Youth Center Experience

I attended Heritage Middle School in East Cleveland. There were kids coming from everywhere: Superior Elementary, Caledonia Elementary, Chambers Elementary and Mayfair Elementary. I had came from Mayfair Elementary school. Middle school was definitely different from elementary school, there was a lot to get used to. The first day of school is always nervous to me, before I get to my class I’m wondering will I have the some of the people I had in elementary school. I was a little relieved to see some other the people I knew in my class. But the other faces I wasn’t familiar with . Switching class was hard to do at first do as time went on it got easy. Having more than one teacher was a huge adjustment for me because just two months before

No matter what I tried, I did not seem to fit in. I was constantly dealing with many bullies. It didn’t help that I’m shy, that my brother was ‘different’, or that I was good at school; These kids did not seem interested in school at all, and were only interested in being popular. I hated going to public school, so when I was in 7th grade I transferred to private school. For 7th and 8th grade I went to a ‘prep school’. I t was very difficult. We would have several hours of homework each day, and I had to write a lot of essays. For high school, I went to a Catholic school, the same as my father.

In order to get the help I needed, my mom had to pick me up two hours early from school every day and bring me to Anderson Elementary, where the speech therapist was located. Being forced to leave school early didn't help my social issues. The friends I had turned on me, and I became the weird girl. I no longer had people to eat lunch with, and invitations to birthday parties stopped arriving in the mail. I was mocked on a daily basis by people I had previously considered to be friends. Everyone had their own conspiracy theories about me; it hurt. Along with my new-found social struggles, my grades began to drop and I knew I had to make a

When I'm not in school I have Since my freshman year I have been doing marching band. As a sophomore I took my position as a upperclassman to help my freshman to the best of my ability. I help the freshman in my section to read drill, marching techniques, and how to play the music. While doing that I also do activities with my Girl Scout troop. I have been in Girl Scouts since the 4th grade and that has been a wonderful learning experience. From learning the ways of sales, to taking educational trips around the state i have grown in skill and character. Also for the last 3 years I have been the 2nd in highest cookie sales so that has been been very beneficial. Then during the summer I volunteer at the Durham Art's Council's Summer Camp as

So far this year, I have joined five clubs/ organizations and I find it to be extremely rewarding. I have not been able to be a part of many after school activities in past years because I was focused on keeping my grades up in Governor’s School, but now I have much more time to dedicate to other areas.

A few months after Shayla was born my family decided to move to Canal Winchester. This was a big deal because moving means a new school. The next school year Desiree, James, and I were going to Tussing Elementary. We went there for a year and while I was there I was able to make dean’s list. The following year we were moved to Pickerington Elementary due to Tussing being overcrowded. After 4th grade I went to Diley Middle School, and while I was there I was able to have a spectacular time at Outdoor Edu. Before the school year was up my family moved to Reynoldsburg. When the school year was about to start I learned that I was going to be going to Lakeview Junior high instead of Ridgeview. The transition was much harder for me this time than

That really meant a lot to me, so after I was elected I wanted to make sure I did everything right. One of my first challenges was actually deciding whether or not to go to the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. Our FFA goes on that trip every other year. I went to the last National Convention my freshman year just for fun, but this year I felt that I had a duty to go along and be a leader for our chapter by being involved. The problem is, last year I was on the varsity volleyball team. National Convention was at the same time that regional volleyball games were starting. I didn’t know what to choose – the volleyball team that I loved and had been committed to for three months already, or the organization that chose me to be their leader? I really didn’t know what to do. I finally chose to go with the FFA to Indianapolis. It would give me a chance to practice my leadership skills and get to know our FFA chapter better. I still felt like I was letting my team and coach down, but I felt more committed to FFA.

I am in Quiz Bowl which has allowed me to learn new information and connect with other kids from different schools. Pep Club is another great opportunity. We decorate for the homecoming dance and plan activities and dress-up days. We collect pennies, nickels, and quarters and donated the money raised to the local food pantry to help with their expenses. This year I am currently serving as a student council member. We help set up Winter Carnival games, pick out dress-up days for homecoming, and help seat people at graduation. Last spring, I was inducted into our school’s NHS chapter. Being in NHS allows me the opportunity to assist our local Lions Club with community service projects. These community service projects allow me to be involved and give back to the community. I have been recently voted to be a student representative of the school board. I am excited to learn how the board makes decisions for our staff and students. I also get to participate in discussion and share my opinion on current issues we are dealing with. A new activity that I just started in September is Battle of the

The mission for the YMCA for youth is “Nurturing the potential of every child and teen”. Staff are taught that we must follow the mission statement to the fullest to insure that children will be able to fulfill their potentials. Also was said that many children, and teens do not have the resources to reach their potential so that is where the YMCA, and staff comes in. The YMCA tries to keep their mission alive by providing different classes, resources, and values to help youth. The are various programs, and services we provide for children and youth. Starting with childcare, camp, healthy food, education, sports, homework club, after school programs, classes, and many more. The YMCA is a non profit meaning it is goal is not making money, and makes most of their funds by fundraising, and membership cost. Although, the YMCA does not turn away anyone just because they do not have the funds to buy a membership. The YMCA provides aid for anyone that needs it, and welcomes them with open arms. Other ways the YMCA obtains money to keep their gym running is special events, and some programs that may have a fee.The YMCA main goal starting out was keeping young men out of trouble, and getting them the resources to find a job. That still lives on today, along with promoting healthy living. The YMCA hires people that fit under the safety guidelines for youth, and the same for volunteers. Every worker and volunteer must be able to pass a national finger print, and go through trainings

     Once my family and I arrived at our new house I was still very saddened because of the move and had trouble not getting mad at my parents. Summer went bye like it wasn’t even there and by the time school started I was very depressed. The new school I was going to was Naperville North High School which was about ten times the size of my old school in Pennsylvania in size and in the number of students. In my school in Pennsylvania there were about twelve students in each class, here the number runs around thirty two. The school building was so big I had a lot of trouble getting to class on time let alone finding them in the building. The school wasn’t what I was bothered by the most because it was the fact that I didn’t have any social life and I was a social person. There were a lot of different groups of people at my new high school, it was tough for me to fit in and meet new people. Everyone just knew me as the new kid and didn’t even bother to find out what my real name was. The first

Back in the 7th grade I was a completely different person I was a lot more soft spoken and about 5in shorter. Going into that year of school I thought it would be the same as always but I couldn't be more wrong. That year I started getting bullied in school but I was used to it with a lastname like Dixon but unlike what i was used to this was more often. I was

The only year in elementary school I enjoyed was fifth grade. This school year was full of encouragement and kindness from my teachers. Their constant motivation and kind words gave me the confidence to improve my grades in school and interact more with my classmates. After fifth grade, my entire class and I left our old school, and relocated to the middle school. This change was not the easiest for me either. While elementary school was a tame and controlled environment, middle school gave students more freedom and was less strict on students.

My first year of junior high school was something I will never forget. My parents never really had to attend parent-teacher conferences for me, nor did they have to worry whether or not I was having trouble in school. All my report cards came home with excellent grades and conduct to go along with them. This is how the first 5 years of school went for me. When I entered the sixth grade, things changed drastically. Not only was I attending a school where my nationality was the

Freshman year I remember walking into the school mortified, thinking that everything and anything that could go wrong would. I had never attended a Liberty-Benton School and knew about five people that would be in my grade. I was shy and quiet because I didn’t know any of the new faces. I was insecure about myself and thought that it would be almost impossible to make friends. Before high school, I went to a small, private,

Adult give suggestions and cues to youth without teaching directly. When youth worked with an adult, adult often made comments that prompted youth to think about longer-term of the problem.