The One Event is about student voice. This year’s theme, The Power of Moments, was a chance for students to share personal stories about the One Stone moments that have changed their lives. Liam N.’s story is about a moment of elevation – a moment that might have otherwise fallen victim to the frailties of memory and simply drifted away with time, but instead became fixed in his mind as something special. Something ELEVATED.
Liam N. speaks at the One Event 2020 about a moment of elevation – being accepted into One Stone – that has created a ripple effect of change in his life.
It all started with a box.
From the outside, it didn’t look like anything special. Just a plain white box I got in the mail. Yet I couldn’t help but feel eager to find out what mysteries were inside. I wasn’t expecting anything. It wasn’t my birthday, I hadn’t ordered anything online. But then there was this box – with my name on it. I tore off the tape and popped open the cardboard casing to release what was inside. I felt a sense of childish excitement.
But let me take you back to a time before the box. Before I knew One Stone. As a ninth-grader, I was on track to continue my education. I just wanted to quietly pass through until I could get in and out of college because I believed my life would start after I finished my education.
That’s where my story begins. I heard about this school called One Stone, which was reimagining education. The first time I walked into One Stone my heart leapt. I saw a school full of light and color. It was the complete opposite of the dark and dreary landscape I was used to. I was hooked. I knew I had to be a part of it.
I immediately filled out the application, I spent hours on it, making sure it was perfect. When the day came for my admissions interview, let’s just say I was freaking out. I had never done an interview. I didn’t know what to say or how to present myself. I was petrified that I would mess up. But I gave it my best shot.
Three weeks later, on May 12, 2017, I was thrilled to learn that I had been accepted into One Stone.
So back to the box. As I lifted the top, I immediately knew who the box was from as I read the words “Congratulations, you’re in!”
Inside, were a few small gifts. It included my first of many One Stone t-shirts, a customized cookie, a small stone that said “Good for Good” in silver lettering, a party popper, and, maybe most importantly, a handwritten welcome letter from one of the students who interviewed me.
I was elated. I knew I had been admitted but I wasn’t expecting this. It was a feeling I could only describe as extraordinary. It was a moment of elevation.
Looking back, I realized that One Stone didn’t give me the box simply to enjoy what was in it, it was a vessel to capture many meaningful moments ahead of me.
Sending this box is one of the many things One Stone does to help foster moments of elevation – moments that rise above the routine, moments that surprise, and delight. This created a bond between me and One Stone. It fostered a sense of connection before I even stepped into the building as a student. It made me feel as if I was already a part of the community. They had crafted a moment so memorable that I began to look for times where I could also turn the ordinary into extraordinary.
Attendees at the Fall 2019 Climate Strike participate in a guided breathing exercise.
I had my first opportunity to create a moment of elevation during the climate strike last fall. I didn’t want to have just another rally where people would speak and then it would be over. I wanted to create a moment far grander than that. We opened a rally, a rally on the Capitol steps, with a guided breathing exercise for a thousand people. The tone of the event shifted. Even the hesitant joined in. We took the time to ground ourselves. We didn’t want a riot, we wanted a mass of people peacefully working toward a collective goal. The crowd wasn’t any less passionate, but they were more focused. There was a sense of community. It was a moment of elevation.
The possibility for moments of elevation are everywhere, but you have to consciously create them. I think back to the box, and how this simple gesture impacted me.
Kayla K., left, and Liam N. sign yearbooks during the last day of the spring term in 2019.
I also think about missed opportunities for moments of elevation, like the experience of getting into my dream college. I had been wringing my hands, waiting to hear if I had been admitted. I was in a meeting when I flipped over my phone to check my email for the hundredth time and saw a notification. I anxiously opened the email and began to read, “Dear Liam, We’re excited to offer you financial aid for the 2020-2021 Academic year.” I paused, looked up and said: “ I think I just got into my dream school?” A burst of noise erupted from everyone around the table. They screamed, “Check your spam! Check your spam!” and low and behold awaiting in my spam email for two whole days, was an email congratulating me on my acceptance.
While that is something I will remember forever it didn’t create a moment of elevation like when I received my box from One Stone. It holds stories I will hold onto forever. It reminds me every day of the power of moments.
Our thanks to Liam for sharing his story of elevation with us, and showing us how the ordinary can become extraordinary – just by focusing on the power of moments.
