McPherson High School
McPherson, Kansas
Teacher: Robin Long
Community
By Cathy Weyand
12th Grade
I connect to my community in three different ways. Through church, family and school, I have found ways that I have made connections.
[Connections] make church fun for me. Worshipping and singing during youth group
is my favorite part. The projects we do every year are when I have the best
experiences with our group. Last year all of us went around town raking leaves
for people. This gave us all a chance to help people we didn’t know and we got
to know them by just doing random acts of kindness. A great feeling of
satisfaction comes from doing projects like that. During VBS, I usually
volunteer to help in the crafts area. The crafts we do require a bunch of
hands-on work. This allows everyone to get involved with their work and a chance
for the volunteers to bond and make new friends with the younger kids. VBS is a
great place to meet new friends and have fun learning about God. On the last day
of VBS all the parents are invited to a big swimming party. Last year there was
night swim that went from nine o’clock to midnight. The entire experience is the
highlight of most…summer vacations.
In my family we are very close. Every year we have two different reunions, one for my dad’s side of the family and one for my mom’s side. Around Christmas, we go to Haysville and get together with my dad’s side for the whole day at a senior center we rent for the weekend. Before anyone gets there my mom, grandparents, and my aunt show up early to set up. Everyone brings their best homemade foods and we all sit down for lunch and just talk to catch up on life. Before we know it, it’s dark out and we wonder where the time went. The weekend after the last day of school my dad’s side also meets at a recreation center in the park in Inman. At this reunion there are different people there who couldn’t make it to the one in Haysville. Usually a horseshoe competition goes on every year that most everyone joins in. Last year I was on a team with my uncle and we got second place. We don’t give out any prizes because it’s all for fun.
The
[other] reunion we have is every July in Lindsborg when everyone from my mom’s
side of the family gets together in the park by the pool. My mom’s side of the
family is Swedish so there is all kinds of good food. All the cousins get
together to play different games. In the afternoon, almost everyone gets ready
and we head over to the pool and go swimming until the pool closes for the
night. The day goes by so fast, [and we] always [have a] great time…with family
that we don’t see very often.
Band
has always been a favorite part of my high school career. Most of my friends are
in band as well. During football and basketball seasons in school the band sits
in the stands and plays fight songs, drum cadences and upbeat pep-type music to
keep the player’s spirits up and the crowd fired up as well. The band performs
at halftime for entertainment to keep the spirit up in the roundhouse. At
basketball games we have around twenty different selections of music to play;
“Crazy Train”, “We Will Rock You”, and “Back in Black” are crowd favorites. The
drum line has a few cadences that get the players pumped up, one of the cadences
being Afro. It’s everyone’s favorite and during this one, the band gets the
student section to jump. After the games, the band stays after to play music as
the crowd leaves. As we are playing many of the fans come over to compliment and
say how important the band is to the community and how much they appreciate our
devotion. They also say how boring it gets if we are not there and the spirit of
the players dies if they don’t have music or a beat to keep them pumped up. Most
of the people that think we are important also think the Veteran’s Day Parade
wouldn’t be right without us in it. Before the parade, the band plays the
National Anthem and “Scotland the Brave.” While we’re marching down the route we
usually play “Grand old Flag.” We get many good comments and cheers as we go by.
It gives us all a great feeling of satisfaction knowing we are such a big part
of the entertainment in high school ballgames and parades.
Through my church, family and school, I have found three small ways that I connect to my community. It doesn’t take much and there are many other ways that someone can make connections too. Even if it is helping with family, playing in a band, or just raking leaves for a stranger. Everyone can connect to his or her community in more than one way.