Lauren Castro 3A

I started studying at João XXIII in 2004, where I conquered many friendships in the past 13 years. I´ve met some incredible people, that´s probably why I´m so in love with this school
I still remember many things as if they happened yesterday. In kinder garden, the orca whale was my favourite cartoon, along with the sunflower. A play we performed that same faze of my life, marked me. Coincidently, I was a whale at the play.
Junior High reminds me of “mother and daughter” games, also of who would pick more pitangas during break, birthdays after school and our firsts dancing parties.
In 2013 (8th grade), things started to change. It was our first graduation year, groups (of friends) were getting solid and parties start to become more and more frequent. I´ve always had a really good friend each year, but this year I managed to form a group of friends who´d never be apart, if our due paper is in groups, we´d always do it together.
Between all history this institution carries, the year of 2016 will always be the one that had the most impact, the last one we can´t forget. Looking back to all my school journey, I´m sure that the memories I carry from João XXIII are unique, and would´ve never been so amazing if it weren´t here, with these people.
I´m still not prepared to say goodbye to this place that made me feel so good and so happy, a place in which for years. Was my second home. I hope that everyone who´s still with me for this last year, can be one of those people you meet by accident on the street, years and years after high school, and still remember everything you went through together. There´s a new faze of our lives coming, and it´s far away from high school and from this school.
Thank you João, for being different!

I Guess This is Goodbye

I vividly remember how my first school experience felt (which is very strange, considering that I was about 3 years old). I remember not wanting to go to kinder garden. I didn’t want to leave the house, the comfort, my parents. I guess the only thing that got me to go was my brother (that’s what I´ve been told). Having my twin there with me apparently made me more confident. When we got there I didn´t want to let go of my dad´s hand, I couldn´t. But as soon as this kid came up to me and asked if I wanted to play with him, I felt immediately at home. My parents left and time flew by quickly, once I realized it was already time to leave, I was devastated. I didn´t want to go home. I wanted to stay there, having fun and nap time.

A few years went by and on the last year of kinder garden I met this amazing girl, Bárbara. I remember starring at her blond hair falling as she went from the bottom of the “escadinha” right to the top, in less than 10 seconds (that´s what it seemed). We became friends instantly. We used to always go to each other´s houses, draw and watch TV all afternoon.

I remember feeling so grown up when we got into 1^st grade (Bárbara and I went to the same school). I met some really amazing people, who ended up being my classmates until 7^th grade: Duda, Klaus, Taikan and Gabriel.

On 3^rd grade, this new girl became our classmate. Her name is Serena. She was always happy and friendly (no wonder we´re still friends). Me, Bárbara, Duda and Serena became best friends. On 4^th grade there was another “new girl”, Bella, she had just moved from Botucatu (SP). I can´t properly explain how it felt to meet her, but I felt like I had known her my entire life. I don´t think I´ve ever had a better (best) friend than her. We used to be in so much synchrony with each other, people thought we were sisters, and we really were.

 A few years later I met my (male) best friend, William. Again, I don´t think I´ve ever been more close to somebody, than him. We had similar taste for everything, from music to hobbies. He was sort of my soulmate for a while.

My life was stable for a while, but then everything changed. Bella moved to Florianópolis and our class split up. I changed schools along with some of my best friends: Bárbara, Serena, Duda and Kaka. We started attending João XXIII, it was one of the most important and significant things I´d ever done. I barely knew my life was about to change forever.

At first I was so nervous about having new classmates, difficult tests, exams (trimestrais), and thought it was very strange to change classrooms from class to class. But then I got used to everything, and became friends with an amazing girl: Lauren. She was the first person who came to talk to us, she made us feel comfortable and at home at the new school. We´ve been best friends since then. 

That same year the school proposed a trip to London, to learn English. I went, along with Laura, Luísa, Renata, Luiza and some other girls. After the trip, I became good friends with Laura and the other girls, but only by the end of the year we were really close.

My 1^st High School year was one of the bests. The whole class became really close and we started going out together, to parties, to the mall and even to the movies. I have many good memories from that year. It definitely “left a mark”.

I received a gift on my 2^nd High School year, Rafaela. (Unfortunately, but fortunately) she had to take that grade again, and we ended up becoming friends, best friends (me + the whole party). She was, for sure, the most important thing that happened that year. Always painfully honest (in a good way) and opened minded, she conquered my heart. In the same year, I got invited to be a part of the student council, 2^nd best thing I´ve ever done. It was so much fun planning everything for the “Gincana GEJ” and being responsible for translating the thoughts of students.

But I believe the most important decision (and best thing) I´ve ever done, was going to Canada as an exchange student, for 6 months. I loved everything about my time there, the people, my hosts, everyone I got to meet, the safety, the quiet, the food, the snow, springtime, summertime, and, most importantly, I loved that I got to go with Luísa. My time there allowed me to grow as a person, become more independent, more responsible, and be happier. Canada was a BIG part of my High School experience, even though time was short. 

 

Coming back to Brazil was harder than I thought. I had to leave my life there (in Canada) behind, put it on pause, and that wasn´t easy to do. Of course, seeing my friends again was gratifying, I missed them so much, I even missed getting mad at them. But this feeling that something had come to an end left a whole in my stomach. And the feeling won´t go away, especially now that we´re on our last High School year.

Every time I think about it I get nostalgic, I can´t believe it´s ending. This knot forms in my throat, and I can nor breathe or cry. I´m not quite sure what it is, but it doesn´t feel good. I´m going to miss everyone so, so much. School has been an amazing journey, one that I´ll always carry in my heart. I can´t say friends are for life, but our connection sure is. I love you guys, and I´ll miss you. I can´t imagine how my life could´ve been without you. We´ll keep in touch. <3

Júlia Chaves

In the first year of high school I was taking class American in college Conhecerrr, and I had a teacher who possessed great intimacy with me, she the much of the teachers of Portuguese was a very experienced lady, this intimacy between us started in my graduation from eighth grade, she was honored Among the teachers, and at the very moment que spoke her name I screamed very loudly, "GOSTOSAAAAAAA". Then When They called for me to get diplomo she shouted at me: "GOSTOSOOOOOO". From there at least once a day in class I called her hot and she called me good. After all this bond acquired I kind of ended up with it in the tragic but funny. She had left the class and left the book open, so I put a toy cockroach inside her book and spent a few pages, she arrived, opened the book, jumped up on the chair and cried, she looked at me and redbourn me cordenação When we got there the cordenadora and the director laughed at her, she got mad and threw my cheap far, hence I got the rest of the class looking for my cockroach in the grass. The detail is that at that time I was "means" chubby, and I was very messed up by my colleagues for being fat, I used to fall enough, etc ...

This is the teacher

This is me at the time

Name: Juliano Cincinato Cadore Fernandes
Class: 3A

Catharina Baumgarten Bins Ely

Marina Sanhudo 3C

I have studied at João XXIII since I was a child learning how to write and how to deal with people. I came from a day care center called "Fábrica dos Sonhos" when I was 4 or 5 years old, I knew every single teacher, every single official and every single student there, so I was very insecure to change my surroundings. That's why I used to cry every time my father let me on school and I used to beg him to take me home again. Days later I made some friends and I started begging him to take me to school on the weekends (after the first homework teacher gave me it stopped happening). Some of this friends I made in my first year at João are still my classmates and are very important to me. Certainly João XXIII made part of my history and had a big impact creating who I am now a days. I know every single teacher here, and I feel João XXIII my second home, that is why things won't be that different in this new stage, I will feel insecure again when going to university, but I can't beg my father to take me home anymore. The only sure I have is that changes are necessary, and if going from João XXIII to university looks like going from Fabrica dos Sonhos to João XXIII, I know it will be strange and I will feel lost in the beginning, but when it's over I will start feeling home again.

Time to say goodbye - Vitória Batistella, 3A

My school life went from Rosário to Leo beta and then João XXIII. I won’t focus on the first two, because there are somethings I rather not think about. Anyways, I guess the thing that attracted me the most to João was the mini ‘zoo’, it was wonderful to me that a school could have cute animals and teach you stuff at the same time. I’ll admit, in my first few years I was really awkward - but not cute awkward- the type of awkward you try to stay away from. Somewhere along the way I grew out of that strange phase – I think I’m better now-. João was a real game changer to me, it was the first time a teacher actually cared for me and it felt good. It’s important to have people that look after you.

School for me represents life, you start something your parents subscribed you to without your knowledge – or consent- and is expected to do well at it. Then, you meet many people, some you like and some you cannot stand, but still you’re forced to live alongside them for some time. All of you go through rough and less complicated stuff, as individuals and as an organism. Later in the ‘school life’ you all realize the end is coming, and that may touch you in a way you never thought it would. They say you only start to appreciate something the moment you start losing it. That’s true. Even though you may hate going to school, learning math, physics and any other subject you might abominate, when you realize it’s ending you start missing it, because after this ‘test drive life’ you’ll enter the real deal, and it’s terrifying. Therefore, you celebrate with them the time you had together in your last year, after all you shared most of your days with them. In addition, faster than you’d expect comes graduation day, which Is like school’s funeral, or at least your ‘school you’ funeral. Most people are dressed nicely, most cry, family is there and so are teachers. This is the time to say goodbye to your old self.

João is really close to my heart, it taught me that you can be unique and still be accepted. The people I met throughout this phase will always be dear to me. I will keep the lessons I learned close. Those people made me a better person – that is the best thing a school can offer you -and I hope I taught them something in return. They were a family to me, they made me cry and laugh. I’m going to miss them so much and only wish them the best of life.

Thank you guys.

Ivan Medeiros

My School Journey

I've started my journey in 2002, when I was 2 years old, and now I am about to graduate, almost 15 years later. All my life I was inside this school's atmosphere, so I've passed for many happy moments, sad ones, learning ones, and many others.
It all started when my mom left me for the first time, my memories are few, but I remember that since my first moements over there I was able to make friends that I am still in touch and even going to graduate within. My first years were almost just fun, I've started to learn basic things about relationships and habilities, and as the years started to pass, I was forced to get mature, say godbye to meny friends and meet some ones that I consider part of my family now (S.O.I. S2), and of course, many responsabilities started to show up, and again I saw myself having to learn how to handle with many changes acroos the years.
With no doubts, João XXIII became a second home for me, all the games, difficulties, tests, argues, friendships, and of course, all the incredible teachers that I had the chance to get to know much better away from class, are always having a special place in my memory. Eventough school is about to end, I'm sure that it's no the end, all the moments and people that have marked my life will be with me forever.

Ivan Medeiros - 2016