I'm From Poem

My Cumberland Valley High

I’m from a rich suburban area on a 7-mile pike with shopping malls and car stores on both sides.

I’m from an area where 99% of families make over $700k as their annual salary.

I’m from a city where the population triples in size every year.

                        Where everyone drives cars that cost more than my parents annual salary.

                        Where people value things over social interaction.

                        Where people are so invested on looks and brands.

I’m from an area in Central Pennsylvania, but people don’t center themselves with culture.

I’m from a school that is in a valley, higher than the rest.

I’m from a school district that is considered the best of the best.

                        A school that has over 3,500 students,

                        An indoor turf,

                        An Olympic size swimming pool,

                        A school where the student parking lot is nicer than the staff parking lot, because       most teachers don’t live in the district,

                        A school that is bigger than most college campus’

                        A school that has a performing arts center bigger than the Luhrs’ Center

                        A school where everyone has to have the newest thing

….A school where I didn’t know people I graduated with, a graduating class of 748 students, this year there’s over 900.

 

I come from a school that has labels.

            Where the school is called Rich Valley instead of Cumberland Valley.

I am from a school whose mascot is the Eagle, where each person inside is represented as an Eagle -- inflated egos, they depend on their parents, and they caw when they don’t get their way.

I’m from an area where everyone stays after they graduate college, but not me.

 

I’m from a family that has taught me that you can make your own life.

I’m from a family that doesn’t live off of societal expectations.

I’m from a family that’s the 1%.

                       From a family that throws you in the school’s Olympic size pool and tells you to learn to swim,

                        From a family that encourages me to be the person with the sweater from Community Aid.

                        From a family that prided me to transition from My Cumberland Valley High, to a small school in Shippensburg.

I’m from Cumberland Valley High School, where I chose to break the cycle and come from a rich suburban High School to Shippensburg University.

                        To where I could come to know the people I graduate with over time,

                        Where you know a lot of people in town,

                        Where you run into people you know at the grocery store.

I’m from a middle-class suburban area on a strip of King Street with a Walmart, Burger King and a Sheetz….

I’m from Shippensburg, PA, the place I’ve come for change.