Introducing “06880”‘s Newest Feature: “Students Speak”

Today’s teenagers have a lot on their minds.

Pressures: academic, social, parental, peers. The future: their own, and the planet’s. Dreams. Nightmares. Navigating a turbulent time in life, in a high-powered, high-achieving, high-demanding town. 

What today’s  teens do not have is a way to express what they think, feel, know, and are trying to figure out.

Now they do. 

And now they can share their thoughts with an audience that needs to hear them.

Today, “06880” introduces a new feature: “Students Speak.”

Created with the help of “06880” board member Will Enquist — a senior at Staples High School — it’s a feature that will give a voice to all young people in Westport and Weston. Any student who lives here — or goes to school here — is welcome to share their thoughts.

We’re looking for honest writing, about real life. It’s not about what they’ve accomplished; it’s about who they are.

We want to hear from every type of teen: those who love their school and town, and those who hate it. Those who fit in, those who don’t, and those who are not sure of their place. Those who sing, skateboard, study, and those who have not yet found their passion.

This feature is different than a college application essay, or a formulaic piece for a class. And if you’ve got something important to say, but prefer not to let the town know who you are, anonymity is assured.

The first “Student Speaks” speaker is Staples senior Griffin Delmhorst. A vice president of Players — the renowned drama troupe — he will play Jean Valjean in their November production of “Les Misérables.” He is also the senior manager of Players’ Paints, Web & Archive, and Maintenance crews. Griffin writes:

As a high school senior, this will be one of the most memorable years of my life. After 4 long years, I have built a community for myself at Staples. I can confidently say that I surround myself with people who have my best interests in mind. There is no aspect of my life that I can thank more for this than Staples Players.

Griffin Delmhorst as Leaf Coneybear in last spring’s “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” (Photo/Kerry Long)

Staples is one of the top high schools in the nation. It is diverse in its electives, providing opportunities for students to have a background in almost every career path they could imagine, from forensics and costume design to kinesiology.

Because of its great programs, it holds great expectations for its students. As I walk through the halls, I hear nothing but buzzes about AP courses, the SAT and colleges. It is hard to escape these pressures that are so demanding for every student, when they surround you everywhere in your learning environment.

Yet whether it be on the soccer field, or in the choir room or costumes shop, each student eventually finds their home as they ascend through high school.

For me, I immediately know I am at home once I turn past the cafeteria at 2:45. Matched only by the beaming smiles and roaring laughter of the current students who are part of Staples Players, the welcoming and loving presence of past students who have engaged in this community echoes through the beauty of the marks they have left behind, through their signatures on the walls, murals, or clothes they left outside the Black Box years ago.

Griffin Delmhorst with Emmy-, Grammy-, Oscar- and Tony Award-winning (and 2003 Staples graduate) Justin Paul.

This environment is juxtaposed completely against the pressurized one that exists in other hallways. I feel my shoulders relax as I see my best friends.

I stride past posters of our current production of “Les Misérables” with a beacon of excitement for what’s to come from this fantastic musical inside of my heart.

The most important issue to me in high school is students not feeling like they belong. It is all over social media. It floats in the subconscious of second-guessing students’ minds, wondering if their activity, or lack thereof, is the right path for them.

I am entirely grateful that I am in the right place as I sit in the Black Box. And as a senior, I have strived to make sure that underclassmen who join Players feel the same way.

We were all once wandering underclassmen trying to find our groups and our personalities. As an upperclassman, it is my responsibility to act as a leader of the organization that became my group.

Griffin Delmhorst as Ladahlord in “James and the Giant Peach.” The lyrics and music were co-written by former Staples Player Justin Paul. (Photo/Kerry Long) 

Unlike the academic pressures of Staples, the second-guessing of whether you are in the right place truly does go away with time.

If there is a takeaway from my high school career, that is what it would be: the understanding that as students we are all in the same boat, with the same struggles and the same doubts, is fundamental to excelling socially and academically in high school.

Further, I believe that understanding that as humans we are all in the same boat, with wanting to belong and prosper, is fundamental to excelling in life.

In Staples Players, all participants can find their home and feeling of belonging because of the widespread opportunities that it provides, whether it be on stage, crafting costumes, building sets or designing a website.

As an actor, I am required to do technical work on the side. I have witnessed first hand how people have found their homes, and been able to be successful and create art that will outlive them.

Although we can’t always escape our academic pressures, it is nice to find a home where we can relate our pressures to one another. In a vast environment such as Staples, it is hard not to be incredibly grateful for all of the homes that there are to choose from.

(To submit a “Student Speaks” story — or for questions about this feature — email 06880blog@gmail.com.) 

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