For the first thirteen years that I lived, I never had to think about or make decisions that would impact my future. Life was as simple as what game I wanted to play on my Xbox or what I wanted to eat for lunch. The first major decision I made in my life was leaving my friends after seventh grade and choosing to go to a school that that was worse statistically than where I was originally going. This decision benefited me in the long run and is a big part of why I am in my current position now as a college student.
At the end of my seventh-grade year, I chose to attend the statistically worse high school in my school district number wise. I was originally supposed to attend Hazelwood West high school in Hazelwood Missouri. Hazelwood West was and still is known performance-wise locally as the best of the three high schools in the district.
Picture is from (Homes.com)
The school that I chose to attend early as a middle schooler was Hazelwood East high school. A new program at Hazelwood East would give the top performing eighth graders from across the school district an option to attend the high school to boost them ahead and give them an early start at finishing high school by taking more advanced courses. When the kids hit their Junior and Senior year, they have the option to dually enroll in community college and high school to earn free college credit. We could either do that or graduate after our junior year. This program was created to help Hazelwood East boost their graduation rates and help the school improve their terrible reputation.
When I initially proposed the idea to my parents to attend Hazelwood East, they shot it down because of the school’s reputation and what they had heard about the school over the years. Hazelwood East was known for high dropout rates and violent incidents throughout the 1990’s. The only positive thing Hazelwood East was known for was football. Looking back on it, I understand their initial reaction because they were just looking out for me and weren’t aware of the benefits that could come from me attending that school. After I showed them all the opportunities that Hazelwood East provided for me, they supported my decision.
Picture is from (facebook.com)
I pushed so hard to make the decision, and I knew that it would most likely benefit me in the long run, I was still a nervous kid who was going to step into unfamiliar territory that I had heard nothing but negative information about. As far as the public was concerned, Hazelwood East was the bottom of the barrel of North Saint Louis County. When people heard that I CHOSE to attend the school when I didn’t even have to, they looked at me almost like they were concerned. Usually after I would tell someone that I chose the school, I would have to follow up with the reasoning behind my decision. I spent that summer before my eighth-grade year hanging out with my middle school friends as much as I could because I knew I wouldn’t see them as much after.
This chart from (PublicSchoolReview) shows Hazelwood East’s test score averages over the years compared to other schools in the state of Missouri.
When I arrived at Hazelwood East for my first day, I already knew it would be a much different environment for me. Upon arrival, I had to walk through a metal detector before entering the building. Before that I never had to walk through a metal detector to go to school. It gave thirteen-year-old me a small fright for the first half of the day. I was a small 8th grader who took classes with six feet tall Juniors who had full beards. This was the first time in my life where I just felt out of place.
What made this experience easier was the fact that there was a group of us middle schoolers who were all going through this change. We had each other to lean on and learn from each other. All of us came here to graduate early or to graduate high school with an associate’s degree. It felt comforting for me that I was around other kids like me in that they were focusing on excelling beyond our expectations academically.
When I had finally gotten comfortable in my new environment of high school, the COVID-19 pandemic took place, and I spent the next year and a half attending school virtually. When I began physically going to school again, I was a sophomore. I didn’t feel as out of place as I did as an eighth grader attending high school. I was now in class with mostly upperclassmen who were on their way out.
Reflecting back on my high school years, I feel that constantly being around older kids shaped my personality. I didn’t understand or care to relate to most of the kids I went to high school with because I saw they didn’t have the mental maturity I developed at a young age. At certain times it was difficult for me to talk to the kids that weren’t apart of the group of eighth graders that I arrived with because we were focused on different aspects of life. My senior year I was so anxious to figure out what university I could attend and what scholarships were available to me. Because of this I couldn’t have a care in the world over small high school drama.
I wholeheartedly believe that the decision that I made as a thirteen-year-old kid is the reason why I am where I am today. Many of my very close friends are other kids I met through that eighth-grade program, and we have all grown very close over the years. We all graduated top of our class and helped improve Hazelwood East’s reputation. If someone were to ask me if I could go back in time and stop myself from attending that school. I would go back, watch, and not change a thing.
Citations
Hazelwood East. “Hazelwood East High School.” facebook, 23 August 2017, https://www.facebook.com/HazelwoodEastHigh/. Accessed 15 September 2024.
“Hazelwood East High School (Ranked Bottom 50% for 2024) – Saint Louis, MO.” Public School Review, https://www.publicschoolreview.com/hazelwood-east-high-school-profile. Accessed 15 September 2024.
Homes. Hazelwood West High School. Homes, https://www.homes.com/school/hazelwood-mo/hazelwood-west-high-school/vdk0hxsm5g1xz/. Accessed 15 September 2024.