From Our Students: "William Fremd High School"by Margaret Lang & Ashley Koenigby Ashley Koenig First we went to the fire... I stood there in complete silence as the cold air nipped at my face. My toes felt as if they had broken off. I had to keep wiggling them to make sure they were still there. My eyes were fixed on the fire, watching as each branch ignited to make the fire burn stronger and brighter; then I realized the fire symbolized our class. I looked around the circle and saw faces with determination and courage. It was cold outside, but somehow it didn't matter anymore because my mind was more fixed on the fire that was burning. I was aware that it only takes one spark to light a stick on fire, but if you put more sticks into the fire, it will become strong and have passion. I realized with absolute clarity that the same is true for people: one person can make a difference. All we need is a leader, someone willing to spark the fire because it only takes one spark to set a whole prairie on fire. Each person on earth is a spark and the whole world their prairie. My senior English class was on a field trip at Northeastern college on December 13th. We were there because we wanted to make a difference in our school. We wanted to break down the barriers that surround us everyday. Our facilitator was one of the most passionate people I have ever met. He had dark brown hair, the color of dirt, and dark brown eyes that burned with passion. When he spoke, he had power in his voice. He talked to our class about how everyone in the world is connected with each other, the sky, and the earth. I believed in everything he was saying. I soaked up his words like a child learning something for the first time. Our class was standing around a fire that our teacher, Ms. Lang, had lit. To me the fire symbolized peace and hope. It symbolized that everyone in this world is equal: we all laugh, cry, have dreams, goals, and failures. Someone once told me, "Everyone has a story to tell that would break your heart." I always remember that saying when I start to judge someone or dislike someone for doing something wrong. I remember to be kind, for everyone is fighting his own individual battle. Next we repelled... "Go ahead; we've got you." I looked down to see how far I had to go until I reached the gym floor. My hands were sweaty and slipping on the cold, green railing that went around the top floor surrounding the basketball court. This was my first time repelling down the gym wall. I knew I was strapped correctly because I made the kids check over and over just to be safe. I looked at the two boys who were holding onto the rope, the only thing that was going to keep me from plummeting to the hardwood floor. I was standing on the other side of the bar, my hands gripping it for dear life. It seemed like miles between me and everyone else watching me, waiting for me to repel. "It's okay. We won't let you fall; just let go of the bar." Letting go of the bar was the last thing I wanted to do. I wondered if I trusted those kids, and at the same time I knew I had to do it. I slowly pulled one hand off the bar. My only problem was that I was terrified to take my other hand away. I kept telling myself to trust them, but who was I kidding? I had just met these kids the day before, and I was putting my life in their hands! I could feel my hand slipping off the bar. The next thing I knew I had let go of the bar and was standing parallel to the gym floor but up about fifteen feet. Letting go of the bar had to be the hardest part, and yet I still had to walk down the wall. I slowly walked backward step by step. The rope slipped through my hands. I was holding onto the rope so tightly that I could feel the heat of the rope and my nails digging into my sweaty plams. I continued to move slowly down the wall. I was almost to the ground -- just a few more steps. Finally, I felt the security of the floor beneath mt feet. I looked up to the second balcony to see what I had accomplished. I had a smile on my face that stretched from ear to ear. I never thought that I would be able to trust someone the way I did that day. Finally, we did trust falls... I watched in amazement as kids from my class walked up the ladder, trusting our class to release their biggest fear -- being dropped. Each person, one by one, stood above my head. I could see their legs shaking. They weren't shaking because they were nervous but because they were so overwhelmed by what they were about to do. I watched each person fall back, some screaming with fear, but each knowing that our class was there waiting at the bottom. Catching people was a fairly intense experience. We stood there with our arms open and legs spread apart just waiting for them to fall back. Looking up eight and a half feet above us to a teenage body was terrifying as we trusted them not to fall on our heads or hurt us. We caught people over and over. Before we even started this team building activity, I said that there was "no way" that I was going to do it. In truth, there was no way that I could let this opportunity pass me by. I climbed up the ladder and lined my feet up on the bar, grabbing hold of the ladder again for support and comfort. I couldn't believe what I was about to do. I looked into Mr. Patton's (our leader) eyes as he asked, "Do you trust them?" I knew in my heart I did and that I would be fine. I could feel my legs shaking underneath me. They weren't shaking because I was scared but in amazement of what I was capable of doing. I looked down and saw my class looking up at me, waiting for me to fall back. I looked back at Mr. Patton and said, "I'm ready." I grabbed onto my sweater, and the last thing I heard was Mr. Patton whisper, "Stay stiff as a board." I closed my eyes, leaned back, and fell. Everything around me was silent. It felt as if I kept falling, waiting to feel the hands of my classmates below me. Then, whoosh. I felt the hands of my classmates acting as a safety net. It was an overwhelming feeling. Then I could hear everyone talking again. It was like being underwater in dead silence and then peeking your head up for air and you can hear everything real loud for the first time in your life. My class set me down, and I was safe again. I looked at my peers and knew I could trust them. They trusted me. I trusted myself. Now I can say I know myself better... That day was a day I'll never forget. It was the day I discovered that I was capable of doing anything I set my mind to. Someone once said that failure is a part of success. You're doomed if you never try. Whenever an obstacle is in my way, I just think of what that person said and know that I can overcome any obstacle by seeing it as an opportunity for growth. I've learned a lot about myself since the beginning of the school year. I never really gave myself the real credit that I deserved. I discovered leadership qualities that I never knew existed. They have always been there, but this year helped me discover them within myself. Eleanor Roosevelt once said that you gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience that makes you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, "I lived through this. Therefore, I can take the next thing that comes along." My life has changed with my experiences this year. I'm not going to go out and change the world, but I will change the lives of those I can by being a role model for change. That is what experience prepares me for! |