I have always wanted to go to school at Hogwarts. The teachers are amazing, it is magical, and the friendships there seem to last forever.

While I wait patiently for my owl, Arches Academy is the next best thing!

I have been a student at Arches Academy since I was in Kindergarten. I am now in ninth grade and it is my last year at Arches. There have been a lot of things over this time that influenced who I am today.

The reason that I am good at reading and that I love to read is because of my Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Niger. I still remember sitting on the reading carpet reading “Miss Nelson is Missing” and “Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse.” It is because of those books, Magic Treehouse books, and Mrs. Niger’s love and encouragement that a strong foundation was built in my heart and in my mind.

In the first grade, Mrs. Penrod spent so many lunch breaks with me practicing my times tables until I got them down. I remember that if I or another student didn’t understand the concept, she would stop the lesson and rework the problems as many times as we needed until we understood. Because of this, I am now in Algebra 2!

I’ve often thought of Mrs. Wahl as Professor McGonagall. She can be firm but kind at the same time. I learned how to do the friendship dance and the importance of resolving conflicts from Mrs. Wahl. Her creative ways of teaching allowed me to open my mind and let new and sometimes crazy ideas flow.

I learned how to believe in myself and to look at things from different perspectives so that I could make the world a better place from Ms. Covey. One of her favorite quotes is “Not all who wander are lost.” I think learning is a bit like wandering. You may not always know where you’re going but you know it is important to get there. Being a student in Ms. Covey’s class changed me.

And just like the friendship of Ron, Hermione and Harry, I have made friends with teachers, parents, and students that will always be a part of me. I can’t imagine not being a part of the Arches Academy family.

Arches Academy is full of so many wonderful opportunities. I have studied dinosaurs and ecology on field trips to Moab, Bryce Canyon, and Dinosaur National Monument. I have been to Catalina Island to study marine biology and even dissected a squid. I learned first-hand about the Boston Tea Party and the founding of our country when I traveled with my class to Boston. I attended two Broadway plays, visited the Statue of Liberty, the United Nations and the Twin Towers Museum in New York City. I learned to ski because I have been a student at Arches Academy. Just as Jo Jo says in Seussical the Musical (our school play last year), “Anything’s possible!” This is how I feel about Arches Academy.

Because of all the amazing teachers and administrators at Arches Academy, I am an excellent student who loves school. But Arches Academy is so much more than just that. Albus Dumbledore said “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” Good teachers teach students not only about things in books but they prepare them for things in life. I KNOW that this is the case with the teachers at Arches Academy and I am forever grateful.