Wen mi first move to Evanston mi did surprised cause a the diversity a people weh live yah, Mi did even more suprised by how dem nice and how welcoming dem was, Mi did a 15 when mi move come a Evanston. wen mi start ETHS, it was completely different from anything weh mi eva see. But wat did more was surprising was the education system, how dem take attendance, dem give we a way fi check up pon we grade every day, and the overall staff took a hand in each and every students learning.

Freshman year did a the hardest year fimi. Finding mi place and where mi belong neva did easy. Being from a school weh we lucky if 3 a we teacher them come a class, to now inna one school weh mi have 7 class and if one a we teacher dem no come a class one next teacher come sub fi deh teacher deh, here we get fi pick most a we class them weh a no state requirement or class fi graduation. class like photography, art, music, different type a English class and history class. 

Back inna Jamaica mi play rugby fimi high school, dat a the only great ting weh did happen fimi.mi never think education did a the path fi mi. while mi a build mi future, Mi did think sports did a everything fimi, but being at ETH, so far mi learn nuff more bout mi self as a student, mi learn fi no limit mi self, but to challenge mi self in every possible way mi can, Mi learn dat mi in control of mi self and mi future, Mi a the director fi the movie call “mi life”. Mi learn fi honor the process of learning. Mi remember going home freshman year with no idea of how mu ago get mi homework done. mi neva have no idea of what mi did fi do, wah mi did want fi do, and how mi did ago do it, mi did at mi lowest of times. But afta a few month, mi seet seh all mi did need fi do a use the resources weh deh deh fimi take advantage of. Mi go A.M support, Mi go to mi teacher dem fimi lunch periods and mi free periods.

My advice to new students is take advantage of the support u get a ETHS, use all a the resources weh dem give you. Go see you teacher as much as you can. Stay consistent. Be organized as much as you can. always believe inna yourself. One lawyer and previous governor Brad Henry once said “Believe inna you self, and the rest will ago fall inna place. Have faith inna your own abilities , Own hard, and there is nothing weh you cya accomplish” and him couldn’t seh it no better.

Nuff part a the world kids wish them have the same resources like classrooms weh we have. Back inna Jamaica, we lucky if we have a class with even good windows. Kids out deh weh stuck inna class weh them deven want inna. Kids inna other school wish dem have homework centers weh people deh fi help them wid them homework. we have them type a resources yah a ETHS. We could work on appreciating wah we have a ETHS more.

English Translation

When I first moved to Evanston, I was surprised by the diversity of people who lived here. I met a lot of other races like American Indian, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander and White. I also met a lot of other Jamaicans, who came from many different parishes in Jamaica. I was 15 when I moved to Evanston. When I started ETHS, it was completely different from anything I’d ever seen. But what was more surprising was the education system: how they take attendance, how they grade students and their homework policies. The school gave us a great way to stay updated on our grades, and the overall staff took a hand in each and every student’s learning. 

Freshman year was the hardest year of school for me. Finding my place and where I belonged wasn’t easy. Going from being from a school where we were lucky if three of our teachers showed up for class to being in a school where I had seven  classes and if our teacher didn’t come to class, someone else would sub for them was pretty crazy. Here we get to pick most of our classes that aren’t state requirements or classes required for graduation. These are classes like different world languages, arts, music, different types of English classes and history classes. For example, I have been taking sign language, which is not a class in Jamaica.  

 Back in Jamaica, I played rugby for my high school. That was the only great thing that happened to me while I was there. I never thought education was the path for me. While building my future, I thought sports was everything for me. However, being at ETHS, so far I have learned a lot more about myself as a student. I’ve learned to not to limit myself, but to challenge myself in every possible way I can. I have learned that I am in control of myself and my future. I am the director of the movie called “my life.” I’ve learned to honor the process of learning. I remember going home freshman year with no idea of how I would get my homework done. I had no idea of what I was doing, what I wanted to do and how I was going to do it. I was at my lowest of times. But after a few months, I saw that all I had to do was use the resources that were there for me to take advantage of. I went to a.m. support and I went to teachers for my lunch periods and my free periods. 

My advice to new students is to take advantage of the support you get at ETHS. Use all the resources that are given to you. Go see your teachers as much as you can. Stay consistent. Be organized as much as you can. Always believe in yourself. Lawyer and previous governor Brad Henry once said, “Believe in yourself, and the rest will fall into place. Have faith in your own abilities, work hard, and there is nothing you cannot accomplish” and he couldn’t have said it any better. 

There are many parts of the world in which kids wish they had the same resources such as the classrooms we have. Back in Jamaica, we were lucky if we had a class with even good windows. There are kids out there who are stuck in classes with no choice for electives.  Kids in other schools wish they had homework centers where people are there to help you with each and every homework assignment. We have these types of resources at ETHS. We need to work on appreciating what we have at ETHS more.