St. Mary Magdalen seventh-grader Bridget F.* won a first prize for her essay ‘Skiing Down the Mountain’ in the St. Louis Symphony’s Express the Music Essay Contest.
The contest requires students to write an essay based on a piece of music. This year it was Felix Mendelssohn’s Scherzo for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Fifty finalists were chosen out of nearly 1,700 essays, according to Tina Hogan of St. Mary Magdalen. The essays were judged on composition, creativity and originality. Bridget won the junior division (6-8). She received a two hundred dollar prize and her essay was published in a book of the finalists’ essays.
Bridget’s essay:
Skiing Down the Mountain
As I stood at the top of the mountain breathing in the dense air, I looked around at the opaque surroundings, and I knew this was going to be an adventurous ride. I started slow so my skis could adjust to moving, but it wasn’t long before I was hurtling down the craggy mountain.
As I sped over mountainous hills and immense bumps, I started laughing joyously as the snow smacked my face. Fog surrounded my goggles as I zoom straight ahead. One moment I was moving right, while the next I was swaying left like a slithering snake. I could feel the ice crush as I pushed through it. Whoosh! I was up in the air. Seconds later I plopped back down and started on a new path.
As I strolled carefree down the mountain, I noticed a short cliff rapidly approaching. I prepared myself, and counted down in my head 3…2…1! I felt the bitter air hit against me like knives, and charging adrenaline dashed through me. When I finally reached the ground, I grasped back my poles and dug them into the ground so I could slow down. I felt more aware than ever, but sadly there was another task I had to complete. I had to fly past the side of the large mountain and get to the middle and join the pathway. I knew it would not be easy, so I picked up my pace.
When I reach the side, I went a bit slower, so I would not fall off the edge. I kept pushing myself to reach the pathway up ahead. Numbness encompassed body, as I skied with all that I could give. The snow felt unpredictable as it collided with my skis. Finally, I arrived at the front of the path. With one last push, I unwaveringly skied as if it was the only think I knew how to do, and raced like there was nothing ahead of me. I could feel the arctic, damp snow in my socks, but that did not abstain me. I skied like I did not have a fret in the world.
*The archdiocese does not permit student last names to be published for safety considerations, so 40 South News complied.
Listen to Felix Mendelssohn’s Scherzo for A Midsummer Night’s Dream as you read Bridget’s essay.