Too Loud, Too Long, Too Close: Why I’m Worried About the New School
Hi, it’s Ember again.
If this is your first time here, I recommend scrolling down to catch up on The Thurston Files. Trust me—it’s getting weird.
What I Told My Parents
This week, I finally talked to my parents about the construction plans. Like, really talked. Not just “ugh this is so unfair” but full Ember-style argument:
- The Nature Center matters. It’s where I saw my first cedar waxwing and learned frogs hibernate in mud. It’s where science feels real.
- We need recess. If they fence off the playground next spring, we’ll be stuck walking in circles on pavement for two years. TWO.
- The noise will be awful. Pile drivers. Dump trucks. Beeping loaders. I already wear noise-canceling headphones during writing time—how am I supposed to concentrate with that outside my window?
If you don’t know me, you might not know, I hate loud noises. They make me feel so overwhelmed, and I just freak out a little. Like, if I ever walk into a restroom and see an Xlerator hand dryer? Forget it, I’m walking right back out. I can hold it til I get home.
(If you don’t know: Xlerators are the devil’s hand dryers. They scream like jet engines. I’ll dehydrate before I use one.)
Grown-Ups Are Listening (Some of Them)
My parents didn’t say much at first. But the next night, I heard them talking to some other school parents after pickup. And you know what?
They agreed.
- One dad said his daughter uses hearing aids, and the construction could “completely wreck her focus.”
- Another mom brought up how the wetlands are protected under city conservation guidelines. (Yes!! Thank you, library research.)
- Someone else said the new school design “looks like a co-working space for robots.” Which made me snort lemonade out my nose.
Now they’re planning to talk to the school board. Like, officially.
At School, Kids Are Talking Too
Eva and Sami helped me make a poster for the cafeteria wall that says:
SAVE OUR BIRDS. SAVE OUR TREES. SAVE OUR RECESS.
🪶 Kids Deserve Quiet + Nature Too! 🪶
Some older kids laughed, but a bunch of younger students came up to look at the birds we drew. A first grader pointed at the blue heron and whispered, “That one watches us during music.”
I asked, “Watches?”
She nodded. “It was on the stage. Then it blinked and disappeared.”
So… that’s definitely going in my notes.
Eerie Silence
Lately, I’ve been catching myself staring out the classroom window. Not zoning out—just… watching. The old oak grove near the Nature Center feels too still. No birdsong. No squirrels. No fluttery goldfinches by the fence.
Just wind. Just leaves. And sometimes, a low hum I feel in my chest, not my ears.
I haven’t seen the glowing bird again. But I know it’s not done with me.
What’s Next
My parents are writing emails. I’m making a flyer for “Quiet Kids for Quiet Classrooms.” And Sami wants to turn my blog into a zine (yes please).
Next time: we’re sneaking out before school to check the construction staging area. We want to see if they’ve started cutting trees already.
Stay weird. Stay loud (unless you’re an Xlerator).
✌️ Ember