Liz Kirchner
It’s the end of the Christiansburg Middle School’s eighth-grade awards celebration.
The gym is full of smiling families, bobbing balloons that say “This is your Day!” are tied to folding chairs on the basketball court, and, surrounded by kids cheering and high-fiving each other, Renard Mercurius Yassa, recently 14, buttons his navy-blue jacket and straightens his tie.
Earlier that morning, families and friends streamed into the gym past the mural that says, “Christiansburg Middle School – Growing Together,” filling the stands and calling to their graduates as the 244 eighth graders filed in. This is a graduation for the families too and, throughout, the ceremony was full of messages of support, perseverance and encouragement. During the ceremony, parents were applauding and rushing down to kneel in the aisle to take photos when their child is called to the front to receive an award.
And it’s clear that, for Mercurius Yassa, in a suit and tie among the Vans and sundresses, his parents, Remon and Therese, have played a significant role in the productivity, self-possession and confidence of their son.
All morning, as their names were called, students popped up and hurried to the front to shake hands and receive their awards.
Mercurius Yassa received an achievement award for serving as the liaison between the middle-school and the school board, telling them about problems in the school and suggesting how they might be fixed. He also received a Community Service award signed by Principal Jason Garretson for years of showing up every Thursday to load and unload groceries for the church food pantry, presented by Assistant Principal Cheryl Burrel-Graves, who everyone calls Mrs. B-Graves. Shaking his hand, she told the audience that, even in terrible weather, he was always there.
He received the Richard Ballengee Leadership and Service Award plaque with his name engraved on a brass plate that will be displayed in the school hall. He was hardly back to his seat before receiving the President’s Education Award for Outstanding Academic achievement signed by the president for keeping his grades up through it all.
Remon Yassa, Mercurius’s dad, a software engineer and owner of the BP station on N. Franklin, played a large part in these awards. With his camera on his lap waiting for the next photo, he talked about teaching useful life skills.
“I’ve trained him since he was about 10 in the summer, helping in employee payroll and deposit,” said Remon. “He prepared the whole deposit for me, from A to Z. Closing accounts,marketing, fund-raising. He raised money for the school selling candy. People would come into the store and he’d say, ‘Would you like to help fundraise for CMS?’ and they would!” he said, laughing, delighted by his son’s confidence.
Carrying the theme of relying on friends, the Bella Voce school chorus sang “Flashlight,” the soaring youth anthem that gives thanks for help in difficult times, during the award ceremony.
“You light the way,” they sang. “You’re my flashlight.”
Even as a young person himself, Mercurius seems to be reaching down the ladder to pull other kids up.
“He just helps everybody,” said his dad, “At school and church. Every Thursday he helps carry bags of food for the people that need it. At church he helps the little kids. Festivals and bake sales and carrying stuff. Volunteering at the book fair as a cashier. He knows from the store with money. He’s well-trained.”
The crowd goes wild as the school band, its sax players in shades, performs “Hooked on a Feeling” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” whooping and cheering the band.
As he said good-bye to these eighth-graders, Principal Jason Garretson reiterated the importance of multiple people steadily encouraging young people through what can be a difficult time in a person’s life.
“I can’t take credit for the achievements of this class and what they’ve become,” he said. “I’m happy to be a part of it. We need these guys to know that we love them.”
“Middle school can be tough,” Garretson continued. “There will be bumps in the road. If there are bumps, we just need to encourage them to strive to do better next time. Our mentality at the school is to let them know we support them. We don’t need them to be perfect. If they’re working hard and doing their best work, good things are going to happen.”
Each time Mercurius’ name was called, his dad rushed to the front to take a photo. Upon receipt of a Presidential Education Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement, Mr. Yassa came back out of breath.
“I always tell him, ‘With grades, compare yourself to a higher goal. Always look up’.”
From carrying bags to the food pantry, to volunteering at the hospital and learning life skills from his dad at the store, Mercurius Yassa’s got a busy life, but he’s quiet about his awards, texting his dad a photo when he won a National Junior Honor Society certificate to surprise him.
Following the ceremony, he is shaking hands with Garretson and getting a hug from Mrs. B-Graves.
Asked how he got here and to what did he owe his success so far – he said, “What part do you mean, exactly?” and then he thanked his folks.
“I feel like the intelligence part is from my parents,” he said. “And the optimism… they always push me to work harder. Go above and beyond instead of just doing the basics. Yeah. My parents.”
“He’s an exceptional young man,” Burrel-Graves said. “He would tell you it’s not easy – a super heavy academic load and all the social responsibilities.”
Despite the suit, Mercurius, soft curls and cheek, looks young, but he’s frank and aware that coming of age is a process and suggests that confidence is a choice.
“The confidence part, I used to be not be as confident when I was younger,” he said. “But I started telling myself something, for example instead of not getting up to get a tissue because it’s up in front of the class, instead of, like, being scared and it gets much worse later, I just say, “I’m confident” and I just go, walk up and do it.”
Even during vacation, he’s got a busy schedule. This summer, he’ll help the kids during the Montgomery County Invention Camp. Then, he’s off to the 2019 Future Business Leader of America conference in San Antonio, Texas. At the conference, young people compete in leadership events, share their successes, and learn new ideas about shaping their career future through workshops and exhibits, says the FBLA website. He’ll be representing not just his school, but the entire state of VA.
“I’ve known Mercurius since elementary school,” Burrel-Graves said. “He has been a leader since he was small. He is willing to take initiatives and takes the lead on initiatives and looks for improvements. He has an analytical mind also to help foster life-long skills.”
About being invited to the FBLA conference, Mercurius takes it in stride.
“I’m pretty excited,” he said. “I am surprised because I didn’t really study, but I had experience from my parents’ company. My parents have been a great help to me at my parent’s company, which is a gas station. And I’ve been helping out. Nonstop. And they taught me basically everything I know.”
Asked for any advice he would give to seventh graders moving up to eighth grade, he barely pauses.
“I can give a quote, actually: ‘Work smarter instead of harder.’ So, instead of staying up ‘til 2 a.m. working on one thing, do the all the easy things first and then do the last hard things.”
Asked where he sees himself in five years, he sees a combination of medicine and community service.
“In five years? …hopefully volunteering at a hospital and volunteering on a rescue squad and applying for colleges.”
“Which school do you want to go to,” his dad leans in and asks him.
“Harvard,” he says.
About going into ninth grade, he straightens his tie and says,
“I think I’m ready.”
