Craig Lazarski, Upper School Math

The title of my book would be How Did I Get Here? Math was not my best subject in high school, but here I am teaching Calculus and enjoying math more than I ever though possible. How did that happen?

Jared Cooper, Grade 7

My life as a book would be called I Don’t Know – there’s so much that could happen in my lifetime that I just can’t sum it up in one title.

Eldridge Baltazar, Assistant Athletic Trainer

The title of my book would be called Pursuit of Happiness. This is inspired by Chris Gardner’s memoir, Pursuit of Happyness, as I was greatly moved by his journey with his young son from homeslessness to founding his own multi-millionaire dollar brokerage firm. I love stories about people finding their joy and happiness in life, and this is exactly how I strive to live my own.

Danny Brown, Grade 12

My book would be called I’m a Normal Person. I feel like I have been defined by others as “angsty” – even though I’m not – and that label has stuck with me throughout my whole time in high school, and I want people to know me beyond this superficial label.

Kara Caccuitto, Upper School English

I would choose Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.  Dickens is one of my favorite authors; I love his long meandering sentence style and his florid use of language. As well, I think this title reflects my attitude towards my students; I want to challenge my students to achieve their best, and I don’t want them to settle. I also tend to be an optimistic person, so this title reflects my attitude and philosophy of life.

Russ Bandong, Parent

My book would be called Don’t Get Cocky, Kid! My reasoning for that is this: there’s confidence, and then there’s arrogance. Key moments in my life have been defined by humility – welfare assistance, finishing a sprint race last, and starting over (after academic dismissal from the Naval Academy). After a half century of challenges, I’ve learned to be confident but not cocky in whatever I do.

Lara Crochik, Grade 10

My book would be called Messy Adventure because I like to try new things even though they usually don’t go according to plan. 

David Snively, Middle School History

If my life were a book, among other things, it would likely be overdue.

Oddly enough, though, there is a book of my life – it’s called A Dave of Two Cities, and it’s basically the same as that Dickens of a book, except you need to substitute Paris for North Ridgeville, Ohio and there’s not quite as much about the French Revolution in my story.

I can’t recite the whole book here – I mean, to cover all the exciting stuff that’s happened to me, the book runs almost eighteen pages – but here’s how it starts:

It was the best of Snives, it was the worst of Snives,

it was the Snives that dried men’s souls, it was the Snives that soaked them again,

it was the Snives of light, it was the Snives who got a bit heavier.

It was the Snives that got delivered to your door, but often only on Sunday mornings.

He had everything before him, he had some things best not to talk about behind him.

In short, and he was short, he was almost not unlike the opposite of the antithesis of the superlative mirror-image of the contraction of the reversed inversed converse of your normal average fellow, and, to sum it all up by skipping ahead and thinking outside the carton:

“it is a far, far better book to read than I have ever read; it is a far, far better tale to lead than I have ever led.”

On the other hand, there are some titles by Dostoevsky that would probably sum things up for me pretty well, too.