So, here we are. It’s been a wild three years. Four years ago, in fifth grade, we got the news that I would no longer be going to school in person. Then began the wild scramble to go online and I ended my time in elementary school not with a physical graduation but a virtual one.
Then over the summer I began going to school town halls and meetings about online school and before I knew it I was doing my first year of middle school fully online. To say this was a unique experience is not doing it justice. Being one of maybe five kids to turn on my camera and talk, no commute etc. But I still have good memories from this time, and I’m still proud of what I accomplished given the circumstances.
And now we get to seventh grade, what I will probably look back on as one of the most formative years of my life. After two years online with almost no human contact I was finally interacting with other students. I was a nervous wreck that was intimidated by almost everything but I made friends, got a phone and learned skills I’ll keep with me forever. Another thing to keep in mind was that for pretty much my whole school career I was in the gifted and talented/“the smart class” which was almost a protective bubble for me. Now I was interacting with different people that had different personalities and ideas than the people I was used to. Another thing I did before the year even started was join the school newspaper, one of the funnest and most creative things I’ve ever done. I also joined the honor society and participated in several projects to help the community like tutoring kids after school. I am immensely thankful for this opportunity to interact with different people and I will always remember this year as one of the most important and enjoyable of my life.
Now we get to this year: eighth grade. I was promoted to editor and chief of the school newspaper which was an immense honor that I hope I lived up too. I also took the SHSAT, something I had been studying for for a year and I got into Bronx Science with a score of! I was also back in the gifted and talented which was very different from my previous year and allowed me to reconnect with a lot of my friends and meet new people. I also assumed the role of President of the National Junior Honor Society for the induction ceremony of the 7th grade, something I participated in the last year as a 7th grader. I also won a Cougar Award at the award ceremony, which was the final award at the awards ceremony. In short, this year was just as enjoyable and satisfying as the last.
So, here we are. As I go off to High School I look back on my experiences in MS158. I have met so many amazing people and before I leave one final time I’d just like to thank all of my teachers and friends for all of their amazing support, especially Mr. Ng for mentoring me as both a student in his class and as editor and chief of the newspaper. Thank you everyone for an amazing middle school experience and I know I will look back on these times ever so fondly, thank you for everything!