My "Spiritual"
Journey
Treasurer Maggie Ridgeway,
Columbus Academy
In the 7th grade, I didn’t really know what an
OJCL convention consisted of. Nonetheless, I was
excited. However, this train of enthusiasm soon
began to crash and burn. I was in a room, filled to
the brim with screaming teenagers. I thought, why
does everybody look so ridiculous? I have never
seen a group of people so happy to look so stupid.
This was the beginning of my complicated
relationship with spirit. As a shy 13-year-old, the last
thing I wanted to do at any given moment was
trying to be the loudest person in the room. During
my next two state conventions, I would minimize
my participation in this seemingly evil activity in
every way possible, from barely even saying the
cheers to standing practically still.
However, this all changed when I attended my
first NJCL convention in Indiana. As I was
underperforming in spirit as usual, I realized that I
was bored out of my mind, while everybody else
seemed to be having the time of their lives. So, I
decided to give spirit a shot. For the first time in my
teenage life, I started screaming my head off. I felt so
exhilarated and free. There was a new confidence
instilled in me, and I like to think that this was the
moment where I started to become the vivacious
person I am today.
This is exactly the reason why I love spirit. It
helped me grow and foster relationships with those
around me, and I wouldn’t be who I am today
without it. Therefore, I propose a challenge to those
of you who are as “spiritually” challenged as I once
was: give spirit everything you have for just one
day, and it might change your life.
12
Students from (top to bottom) Columbus School for
Girls, Sycamore, and Wyoming participating in Spirit
during the 2019 OJCL Convention