Two Wonderful Years at Russell
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
When I was promoted to seventh grade at Thomas Russell Middle School, I was perturbed and apprehensive about stepping foot on a new campus. For the seven years prior to joining Russell, I had been accustomed to the warmth and familiarity of the campus and faculty of Curtner Elementary. However, l could not have asked for a better two years at Russell!
A week before the first day of school, I got the opportunity to visit Russell to familiarize myself with the campus. The first teacher I met while turning in my registration papers was Mrs. Sievert. At that time, I did not know that she would later become my Chorus teacher. She was very welcoming and immediately made me feel at ease. She is a compassionate educator with a deep passion for music and an unmatched level of energy during musical concerts.
On the first day of school, I learned that I was placed in Team Integrity, one of the five teams at Russell. The Team Integrity teachers included Mrs. Woodhams for History, Mr. Gregorio for English Language Arts, and Mrs. Ramchandran for Science. I had Mrs. Hartman for seventh-grade Math, while Mrs. Shafto became my teacher in eighth grade for AIM2 Math. All of my teachers were supportive, dedicated, and passionate about what they taught.
At Russell, I made new friends who had come to Russell from different elementary schools in the Milpitas Unified School District (MUSD). Most of my friends knew me as a Rubik’s Cube enthusiast who competed regularly in speedcubing competitions. My teachers also encouraged my participation in these competitions and shared in my excitement when I performed well. Without the constant support of my family, friends, and teachers, I would not have been able to get the fastest speedcubing times in California and top 15 in the nation!
During my first few months at Russell, I founded a Rubik’s Cubing Club. There is an interesting story behind that. Due to the way deadlines were set up, I had to submit an application form in less than a day with at least 25 signatures from students who were enthusiastic about joining a Cubing Club. I initially thought this was not possible and was about to give up. However, my family and friends encouraged me to try, and I am so glad I did. In a single day, I was able to get more than 30 signatures. Mr. Gregorio, my ELA teacher, enthusiastically supported the idea and agreed to serve as the Club’s teacher representative.
Within a few weeks, the Russell Cubing Club was launched officially with more that 25 members. Mr. Gregorio even purchased additional cubes to help the club get started. His support continued into my eighth-grade year, allowing the club to grow and remain a space to explore and develop a new hobby as well as prepare for speedcubing competitions. Mr. Gregorio and my fellow students have suggested that I introduce the idea in high school and carry on the club there.
Math was my most liked subject in school. I enjoyed diving into newer and more challenging concepts. Having passed the math acceleration test in 6th grade, I was learning both 7th and 8th grade math in 7th grade. My teacher, Mrs. Hartman, was deeply passionate about math, and hoped her students would be too. Unlike traditional teaching methods where you study from a textbook and complete individual assignments, she would have us form teams with whomever we liked and complete various hands-on activities to solidify what we learned. My friends and I looked forward to her class every day since we knew it would never be monotonous. For activities where teams would race others and try to complete certain tasks first, she urged us to support our teams and have a competitive mindset.
Mrs. Hartman was an exceptional teacher whose enthusiasm and passion can never be replaced. She helped expand my interest in math and provided an unforgettable experience in seventh grade. Unfortunately, she retired the following year, so I consider myself lucky to have been able to learn from her. A special memory of her that I will forever carry with me is that I received her last graded test before she retired!
What made middle school such an unforgettable two years was the friendships I built along the way. I was surrounded by a smaller group of students in elementary school. Middle school was completely different. I met new students from various schools and backgrounds and had six class periods with mostly different people in each one. Even without a recess period, getting to talk with new people and learn more about them made things exciting. After a few months, I began to branch out and connect with more people who shared my interests. I am hoping that these deeper friendships will last forever. I also got an opportunity to attend an MUSD Board Meeting and talk briefly about speedcubing!
Overall, I have enjoyed my nine years in MUSD, especially my two years at Russell. These years have been filled with new experiences and memories that I will remember for a long time. While I am excited and eager to begin the next chapter of my journey in high school, it is not easy to leave Russell. Over the past two years, I have made many meaningful memories shared with my friends. My teachers played a huge role in making Russell such a positive and engaging place, always encouraging me to learn and stay motivated. As I move on to Milpitas High School, I hope to continue building new friendships, creating lasting memories, and having a positive experience just like I did at Curtner and Russell!
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