650 Words

In 2015 the senior awards ceremony was the Olivia Ghosh Show. A fantastic student who had earned the respect of teachers in all disciplines, she walked away from that assembly with a stunning array of medals, plaques, and awards. With a perfect transcript, a wagon full of trophies, and an acceptance letter from Columbia, Olivia had more external validation than she knew what to do with. Everything was perfect. And yet…. Things weren’t perfect. Olivia’s post is all about the “yet.” I will let Olivia tell her story, but I am struck by how many of our Superkids have struggled and continue to struggle. To the world, they project confidence, self-awareness, even joy. Behind the well-practiced smile, however, they are often engaged in intense struggles with loneliness, self-worth, and depression. Look back over the 650 blog posts. A good number fall into this category (see Natalie Schmidt , Rickey Leary , Emma Moore , Victoria Ralston , Molly Lavin for a few examples). Olivia

I didn't know what to title this piece, so I just went with Kelly's words. I'm also not sure I can say anything here that would serve as a fitting intro to her story. So I'll just let her tell it. I will say that Kelly Clemeshaw, then Kelly Marean, graduated from high school in 1993. She was part of my first class, which naturally means I remember everyone one of those "kids" extremely well. In the photograph below, for instance, I can name every person in the frame (Kelly is in front with the red jacket), the class period (6th, after lunch), and the person who took the photograph (Paula Waisman, who was in third period with Riki, Adrienne, Raquel and a number of others who I still keep in touch with). After graduating, Kelly moved on to Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA where she earned a BA in Spanish Language and Literature. (Not sure what Kelly's Senor Steel nickname was.) After earning an MA at Cal State San Marcos, Kelly went on to ha

This one is hard to read.   Wolf Recht graduated from high school in 2016, an experience he describes as "confusing." When he left for college, things got even more confusing. Wolf attended Cal Poly SLO for two years where he mostly took coursework in Forestry and Landscape Architecture. After dropping out of college due to his difficulty managing a "hazily diagnosed" mental illness (he is quoted), which most closely resembled bipolar disorder, he worked odd jobs like welding, landscaping, and tree care. After a series of run-ins with the law, he began working very intentionally on sobriety starting in October of 2018. Wolf's story is harrowing. He went from a super intellectual kid in my AP Language class to a young man fighting for his life. "My post," he said, "is a brief description of my struggle with mental illness and substance abuse, its possible causes and its tangible consequences." - C.H. Before I begin, I

Lakme Caceres, who graduated in 2018, was burdened by a pretty serious case of social anxiety while she was in high school. I had her in class for two years, junior and senior, and I never would have guessed that she was struggling. I always assumed that she was just quiet and happy. I’ve opened a few of these intros in this same way, and it occurs to me now that one of a few things is happening. One possibility is that I’m just really bad at picking up on the signs of anxiety, loneliness, depression, etc. This is certainly possible. Another possibility: we don’t give students enough chances to reflect in a classroom setting. Students have all that learning to do. They have to know how to write analytical essays and do impossible math problems and write up lab reports and conjugate verbs in a second language. When is there time for self-reflection? I’m convinced we have to make time. We have to carve out hours, in English classes and other venues, for students like Lakme to be

I have been accused of relating a few too many things to The Catcher in the Rye . Guilty as charged. I get a real bang out of Catcher . When I read Victoria Ralston’s blog post about coming to terms with her own mental health, I immediately thought of our friend Holden Caulfield. The two most enduring messages of that novel -- in my opinion -- are very straightforward: 1) Be honest with yourself about your own mental health; and 2) Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Holden walks around New York City doing everything he can to deny, repress, or otherwise not deal with the central fact of his life: he’s hurting. For Holden, the healing process doesn’t begin until he hits rock bottom and subsequently gives himself permission to get help. Victoria tells a similar story here. Like Holden, she takes a purposeful step toward mental health by acknowledging and naming a longtime condition (OCD) and then allowing herself to get the help she needed. Victoria graduated from high sch