Macey-Kate Davis: “Be Still and Breathe”
Macey-Kate Davis, a 16-year-old high school junior, having moved thirteen times from places like Florida, Texas, Tennessee, etc..., stepped onto the Eastern Christian High School campus on September 1st 2020, in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, to unfold the plan God had set for her in New Jersey.
When asked what her first impression of going to a private school was, she answered honestly, “I was appalled at the idea of going to a private school. Hated the idea… But it's a lot more welcoming than I thought. On the first day at EC several people walked up to me and said ‘Hey, are you new? Welcome to EC! If you need anything, my name is ___’. I didn’t think it was possible to feel so welcomed after I’d had so many transitions with schools.”
Reflecting on her vast experiences with different public schools Macey said, “We didn’t pray in any of our classes in public school. There was vulgar language all the time. Every other word was a cuss word. It was also a lot less welcoming.”
In light of the comparing and contrasting of EC to other public schools from all over the world, she shared what the easiest and hardest part was of transitioning. “The hardest part about the transition was the leading up to coming. I can stress myself out a lot and let thoughts develop in my head about a situation until I assume it’s worse than it actually is. I often find though, that actually doing the thing I was scared to do is way easier than I originally thought. The easiest part was actually once we got here. I could breathe a sigh of relief cause it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be.”
When asked about Macey’s favorite memory at EC, she was quick to reply, “The people I eat lunch with. We have some classes together and hang out outside of school. This community is really, really important to me. Whether it's going to get food after school or going out to get ice cream on Saturday, we always enjoy each other’s presence. We’re never fighting to have fun, we always just enjoy time together.”
When asked if Eastern Christian has impacted her in any way, she responded, “Well to start, I didn’t want to go to college before. I felt trapped by the idea. Going here to EC though has forced me to think about it, and I have a much better and more attainable life plan than I did before. I can only imagine what it would be like if I had been here for years. Because even in this short amount of a time, it has equipped me and prepared me so much.”
“Eastern Christian helped me to breathe,” Macey continued, “Even with quarantine going on, I was in the midst of a big move. Even though the world stopped, I didn’t. We can forget to appreciate where we are, cause we’re always looking for where we are going to be. I always look forward to the next thing and don’t usually sit in the moment. I learned to sit in the moment when I came to EC. Because of that I’m able to enjoy this whole experience so much more. I can be still, I just need to breathe.”
“I’m just very thankful for this season I’ve been given and the moment I’ve been given to breathe. Just being in silence and getting to sit and be with your thoughts and be with God… that’s a huge blessing. I just want to thank Eastern Christian for that season to breathe. I’m excited to see what else they’re gonna teach me!”