Diving Deeper: A Student’s Perspective

When some people hear the name Whitmore Lake they say, “I’ve never heard of that,” or “Where is that?” When I hear the name Whitmore Lake, I immediately think that’s my school, and I’m proud to go there. I have been a student at Whitmore Lake Public Schools my whole life. I’ve never known anywhere else, and I would not want to have gone anywhere else. Attending school at WLPS has taught me so much over the years. Not only in academia but also in how to deal with people, a lot in part to my involvement outside the classroom. During my time at WLHS, I have been a part of Student Council, Key Club and played volleyball and softball. All of those experiences have helped teach me lessons I’ll take with me when I leave Whitmore Lake High School.

Being on Student Council and Key Club helped teach me how to work with people and have respect for others whether it was teachers or students. We have a variety of students on each end of the socioeconomic spectrum in our schools. Getting to know students who are on the lower end helped me see how much harder they have to work to get where they are at. It taught me the value of hard work and to respect those who work hard to achieve their goals. This will help me after high school because I’ve learned to treat people the same no matter what their background is, or how much money they make, and value the person instead.

Being a part of athletics also helped me learn to work with people but in a different way. When you are playing a sport, you have to rely on others, whereas in academics you just rely on yourself. Playing sports at this school really showed me how to work with people I don’t particularly hang out with or get along with. One of the most important lessons I learned was from one of my coaches. My coach often said, “Off the court or field it doesn’t matter if you like each other or not, but as soon as you put your foot on the court or field these are your teammates, your allies, your family.”  Having a job, no matter what it is, you will have to be able to work with people and be a team, and since I have been on many teams and know how to work with one, it will just make my job that much easier.

Playing sports also helped me form bonds with people that will last a lifetime. My oldest friend that goes to Whitmore Lake is Alaina DiDio. She and I have been friends for over 15 years. Ali and I have been playing softball/baseball together since we were five years old; and because of that, she is one of my best friends. As a teammate, you have to not only help each other out but also challenge each other to work harder and get better. To say that Ali has been a good teammate is an understatement. Because of Ali, I have gotten better at pitching and hitting for softball. She would consistently work with me or give me pointers on what I should fix. The time she spent investing in me as a teammate and a friend means so much. Because of this, there is nothing that could tear our friendship apart, and having that support from her will help throughout my life.

After I graduate I plan on going to Eastern Michigan University to study history for secondary education. I will also try out for their softball program and hopefully one day become a coach for high school softball. No matter where I go in life, Whitmore Lake has been and always will be my home because of the friendships that were formed, the bonds I made, and the lessons I have learned.