Julia's 8th grade at SBMS!
Donation protected
It is summer of 2015. I am just out of seventh grade and on my way to eighth. My name is Julia, I am 13 years old, and my summer just started. Now if I am being honest, I wish it would end. I get to see my friends more when I’m at school. I get to laugh more and play more and learn more. Frankly, I love my school.
Santa Barbara Middle School goes from 6th - 9th grade. Luckily, I was able to start my middle school journey from the very beginning in sixth grade. Me and twelve other kids were the sixth grade class. We moved from classroom to classroom together. We often ate lunch together (along with some seventh grade friends). Our
main homeroom teacher, Jenna, was like our parent. We moved around like a little family. We had Greek picnics at lunch together when we were studying ancient Greece. We laughed during class just as often as we learned. But I never realized that until seventh grade.
Seventh grade is much bigger with a class of about fifty kids. We moved around a lot more going from classroom to classroom at each bell. I got to expand my friend circle, inviting more people into my life while still keeping my old friends close. Also, coming back as a returning student was awesome! Out of the fifty kids in seventh grade, being one of thirteen returning students was so cool.
I feel like in my short time at Middle School (2 years) I’ve changed so much. I’m stronger, both physically and mentally. One of our school’s favorite things to do is
push us past our limits. We constantly explore new things whether its hugging giant redwoods, swimming in the ocean at sunrise, or singing songs and telling stories at campfire.
We learn so much about each other and ourselves. I have connected with so many great people. Including me.
But it’s not only my friends I connect with. I could make lists of teachers that have helped or inspired me, adventured and explored with me, or simply shared a
laugh over coffee in the morning. In fact about three weeks ago I sat with my best friend at Lucky Llama (a local coffee shop we love), when our social studies teacher pulls up in his blue convertible bug to meet us for coffee. We talked and laughed and discussed life, then went our separate ways to enjoy the rest of our summer.
I told someone about meeting our teacher for coffee in the middle of summer and they just didn’t understand. The truth is I don’t think anyone would understand the kind of relationships and bonds we build with our teachers unless they live them.
In sixth grade I had this one teacher, he taught science and a program called bike monkeys. Now lets get one thing straight, he scared me! If you asked me in sixth grade if I liked the science teacher I probably would have just said,” um I guess so.” But if you asked me now... I have so much respect for him. He has taught me so much. He knows when to help and when to let us struggle through our problems. He challenged us to think for ourselves and answer our own questions. If you asked me if I liked him now I would say, ” he is one of my favorite teachers I’ve had.” Though I could never rank my teachers by favorites because it’s literally impossible.
As I am now in the middle of my second page I realize how much I have written yet how I have barely scratched the surface of what being a Santa Barbara Middle School student means to me. I could tell you about changing the world with Free the Children, or having kayak water fights with my headmaster, or sharing oysters with friends and teachers all around one big table together. I could never express how my love of music has changed, expanded and become such a huge part of my life. I could tell you about the MANY times I just wanted to throw my bike off a cliff on a hard ride but instead, a 9th grader stopped and pushed my bike up the hill, maybe remembering her first hard ride and realizing I just needed a little support right then.
The truth is no one could really understand how happy it makes me to have a community that loves and supports me through everything. It has never felt better to
be a part of that community then when I had the opportunity to be the one that pushes someone elses bike up the hill.
I could write pages upon pages trying to explain what Santa Barbara Middle School means to me, because there is so much more to it. Look us up at sbms.org to
find out more and make sure to watch my video Me @ SBMS. Thank you so much for reading my very long letter and supporting me through my journey through SBMS.
Love,
Julia Hinton
Santa Barbara Middle School goes from 6th - 9th grade. Luckily, I was able to start my middle school journey from the very beginning in sixth grade. Me and twelve other kids were the sixth grade class. We moved from classroom to classroom together. We often ate lunch together (along with some seventh grade friends). Our
main homeroom teacher, Jenna, was like our parent. We moved around like a little family. We had Greek picnics at lunch together when we were studying ancient Greece. We laughed during class just as often as we learned. But I never realized that until seventh grade.
Seventh grade is much bigger with a class of about fifty kids. We moved around a lot more going from classroom to classroom at each bell. I got to expand my friend circle, inviting more people into my life while still keeping my old friends close. Also, coming back as a returning student was awesome! Out of the fifty kids in seventh grade, being one of thirteen returning students was so cool.
I feel like in my short time at Middle School (2 years) I’ve changed so much. I’m stronger, both physically and mentally. One of our school’s favorite things to do is
push us past our limits. We constantly explore new things whether its hugging giant redwoods, swimming in the ocean at sunrise, or singing songs and telling stories at campfire.
We learn so much about each other and ourselves. I have connected with so many great people. Including me.
But it’s not only my friends I connect with. I could make lists of teachers that have helped or inspired me, adventured and explored with me, or simply shared a
laugh over coffee in the morning. In fact about three weeks ago I sat with my best friend at Lucky Llama (a local coffee shop we love), when our social studies teacher pulls up in his blue convertible bug to meet us for coffee. We talked and laughed and discussed life, then went our separate ways to enjoy the rest of our summer.
I told someone about meeting our teacher for coffee in the middle of summer and they just didn’t understand. The truth is I don’t think anyone would understand the kind of relationships and bonds we build with our teachers unless they live them.
In sixth grade I had this one teacher, he taught science and a program called bike monkeys. Now lets get one thing straight, he scared me! If you asked me in sixth grade if I liked the science teacher I probably would have just said,” um I guess so.” But if you asked me now... I have so much respect for him. He has taught me so much. He knows when to help and when to let us struggle through our problems. He challenged us to think for ourselves and answer our own questions. If you asked me if I liked him now I would say, ” he is one of my favorite teachers I’ve had.” Though I could never rank my teachers by favorites because it’s literally impossible.
As I am now in the middle of my second page I realize how much I have written yet how I have barely scratched the surface of what being a Santa Barbara Middle School student means to me. I could tell you about changing the world with Free the Children, or having kayak water fights with my headmaster, or sharing oysters with friends and teachers all around one big table together. I could never express how my love of music has changed, expanded and become such a huge part of my life. I could tell you about the MANY times I just wanted to throw my bike off a cliff on a hard ride but instead, a 9th grader stopped and pushed my bike up the hill, maybe remembering her first hard ride and realizing I just needed a little support right then.
The truth is no one could really understand how happy it makes me to have a community that loves and supports me through everything. It has never felt better to
be a part of that community then when I had the opportunity to be the one that pushes someone elses bike up the hill.
I could write pages upon pages trying to explain what Santa Barbara Middle School means to me, because there is so much more to it. Look us up at sbms.org to
find out more and make sure to watch my video Me @ SBMS. Thank you so much for reading my very long letter and supporting me through my journey through SBMS.
Love,
Julia Hinton
Organizer
Sarah Hinton
Organizer
Carpinteria, CA