Capstone

Chapter 9- May - Cale's Capstone Presentation

Cale stood before the class as himself. There was no hiding behind a teasing smile or alluring twinkle in his eyes. Unlike all the other students presenting on their capstone projects, Cale didn't set up any posters or hit play on a PowerPoint; he just stood there as his genuine self with nothing between him and the class but a few notecards. He fidgeted with them before his deep pools of brown eyes lifted to the room. With one subtle clearing of his throat, he began.

"My name is Cale Benton, but most of you know that. Most of us have gone to school together for at least the past three years. We passed each other in the hallways, sat at neighboring tables in the cafeteria, and cheered for the same teams on the fields and courts around the school. Some of you have probably cheered for me. In the last seconds of a football game, maybe one of your voices told me I could do it and made me believe I could make that toss. But you probably didn't know that your voice had help, and I didn't know your name."

"Three years is a long time to pass people in the hall without taking a moment to get to know them," he continued. "And I admit that I did that. I stuck to my friends. I didn't think twice about it. I was too wrapped up in my small circle, our inside jokes, and the plans we were making. I didn't look around to see all these amazing people around me."

His eyes flickered to me, and his back stiffened with confidence as a smile tipped his lips. "When Mrs. Sommers assigned this project, I didn't take it seriously. When she gave me my partner, I admit I blew her off at first. Delilah, don't-call-me-Delly, Taylor tried to get me to focus. I'm pretty sure in her mind right now she's still telling me to focus and not to ramble." He laughed, and I dipped my face to giggle at his accuracy.

"But she didn't know that I started to listen during her incessant nagging."

I lifted my eyes to him, and he gazed back at me with a soft, gentle smile of thanks.

"This project is about community, giving back, and becoming a better citizen. I did that by listening. I started by listening to Delly. She told me to look around, stop going with the status quo, and pay attention to our community. So, I listened some more, not just to my friends, but to all the different people in the hallways, cafeteria, field, and stands. At first, I thought by doing that, I'd figure out what to do for my project, but as I listened and got to know people, I realized that was the project."

He shifted a bit on his feet before he moved down one row of desks. Then he continued. "Sophie Kim, will you please join me?"

He moved to her seat and held out a hand to help her from her desk. She dipped her face a bit as she stood and followed him to the front of the room.

"This is Sophie Kim. She has gone to Grover High for three years, but I didn't know her until this year. Sophie, did you know who I was before this year?"

"Yes," she shyly said.

Cale took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze before he added, "what did you know about me?"

"Um, you were a football player." Her tone sounded like a shrug and elicited a few giggles.

"And what did you think about me?"

"That you were better than me," she admitted as she met his gaze.

He gave her a gentle smile and then turned back to the room. "Sophie is an exceptional violinist. Even though she's still in high school, she plays with the Greene Symphony Orchestra. Last winter, during their holiday shows, they selected her to play a solo." He dipped his face back to hers to give her a reassuring smile. "I went to almost every show, and every night it was beautiful."

Sophie smiled back at him, and her back stiffened with more confidence.

"She also makes the world's best brownies and absolutely demolishes me at bowling."

"You have to work on your follow-through," she teased.

"I do," he agreed. "I have to work on my follow-through." He gave her hand a last squeeze. "Thanks, Sophie."

"Peter Gillis, will you come up here?" Cale's eyes fell on Peter.

I had always known Peter but couldn't recall the last time I had talked to him or even given him a passing smile in the hallway.

"Hey, Pete." Cale shook Pete's hand as he joined him at the front of the classroom.

"Hey, Cale." He nodded back.

"Pete has gone to school with me since we were in grade school. We were on a T-ball team together, and we'd play video games sometimes after practice. But, by the time we got to high school, we had lost touch. Pete, what did you think of me at the beginning of the year?"

"I thought you were a bit of a jerk?"

"A bit?" Cale prodded.

"I thought you were a jerk," Pete admitted.

"Pete still plays video games, but not the ones you all play. Pete designs and codes his own games from scratch. I know firsthand that they are better than any video game you can buy. And he taught me to play golf this year. I'm still pretty terrible, but I enjoy it and had fun learning to play."

" You need to work on your follow-through," Pete offered, as a few chuckles came up from the room.

"So, I've heard," Cale agreed, as he clapped a hand down on Pete's shoulder. "Thanks, Pete."

Pete smiled at Cale and headed back to his seat.

"So, for my capstone, I didn't plant a few flowers or phone in some volunteer hours like I'm sure you all expected of me and, honestly, like I expected of myself. For my capstone, I endeavored to listen to my community, to get to know the faces I passed in the hallway, and the people that cheered me on while I was on the field. I wanted to walk down the hallway and know my peers; really know them. I wanted them to know that I wanted to know them and appreciated all the years of cheers they gave me. I wanted to return the favor by giving a standing ovation after a stellar orchestra performance, being someone you could talk to when you felt like no one was listening, or just being a friendly face when someone was having a bad day. That's what being part of a community is; it's being there, it's showing up. Oh, and I planted two trees," he finished with a wink in my direction.

"Well," Mrs. Sommers blotter her eyes as her voice creaked, "that was a unique interpretation of the project. Were there others that you connected with?"

"Yes, but I didn't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable. Sophie and Pete were nice enough to volunteer to be my examples."

"Of course." She smiled at him.

"Mrs. Sommers." From the back of the room, Tara Brady raised her hand. "I asked him not to include me, but I connected with Cale this year; he came to my art opening at a local café, which meant a lot to me. I never told anyone I showcased my art, not even my friends. It was terrifying, but Cale was my biggest supporter."

"He helped at my family's cleaning company when my dad threw his back out at Thanksgiving," Brian Adams offered.

"Could everyone raise their hand if they feel like Cale made a personal impact on them this year?" Mrs. Sommers asked.

Around me, hands rose until just Chris and I were left with our hands down. Chris and I looked at each other briefly before nodding as he lifted his hand.

My mind spun through the frustrating, sweet, sad, and happy moments I shared with Cale over the past year, and I slowly raised my hand as I met Cale's eyes. His face dipped to hide the smile, but his eyes flickered to reconfirm that my hand was up. Of course, Cale Benton had personally impacted me; he had become one of my closest friends.

"Well, Cale, I have to say that I'm impressed. I've been coordinating the capstone project for over ten years, and I don't think anyone has made the impact on their personal community as much as you have."

"Honestly, I couldn't have done it without Delly. She made me stop and look around at everyone we go to school with, and we go to school with some really cool people." He let out a shrug. "But I still did it my way... by having fun."

I dipped my face to hide the laughter bubbling from my chest. I had to hand it to Cale; he always found a way to have fun with what he was doing.