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the Lockport Legend | October 20, 2016 | 17
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From LockportLegend.com from
Monday, Oct. 17.
From the Assistant Editor
Exploring hobbies after high school
1. Dellwood Park event gets community into the
Halloween spirit
2. Standout Student: Helene Simmons, Homer
Jr. High eighth-grader
3. 10 Questions with Jon Savage, Lockport
Township football
4. Lockport family business reintroduced at
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5. Inaugural 5K to benefit SOS Children’s
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“Working on fine motor skills at Meader
House using spoons to transfer marbles from
one bowl to another!”
— Lockport Township Park District from
Oct.11.
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Kirsten onsgard
k.onsgard@22ndcenturymedia.com
As I walked into
Lockport Township
High School’s
auditorium last week to see
the choir’s fall concert last
week, I stopped for a moment
to watch the marching
band practice on a makeshift
field near the parking
lot. Immediately it was
clear: kids are good. They
punched out phrases and
horn flares from an uptempo
march, in what I would
assume was an effort to put
a few final touches on a difficult
piece of music.
I have spent a considerable
amount of time at
LTHS over the past few
weeks — covering the band
concert, choir concert, Teen
Read Week and Homecoming
— and it’s become
clear how much these
so-called formative years
and the school itself shape
students’ passions and
creativity.
At the choir concert that
evening, I spoke with two
seniors, Jake Parsons and
Abby Mladic, who are each
involved with three choirs.
They gushed about the
program, its intensity, fun,
learning opportunities and
family-like atmosphere,
however cliche. Only
Parsons plans on pursuing
music professionally,
but both found a space to
explore their creativity and
push themselves musically
in the program.
Earlier that day, I
watched as poet George
David Miller performed
for Teen Read Week at the
LTHS library. He recited
provocative slam poetry
and breached boundaries
by moving around
students and jumping on
chairs. Maybe some found
it cheesy or uncomfortable,
but Miller said he gets
that: not everyone will be
receptive to his message or
means of delivery.
But one student I talked
with did: sophomore Tyrell
Jackson, who writes poetry
at home and enjoys listening
to 2Pac. He spoke with
Miller after his performance,
and thought his raw
approach was inspiring to
see.
It’s programs like these
that help facilitate students’
creativity and find
their passion, and it certainly
was for me in high
school, as well. I played
trombone through high
school and middle school,
and vividly remember the
love-hate relationship with
that passion. We would
spend long nights on a
brisk, damp football field
or march for miles during
an oppressively hot Labor
Day parade.
I also flirted with studying
creative writing in
college for a while, and
somehow convinced an
English teacher one semester
to allow me to spend
a period writing poetry
for an independent study.
Needless to say, that time
would have probably been
best spent working for my
high school paper, though
at least I learned art school
was not in my future.
But high school is meant
to be a time to figure that
out, and deep-dive into
trying things that you
like, regardless of ability
(like those two seasons
of JV soccer I spent on
the bench). And LTHS’s
programs facilitate that —
from creative groups like
band to sports to support
groups, like gay-straight alliance
and Best Buddies.
It’s also a time to figure
out what you enjoy, even
if it’s not eventually going
to become your 9-to-5
job. I’m still a writer, get
excited about new music
and require at least a few
concerts per month.
It’s these passions that
make life more fulfilling,
but are harder and harder
to explore when it’s not
an after school activity, or
when it feels a lot less acceptable
to fail. Kids have
few qualms about learning
a new activity; for adults,
it can be much more uncomfortable.
Still, exploring passions
old and new is essential for
self-care and living a wellrounded
life. For me, that’s
meant things like learning
yoga and becoming excited
(albeit sore) when I finally
land a more difficult pose.
Granted, I am a young
20-something without
a family. But exploring
hobbies and passions —
from cooking to art to
sports — can be a lifelong
pursuit. Take it from a high
schooler.
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