My Mascot was a Mongoose. What was yours, a tiger? Please.
I graduated with a class of 17 people, who happened to be my best friends. Did you say that you graduated with 900 strangers? That’s too bad.
Growing up, it always seemed strange to hear my neighborhood friends talk about their English or Math classes with 40+ kids, and how they could get away with anything they wanted to if they sat near the back. I couldn’t fathom sitting in a room with 40 other insecure teenagers who were trying to not only understand the algebra that was plaguing the board, but more importantly, trying to keep their status as “the cool kids”.
But that is what was so great about Meridian: there was no “cool kid” group, and there was no “geeky club”. It didn’t matter what your background was, and it didn’t matter how many friends you had on Facebook. What mattered most was who you were, and who you could become, and Meridian School will put you on that path. I attended Meridian School for 15 years. That’s right, my ENTIRE education took place in the same building, learning from the same teachers that my older brother had 4 years before me. In those heat-less cinder-block rooms, my experience at Meridian gave me 3 of the most important lessons I’ve ever retained: a love of learning, a well rounded education, and the importance of meaningful relationships.
I first entered Meridian School when I was 3 years old. My pre-school adventures began with Mrs. Reader, Miss Karen, and the late Miss Gwen, all of whom impacted my life more than they know. I wasn’t the kind of kid that would schedule doctor appointments during school so I didn’t have to go; I was the kid that simply wouldn’t want to go to the doctor because I didn’t want to miss any school, and that all started in pre-school. These three wonderful women gave me a flair for learning that has yet to burn out. At Meridian, school wasn’t “school”. In my little brain, going to school meant spending time with my best friends while we just “happened” to be learning new things together. The idea of learning was nothing short of exciting, and I never understood why my neighborhood friends complained about going to school, because I loved school: I loved what I was learning, and I loved the creative ways in which I was learning things. This love of learning has helped me make it through my college years at BYU, and as of next April, I will have graduated with my Bachelors of Fine Arts in Acting.
Meridian offered me so many opportunities during my academic career there, that, at the time, I don’t think I fully comprehended how beneficial those experiences would actually be. There was no “popular kid” group, or “jocks” or “drama geeks” or “nerds”. You were everything, and everybody participated. Academically, I was able to take part in so many different events at such a young age (MUN, Language Fairs, Biology labs, Art shows, Writing Competitions, Acting Festivals, to name a few) that my transition into my college years, and a career choice came much easier to me because I had had a chance for trial-and-error in a safe environment. When I decided that I didn't want to participate Model United Nations competition anymore, that was alright, because I was able to travel to Germany for a summer on an exchange program (while speaking the language I had been taught for 5 years prior) and learn to appreciate different cultures through that medium. When I decided that I didn’t want to play on the volleyball team anymore, it was alright because I played on the basketball team and learned the importance of teamwork and good sportsmanship. When I told my English teacher that writing wasn’t my favorite thing, he helped me discover an ability for oral story telling and the power that stories can have, written or not. All of these teachers and coaches pushed me to the limits and beyond, and helped me realize 2 things: there is always room for growth, and it is never too late to try something new.
But most importantly, Meridian gave me a chance to cultivate and understand how crucial human relationships truly are. My graduating class had 17 people in it. 17! 6 of those 17 peers had been with me since the 3rd grade, and some from Kindergarten. When someone got their first kiss, or when somebody’s parents grounded them for misbehaving, the student body knew about it. WE KNEW EVERYTHING, and I can’t imagine having graduated with any other group of people. We attended early morning seminary together; we went to classes and festivals; we went to parties together; we went on dates together; we learned together, we laughed together, and we cried together. When times got tough for one of us, we held hands and embraced the trials ahead. Students and teachers were like family. The student/teacher ratio was considerably smaller than surrounding schools, and this allowed the teachers to really understand their students and spend quality time teaching and learning from them.If there was ever a basketball coach who would do anything to help his team and students see their potential both on and off the court, it was Coach Travis. Sometimes, all you need is one person to say “Kelly, you can do anything that you want to. So just do it”, and often times, that person was Travis. If there was ever a teacher who gave her heart and soul to her students, it was Mrs. Slade. I was not a “number” to Mrs. Slade, and neither were my test scores. When I didn’t perform as well as Mrs. Slade thought I could, she did what it took to help me succeed and excel far beyond my own imagination, both in and outside the classroom: lunch-time tutorings, after school study groups, countless lunches; you name it, she was there. And to this day, I still consider her a very dear friend.
I wish there was time to do every teacher justice. But there isn’t. There are too many experiences to share, too many lives that have been changed, and too many stories to laugh at. Meridian wasn’t the typical high school experience, and I have yet to find a friend that had as many opportunities and mentoring as I had. Because of Meridian, I gained and retained many beautiful friendships and skills. I wouldn’t trade those 15 years for anything. So my Mascot was a Mongoose. So what? At Meridian, there’s more to it than meets the eye, and that is true on every level. Thanks Meridian. In the words of an old Meridian Headmaster, “ you’ve done good”.
