to be there with her and getting to pretend that I too was a part of the class. Alvord Continuation High School was mainly composed of portable classrooms, the buildings were red and white spanish style buildings. The school my grandmother taught at was not a regular high school, this was a place where students over the age of sixteen were able to attend in order to finish school to obtain a high school diploma. The students she taught primarily looked a lot older than sixteen, they were adults trying to graduate to move on with their lives.

To know how lead, first you got to learn how to follow. Knowing that quote help me understand my mentor Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith was my coach at first when I started Middle School at Paul Public Charter School. Mr. Smith had taught me to not put sports over education and to respect others.

While attending Judson High School in the beginning of my senior year, our advisory teacher Mrs. Evans

Aaron and I began working together in August 2013 at Oak Grove Middle School in the Davidson County School System in Lexington, North Carolina. Inasmuch as we were both new to sixth grade, we were both experienced teachers. Aaron’s wife had been my school’s technology representative so I knew of him through her. Although I had little contact with Aaron the familiarity with his family created an instant friendship.

Throughout my entire life, I have only attended 2 schools. From 3-year-old preschool to eighth grade, I went to St. John’s Lutheran School in LaGrange. From freshman year to senior year, I went to Walther Lutheran High School in Melrose Park. Overall my impression at both of those schools were great, I learned many things, and made amazing friends that I still have to this day. Both of my schools were small so I always had one on ones with the teachers, so I was able to have a special relationship with them.

Adjusting my midnight blue tie, I hurried down the sidewalk to St. John’s Baptist Church. Sunday morning, and I was barely awake, the thick fog blurring my vision. If you haven’t already guessed, I’m the enterprising young fellow that springs out of bed at five o’clock every weekend to ring the church bells, waking up my dead and dying little town. This Sunday was muggy as usual, the sun never showing up to greet me. Skipping up the cement steps, I took hold of the clammy oakwood door to let myself in.

It was when I was 6 that I was first told, “You look good for someone of your skin color!” The moment that phrase escaped her lips, my parents stared at each other, not unsure of how to even respond. Nothing seemed abhorrent about that statement to me at the time. The woman just wanted to give me a compliment! I should feel honored that someone would consider me so beautiful. Before they could even say anything, I simply smiled at her and said thank you with my hands folded in my lap and my head held up high.

“Back to the old grind” I said to myself as I started my third year at Lake View Christian School. Being there was only one class per grade you were with the same people every year. For, me in that case I was the only nerd in the class. It was like being Einstein with a class of NFL players. That is except my best and slightly nerdy friend Shawn. It was okay for the past few years. I never got bullied or teased, but also no one was like me. But at the end of the day I was happy I had at least one friend. That is until that unfortunate September day.

Growing up in a devout Christian family with a father who is an extreme right on the political scale was tough for me. I went to church 3 times a week and when I came home from my private Christian school I was to read the Bible for homework. I felt as if this life was being force upon me and I begged my mother for months if I could go to a public school. My wish was granted and in 8th grade I went to my local public middle school, and I was amazed, completely astounded at what school could be.

In the beginning of my high school career, my grades were not so great. I struggled in a few classes such as math, geography until I started getting extra help during my sophomore year. The extra help definitely benefitted for me in math. My bad grade in math definitely affected me so I had to make up the class. My Junior year was the year that all the help started to show and I managed to raise my GPA from a 2.4 to a 3.7 and I am very proud of my improvements.

It was the last day of tenth grade at Cathedral High School. My classmates and I were all packed at the front of the classroom waiting to get out of the door. My twin sister Claire and I were squished together at the very front. The bell had already rung for the next period, but we were hesitant to open the door because we knew as soon as we did, a swarm of seventh graders would soak us with water guns. Still, our classroom was fully prepared with Silly String for our counterattack. That whole year, our first period tenth grade classroom was “at war” against the seventh graders, and we needed one final battle to show them who was in charge. I looked at my sister, smiled big with excitement, and grabbed her hand. Together, we burst open the door and led our class

Sunday evening, June 30, I finished teaching the curriculum in the Bible school, and then several

(The last suitcase was shoved into the back of the bus, and our next stop would be Winchester, Virginia.) My youth group and I were heading to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for a mission trip. We would be involved with a program called P-2 mission, which partnered us with a local church, Calvary Christian. During the day we would be doing street outreach and during the night we would be hosting a Vacation Bible School. There was an urgency to have this church up and running because the community around it was crumbling. The church itself was located in a shanty town. Violence was on the rise and the community was in desperate need of a strong foundation. The corruption was spreading so rapidly that the church’s basketball court was becoming

Every sunny day I stand up from my annoying clock “BEEP BEEP BEEP”. I turn it off and get ready and hear the clock talking I first think It’s the radio but it’s not. So I came closer to it and it ate everything around even my homework. I thought “what will I say to the teacher”.”She wouldn’t believe me”.

In spite of it all, I figured high school out pretty quick after that first semester of sophomore year. Second semester of sophomore year my semester GPA was back up above 3.1. Since the beginning of junior year, I have not dropped below a 3.3 semester GPA.The first