What does it mean to you to be a part of the CJA community?
You have a big responsibility to take care of this community. For example, we learn the grad-at-grad values here. They are a great way to live life. The school wants everyone to follow these expectations in our lives.
It feels great. It’s a big jump up from sixth grade. We’re more the leaders of CJA. Instead of us looking up to older people, now we have the youngsters looking up to us. The teachers and staff here trust us to do more and to prioritize the important stuff. I’m learning to be smarter with my organization. I need to be more organized with all of my school classes and athletics. I have a lot of stuff to do!
Each gender should have the same education and equal rights as the other gender. We want our community to grow more so that everyone can get the same education and the life that everyone deserves.
My favorite thing about CJA is our co-curriculars. We get to choose our favorite athletic team or activity. We also have the option to have study hall for all four days for our schedule. It’s really important to get that work done first as part of the grad-at-grad value of seeking intellectual excellence.
Right now in Language Arts and Reading, we’re in our Shakespeare unit. I love the Shakespeare unit. We’re learning about Shakespeare’s way of writing, his plays, his comedies and his tragedies. He also is a poet. He speaks in a poetic way. I don’t know if I love poetry because it’s more calm and slow, and I’m very impatient and like going fast. In Science, we’re learning about how magnetic fields work. My favorite thing I get to do is go to the Science Lab. Mr. Houlihan is my Science teacher. He’s a very inspirational and admirable person.
I always say my favorite grad-at-grad value is being committed to doing justice. I feel like being there for others and being a person for others is really important. We should always stand up for somebody who you see having a hard time or being bullied or something like that. Seeking intellectual excellence is a close second because I feel like I really need to keep trying hard in class.
I’m really thankful for my family. There’s no way I would have gotten where I am right now without them. I’m also thankful for the CJA community. They’re educating me on what I need to be ready for the future in high school, college and beyond. I’m thankful for God, because He did everything for me and He wants me to push myself as much as I can.
