Sarah's Transition to Compass School

Transition from NMH to Compass by Sarah Lynde

Sitting in the cold library basement, surrounded by books I realize how ridiculous this is.
I eat my lunch down here.
I hate it down here.
But if I go up there, I am surrounded by pale faces peering into me like rabid dogs. 
Their beady eyes scan me and make me oh so vulnerable to their next moves,
The next attack is the worst of all.
It's when they walk by you like you don't exist,
or stare blankly through you to talk to the next Jane Doe across the room.
My food is getting cold.

But now, I am no longer in this asylum for the perfectly sane.
Instead I have breached free of my barrier,
and I reside in a blur of happiness and giant paper mache carrots. 
Compass gives me the super powers I need to reflect those feral stares from the dogs.
I can melt them and avert their eyes.  I can be noticeable now.
It's okay to be a rainbow here, at Compass.
It's okay to smile stupidly here.
It's alright.
And it's all because of you.
You wondrous people strike awe to the stars and the sun.
Without you, where would I be?
I would be stared down by dogs by now,
Devoured.

But not here, here I flourish.
To be somewhat cliché, to say,
I've come out of my turtle shell, and now I am vulnerable, but if I fall
You are there to catch me in your net and put bandaids on all of my wounds.
Thank you.
And thank you, to the people who could care less if
I dress differently
Think differently
Act differently
Smile differently
Or even smell a little off.
The teachers, the students, the school.
You care and that means so much to me that sometimes I may break down.
But be aware that this breakage of spirit is for a noble cause to show you how much I need you, but also how I can be an independent force blowing in the wind,
A kite with no strings attached.

This plastic binder is not only full of work, but transitions
     From Northfield to Compass,
     From a broken star to a silvery sparkle up in the sky.
Sure, I still have a long way to go before perfection,
But doesn't everyone?
Knowledge
Communications
Personal Development
Community Involvement
Thinking and Reasoning
These are the titles you give to my work,
However the possibilities are endless,
And these realms are all directly linked together.
So I am here to show you,
That you've changed me.
Buy I'm still changing and evolving like the caterpillar you watched ever so carefully at the age of seven, innocent and impatient.
So in this building with
Wall murals, mismatched mugs, colorful chairs, and a community of incredibly special people.
I will grow into my future self.