Safe Haven in School by Abbey

Safe Haven in School by Abbey - October 2014 Scholarship Essay

The gravelly voice of Louis Armstrong playing, clay dust floating in the air, and the perfect amount of disfigured clutter in every direction you look. Smiling faces, and such a tremendous amount of diversity in personalities and in artwork that you know every single character is welcome. The parameters of this room are infinite, and it’s impossible to leave this place feeling lousy. The art room at Mount Vernon High School isn’t just for art, it’s for so much more. For me, it can be used for hanging out, finding a good place to relax during a macabreous school day, doodle, or even just finding someone to talk to when I am angsty about something completely arbitrary. I know I will always be able to rely on the art room and those that reside there.

I am the only child in my household of six that enjoys fine arts, and it is something that feels special and unique to me. Due to the arts, I can always be my own person. To understand me, you need to know that art is something that I am completely and utterly terrible at. I can hardly draw a stick figure. I have tried for many years to become a satisfactory artist-to be able to put my pen to paper and have something beautiful appear, but trust me, my doodles deserve to be burnt. I go to the wheel thinking this time will be it, I will be able to throw something incredible, or at least fireable. The moment my hands touch the clay, I feel the roughness and heat being generated while I shape it, and all motivation fizzles as the end product appears as not a bowl, but a blob. Yet when I am in the art room, none of that matters. Even though everything I touch turns out terrifically awful like some backwards Midas, I have this overwhelming calmness wash over me like I don't have a worry in the world. The art that I did manage to create looks good enough to me, and a childish grin of pride washes over my face. I instantly yell to my teacher saying Hey look, I did that, and I am proud of what I made here. No matter what, no one can't take that away from me.”

The personalities of every person in that room are remarkably different, and the kindness that is generated blows my mind. It is one of my favorite aspects of the art room. “Teubes!” “Que pasa?” “Abbbeeeyyyy..” The greetings are endless, and they always come with a beaming smile and coffee breathe. When I walk into my safe haven feeling down, I know someone will sit down and help me talk it out. Like I said, I know I will never leave that room without solving the problem that I came in with.

The art teacher sends out a cool vibe to everyone, and furthermore, he is one of my idols. Not many high school students can say that about the staff members that work in their district, and to me he is much more than a teacher. He is a friend, a mentor and a true father figure. I can recall many days when I thought I just needed to go in the room, sit, stare, and just think bland, non rational thoughts. Then suddenly I hear a mellifluous Venezuelan-Canadian accent and the phrase “The rain falls harder in spacee Abbeyy” or some ridiculous joke that he knows will put a smile on my face. It is something that I know I will always be able to count on. The thing is, he doesn't just help any one student. His room is open and he is ready to lend a hand to everyone. Coming from an old, traditionally conservative household, you always breathe the same air when at home. But when I am in that room, I can just feel minds generating new ideas, creative thoughts, and spectacular masterpieces. The spectrum of imagination is always growing. The air isn’t thick; it’s alive ringing with musical laughs, playfully sneaking around, and helping the students be the most creative they can be.

After school, I always go to this room and work on my future. Either with homework or scholarship hunting, my teacher watches and helps the best he can. We have signed up to retake the ACT, applied to numerous scholarships, and battled our way through tough homework problems together. Without him, I doubt I would be where I am in high school or life. Knowing I have a mentor at school that believes I can succeed has helped me realize my true potential.

When asked what my “ideal class environment would be”, the art room is the fist thing that pops in my head, because I already have one. To me, it is a place you can't help but love. The colors, imagination, coffee and everything in between are constantly alive and thriving. I am happy that I went into the art room freshman year, even if I can’t make something ‘beautiful’ to save my life...but in the end, who gets to define beauty? This place is something I have never previously experienced, with people who are like me, yet oh so different. They help and want to see me succeed in life. I absolutely adore it.