Jerry DeWitt

This image was captured in Madrid, Spain after a long day of touring the beautiful city in 2007. Jerry Dewitt snapped this photo from off the wall in a cute market shop, run by a lovely family. This picture is a painting of an important tourist spot.

This year, I’ve had the privilege of taking a creative writing course at Silverado High School. As a freshman, I didn’t know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised after meeting my teacher, Mrs. Meghan Lamb. The year took off with a bang. We were constantly challenged, put on the spot to create our own literary masterpieces. Throughout all of the first semester, we were assigned a project, “Genius Hour”.  

Students were required to pick a hobby that interests them, whether it was writing a novel, learning how to play a song on a musical instrument, crocheting etc. Every other Friday, we submitted reports on our goals and used the full 45-minute class period to accomplish what we needed to make our projects a success. 

I decided I wanted to create a two-week trip to Spain, so I got to work. I began studying the culture, things to know and what not to know. I even took the initiative to create two heavily filled documents for my research. I knew what documents were needed in order to leave and enter a country. I even created a detailed budget and a vague plan for what I wanted to do on the trip to Madrid, Spain. 

Freshman Scarlett Downman, who is in Mrs. Lamb’s 7th period class, had already made significant progress on her project. She was a pianist, but for her Genius Hour project, she worked towards learning how to play a difficult song on her keyboard. 

“Honestly, I really didn’t want to do Genius Hour.” Downman said, and even claimed that it was like she was tangled in a rosebush. But by the end of the semester, she had gotten the chance to complete a goal she had set for herself a long time ago.

Throughout the semester, she and many other students slacked off, not even bothering to fill out the reports. I myself even struggled to consistently work on it. But Mrs. Lamb threw a curveball at us. For our semester exam, we were required to take our projects and put them into a slideshow to present to the class. 

Everyone inwardly groaned. I most definitely didn’t want to present in front of a class of judgmental teens! But failing the class seemed worse. So I got to work, after weeks of putting it off. On the very day it was due, I crammed my Genius Hour project into a 10-slide presentation. Then I had the audacity to turn it in the very minute before the assignment locked forever. 

It certainly was a struggle, but I completed it, and we all presented. I could feel the atmosphere of the class change before we headed off to fool around and enjoy our winter vacation. It was lighter in the class, more friendly. 

“I’m impressed with all of you,” Mrs. Lamb told us.

The whole class cheered.

While the assignment was a complete bore, I think it benefited many students, including myself. It gave us an opportunity to start something we have always wanted to do and complete it, even if it took us being threatened and potentially failing the semester exam to do it. I know that my friend Scarlett Downman was proud of herself, and I am looking forward to searching for my project 10 years from now so I can actually make that trip to Spain happen!

I hope Mrs. Lamb continues to do this project for years to come, giving students a chance to push themselves and maybe even find something they are passionate about.