| 13
SKS
|
News
HAVE YOU EVER HEARD
of the saying “You’re your own worst
critic?” Well, for 27 years, that was true for me. Until recently, I was
never really aware of what I was capable of doing. I never took the
time to look deep into myself and to push myself further than I’ve
ever been pushed before because I always thought, “Nah, you can’t
do that. “ The truth is, whenever something was tough for me
physically, I would quit. Don’t get me wrong, I did pretty well in
school. I was in chorus, band, Drama Club, I was vice president of my
senior class, and I single-handedly taught myself to fly.
Ok, that last part was a lie, but you get my point. I was involved in
extracurricular activities, I did well academically and I was a social
butterfly! I wasn’t an all-around quitter…just when I started to sweat
THE STORM KING SCHOOL
WELCOMES NEW STAFF AND
FACULTY MEMBERS
Pictured top row, left to right: Marek Pramuka, director of admissions;
Patrick Martha, Chinese and English teacher. Bottom row: Amelia Kolach,
chemistry and earth science teacher; Janet Sprenger, ESL teacher;
Ellen Van Dunk, American Sign Language teacher; Robert Singley, music
and video teacher; Paul Feffer, physics, math and computer science
teacher. Not shown: Lynn Crevling, director of leadership support; Nancy
Greenhill, accounting manager; Michael Campbell, maintenance; and
Ezra Zohar, Mountain Learning Center teacher.
or get a cramp. I tried to
run, but I would get tired
and stop and walk until I
decided to run again, and
then the cycle continued
until I made my way home.
Not very impressive.
It wasn’t until the last
few years that I started
challenging myself
physically. I became aware
of just what kind of an
athlete and competitor
I could be, and I loved it! I
started with 5ks, then 10ks, then a half-marathon. Each time I signed
up for something, I felt myself getting stronger and faster, and after I
crossed every finish line, a new sense of awareness and
accomplishment swept over me…I was addicted! I even did a
13-
mile Tough Mudder (Ok, right now, I want you to put this down,
go to your nearest internet source, go to
click on “Media,” and watch a video. I did that).
Then the day finally came that I had never even dared to dream
of: the day of the New York City Marathon. Imagine looking your
worst, sweat pouring down your face, a sharp pain in your right knee
that feels like someone bashed it with a baseball bat, and thousands
of people watching you…now imagine loving every minute of it
because those thousands of strangers are cheering you on from
Staten Island to Central Park. It was an amazing accomplishment and
experience, and I will never, ever forget it.
My point of writing this is to challenge you, dear reader. You came
to Storm King for various reasons: you weren’t challenged enough,
you wanted to learn English, you wanted smaller class sizes, you
wanted to live on a mountain. For whatever reason you came to SKS,
I want you to add another reason: to become aware of the real you.
Becoming aware of what you are really capable of, daring to dream
of doing something you never thought you would and then going
out and trying it. I never, ever thought I could run non-stop through
all five boroughs of New York City without stopping for 26.2 miles,
but I did it, and I did it along the side of people that are blind, people
that are in wheelchairs, people that have lost a leg or an arm or who
have Parkinson’s or are battling cancer.
I ran alongside 50,000 people who one day became aware of
what really was possible, and they went after it. I challenge you to
become aware of who “YOU” really are, and always surprise yourself.
You really are amazing…you just have to become aware of it.
SELF-AWARENESS
Faculty Member Leads by Example,
Teaching Grit and Gumption
By Kaitlin Nolan
Kaitlin Nolan, director of the Mountain
Learning Center, waves as she runs the
New York City Marathon.
“
I ran alongside 50,000 people who
one day became aware of what really
was possible, and they went after it.”
BOTTOM:
AMANDA PENECALE
