Just the Facts #27

 

 

"The best index to a person's character is how he treats people who can't do him any good, and how he treats people who can't fight back." (Abigail Van Buren)

 

Hello, my lovely friends!

 

 It’s Friday Funday again, they sure come fast don’t they?

 This week, we're taking a trip back to the land of braces and awkward dances: junior high. I was in 7th and 8th grade, right in that weird in-between phase of no longer being a kid but not yet a high schooler. Share what your junior high experience was like!

 

1.  I was tested for the Gifted and Talented program and made it in once again! It felt like a sequel to the Club 34 and Club 56 adventures I had in grade school. Every week, we’d gather to dive into special projects and activities. The highlight came in eighth grade when we took a week-long trip to New Mexico. I was completely captivated by the landscape and culture. It made such an impression that my family made it our annual summer vacation spot, a tradition we even got my grandparents in on.

 

2.  Growing up, our town didn't have a junior high, so my classmates and I were bused to four different schools across Denver. I was sent to a school on the opposite side of the city, conveniently just ten minutes from where my dad worked. On days he had a late start, he'd give me a ride to school and pick me up afterwards.

 

3.  A blanket of fresh snow in the morning meant a day off from school. My mom knew the long bus ride on the highway was too risky. It wasn't just me, either; most of the neighborhood kids got to stay home and play in the snow.

The days we did go to school, every bus was late. It felt like an eternity getting there, crawling along the slushy roads.

 

4. Watching the Space Shuttle Challenger launch in 7th grade was supposed to be a moment of awe, but it became a moment I'll never forget. Our class, like many others, had gathered around the TV, buzzing with excitement to see the shuttle ascend. That excitement quickly turned into silence and then profound sadness as we watched the explosion. I can still remember my teacher's quiet explanation of the tragedy, helping us process what had just happened. It was a sobering moment for us all, a vivid memory of a joyous occasion turning into a national tragedy.

 

5.  Writing a report on Martin Luther King Jr. was a requirement in 7th grade, but it turned into something much bigger for me. My teacher was so impressed with my work that she entered it into a Denver Public Schools contest. My report won for my school, and I got to go to an event at a local high school with all the other school winners. I was so proud to walk away with a ribbon for placing in the top ten!

 

6.  The Gifted and Talented program was a whole new world. I was one of maybe five kids from my neighborhood, and my days were spent in special classes, mostly separated from my childhood friends. It was a tough lesson in who my real friends were. The ones I'd known forever stuck by me, while some of the new kids I met didn't. Some days, I wished I could just be a regular kid again, in class with my friends. The program did bring a few good new friends, but we lost touch after junior high.

 

 So glad you stopped by! Wishing you the coziest morning/afternoon/evening ahead. Can't wait for our paths to cross again!