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January 14, 2010  
Filed under Opinion

Most people hear students in Ottawa saying “I can’t wait to get out of here,” or “this place is so boring.” For me, it was the exact opposite. I have never had the desire to live somewhere other than Ottawa, and every time I have moved, I found myself right back where I started.

My mom planned on moving to Des Moines, Iowa during the middle of this school year, but was willing to let me finish out the semester before making me transfer schools.

The mere thought of leaving all of my friends behind, leaving yearbook and newspaper and my favorite teacher, Miss Wilmes, crushed me. But since I am only 16, not moving with my mom was not an option.

Luckily for me, I was back before winter vacation was over and was able to re-attend school without having to go through the enrollment process again.

Ottawa schools have always been my favorite, offering a good education, providing students with a comfortable environment and allowing teachers to be our friends and not just our boss. Being a new face to other students and merely a student to teachers was not how I wanted to spend the next two and a half years of my high school education.

Like many people, I also find it hard to do things in Ottawa. The stores are limited and we lack an abundance of fun activities. Many people who I knew failed to understand why I would come back. However, Lawrence has tons of things to do, plenty of places to shop and is only 30 to 40 minutes away.

I am not a person who likes big cities and tons of people. So going from a school with 650 students to one with 1,900 did not sound appealing to me. At this new school I would not be able to be in both yearbook and newspaper. That in itself was a very large problem for me, because I eventually want to be a journalist.

Schools with that many students lack closeness. I do not think you are really a person to them. You are just another face, another student, another statistic. Your teachers would not as easily be able to adapt to your learning styles and help you make the most out of your high school career.

With Ottawa being a rather small town, I feel like it offers a sense of safety and community. I like being in a place where you know your neighbors and being genuinely nice to a stranger is not a weird thing. The kids that I grew up with and my closest family all live in Ottawa. Being close to the people who matter most to me has always been what I have wanted.

Ottawa is a town where everyone knows everyone and you can feel safe and comfortable. It is a place where if you hit someone’s car, it may not be THAT big of a deal. It is a place where the farmers and the lawyers consider each other to be equal and a town where each and every day, it becomes a little more diverse.

Ottawa has its flaws and problems, but nonetheless I was happy to be headed home.

—–
Danon Taylor

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