In today's society, it is so easy to be consistently pointing out the bad in things. "Roasting" has become commonplace on the internet, and in all honestly, it can be kinda fun. Bashing an organization, a person, some text post or meme making its rounds through social media, can help people let off some built up steam and express their emotions without needing to be too cognitive about them. When this is all done in good fun, who am I to stop you? But, on the other hand, it is also important to keep in mind to look for the good in things; remember to be thankful for the freedoms and privileges you have periodically.
For instance, it is pretty fun to sit around with my friends from high school and bash Garnet Valley for making us do this that or the other thing for seemingly no reason. But the thing is, when I'm talking to my college friends, I realize how good I had it being raised in good old GV was. So, to counter the roasting, I want to tell you things I'm thankful for about being able to graduate from Garnet Valley High School.
1. It's actually beautiful
I mean, really, Garnet Valley had some great looking facilities. Just look at it. Students had enough space. Teachers had their own classrooms or office spaces. And all in all, maintenance on the building was fairly kept up. And to lead into my next point...
2. There are incredible athletic facilities.
There are three gym rooms: one fairly large with an indoor track, one smaller, but still big enough, and an auxiliary gym that was used just for wrestling (with the occasional anomaly). That is not to include the plethora of tennis courts we have at our disposable and turf football field, also complete with a track and two sets of bleachers.
3. Athletes at GV do not lack.
Including these facilities and opportunities, we also have really committed teachers and coaches who pushed athletes to do their best. Not to mention we had various competitive teams for all sorts of athletes, including a golf-team I did not know about until senior year.
4. The teachers cared about us.
The athletes weren't the only ones who got faculty that encouraged them and cared. The rest of the school had teachers who took a personal interest in their students. Personal relationships formed, our futures were kept in mind, we had people there that were open to helping. From guidance counselors walking us through the basics of college applications to teachers listening to us vent about trivial dramas, the faculty really cared.
5. Clubs and activities galore.
If you're not an athlete, do not distress. There are other clubs and activities that you can become a part of. And if there is not a club for you, get a teacher or faculty member to endorse you, and bam, you got yourself a club. From Anime Club to the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) and from Model UN to Science Olympiad, there are opportunities for just about everyone.
6. Block Scheduling was great.
It was really nice going into college already used to class times that were longer than an hour. Mentally, I had been conditioning myself (though GV's institution of 80 minute class times) to be able to focus on one topic for longer than an hour. In a system where hour-long classes are standard, and the minimum amount of time you will spend in a classroom, this is great. I have spent all of high school preparing for this and being able to entertain myself during class while also paying attention to the instructor.
7. High academic standards.
In all honesty, GV did a good job preparing me for pursuing a college career. While it felt pointless at the time to beat into me how to write a proper essay and form a good thesis about 301 times, I appreciate it now. Coming into college, I was prepared for the high academic standard that college professors would expect. I knew what I was doing when it came to writing at least one paper a week. I understood basic algebra, up to the point of pre-calc. Now, I'm in a college algebra course, and it is a total cake walk. It's amazing how annoying things I learned have actually become useful. Who would have thought I would ever be thankful for all those ten-page papers?
8. High Graduation Standards.
Along those same lines, I'm thankful that GV took the PA standards of High School graduation and said, "let's kick it up a notch... or ten." So my preparation for college was also kicked up about ten notches.
9. Being forced to take a language wasn't all that bad.
Picking a language to take starting in middle school was a drag at first. But then realizing I was more capable and able to learn more of German in high school was nice. And on top of that, being forced to take at least two years of high school language, did actually improve my studying skills and ability to comprehend concepts which were foreign to me. Plus, I could have cheated in college and just taken German one again. (Though I opted to take Hebrew instead).
10. I learned time management.
Academically speaking of course. I learned how to prioritize assignments and spread out writing papers and doing math homework. And while at times I dropped the ball in high school (who really cares?) I was still significantly prepared to be able to manage multiple assignments in college.
11. Those little planners were useful.
Those little red planners that forced you to be aware of calendar dates. The ones that equivalated themselves to glorified hall passes for those who did not write assignments in them (*cough* me *cough cough*). Even though I did not often write things of importance in them, when I did, I slowly learned that they were very helpful. Writing something down helps me remember it. Who would have thought?
12. I had to sign up for enhancements myself.
Those of you who don't know, enhancement is just a really fancy word that GV used to label study hall. And the point I'm making here is that GV forced me to be responsible for my own study hall. They made me sign up for what classrooms I had to go to each week. Which teachers I needed to see, what assignments I needed to finish, what clubs I wanted to meet with, what days I had to decompress, all of that was up to me. And if I did not fulfill this responsibility, there were repercussions.
13. I had to walk from the top of B-wing to the end of C-wing in five minutes.
I never thought I would be thankful for this. But now I have the speed-walking capability to walk all the way across campus to class my 9 am class. Not to mention I can get there in under 5 minutes just in case I woke up late for the umpteenth time in a row. All in all, acquiring such a skill has proved infinitely useful.
All in all...
There was good, there was bad, and there was the incredibly helpful. I can proudly say that I am glad that I was able to go to GV and, I thank them for so well-preparing me for the world.
