I attended high school at Highland High School in Medina Ohio. Looking back at my high school experience, I definitely had a good time. As a freshman I quickly learned the lay of the land and the necessary knowledge of who was who in each social group and who were the coolest teachers. I remember really trying to keep my grades up in the early years of high school. I quickly realized that there was more freedom and I could do a lot more than just go to class.
When thinking of all the opportunities that were available to me at Highland I can say that I was very privileged. I was able to do so much in the walls of that high school. I was involved with the theatre 
department and by the time senior year rolled around I was in three different choirs. The school also offered a Rugby Club that I joined freshman year. I played on the varsity squad and actually was a captain my senior year. I also had numerous opportunities to travel to Europe and even stayed for a week as a foreign exchange student in the Canary Islands. All of those being said there were still so many other opportunities I had. I had great teachers and honors classes and when I felt up to a challenge I got to take the occasional AP class. I worked on the high school news show and got to mentor students in the middle school. I had so much fun and still I wish I could’ve done more.
When I walked into the high school, I was usually very early. My first choir class started at 6:50am and we were usually the first students to enter. Even though we were forty minutes early to class we were welcomed by our Asst. Principal Mrs. Knapp. she would always be there first thing in the morning to say hello to the students. In the moment it didn’t always seem necessary to the students, but years later I wish when I walked into my academic buildings I got the “Hello, Mr. Kerr” from Mrs. Knapp. Highland was a place that I always felt welcome, even on my worst days. and one day I hope to help make people feel that welcome in any way that I can.
Looking further back into my middle school and elementary years I still have a 
general sense of happiness. I attended Sharon Elementary School and I can vaguely remember going to gym and music classes and doing some of my first group projects in 5th grade. Elementary was so long ago that I would love to get into everything that we did, but I just get flashes of each classroom. The school was pretty old but its worn ambiance made one feel like they were at home. It was a place that you could feel comfortable because the teachers really cared not only for their jobs, but also for their students.
When thinking of my time at Highland Middle School the first thing that comes to mind are the awkward middle school
years. The discovery of deeper educational topics, meaning behind music, and honestly the odd middle school atmosphere. I remember joining clubs and actually enjoying school. I remember my first male teachers and how the structure of learning was different than anything I had seen before. People were discovering
themselves and I was learning about myself. The middle school was an old high school and I can recall moments of thinking that even for the age of the building I was still learning something new every day.
Every school before Central Michigan University was, for a moment in time, my home. I enjoyed all the schools and had ups and downs in each one. I actually always thought that after I got out of Ohio I would never go back to those places. When I get the chance to go back I always feel as if I’m visiting an old friend and get caught up recalling all the good times. For the amount of time that students spend in school, I’m glad I got to live in a district where I felt at home.
Liam Kerr's Educational History 