famIly
We are CommunIty: community High School students Richard moore, Sabrina moore, Anabel mcilvaine and Hilda purvis collaborated on this long-exposure photo.
famIly Wanna know what CHS means to me? Family. I feel like CHS is a family that backs one another to the end. My view on school has changed since I moved to CHS. I moved from a school that judges people by their appearance. To them I was the troublemaker. I was the bad kid who gets in so many fights. The school forced me away from activities. I got fed up with it, and was about about to drop out and never become successful, [but] I went to the school counselor and she offered this school, called Community High School. My decision was about making my own future.
Get ready Asheville…
is coming to you! With expanded day camp programming to Buncombe County starting summer 2014, rising 4th-7th grade students will now have more opportunities to explore the peaks, creeks, and wild woodlands that make western North Carolina so magical. For more information or to register visit:
www.campmuddysneakers.org
828-862-5560 • PO Box 146 • Brevard, NC 28712 30
maRcH 19 - maRcH 25, 2014
mountainx.com
The first day on the bus was really terrifying. My thoughts on how they would react to me took over — stepping off the bus, not knowing what I got myself into, no turning back now. Feeling the beads of sweat on my face made me even more nervous. I stepped through the big doors of the school. Getting my schedule and finding my class, I never thought of anything [but] feared I might not fit in. Being alone my first two weeks was very cruel. Meeting other people was hard for the first few weeks. I finally went around socializing with the people that sat next to me. That year was the best experience of my life. I got to go to my first prom as a sophomore, whereas at my base school, you had to be a junior or senior to go to prom. Every semester, new kids come and some old ones go. Getting to meet new people and showing them what it’s like to be a CHS student is the best feeling ever. Knowing you were the one that helped them out and all — is a proud moment. I feel if every school was like CHS then NO ONE would get in trouble or kicked out over crazy things. … Some say [CHS is] the “bad kids school,” but if you really look at us, we are just like other kids, but we might have issues that we overlook and accepted for ourselves. I like how you look in the cafeteria and nobody is grouped in categories where they feel like they are treated badly and that they are not accepted. For truth, they are [accepted]. We have mothers that are trying to do better for their babies. We have dropouts that want a diploma. We have “misfits,” but in real life, they just want to be accepted. The teachers at CHS have oneon-ones with the students. They don’t just get to know the student as the student. They treat them as a friend. Even after they rise to the next step in life, the students always come back to see the teacher and tell them what kind of impact they have made in their life. The teacher-student relationship is a friendship and a bond that they have throughout life. I have teachers that I had didn’t see eye-to-eye with at CHS, but after I raised up to the next level, I still like the teacher. ... As I walk in the hall, I see teachers with a smile as big as the sun showing that they are really happy to be at CHS. Every day, it puts a smile on my face to see a teacher that is happy to work with kids and they love their job. As I go through my last year at CHS, it saddens me to leave because of the family I have made here every
$120 per child and we offer a $10 sibling discount. Enter code : SIBLING at checkout. Co-Ed, Ages 6-13, Half-Day, June 23 through June 27 POTTERY CAMP WITH MOUNTAIN ROOTS AT TC ARTS TC Arts Council 349 S. Caldwell Street Brevard, NC 28712, Brevard 884-2787 • mountainroots. org • tcarts@comporium.net Pottery Camp with Mountain Roots at TC Arts, July 7-11 or July 21-25. Morning session 9 a.m.-noon, ages 6-10; afternoon session 1:30-4:30 p.m., ages 10-15. Cost—$225 per camper. During this week of pottery camp, students will have the opportunity to learn and practice basic hand-building skills including the pinch, coil, and slab techniques. This experiential camp provides half-day, hands-on opportunities to be creative, meet other campers and create some really cool and useful art. Co-Ed, Ages 6-15, Weekly, Half-Day, July 7 through July 25 SUMMER ART CAMP 2 South Pack Square, Asheville 253-3227 • ashevilleart.org • smcrorie@ashevilleart.org Summer art campers spend their summer days in the Asheville Art Museum’s studio with talented art instructors exploring and creating art of various media. Art campers may sign up for all-day sessions or choose from a variety of half-day sessions. Co-Ed, Daily, Full-Day, June 16 through Aug. 8 SUMMER ART CAMP AT TC ARTS 349 S. Caldwell St., Brevard 884-2787 • artsofbrevard. org • tcarts@comporium.net The Transylvania Community Arts Council invites youths ages 5-12 years old to explore visual arts, music and dance. The week-long camp is June 16-20. Morning and afternoon sessions are available. The morning session goes from 9 a.m.-noon, and the afternoon session goes from 1-4 p.m. Cost for the art camp is $75 per child. To register, call TCArts Council at 884-2787 or email tcarts@comporium.net. Co-Ed, Ages 5-12, Weekly, Half-Day, June 16 through June 20