James’s Journal: Optimism

James’s Journal: Optimism

James Pezzullo, Columnist

I play a lot of roles here at Freehold Township, but there’s one thing that amazes me more than anything else about everyone I come across as I go about my high school career at Township: the element of optimism.

We believe in each other, and that is what makes us so strong.

Sports, academics, or what have you: when I came to Township in September of 2012, I was the furthest thing from an optimist. I constantly doubted myself and the people around me. But within months, that changed. There is just an optimistic quality about everything that happens here: an underdog spirit, a belief that things will go our way, a hope for the triumph of sheer guts over whatever else anyone else might bring to the table – these things pervade our school.

Now, I understand this might not be easy to see. I know most people come here thinking they’re just trying to survive another day, keep their head above water, get good grades and move on to the next part of our life. Having gone to a different high school at one point, and knowing people who go to other schools, I can assure you: Freehold Township is much more than a school. Coming here makes us all think a little more highly of ourselves and the people around us.

Believing in yourself is one of the most important traits of a successful person, and it’s not something that can be taught. So next time you sit up and think you can’t take another minute behind a desk, bear in mind: in your time here, you will learn far more than anything you could glean from a textbook. That’s something that’s special about Freehold Township, and it’s the reason why we have such a strong community bond together.