I can honestly say that this year can be summed up in one simple word. It wasn’t amazing, nor was it wonderful, not sad, or terrible, though it probably was all those things one time or another. No, my year has been very interesting. Now it is finally drawing to a close, and looking back on everything that’s happened I am amazed at how the time flew by.
I started this year as the new kid. I had no friends, and I really wanted to fit in. I couldn’t really find many people who shared the same interests and passions as me. Trying to hang with the athletic kids, no, I couldn’t do that. Fitting in with the popular crowd, that’s just not me. I really found my niche in the school when I found band. I have always felt best with an instrument in my hands. That’s when I really started connecting with other people like me.
Reminiscing still, by the middle of the year I had opened up more with my class, and I had realized that these kids weren’t all so different from me after all. I had my circles in the band, the class, and the extracurricular activities, and they only got bigger. I guess it just takes time to get used to a situation before you can begin to get involved. I’m glad I did too, otherwise, I probably would not be writing this right now.
Now it’s the end of the year. I’m having to say some permanent goodbyes to friends I’ve made that are moving this summer, as well as some temporary goodbyes to friends I will see again in the fall. Then there are the eighth-graders I know that are moving on to high school. Those were some of the hardest goodbyes I have made. However, with all the new technology these days, like Facebook and cell phones, there’s sure to be a way to keep in touch.
Seventh grade has definitely thrown some great opportunities my way. From writing for the local newspaper, taking part in the Bryan County Youth Advisory Council or playing in the Atlanta Symphony Hall, I’ve definitely been handed some great chances that I was honored to take. I can hardly believe how swiftly it’s all gone by, and how near the end of school really is. Looking back on all the good times and bad, I think it was truly worth it to come here, and do all these incredible things. It’s been a pleasure to take part in schoo l activities and record them on paper for the public to read, and I hope to do it again next year. I’m excited for eighth grade, and the many more opportunities headed my way, but for now, like everyone else, I’m just waiting for the final bell to toll.

Smith is a student at Richmond Hill Middle School and a student reporter for the Bryan County News.