There’s a lot to be said for a stable education

As the date of my graduation from high school draws nearer, I find myself more and more caught up in reminiscences of the first years of my education.

One thing that is so uncommon about Glacier View School is that education incorporates Kindergarten through 12th grade. As I look out the window and see the elementary school students playing on the playground, it seems like only a few months since I was the bright-eyed, energetic second-grader playing tag during recess.

Having lived in Glacier View all my life, I have a defined attachment to this building and the staff inside it. The k-2 grade teacher has been here since I first began attending Glacier View School, and “Mr. D” is still opening children’s minds to the worlds of reading and mathematics. In addition, two of my fellow seniors have been my friends and neighbors literally since before I can remember. Jesse and Ben have played a major role in my life and influenced the person I have become.

As I recall the feeling of accomplishment when I reached grade three and was able to move from Room 1 to Room 2, it reminds me that without goals and drive we are nothing. I remember the games we played in the gym and the awe with which we elementary students viewed the middle and high school students. I can tell you who was mean to me and who was my hero for giving me a high-five in the hallway. These things had a lasting impact on me, and while some have faded, others will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Thinking about these chains of events, I have begun to think about my effect on the new generations of middle and elementary students. What sort of impact have I had on their lives? What memories will they have of me? Food for thought, to be sure.

In addition, it is amazing to me how much my goals have changed since I was young. Back then we went to school because it was fun and because we could play with our friends. I lived for recess, and it was really not until high school that I had any difficulty with school. Now I am putting a much larger amount of energy into my work because I want to get into a good college and have a good education. To me, it is an ideal example of the dual identity of this school. It is an institution that has seen students go through every grade from Kindergarten to graduation.

In fact, the effect of all grades being taught in one school extends beyond education. Students of different ages affect each other socially and mentally as well. Being a senior, I can remember being in the younger grades and seeing the older students during lunch and on the bus. In fact, two of the older students are now married and have children in the first and second grades. While most have left Glacier View to pursue a life elsewhere, others have settled down and begun families of their own.

Think that in these days of family oriented living and the lack of relationships between neighbors, it is an oddity to have such a community in regards to education, and I think that it is an incredible advantage. The kids feel more at home while they are at school and know the people around them. They are a part of a community, not a classroom of strangers, and I believe that it is comforting and has a positive influence. I, for one, am happy to have grown up and gone to school here.

Christopher Martin is a high school senior at Glacier View School.