Hey, you've entered the section dedicated to my high school, Pinson Valley High. Here is a little info about it:
Name: Pinson Valley High School
Enrollment: About 1,000
Mascot: Indians
My Current Grade: Junior

Normally, I would have had a section to discuss candidly a day at my highschool. I will refrain from posting one until the end of the current semester but if you want to view what my high school is like go to Pinson Valley High

Also, my thoughts on this school have changed ever since a fellow member of the Junior Class, Dale Lawson, was unfortunately killed in a tragic automobile accident. It affected the majority of the school, including me even though I didn't know him personally. Here is a link to the memorial page on Pinson Valley's homepage, please go there and take a look because it is a beautiful memorial. In Loving Memory of Dale Lawson

The following are two pieces I wrote concerning the tragedy.

My Thoughts on Dale's Passing...written by David A. Smith

When the bell rang for "C" lunch on that Tuesday, I saw a friend in the hallway and went up to talk to her. The first words out of her mouth were "Dale's dead." It hit me like a ton of bricks. Even though I had only spoken five words to him since I'd been at Pinson, the news was the biggest shock I had ever heard. I could not believe it yet I knew she wouldn't have joked about that. As we walked, she told me what she knew and the shock began to sink in. We then entered the lunch room and it was one of the most depressing scenes I have ever witnessed. The room was filled with almost complete silence as a general shock sank in over everyone. We were all telling each other what we knew but none of us knew for sure. I soon made my way back to my third period class where my teacher was on the verge of tears. The shock took it's full force at this moment because I couldn't believe what was going on. I couldn't move, I didn't want to move. I didn't want to believe what was happening. I got home that day around 3:10 and waited until the 5:00 news. I saw the report of the accident but no names were given. Finally, on the 10:00 news that night, Dale's name was announced and the shock came back. He was really gone but why should I be concerned? I never got to know him but why was it bothering me? The next day, I drove by the scene of the accident and an errie feeling came over me. Maybe it was a sign of something to come, maybe it was an omen. I don't know what it was but it made me begin to think about the whole situation on a larger scale.

The day after, I convinced myself to attend Dale's wake. I originally was going to attend to console friends of mine who knew Dale allot better than I did. However, that all changed drastically. As I drove to the funeral home, I passed by the scene of the accident and saw the cross that had been erected at the corner. That single, white, lonely, wooden cross stood out like it was 20 feet tall. I soon began to feel the emotions sink in at that point. When I arrived at the funeral home, the place was packed with friends and family of Dale's and I began to ask myself why was I there. I didn't know him so would this constitute as disrespect towards him? I asked myself that but I couldn't find an answer. As I entered the funeral home, the emotional state of the mourners began to overtake me. I began to stand in line and couldn't help but notice the people crying in front of me and behind me. I tried to contain myself because I thought to myself again that it wasn't my place to mourn for someone I didn't know. As I entered the chapel, I saw a close friend of mine sobbing his eyes out yet nothing was affecting me. It was like I was in emotional shock. I was resorting back to the state in which I heard initially heard the tragic news. I then slowly walked down the aisle and up the altar to where Dale was and as I began to look at the pictures and memories he left behind, it began to hit me. There, in the pictures, Dale was so full of life, energy, and happiness. I then stood in front of his casket and saw that he was so calm, peaceful, and silent. I knew then why I really came to the service that night. I was there to mourn a fellow student whose time on earth was shortened by tragedy. I could barely keep the tears from flowing at this point. I then began to think back to all the times I saw him so full of life and energy and at that point, I lost it, emotionally, for the first time. I sat in a pew and began to cry my eyes out. As I prayed the three prayers I saw whenever someone I know dies, the tears began to flow and for at least 30 minutes non-stop, I cried my eyes out like I never cried before. Normally, I don't show that many emotions, especially at a funeral, but that night was the first time I had ever cried at a funeral and I didn't even know Dale personally. That is how much this service affected me. This is how much the whole situation affected me. The thoughts of him lying in the casket so silently collided with the visions of his past and the emotions of his friends and family. I couldn't control myself but I didn't care anymore. As I sat there with my emotions flowing, a couple of friends sat down with me and I knew they were feeling the same thing I was. They might not have said it straight out but their actions did the speaking for them. I continued to sit for a while and when I thought I was about to regain my composure, another thought of him lying in the casket raced through my mind and I lost it again. I don't know for what exact reason I lost it. All I do know is that it felt good. It was the right thing to do at the time. I don't know if Dale would have wanted us to cry but if he knew it would have made us happy, I think he would have been crying with us. Eventually, I was able to make my way out of the chapel but I knew could not bring myself to the point to go back in. I found friends out there who consoled me and I consoled them. One, said something to me that I'll never forget. He asked, "Why did he have to leave?" Hearing him say that caused me to break down yet again. I cried in his arms and he cried in mine. I finally mustered up enough strength and I began to drive home. I was doing good and did not cry but when I passed by the single, white, lonely, wooden cross on the corner in Center Point, I broke down at the wheel. That was one of the hardest things to witness in my life. I'll never forget that night no matter what happens to me. The next day, before I went to the funeral, I made it a point to stop by his cross. I laid something around it and viewed the signatures that had been left there. So many people that had knew Dale, so many people that had loved him and still do. I left before I broke down in tears yet again. I attended the funeral service and I did better than I had done at the wake service. I viewed Dale lying so peacefully one last time but the tears didn't come out. I don't know why but they didn't. Maybe it was because I was with friends at the funeral, maybe it was because I cried all I could at the wake, I'll never know for sure. As the funeral went on though, I began to let it all out. When they closed the casket, when his friends began to speak of him, when his pastors began to remember him, I cried and I cried. However, something that made me feel better was seeing so many of his classmates, myself included, at the church that day. He would have wanted to be amongst his peers and he was. Afterwards, I went to the grave site service and it was a fitting end for Dale. With his family, friends, and classmates gathered together one last time, we all said good-bye in our own separate way. I asked the Lord to guide his soul in his journey home. Then, the service ended but I didn't leave for a while. I just stood there with friends and pondered what had happened. I left the service and then drove home. I made it a point to drive by the cross and when I did, I saw a friend of his sitting down just staring at it. It really hit hard at that point. He was gone, we all knew it, and we all had to do our own separate thing to deal with it.

REQUIEM FOR A FALLEN CLASSMATE by David A. Smith

On November 10th, 1998, the majority of Pinson Valley High School lost a dear friend in Dale Lawson. Unfortunately, I can not say that as I never got the chance to get to know him before his passing. In the time that I have been at Pinson, I might have spoken a total of five words to him and they came the Friday night before his death. From now on, I'll remember that night and the brief conversation we had. Some might think why am I writing this since I can not claim to have known Dale like many of you had. I, myself, asked me the same question. However, his death affected me in a way I never knew it could. Dale's funeral was the first time I really ever cried because his death caused me to understand how fragile life really is. From the moment I heard my friend telling me what happened to the final good-bye at the cemetery, my life had been affected permanently. Here Dale was, someone in the prime of his life and the gleam in many peoples' eyes and he was taken from this world in a split second. When I learned of this, it was hard to understand and deal with it. Even when I think about it still, it's hard to understand. His death has caused me to re-examine life on all levels and try to live it for the better. I also decided to vent what I was feeling by writing this little piece in memory of Dale. I decided to write this in honor of a fallen classmate, a fellow member of the junior class, a member of our entire collective family, and a beloved member at that. This is a requiem for a fallen classmate.

Like I said, I never knew Dale Lawson personally but Dale was the type of person you didn't have to know in order to know who he was. Just by looking at him, I could see that he enjoyed the time he spent with his friends and loved ones. Like everyone else who has seen Dale before, I hardly ever saw him without a smile on his face. He was so full of life, so full of spirit, why did he have to leave the ones that loved him so much. We'll never know for sure but if it helps, think of it this way. Dale's purpose on Earth was to make people feel good about themselves. When The Lord saw Dale had fulfilled his mission, he called him home to a better place. I don't know if this makes you feel any better but it might make some understand the true purpose to why he was taken from so many that he loved. Just think that he's in a better place now. His pain and suffering is over. He cannot be hurt anymore. He's in a realm of eternal happiness, peace, and tranquillity. God has called him home to liven the place up like only Dale could do it. If anything, be happy for him as he is continuing his life in a far better place. While you might miss Dale's physical presence, his memory and love will always be with you as long as you want it to be. Never forget the good times you had with him and he'll be at your side forever. Dale died young, he lived fast but his peaceful spirit is free at last. Think of it that way and celebrate the life he had with you all.