8th Grade Farewell Address-Daniel C.

When looking at a painting, it’s easy to assume that skill was the only thing the artist needed to create the masterpiece. However, many hours of practice and numerous mistakes always lie behind the colorful facade of the illustration. Like an artist practicing their craft, Jordan students spent many years learning and understanding new ideas to help us create a beautiful piece of art. There will always be some pain in the process, staying up late studying or struggling to keep up with your peers, but in the end, we develope into a state that is wiser and more skilled than our past self. With support from everyone at the school, we can continue to gain knowledge in our quest to complete our painting. Our final masterpiece is far from finished but we can look back on what we accomplished so far and feel pride and joy in what we have become. Jordan Middle School has a rich diversity of people who all share a communitywide rapport with each other. There are many people who deserve a thanks for supporting and guiding the students through the challenging trials of middle school. First of all, I would like to thank my fellow Jordan Jaguars. From learning new concepts in math to running the mile, no matter what the challenge, we did it together and were always willing to help anyone who fell behind. The students at Jordan share this connection which can lead us through tough trials together as a group. Even with the stress from middle school piling up, students were always there to help each other emotionally too. If there were ever any challenging tests and quizzes on the horizon which made all the students feel helpless, some students maintained an optimistic attitude and shared their emotions with their peers to keep everyone feeling confident for the upcoming test. Seeing how we’re all in the same boat, we were always willing to help each other improve and that is one of the things I will cherish about this school. On the other end of the spectrum, our teachers supported us on an educational side, teaching us ideas we will use long after we leave middle school. When we were in school, even if we were struggling to understand an idea, our teachers were always there to satisfy our yearning to learn and grow, even taking time after school to help a struggling student keep up. In general, I would like to thank everyone at the school for creating such a friendly atmosphere where you can feel at home. School is one of the few places where people of all sorts of backgrounds are brought together and can be a family. This closely knit community values education and strived to help each other improve, which made these past three years very fun and exciting. Throughout my time at Jordan Middle School, I have learned many things, both academically and socially. When I first entered this school, sixth grade taught me how to socialize with people I don’t know and form bonds which can last many years in addition to the history and lifestyle of many different ancient civilizations. Even though the history I learned slowly faded away in my mind, the skills I learned laid the foundation of my middle school knowledge. As seventh grade passed, we studied the miracle of birth along with how and why it happens. That may have been one lesson I’m probably not going to forget in a long time, but 7th grade also taught me the value of staying on top of my work while avoiding procrastination. There were many times where the combination of an increased homework load compared to last year and a new out of school schedule lead me to prefer relaxation to work. With homework slowly sliding further down my schedule while I ignored it, I ended up spending many nights trying to finish several days worth of homework which was very unpleasant. As eighth grade came around, the world changed in many ways which influenced what I learned at school. Not only did I learn the basics of the language and culture for Spain, but I also learned about the ever changing world and how to value what you have. Specifically, during English where we had to write and analyze poems, I grasped how different emotions, bias, and prejudice plague the world, leading to the human race to be more divided. To be honest, I’ll probably forget most of educational concepts I learned here in a few years. However, the values I learned will be carried on in my heart and will allow me to become a better citizen of the United States of America. In Mr. Diven’s U.S. History class, we spent many hours researching, analyzing, and comprehending the nation we live in and its rich, bloody history. From the Salem Witch Trials to the Civil War, we not only learned what happened during the event, but we also discovered why and how the event progressed. One of the most important things we learned this year was the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The founding fathers drafted these documents with the hopes of creating a new nation which idolized the ideas of freedom, liberty, and democracy. As a result of these pieces of parchment paper with ink on them, the United States government lies as a model for other countries to follow. These documents were meant to be changed, showing how the founding fathers wanted the U.S. to be a constantly changing nation that could adapt to new ideas from across the world. We learned what rights the Constitution laid out for the state and federal government. On the other hand, the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution because certain politicians wanted to protect certain rights of the people. The Constitution worked to ensure that every citizen had unquestionable unalienable. In addition, we learned the limits of each branch in the government and how checks and balances make sure no branch grows too powerful. By learning more about the nation we call home, we grew wiser and developed into better citizens. To the incoming 6th graders, the trek that lies ahead is not an easy adventure. But the challenges that you overcome will let you grow and prosper as a person. Difficulties such as homework, tests, and unstable friendships might stress you out and make middle school feel like it will never end. However, by simply planning ahead and communicating well with your peers and teachers, you can avoid the stress that will continually grow in middle school. Rather than staying completely independent, take advantage of the environment school puts you in and In addition, make sure you don’t stress out too much over the challenges of middle school but also make sure you stay on top of your work and don’t slack off or fall behind. By following these steps, you can hopefully flourish in middle school while staying content with yourself. In a couple of months, the 8th graders of Jordan Middle School will graduate and be off to high school, a new challenging world with unknown dangers that we’ll have to overcome. Like an artist painting a masterpiece, only part of the painting is done and the paint is still wet and open to change and progress. Only when the painting is dry and it’s completely finished can we properly look back and admire our work. Reflecting on these past three years, I can see many mistakes and challenges I made, like one can view visible cracks on an aging stone. However, I must admit that these mistakes provided knowledge whenever they occur and lead me to become wiser as a result. Hopefully, we can learn from all the mistakes which happened in this part of the painting to ensure that our future stays bright and hopeful. From the teachers to the students to the staff of Jordan Middle School, there is nothing I can say but “Thank you!” Thank you for staying with the Jordan Community and acting as not only friends, but as mentors who guided us through the stress and struggles of such a difficult part of our life. As I enter a new world with new difficulties, I will strive to remember this community whenever I’m in a position of great pressure, as it’s a place where its memories will be in my heart forever.