Streelman, 1

Devon Streelman

Pre-AP English 9 / Period 1

Mr. Boyatt

30 Augest 2017

A Ordinary Kid Achieving Something Much More than Ordinary

When I was in 8th grade at Gardner Middle School I was a pretty nice, normal kid. I was always polite to my teachers and

peers, always positive, and I didn’t even realize it. These actions came innately to me, and were not a big deal in my daily life. I also

stood up to bullies for many reasons including everybody should have a good experience at school. Then, one day my teacher

pulled me and someone else into the hall and BAM! “Congratulations you two are nominated for student of the year!” My reaction

two words; what, and why?

He handed us both a folder and when I opened it there were some assignments I had to complete. The teacher told us the

assignments in the folder were due next week. I thought, “More homework, I have enough of that already!” The question I was

thinking about for the next few days was what have I done to deserve this?

When I started working on one of the assignments, the directions told me to complete a prompt like this one; Write

achievements and personality traits you have that make you worthy of student of the year. There wasn’t much I had in mind so I just

started writing about my personality. I did not achieve much besides my TYBL basketball championship, so I wrote that down. I also

started writing about my thoughts such as that bullies need to be stopped. There was definitely a thought in my head that the essay

was not student of the year worthy.

Then, at the day of the decision I was pretty certain I was going to lose. I haven’t fed the homeless or started an anti-bully

movement. There wasn’t much going for me. The final decision was about to happen. I walked up to the stage and saw the faces of

many contestants from other schools and their parents. Everybody in the crowd was wearing a tie except me. This and many other

things made me feel like I did not belong here. Myself and two other boys from my school were on the stage crossing our fingers.

“The winner, for the 2017 GMS male student of the year is… Devon Streelman!”

I was dumbfounded. The crowd started clapping and I started smiling. On my way back to my seat I was being

congratulated and I was glad. Yet, I was still in total confusion and shock. When I returned home it took me a while to figure out why

they gave me student of the year, and then it hit me like a train. Everyday I am nice to people, polite to people, positive, and I try to

make people feel better, and people at my school noticed it. I guess I didn’t need to do something way out of the ordinary to be

recognized. What I learned that day, is people do not have to do things way above the bar to affect people in a very positive way.
 Streelman, 2

Devon Streelman

Pre-AP English 9 / Period 1

Mr. Boyatt

30 August 2017

An Ordinary Kid Achieving the Extraordinary

Throughout my time at Gardner Middle School I was a genuinely kind student. I was always sure to treat my teachers and

peers with respect. These actions were innate, and were implemented into my daily life and my interactions. I always sought to

stand up for what was right, from being a friend to victims of bullying to tutoring students struggling in class. I was caught by surprise

when my teacher pulled me aside and congratulated me for being nominated for student of the year. I was dumbfounded. What did I

do to deserve this?

He handed me a folder and upon opening it there were assignments I had to complete in order to register. The teacher

told me the assignments were due next week. I was already overwhelmed by homework, but I had to take advantage of this

opportunity. At this time I was still shocked, and continued to ponder why I was chosen for this honor.

Upon beginning the assignments, the directions directed me to complete a prompt explaining my achievements and

personality traits I had that make you worthy of student of the year. This is exactly what I had been trying to answer for the last few

days, and I had still come up with nothing therefore I simply started writing about my personality. My achievements seemed limited,

but I was able to reflect on my TYBL championship. I also started writing about my morals, such as the widespread bullying issue

across middle schools worldwide. I was especially passionate about this subject because it was an issue that had personally

affected me. Although I put an abundance of time and effort into this assignment, I was grasping onto a mere strand of hope.

Decision day had finally arrived, and anxiety was fuelling my entire existence. I haven’t fed the homeless or started any

movements. I felt like I didn’t have a chance. As I walked up to the stage and saw the faces of many contestants from other schools

and their parents. I felt out of place, I didn’t belong here, all I could do was hope for the best. Myself and two other boys from my

school were on the stage crossing our fingers, and the announcer began. I held my breath. “The winner for the 2017 GMS male

student of the year is… Devon Streelman!”

I was dumbfounded. The crowd started clapping and I was overwhelmed with many emotions. On my way back to my

seat I was being congratulated and I was ecstatic Nevertheless, I was still in total confusion and shock. When I returned home I

continued my contemplation of why I earned student of the year, and then it all came to me at once. My continued kindness,

positivity, and support for others had been recognized by those at my school. I guess I didn’t need to do something way out of the

ordinary to and make an immense impact on those around me.

 Streelman, 3

Upon analysis of my old essay, I was immediately struck by how much I have grown as a

writer. This is because in the past, I would make little grammatical mistakes here and there, and

even spelling mistakes that I would never make in my works of writing today. I now write with a

much higher level of professionalism compared to my writing in the past. In the past, I would

include random dialogue, without any integration or much context as to what is occuring. I am

proud of my progression as a writer, as in the past I would throw together an essay as fast as

possible, however now, I am sure to perfect as much of my writing as possible, and this alone has

forced me to improve my writing greatly. I have also noticed how much my vocabulary has

expanded, and I am able to use this expanded vocabulary in order to add a unique element to my

writing, which I could not have done in my earlier years of highschool. All in all, my progress in

improving my writing has been personally impressive throughout high school, and I look

forward to the continual improvement to my writing skills in the future.