around campus 09
An excerpt from Narimon Zamani’s Reflection speech
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n my life I have two types of different families. The first type of family that I have is in the United States. This family consists of my family at home and my Calvert family. My other type of family is my Iranian family. In my day-to-day life, I have two parts to my day. The first part of the day consists of coming to school as your typical 14-year-old American boy. But, when I get home, that’s when my day changes. That’s when I become an Iranian-American. The vibes at home and at school are totally different. At home the other side of my life (the Iranian side) comes out. I speak Farsi with my parents, which is the language of Iran, if you didn’t know, and I eat different meals than you would probably eat for dinner. Since I was born and have lived all my life in the U.S., I consider myself more American than Iranian. A big part of life here in the U.S. is my Calvert family. I have been at Calvert since Pilot Class and it has been a fun, bumpy nine years. Having a diverse family has taught me a lot about life. Being able to see life through two different perspectives has allowed me to be thankful for what I have. It has taught me to cherish the friends and family that I have and Calvert has been one of those families for me.
» MENTOR: Mr. Ali
An excerpt from Ellen Salovaara’s Reflection speech
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have always been afraid of change. Whether it be a small change, such as a shift in routine, or a large one, like moving to a new place, change has always made me wary. I think if I’m perfectly content with the way things are now, why should they change? When I was ready to start pre-k, my parents thought Calvert would be a good fit. When the day came for me to visit Calvert, my parents were very nervous as I did NOT like being handed off to strangers and was very shy. It was all going well enough until it was time for testing with Ms. Pinkard. Apparently, I disliked change even as a three-year-old. I literally lay down on the floor in the Lower School library, kicking and screaming. Turns out, I needed another whole year to mature. The next year rolled around and it was time to try again. Luckily, I wasn’t as afraid as before and I got into Calvert. I am so happy that I did! I learned that change is good, but you have to be ready for it. Since that traumatic experience years ago, I continually find myself wishing for stability. As John F. Kennedy once said, “Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” My life will change very soon, as I head into high school. I’ll be honest: I am nervous, as I am so used to Calvert. But starting this new chapter in my life will bring new opportunities.
» MENTOR: Ms. Hazen
An excerpt from Charlotte Wight’s Reflection speech
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’m sure that everyone here has someone they look up to, whether it’s a friend, a teacher, a coach, or someone in your family. For me, that person is my brother, Neddy. Neddy is three years older than I am, and he’s a huge part of my life. From the day I was born, he knew we were going to be best friends. We fought a lot for years, but by the time we hit middle school we were inseparable, and we have been ever since. Throughout the years, he has taught me a lot, both from making mistakes together and just by watching him grow up. He teaches me to be brave by making me do things I don’t want to do, like going on rollercoasters, meeting new people, and jumping into lakes. But in the past few years, Neddy has taught me to be brave in a different way. Four years ago, he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Diabetes is one of the hardest diseases to live with, especially as a young athlete. Over the past four years, my family has managed to create a world for Neddy where diabetes is only a minor detail in his life and he can feel very similar to other kids. He can drive me to school, he can play water polo, he can get me Chick- Fil- A, all while living with an incurable disease. What I hope everyone takes from my speech today is that your relationships with your siblings are the longest relationships you will have in your life and I recommend that you do not take them for granted.
» MENTOR: Mrs. Merwin REFLECTIONS | SPRING 2018