Amelia Sych Achée

Well, here it is.  We survived another year together.  We have persevered through the blood, sweat, and tears (literally) this school year has brought and fought to the end.  The end; I have dreamed of it for so long, countless years at the upper school.  Among the scents of Clorox, Windex, and Goo Gone, one smell overpowers good ol’ PCC that last day of school.  That, my comrades, is the smell of victory.

Even more pungent is the odor of that sentimental day of which every summit student dreams.  It’s a day full of speeches, farewells, and heels clicking across the gym stage.  No silly, not the ring ceremony … Graduation!  Two weeks before this grand day, I sit sipping my country peach tea, breathing in its glorious peachy scent.  And I wonder, what scent am I leaving behind as I dash off to my future?  When Summit remembers the Class of 2013, will we be known for the pleasant scent trail toward success we left for rising school leaders?  With this in mind, it only seems fitting I leave behind some bits of wisdom for posterity.  Take a deep breath: 8 nuggets of wisdom coming your way!

Swallow That Word Vomit! 

It comes in many forms.  It can be a “can you believe what she’s wearing?” or a “did you hear what he did last weekend?” or even “he’s such a ….”  We all know how it goes.  At some point we have all gossiped and been talked about behind our backs.  And it hurts … everyone.  I’m keeping this one short and sweet: don’t gossip, and when you do, make it right.  Take responsibility and apologize to the person you talked about.  And if you are the victim, do not “backfire gossip.”  It only tangles the web of jealousy, anger, and confusion even further.  Approach the person.  Furthermore, do not start a “gossip war” like we did in seventh grade.  No one escapes unwounded, and everyone crawls out with their own bag of regrets.  Here’s a tip I use: before you speak about someone, ask yourself, “Would I feel comfortable saying this in said person’s presence?  Would they?”  If the answer is “no” or even an “eh…,” just do not say it.  It is for the best.

Negativity: The Virus That Kills

For some it is a grand mountain to scale, for others a pebble to kick out of their path.  Nevertheless, negativity is a necessary parasite everyone must kill.  It is a pesky little virus, negativity is.  One minute you entertain a negative thought, the next “the trees are bare and everywhere the streets are full of strangers.”  Negativity is easiest to kill when it is small.  You see, negative circumstances (and negative people) will inevitably walk into our lives.  There is nothing we can do to avoid negativity around us.  However, we all have the power to be positive.  Rule of thumb: when you have a negative thought (about yourself, another, or a circumstance) speak the opposite.  If you do not, that little monster will gain ground faster than Bigfoot in the Boreal Forest.  Use scripture, use your friends, but just don’t give in!

Lauren Conrad Does Not Know Everything

Okay girls, we have all been guilty of this one.  While beauty magazines can be tempting and often offer some good advice, they are not the ultimate source of wisdom they may appear to be.  Not too long ago, I discovered an amazing designer named Lauren Conrad.  Her clothes were a perfect match for me, and her jewelry was unbeatably cute.  Even greater was my excitement when, one day while wandering through Target’s book department, I came across an LC style book.  An entire book filled with LC’s favorite beauty secrets.  For months, I pranced around dribbling LC beauty tips on all victims, willing and unwilling.  Then there came the day: one of her beauty tips did not work.  INCROYABLE.  How could I have been so wrong?  Listen, here’s the point: people like LC and the writers of your favorite magazine (Sports Illustrated, guys???  My apologies, I don’t know what you guys read) can offer some great tips in certain arenas.  However, do not put all your eggs in one basket.  Other people (like your parents) can offer even more valuable advice about life and beauty (and…uh…manliness???).  Be open to what they have to say.

Mom and Dad Are Not Stupid

“It’s a phase,” everyone says.  “Everyone thinks their parents are stupid at one point or another.”  While this is a phase most teenagers go through, let’s at least go about it with the right attitude.  Maybe you have a great relationship with your parents, maybe not so good.  No matter, at some point in everyone’s adolescence it will feel like mom or dad just doesn’t get it.  At these times it can be easy to discount their authority, rebel, and “vent” to your friends over Facebook.  Believe me: none of the listed options will help the said situation.  In fact, they will make things worse.  Take a deep breath.  Calmly and respectfully try to explain your side of things to them.  And if they just are not “seeing the light,” obey them.  It is hard to imagine sometimes, but our parents have been around a lot longer than we have.  They have much more experience than us newbies.  Think about it, they may actually be (duh duh DUH) right.  Even more, let’s not forget God calls us to honor our parents.  Exodus 20:12 says, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.”  And it’s not because mom was in labor with you for 32 hours, or because dad was up holding a crying baby countless nights, although our parents do often remind us of their sacrifice.  It is, like all God’s other laws, good for us.  He reminds us of this not because He likes seeing us struggle, but because He loves us.  When we honor our parents, God sees it, it pleases Him, and we reap the harvest of our self-control.  So, let’s honor our parents by obeying them, forgiving them, and speaking well of them with our friends.  It’s well worth it.

The Best Two Weeks of Your Life

Ahhh…the senior trip.  So many fresh memories flood my mind at the mention of our great international adventure.  If it is an option for you financially, GO!  Now many in the past have not gone by choice, and I respect that.  The senior trip may not be for everyone, so no judgment by any means.  However, in my opinion, if you go with the right attitude (you are there to learn. You are not on vacation), you will walk away with great experiences you will cherish for a lifetime.  I highly encourage you to go!

Respond to God

One of the greatest lessons I have learned is all my actions toward God should be, in their rawest form, reactions to what He has done for me.  It can be easy to fall into the “routine” of Christianity: attend church, go to school, read the Bible, sing, pray, repeat.  Just let me share with you, doing these things out of solely religious tradition will leave you feeling empty, lost in the cycle of “dos and don’ts.”  This, my friends, is not the place God ever intended us to be.

At this moment, God is pursuing you (Hosea 2:14-17, Luke 15:3-7).  Respond to God because His love chases after you (Psalm 23:6, 1 John 4:19).  All that to say, pray and read your Bible.  Discover God’s continual pursuit of you (Yes, He still pursues you after you are saved).  He wants you to feel and experience Him, so give God a chance to reveal Himself.  It helps to take time out of each day (like 15 minutes) to read your Bible and pray.  Ask God to reveal Himself to you in a more real way, and He will.  So much could be said about this, but I must move on….

When Sweet Friendships Go Sour

Unfortunately, I am well versed in the art of “friendship reconstruction.”  Don’t get me wrong, it is an important art to be versed in.  However in this case, no matter how beautiful the end, the means are made no less painful.  Most fights come down do this question, “do I value being right more than I value this friendship?”  If the answer is “yes,”  let the relationship go.  If the answer is “no,” talk to the person immediately (in person).  Explain how you feel, agree to disagree, and move on with the friendship.  Oh, and one more thing: Do not give up on a friendship too quickly.  I fought for a couple years with the girl who is now my closest friend.  Restoration is worth it!

Take Time to Smell the Roses

Finally, we all look forward to graduation, but do not forget to cherish your time in high school.  Okay, I am not telling you to enjoy homework, but Summit is an incredibly unique environment and high school has its perks.  Enjoy being with friends every day.  Enjoy the field trips and freedoms that come with growing up.  Hold dearly the good times you have, and do not focus on the bad (especially if you go on the Europe Trip).  You only go through high school once, so make some awesome memories.

Also (this relates back to the negativity section), it is easiest to find fault, but takes character to see good.  Spending all day, every day in a small Christian school, one can get easily caught in what I call the “web of complaints”: “But why uniforms?  Why all this homework?  What??  My skirt was not even that short!  If that wasn’t memorized, I don’t know what is!  THAT’S NOT FAIR!!”  Yes, indeed, I believe we all know what the “web of complaints” feels like.  Pointing out flaws is easy.  Anyone can do it, and many do.  However, you will find the roses way more pleasant to smell, if I may, if you focus on the good.  We go to a Christian school where we are not ridiculed for our faith.  We have teachers who actually care about our well-being.  We get a killer education with opportunities we often take for granted.  If you need to, make a list.  Just smell those roses!

Well folks, there you go: an eight-count nugget, fried in the oils of experience.  In all seriousness, though, these eight things have helped me in my time here at Summit, and I believe they will help you as well.  Do with them what you wish, just leave some for everyone else, feel me?

Yours truly,

Emmy Sych