For my capstone project it may have just seemed like I only worked the concession stand before and after school, but it was so much more. I took inventory, rolled coins, stocked the cabinets, prepared the stands before the games, managed who was working, completed paperwork, and helped Mrs. Schmidt in whatever areas she needed. I called myself Mrs. Schmidt’s personal assistant because everywhere she went I was attached to her at the hip. With all of that,I also was able to bring an all-state banner to the school. With the help of the funds from the concession stand, this was made possible. I am the first to bring one to the school, after several students had tried before without success. Another portion of the money helped save middle school sports in the school. Mrs. Schmidt has a lot on her plate being the athletic director, especially when the athletic budget was cut almost $100,000 and many sports were in danger of being cut. Mrs. Schmidt is so committed to the school that she puts a lot of her own money into the programs that allow all of the kids to have a chance at playing a sport.
This year has been a roller coaster of emotions for me. Senior year is a defining point in any student's life; it marks the end of being a kid. Yes, high school has taught me many things about the next steps in life, but none of those years made adulthood feel real until this class. Being able to see all of what Mrs. Schmidt does for the students in our school has really given me a new perspective on what blessings I don’t always see in my life. I was definitely naive to believe that all of the equipment, van rides, and jerseys all just magically appeared. Working with Mrs. Schmidt showed me that you have to work for everything that you want. Whether that means putting in extra hours or going the extra mile, nothing good comes easily. That can be taken into account for both on the field and in the classroom. With that, I was definitely challenged along the way. At one point, I tried to raise money for the all-state banner using a GoFundMe page. I was able to actually raise $185 from it within the first week. Unfortunately, I didn’t set the account up right, causing me to lose all of the money. I felt really defeated. I had worked so hard to get those funds, and for it to just be gone like that, made me feel like it was all for nothing. But it wasn’t. Anything we do in life has some purpose, and this outcome gave me a new learning opportunity. This whole project was a learning opportunity for what life would be like in the future.
Throughout this entire capstone experience, I have learned a lot about myself as well. I have found a new appreciation for going to school. Let me rephrase: I have found a new appreciation for being surrounded by my peers at school. Since I was in Mrs. Schmidt’s office before and after school pretty much everyday for roughly 5 months, I began to form relationships with the many people who came in and out of her office. I have known a lot of them since the 6th grade, but I was never really able to connect with them because of the different classes we took and my personality at the time. I was always the shy girl who didn’t talk to many people and didn’t like to be pushed out of my comfort zone. This service learning experience pushed me to break out of my shell. One of my good friends now, Jhymari Rainford, was my partner with the concession stand. After selling and spending those days together, he and I now have a great friendship that I am so thankful for. Ever since this quarantine started, all I’ve wanted to do is sit in Mrs. Schmidt’s office and just be surrounded by these amazing people. Working with my peers, though, I was able to learn how to take charge of the stand, making sure that everything was flowing smoothly. If I knew that something could be done better, I would tell them what they needed to do in order to improve. Not only did I find my confidence and build new relationships, I also felt serving my community was invaluable. Everyday that I went into the office, Mrs. Schmidt would tell me everything that she needed to do, which just listening to it made my head spin. Then, I would take what she said and asked, “What can I do?”. I knew that Mrs. Schmidt was the lifeline of our athletic programs at SMSA, and I knew that she always had so much on her plate, whether it was scheduling games or doing papers for her learning experiences, so why not help her in whatever way I could? If she is able to do whatever she needs to do, the athletic department gets a boost, meaning that all of the student-athletes at SMSA would be able to reap those benefits. Helping her made me feel like I was helping everyone in the school. In doing that, I believe that serving my community was the best thing that has happened to me.
This year has been a roller coaster of emotions for me. Senior year is a defining point in any student's life; it marks the end of being a kid. Yes, high school has taught me many things about the next steps in life, but none of those years made adulthood feel real until this class. Being able to see all of what Mrs. Schmidt does for the students in our school has really given me a new perspective on what blessings I don’t always see in my life. I was definitely naive to believe that all of the equipment, van rides, and jerseys all just magically appeared. Working with Mrs. Schmidt showed me that you have to work for everything that you want. Whether that means putting in extra hours or going the extra mile, nothing good comes easily. That can be taken into account for both on the field and in the classroom. With that, I was definitely challenged along the way. At one point, I tried to raise money for the all-state banner using a GoFundMe page. I was able to actually raise $185 from it within the first week. Unfortunately, I didn’t set the account up right, causing me to lose all of the money. I felt really defeated. I had worked so hard to get those funds, and for it to just be gone like that, made me feel like it was all for nothing. But it wasn’t. Anything we do in life has some purpose, and this outcome gave me a new learning opportunity. This whole project was a learning opportunity for what life would be like in the future.
Throughout this entire capstone experience, I have learned a lot about myself as well. I have found a new appreciation for going to school. Let me rephrase: I have found a new appreciation for being surrounded by my peers at school. Since I was in Mrs. Schmidt’s office before and after school pretty much everyday for roughly 5 months, I began to form relationships with the many people who came in and out of her office. I have known a lot of them since the 6th grade, but I was never really able to connect with them because of the different classes we took and my personality at the time. I was always the shy girl who didn’t talk to many people and didn’t like to be pushed out of my comfort zone. This service learning experience pushed me to break out of my shell. One of my good friends now, Jhymari Rainford, was my partner with the concession stand. After selling and spending those days together, he and I now have a great friendship that I am so thankful for. Ever since this quarantine started, all I’ve wanted to do is sit in Mrs. Schmidt’s office and just be surrounded by these amazing people. Working with my peers, though, I was able to learn how to take charge of the stand, making sure that everything was flowing smoothly. If I knew that something could be done better, I would tell them what they needed to do in order to improve. Not only did I find my confidence and build new relationships, I also felt serving my community was invaluable. Everyday that I went into the office, Mrs. Schmidt would tell me everything that she needed to do, which just listening to it made my head spin. Then, I would take what she said and asked, “What can I do?”. I knew that Mrs. Schmidt was the lifeline of our athletic programs at SMSA, and I knew that she always had so much on her plate, whether it was scheduling games or doing papers for her learning experiences, so why not help her in whatever way I could? If she is able to do whatever she needs to do, the athletic department gets a boost, meaning that all of the student-athletes at SMSA would be able to reap those benefits. Helping her made me feel like I was helping everyone in the school. In doing that, I believe that serving my community was the best thing that has happened to me.