Laughter echoes down the bustling hallways. Paper crinkles beneath my fingertips as I place pieces of tape to line the lockers. The smell of fresh paint lingers in the air. These memories are ones I cherish from each year during hallway decorations. My experiences have allowed me to bond more deeply with those in my community and help my spirit to grow towards our community. Hallway decorations have always been my favorite community challenge where each community has the task of transforming their side of the hall into a certain theme. Freshman year, my community, Peter, had the theme of The Incredibles; sophomore year we built New York City; this year, Junior year, we mimicked the game of Operation. The most exciting part is the skits: I have so many memories that make me smile and I know that I will look back when I am older and be able to tell my children about my amazing experiences. One of my favorite memories was the time when Mr. Bomhoff laid out as a dead body in a chalk outline in the streets of New York City. Or when he, yet again, laid out on a table to be performed on with various operations (it seems he has a preference for laying down during each skit every year).Each memory that I have has filled me with joy and makes me genuinely smile at the thought of the relationships that I have been able to form over the years.

I am the type of person that loves to get to know people, and I hope to not only hold onto these past relationships, but also create new ones in the future. I feel like being a leader of the community would allow me to have the opportunity to form authentic relationships with those around me and lead me closer to my goal of getting to know as many people as I possibly can. Not only do I want to know new people, I also hope to get them excited about being part of the community in general. There are many people who have the mindset of “I’m too cool for this,” because the idea of school and “fun” typically aren’t put together. But I think Saint James contradicts that predisposed assumption; the community system makes school fun, and it is the job of the leaders within the community to reach out to others so that we can keep the spirit alive. Each competition, I get excited because I am around people I love, making memories that I will be able to keep for the rest of my life.