I Choose to Remain Positive by Roderick

I Choose to Remain Positive by Roderick - November 2019 Scholarship Essay

The most important way I have positively impacted my high school and our student body is by spreading positivity. Sometimes things can happen in a school and the climate of that school shifts from positive to negative because students do not know what to expect. In times such as these, it is important to be a beacon of positive light so that the school is not in an uproar.

In the four three and a half years since I have been at my school, there have been many changes. We are on our second football coach. There were players talking of not playing because we lost our coach, and there were students talking of not attending games for the same reason. I was able to start group chats where my peers were able to get their feelings out. In return I was able to talk to quite a number of students about their concerns, and assured our students that we were responsible for ensuring that our school was successful. We could not put that off on anyone. We were the ones who showed everyone in the community what to think about us. When someone asked who we were, we should be proud to say we are Pirates, and if we are not, we need to change ourselves to reflect what we want to be reflected.

Much like our football coaches, since I have been at my high school (three and a half years) we have had three principals. This has had a serious effect not only on students and morale, but teachers as well. People are in a state of instability and uncertainty. I have been consistently in conversation with teachers and students trying to spread the positivity that we all need at this time. We talk about change and the good and bad that just naturally comes with it. I always relay to student and teachers alike that even though we are going through a period of change, we are still the Mighty Pirates. We should not let change affect who we are because our purpose is still the same – “Educating each for the Benefit of All!”

Transitions of any kind are hard. What makes the difference is how we decide to cope with it. Sure we can get upset, roll into a big ball, and die, but wouldn’t it be much better if we kept a positive attitude, stood up, and fought? I choose to remain positive, and that has made all the difference!