the building that raised me: POJHS

The bricks, the mortar, the tile and concrete.

Each piece a part of the foundation that built me.

The teachers, the counselors, the secretaries and everyone in between. . .

They molded me from when I was just a teen.

The lessons and homework I once rolled my eyes at

Taught me to question life; everything down to this and that.

The whispers and rumors that classmates thought were just a joke

Showed me I can be bent and twisted but never truly broke.

The laughter and smiles of those who wiped my tears

Taught me I could fall with grace & let go of my fears.

The women and men who had not a single obligation to stand by my side;

Encouraged me to live, dream and write with pride.

The people who saved me from ending my story long before it was time;

The ones who have loved me through my darkest and at my prime.

The building that raised me is now a pile of rumble soon to be swept away.

But who I became inside those walls will forever remain.

-Desiree Angelica Young

We all have a story; a place and a time that forever truly changes us. For me, if you ask where and when my life what truly transformed, it will always be the Philipsburg Junior High on 6th street.

The teachers, counselors, secretaries and every single person who worked at that school when I was there; they shaped me.

A couple of them with cruel words and actions, some with a kind heart & genuine smile, and a select few who truly and incredibly saved me from myself. People who showed up for me without hesitation or obligation. The ones who read my words and held me close because they felt my pain. Men & women who first taught me that some times it is okay not to be okay. The amazing humans who encouraged me to live my truth and always remember that I am more than enough.

I feel like public school get a bad reputation from so many issues in todays world; issues the amazing people who choose a career in teaching have zero control over. But I want this to shine a beaming light on the miraculous job so many public school employees do.

They show up for so many children who need them. They show up for so many children who don’t want them to. They show up for every single child they come in contact with, regardless of their story. Every. Single. Day. They just show up.

& if it weren’t for them showing up lord knows where I would be today.

So, while the building may soon be gone, I am forever changed because of it. For as long as I am around I will tell anyone who wants to listen how the Philipsburg Junior High School changed the dark, lonely path I was on into roadways beaming with light and love.

To anyone who is reading this and has chose a career within an education system; thank you! Please never stop showing up for the next generations. It truly makes all the different in the world.

♥️♥️♥️