This past week, A.S. King, Printz Award winning young adult author of several books including,“Please Ignore Vera Dietz,” “Ask the Passengers” and “The Collectors,” visited MWHS students. She shared the importance of navigating their teen years and the power they hold in expressing their feelings and experiences.
During her presentation, King talked about “unpacking your personal suitcase,” where she reminded students that it is okay to take a step back, figure out themselves first, and remove anything that causes negative feelings in their lives. She asked the students to“unpack their personal suitcases” and to repack them with these ideas in mind.
“List your strengths, don’t be shy. List your weaknesses, don’t be afraid. List your dreams, think big. Why? Because while you are focused on achieving a positive goal, you are more likely to be a compassionate person, a good friend, and someone who takes action,” said King as she addressed the students.
Students were engaged as they asked her questions such as: “You talk about living your dream, and being yourself, but how do you find yourself?”
King’s advice? “Try stuff! It can never hurt to try something new and figure out if it’s for you or not. That's what life is all about, and it’s okay if not everything works out, because there will be stuff that does”.
With these helpful tools, our 9-12th grade students left with a new perspective of this stage in their lives.
