Growing up in small town Shelton, Washington, I heard a lot of negativity about the town. "It's where all the drug addicts live," "the high school sucks," "the people there are all hillbillies who don't care about going anywhere in life." Hearing all of that stuck this negative image of my hometown in my mind. But now, being off at college and away from home, I have realized that I'm glad I grew up in a small logging town like Shelton.
At Shelton High School we were always compared to Capital, Olympia, Tumwater, and other high schools. We were told by students in those communities and in our own community that "Shelton sucks." Yes, we didn't have the opportunity to take lots of A.P. courses, yes, we have a higher poverty rate and therefor can't afford expensive things for our school, but I still feel like I received a good education. Our whole school district has had improvements in our test scores over the past few years, and it's obvious that the teachers have a passion for their subjects and WANT their students to learn.
I'm grateful that I grew up in Shelton. I was able to attend a bilingual elementary school, so I started learning Spanish in second grade. I was able to attend the All-State Honor Choir in 5th and 6th grade, and participate in science fairs, track meets, and so much more during elementary and middle school. In high school I was able to get involved with marching band, Olympia Youth Chorus, theatre, leadership, and so much more. Living in a smaller town and going to a smaller high school, I was able to participate in EVERYTHING, and I loved that!
Shelton has pride. Sometimes it seems like it's hidden beneath all of the negative assumptions around the people living there, but people there are proud of the town and what we do. At the high school, we were full of school spirit and always supported each other at performances, sporting events, and more. We were respectful and stayed engaged in our community. And that connection is growing even stronger. Now, the community and school district are working together to create a more positive environment for students going through the school system.
I'm glad I had the opportunity to grow up in Shelton. I was able to experience so much living in a small town. So, when people start to say how horrible Shelton is, or when they flinch and get an "I'm sorry" look on their face when I say that I went to Shelton High School, I am able to smile and say "It's not as bad as you may think. I'm glad I went to SHS." I'm glad that I grew up in a community that has an extremely high poverty rate. I was able to learn so much from the people I met, the situations I observed, and the experiences I had.
The real world is going to be full of hardships. There are going to be crazy people, and people who are in a different social, economic, or political class than you. You are going to have to deal with discrimination and negative comments and people judging you based off of stereotypes. So, thank you Shelton and Shelton High School for preparing me for the real world.
