This moment feels surreal. Could this really be the end to my grade at Fenn for all of eternity? The answer is yes. More than half of the 8th Grade here at Fenn will be moving on next year. Many of my friends will be gone, and I may never see them again. Although there is opportunity to say goodbye, the moment is still a sad one. The reason that makes it sad is because of how amazing Fenn is. It is unimaginable to think of a school, a community, and a huge family as special as Fenn. I will hang on another year, but I still feel as if I am going, because my memories and friendships are going. It is hard to write about such an amazing school in 15 minutes. In fact, it is impossible. I will never be able to write about how thankful I am for Fenn. For the teachers, friends, and staff, I am in an unplayable debt. For my parents who sent me here, supported me and stood by me in my 5 years at Fenn, I can never thank you enough. And so, now it is time to say goodbye. Yes, I will be here again, but I will not be the same person. Not without my friends and the remainder of my grade. 

Nothing gold can stay.

Looking back on my memories of Fenn, I become emotional, but blessed that I have taken part in this amazing journey. Although I am not graduating, I feel as if this year is the end of my long Fenn career. Most of my best friends are moving on, and most of my grade for that matter. 

Some of my fondest memories at Fenn seem quite distant, yet they still remain sharp in my mind. These memories include: Mr. Smith's 4th Grade Language Arts class, spelling tests with Mr. Byrd, Merowvista, lower school sports, and growing as a student. There are some memories that seem insignificant, but they are memories that matter to me. Wether it be: Big/Little Brother, being with friends, the Washington D.C. trip, the CHP, or study halls, the little events were the most exciting. 

I look back on my memories of Fenn, and I know that I have grown tremendously as a student, and a person. If you had asked me what my favorite hobbies were before I came to Fenn, most of my responses would be sports related. Now, although I love to play sports, I have learned that sports are not the only things important to me, and in life. I have learned to love woodcrafting, reading, writing, and many more things. 

If it were not for Fenn, I would not be the type of person I am today. I do not think I would believe in myself, or be confident and proud of who I am. Fenn has prepared me for the journeys that are to come in my life. For that, I am forever grateful.

“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.” ―Washington Irving



We  all have those extraordinary people in our lives. My mom is without a doubt one of those people. She is a loving, kind, thoughtful, caring and devoted mother. My mom has made unimaginable sacrifices in her life for the benefit of me and my family; all out of the goodness of her heart. Not once does she take things for granted. It would be impossible to write about all the things she has done for me because the list is endless. A mother's love for her child is unperishable.

Whenever I am feeling low-spirited, my mom is the go-to person. I can tell her anything, and I know she will listen and give me advice. Often when she knows that I am feeling low, she will do anything in her power to make me feel better. Whether it is making my favorite dinner, watching a tv show with me, simply rubbing my back, or driving me to a friends, my mom sacrifices everything of hers to make sure that I am happy.  I always know that whenever I feel lost in my life, my mom will be the one there to help me get back on course.

My mom was a therapist before becoming a stay at home mother. Not only is she helpful when it comes to dealing with my problems, but she gives me advice so I can help other people deal with theirs. If I am having trouble with someone or something, she patiently sits down with me, addresses the issue, and helps me resolve it. She is there to tell me what I am doing well, and there to help me out with the things that I am doing badly. I am grateful for this helpful quality she possesses. 

My mom sacrifices things in her life to make me happy. I cannot think of how many times she has had to cancel on someone because an event popped up in my life, or had to wake up at 5am for a sports game of mine. I can tell that this sometimes upsets her, but she tries to be calm about it. Often, she does things for me undesirably, but does them because she loves me. 

If it was not for my mom, I would not be the type of person I am today. She does all of these things for me because she truly cares for me. Even when she feels lousy; which lately is most of the time, she never stops being the amazing mother she is. I am proud of my mom, and will I always be proud of her. I love her to death.

Happy Mothers Day Mom! 

"What we call the beginning is often the end. 
And to make an end is to make a beginning. 
The end is where we start from."

-T.S. Eliot

It is human nature to be lazy. In life, everyone will  be faced with many tasks. When given those tasks, we are expected to complete them. Of course, these tasks can seem harsh or boring. Although against your will, once you begin a task, the goal will seem less out of reach.

The project started two months ago, the task; creating an epic poem consisting of ten books. When it was first assigned, I had a head injury, and was not expecting to do this project. With some rest, my head recovered quickly, and I decided to give this project a try. I started after most people, but I found this misfortune was not an excuse for me to blow off work that my fellow classmates were doing. Over the next couple of weeks, I worked on the project in bits and pieces. After the first three weeks, I was only a book into my epic poem. At this point, I knew I was slowly falling behind in the race to finish this project. I remained calm, and always told myself I would be able to find more time to work on it; however, this was not the case, and only later would I look in the mirror and see that I needed help. 

Two weeks later, in early April, I had only completed the second book in my epic poem. By now, most of my classmates were wrapping up their Epic Poem projects, and turning them in. Although I felt nervous knowing I was not finished, I kept telling myself I was going to get it done. In the upcoming month, whenever there was a time I thought that I should work on the epic poem, there was another thought saying I would be able to do it later.

Here I am now, writing this reflection. I have been working hard this week to make progress on my Epic Poem because it is due later this week. The upsetting part is that I am only finished with the third book. Even if I was to work for hours a day on the poem, I would not meet the project deadline. For all those times I told myself not to worry, I feel ashamed of myself. For all the times I put this project aside; saying I would get to it later, I regret lying to myself. If only I had known earlier that none of this would have happened if I had put in ten minutes per day to work on this project, just ten minutes!

Although the final result of this experience is negative, I believe I have gained more than I have lost. This experience of mine will surely change me for the better. For all of you who have read this, especially students, listen to these words:

Assignments or projects can make you feel uneasy, but I promise you, if you accept the challenge, and put in small amounts of work each day, it will benefit you in the future.

For me, I learned this lesson a little too late, but it will surely help me for next time.

I have not done a podcast for a while, so I thought I would change it up a little bit. Here is a podcast on College Lacrosse rankings. Sorry for the noises in the background if they were distracting.