Zen is Tending the Spring

Hello, my name is Zen Harrod, I will be 17 years old in June. In Early 2020 my great-grandfather passed, and shortly after Covid-19 hit. Throughout quarantine and its aftermath I was very depressed, and felt very alone. Although my family was supportive and caring I pushed them away, and considered ending my life. Thankfully I didn’t. I’m not sure what stopped me- maybe it was a desire to live happily- or maybe it was that I felt needed by family and friends. But in 2022 I returned to public school where I was bullied and assaulted. I began to feel alone again. But this time I talked to my parents about it. We began looking at alternative schools and schooling methods, and one stood out. Springhouse was the only school my parents and I really looked into. Eventually in 2024, after years of asking to leave the public school system, I had my first Springhouse visiting day. It was better than I imagined. The people there were kind and caring, and it turned out that a few friends of mine from afterschool programs were attending. Although I had to finish up the school year in public school, the next year, my 10th grade year, I started at Springhouse.  It was definitely worth the wait. Springhouse has helped me grow closer to friends, family, and aspects of myself I didn’t know existed. Now I’m nearing the end of my second year of Springhouse, and it’s probably the best school year I’ve ever had. The people are kind, the content interesting, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to attend Springhouse and be a part of its community. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, It’d mean a lot to me if you’d consider donating to our school!