This story is for the kids that may have been picked on or didn’t feel like going to school because they didn’t fit in. I know kids don’t read newspapers so maybe the parents reading this can share this with your kids.
If you didn’t know, I went to the Incarnation School from grades Kindergarten thru 8th grade. This all started with my grandparents sending their kids there.
My mom and dad decided to send my brother and I to Incarnation as well. If you went to Incarnation, you were a big fish in a small pond. We had a couple public schools in Ewing but us catholic school kids stuck to our own unless you played a travel or Rec sport.
We liked our little catholic school kid bubble, well at least I did. I was comfortable in that bubble. Well, we all have to graduate 8th grade at some point and you can’t stay in that bubble forever. All of my friends scattered to different schools. Here’s where high school starts…
Starting of course at freshman year, I went to Notre Dame and I was now the new kid but so was everyone else. My brother George just graduated from Notre Dame and I was just starting.
He was an All-State soccer player so I had a last name to live up to once I walked through those doors. He had it rough for his sophmore year when all of his close friends made varsity and he didn’t.
That didn’t stop him because he flourished and became a super popular kid and that All-State soccer player that I previously talked about. I thought that was my path as well. In my foolish mind, I thought I will make the soccer team and be the man of this school just like I thought I was in Incarnation with my 28 person classroom.
I made the freshman soccer team and made a bunch of friends on the team. A week later, school started and this popularity thing wasn’t as easy as it was in grade school. I was now a small fish in a freaking ocean! Somehow and I still don’t know how, I was elected to student government my freshman year. There were 10 students that were chosen from the entire class and I was chosen as one of those students.
That was a shock to me since I wasn’t invited to any of the cool parties and none of the girls that I liked paid any attention to me. Was I popular and just didn’t know it? Maybe it was my brother and my last name? It couldn’t have been because only freshman could vote you in.
They didn’t know that I had a brother that went to this school. I still don’t know to this day but whatever, I did that for two years. I also played soccer for two years at Notre Dame and after the second season I completely lost my love for the game.
Did I suck? Maybe. Was I not physical enough? Probably. That’s not the point. At this point in my junior year, I had quit playing soccer, I didn’t run for Student Government, and I was lost.
I had friends at the school but not the type of friends that would invite you to a cool party. It was a bad year mentally and my parents will attest to that. Friday nights and Saturday nights were spent at home with my parents watching movies and them telling me to call so and so who is also having a rough time at their school.
I would go back to school on Monday and overhear how awesome this certain party was. Where did I go wrong? I was super cool a few years back! Even the people in my little Incarnation bubble were flourishing.
Junior year ended and the summer came and let’s just say my mentality changed quickly when my senior year started. I didn’t care what anyone thought of me at Notre Dame anymore.
My mom and dad instilled this confidence into me over the summer that I can’t explain but it happened. I went to back to Notre Dame my senior year and within two weeks, I said f this place, I’m out! Now, I never mentioned my boys/family at Ewing High this entire time. My boys at Ewing saved me… I hung out with these dudes every day after school, every weekend. They all know who they are and I can’t thank them enough.
I left Notre Dame 2 weeks into my senior year and went to Ewing High. Let’s just say I fit right in. A few bumps in the road to start but my boys had my back. I have to say it was one of the best years of my life. Definitely the best year of my high school career.
To sum this up… high school is only 4 years of your life. Yes, it can suck at times and it totally did for me. If you are like me, keep your head up and keep pushing through. The best days of your life are in front of you.
Donnie Black was born and grew up in Ewing Township. He currently works at radio station XTU in Philadelphia as a producer, on air personality and promotions director.
,
