NINE YEARS BY BENJAMIN MOST ‘12 PAGE 6 BEACON — SPRING 2012
Nine years ago, I entered the gates of <strong>Harbor</strong> <strong>Day</strong> <strong>School</strong> as an eager Kindergartner to embark on a thrilling voyage. In the past nine years I have grown, both physically and mentally. I have learned about the world and the laws that govern it. I have seen the magnificence within numbers and shapes, the elegance of patterns, and the order that exists within randomness. I have learned the power of language and discovered how to speak it, to write it, to wield it as a tool. In nine years, <strong>Harbor</strong> <strong>Day</strong> <strong>School</strong> has given me knowledge, and I intend to use this knowledge as best I can. Already, I have accomplished several achievements for which I feel great pride. I have succeeded in math and science at <strong>Harbor</strong> <strong>Day</strong> <strong>School</strong>; my teammates and I received an honorable mention in the ExploraVision science competition, and I tied for first place at the chapter level of MathCounts. My MathCounts team received fourth place overall and progressed to the state level. Furthermore, I recited 4,030 digits of pi this year on March 14, also known as “Pi <strong>Day</strong>”; I rank seventh among all of the pi digit memorizers in the United States. Skilled English and literature teachers at <strong>Harbor</strong> <strong>Day</strong> <strong>School</strong> have encouraged me to write and have assisted me in my endeavors, which allowed me to earn such honors as a Silver Key award in the Scholastic Art and Writing Contest’s California division. History and geography teachers, informing me about the past and its effects on the present and the future, have filled my mind with learning. I have partaken in the <strong>Harbor</strong> <strong>Day</strong> <strong>School</strong> Latin program as well and received the first place academic and first place overall middle school awards at last year’s California Junior Classical League. Without <strong>Harbor</strong> <strong>Day</strong> <strong>School</strong>, all of these accomplishments would have occurred only in my dreams. More than my academic successes, however, I appreciate the enthusiasm that I feel every day when I arrive at school. At many schools, students fear learning and consider education to be a mandatory agony that they must endure. At <strong>Harbor</strong> <strong>Day</strong> <strong>School</strong>, however, the teachers make learning an enjoyable process. True success lies not in trophies or plaques but in laughter and a passion for learning. Pride exists not in accolades or honors but in the quality of one’s character. Throughout my nine years at <strong>Harbor</strong> <strong>Day</strong> <strong>School</strong>, the teachers and staff have greatlyimpressed upon me the important values of life. Every day I wake up with a feeling of pride and contentedness in my heart. For this pride I owe <strong>Harbor</strong> <strong>Day</strong> <strong>School</strong>, my home of nine years, the place in which I learned the true meaning of success. n TOP: BEN DONS HIS CROWN AS PI KING FOR THE THIRD TIME IN A ROW. BOTTOM LEFT: BEN WITH ENGLISH TEACHER MRS. SNIFF. BOTTOM RIGHT: BEN CELEBRATES WITH HIS MOM AFTER RECITING 4,030 DIGITS OF PI. BEACON — SPRING 2012 PAGE 7
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