A Reflection as School Winds Down

by Cavan Pasek

I got a call last night from my friend freshman Oliver Colaw. At the time I was eating a bowl of leftovers while watching some highlights of Jimmy Butler laying waste to the Celtics’ hopes of getting to the finals. I answer the call: “Hey.”

Oliver was calling everyone in the class as a reminder that Mr. K’s final was due the next morning and if you don’t get it done by the morning it will be printed and he will grade it. At that point in time I couldn’t appreciate Oliver’s saving grace more.

There is no possible way I would’ve remembered. Oliver had single handedly saved my literature grade for the entire semester. And thanks to his call, I got the assignment finished before I went to bed.

Another time that we’ve helped each other was when we had another assignment but in a different class. Freshman Keaton Nelson and I had a hard time starting a report in Earth Science for Ms. Lakin. For some reason, we decided that if we could write each other a paragraph to start the other we’d be on our way.

I gave him a starting paragraph and he gave me one. We then both had ideas to write from and we were able to finish the report in the same night.

Another example would be at the end of this year we were assigned to create a poster, climographs, and a map of different regions of Southeast Asia. Keaton had joined football so he was gone for the majority of his geography class.

Fortunately, his teammates were able to make up the work that he was missing out on and they were able to complete the assignment.

As this year ends, I’ve been thinking about how my peers and I have helped each other throughout this year. I think that’s one of the reasons I have had a really good school year. The people around me made it easier to learn. 

Like everyone else in Ouray High School, I’m looking forward to my summer jobs. I don’t know what I’m saving money for exactly, but the jobs themselves are satisfying for us teenagers. We feel useful, efficient, valued when we’re lifeguarding, or serving food, or stocking shelves.

And the summer will give us plenty of time to get together with friends, shoot hoops, practice some Jimmy Butler moves. It’ll end sooner than we’re ready, but, all things considered, I look forward to my sophomore year of high school.