Monday, December 9, 2013

Reaching the Summit

     For this post, I thought I'd talk about a place at which I spend a lot of time: Summit School, my second home. I love this building a lot! The only thing that would make it better is if it had Wifi!
     Here's a bit of history about the place.
Here's the logo from my sweatshirt
     In 1909, a cemetery had to be moved to build the building, so all of the bodies were exhumed. Thomas Feigh was a wealthy philanthropist who built "Thomas Feigh's Hospital for Crippled Children." He cared so much about kids that he wanted them to live a full life because he was born with a "club foot" and couldn't walk. Most of the kids that came there had Tuberculosis.        Throughout the 100 years that the building has existed, it's been lots of things: a home for unwed mothers, a home for wayward girls, and a safe place for children.
     I actually attended school there from 1999 till about 2003. Some students who attend Marshall also went to Summit, too! My mom had volunteered at Summit for many years, and then she became the Executive Director in 2006. She's been working there for 8 years, and I can honestly say that she is an amazing person. She spends so much time there working and making sure that it's safe and up to code. My mom also tries her best to make miracles happen. I admire my mom so much because of the things she has to deal with on a daily basis.
A view of the snow from the Toddler Room window
      I also wanted to talk about some of the things that happen at Summit. I say that Summit is haunted, but I wouldn't say that it's bad. I believe that it's by good spirits, considering that the bodies that were moved were nuns and priests from St. Scholastica. Sometimes my family and I hear kids running up stairs. I think that's because they weren't able to when they were alive. Occasionally, we hear talking, singing, whistling, and keys jingling. A lot of the children that attend Summit look past the adults that work there to say hello to a man. When the adults turn around to see the "man," nothing is there.
     One event in particular has stuck out in my mind. My mom and I were leaving Summit one evening, at about 5:30pm. As we were approaching the door, I saw a white flash, about the size of a person with their arms open, but just from the waist up. Both my mom and I stopped. "Mom, did you see that?"
     "Yes, I think so," she said quietly. We quickly ran out of the building and didn't look back. Every time I think about it, I get goosebumps. It was so scary, but I don't think that it was supposed to be scary, looking back. Maybe the spirit wanted us to embrace it.
     A lot of interesting and wild things have happened at Summit, and I can't wait to see what happens next!