Our home

Sometimes I'm surprised by the lack of reverence and respect my some of my peers at school have. I've heard people talking shit about other students, about the teachers, the administration, the rules. I get it, we're teenagers, we're supposed to act out, to rebel, but why at our school, and why in such a way? I've heard students say things such as "This is a boarding school for people in their late teens, how can they expect us not to drink or sleep with people?" or "I hate that teacher, don't you? I think we should make a club for those of us that hate that teacher". Most recently, I noticed a post on Facebook saying something along the lines of "I don't want to come back to VVS but my stuff is there so I guess I have to". It appears like some people are taking VVS and its amazing opportunities for granted. This saddens me, because I worked my butt off just to get there, and I keep doing it. I am challenged in multiple ways every single day and there is nothing that has taught and changed me so much as my stay at Verde Valley School. People, this isn't just some random institution you're prattling on about, this is my home. Our home. We're living in a place that allows for us to become some sort of a family. We're also living in such a tiny community that everything you say or do, in some way or the other, affects almost everyone else. This is a place where everyone, if they want to, can truly be themselves. This is the place where a silly "orchestra" from the outside can make everyone sing and laugh in a way I never thought I'd see at a high school. This is a place where people aren't usually judged based on where they come from or how they look. I don't want to get all "sunshine and rainbows", but as I guess you've already assumed, I love this place, this second home, second family of mine. Please, please, start treating our home better.

Yes, this magical place.