1. grade 1 The year I began to really, really love math.
  2. grade 2 The year I first acquired a PS2 (Playstation 2) and this is when I first began to play Madden (Madden 2002).
  3. grade 3 The year I began to read chapter books to myself on a regular basis.
  4. grade 4 The year I really began to love and fully understand sports (mainly football and baseball).
  5. grade 5 The year I was the only one in the first trimester to recieve all As/A-s in all my core academic subjects.
  6. grade 6 The year that I recieved high academic honor roll (see grade 5 for the definition of that) in both semesters.
  7. grade 7 The year I knew that I was a force to be reckoned with in Madden.
  8. grade 8 The year that I choose a high school for me to go to for the next four years.

            I have been at the Storefront since Pre-K. Mrs. Elsbeth and Mrs. Ida were my teachers back then, and they have helped me grow into the young man I am today. I have always looked forward to doing math in school, especially problem solving because the problems are not monotonous and they test your ability to think them through. My favorite math topic is Algebra because the problems are rarely the same and there are various ways to think about and solve the problems.

            Some of my greatest experiences have happened at the Storefront. Two of them were learning math problem solving in 3rd grade and getting high academic honor roll in 5th grade. Some of the more difficult things I had to do were to write long essays in my English and Language Enrichment classes. My biggest challenge at the Storefront was to stop procrastinating.

            I would like to thank Mrs. Owen for helping me to get into Bronx Science with her test prep class. I would also like to thank Mrs. Cross and her husband for helping me with my high school applications. I am looking forward to going to a new high school because it will be a new experience for me. In high school, I am also looking forward to new challenges, including participating in extra-curricular activities. After high school, I plan on going to a very prestigious college.

            What I have to say to the younger graduates is to treat others the way that you want to be treated. You never know who will be successful and if you are kind to people, they may return the favor when you may need it the most. Finally, you all should go to college. Going to college opens so many doors for you that even if your dream job is not available, you will have the skills required for many other jobs you never thought about.