In putting the 5th Annual Awards Banquet together, I spent a significant amount of time with our Teen Scene interns. I enjoyed being in the presence of tomorrow’s voices today.
Quite a while ago, I wrote a story for Cape Fear Voices, asking, “Is Average Good Enough?” The basis of the story was that in researching the Brunswick County school system and the performance thereof, I found that most “measuring entities” rated us as average. Additionally, I spent some time in our middle schools and in my opinion, “average” was a generous grade. When you have to put up a sign that says, “this is a question mark, it goes at the end of a sentence that asks a question,” and watching 7th and 8th graders come forward to take a picture of the sign because they had no idea of the methodology of punctuation, it speaks volumes about the measuring entities.
But, my experience with the interns was vastly different. They were primarily from Early College High School, but we also had a student from Heide Trask High School and from Wilmington Christian Academy. And they were all a joy to be with.
My education is old, as am I. I am a product of the Cleveland, Ohio school system—rated now, significantly lower than “average.” But, when I was in the system in the early 1960’s, it was a system of learning excellence. Teachers took time to ensure that students learned—not just to pick out a multiple-choice answer on a statewide test, but to learn and understand what we were learning.
During one session with the interns, the subject of diagramming sentences came up. If you are as old as I am, you probably remember that you visually represented the grammatical structure of the sentence to help understand the relationship between words and phrases by arranging them in the format of a diagram. Remember putting the subject and verb of the sentence on a horizontal line and then stretching diagonal lines out from the bottom of the horizontal line to show other elements of the sentence like direct objects, modifiers and clauses?
I was about ready to explain the concept of diagramming a sentence to the interns when one of them said, “Oh, I love diagramming sentences.” Excuse me? You know how to do that? And they did. I felt good about that, because it said to me that while some of our students are missing out on an education of means, others are still being exposed to it and thriving.
I also felt good because I was witnessing the strength of our youth. Not only were they learning well, they were expanding their knowledge by having part-time jobs, being part of sports teams, actively participating in Boy Scouts, being caregivers, being active in their respective churches, volunteering and in general reaching out for all they could accomplish in the short span between high school, college and adulthood.
Those Saturday sessions at the Leland library meant a great deal to me. I got to spend time with our future leaders—and I know they will be.
Gabriel, always ready to step up, was the most vocal and active and will be successful in his plans for the future. He sets goals and he more than achieves them. His humor was evident in his interview with Marybeth Livers of the Brunswick Art Council and “Turtle,” a pirate character at one of the BAC events.
Kaleigh, getting ready to graduate, was quiet, but steady. She showed up, she participated, and she gave her support to others. Kaleigh is truly a team player who gets the mission.
Sophie, quirky, spunky and a really good writer, shoulders much responsibility for her years and does so with grace and a smile. Behind those dramatic eyebrows is a young woman with determination. When Sophie commits, she commits!
Makayla, always the first to respond to emails, always the one ready to take on a new challenge. She will be a leader, but not a loud one—one who leads by example. Makayla bubbles with excitement—for an assignment, for an opportunity and for a learning experience. People are drawn to Makayla.
John, probably the intern who came out of his shell the most. John did most of the technical editing and production for the daily podcasts at Heide Trask High School. His mop of unruly, curly hair was his trademark, as well as his lopsided smile. He was our announcer at the Awards Banquet—a far cry from being behind the camera. John will do wonderful things in his life—he wants to be an anesthesiologist. John has a quiet strength and determination that will benefit him a great deal as he makes his way in the world.
Josie, our newest intern, engages others and makes them see the lighter side of things. She has a quick laugh, a high-spirited nature and a sense of adventure. She interviewed Carl Parker, one of our event sponsors from the NAACP. Picture this man, well over six feet tall, interacting and answering questions from this slip of a young lady who kept command of the interview process and delivered a solid podcast.
I wish that all of the students in the Brunswick County school system could achieve the level of learning and reach the benchmark that these students have set. I wish that more students could have the caliber of teachers that our interns have and parents who understand that in the grand scheme of life, education matters a great deal and will enable the success of their children.
I value those Saturdays at the library. It was a learning experience for the interns and me.
Editor’s Note: This story is dedicated to my dear friend, Nancy Bryans.
Publisher’s Note: Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to our program. You will be missed.
