Turning the Page

student smiling at camera

Turning the Page

by Rob Kahn

Maya Najjar ’28 comes into her own at Landmark.

There was less than a minute to go in the basketball game between Landmark and neighbor/archrival Brookwood. It had been a battle of 1 point leads the whole way. With 26 seconds to go and Brookwood in possession, it looked like a well-fought defeat—with the score 19-18 Brookwood. Then, Maya Najjar steals the ball, draws a foul, and Landmark has a chance for 2 points. The two free throws miss—but Landmark gets the rebound! There was no doubt where the ball was headed as the team looked to Maya for a three-pointer…

It’s no surprise that Maya’s name surfaced for this Lantern’s student profile. She has a presence; a personality comprised of wisdom, openness, sincerity, curiosity about others, and candor about herself, her talents, and her path.

She tells me it was during fifth and sixth grade that she realized something wasn’t right at school. She felt left out. “Learning was happening around me but I wasn’t a part of it. I remember going home and feeling defeated,” she told me.

That feeling of being stuck crystallized one day when her sixth grade teacher was absent. Maya has a memory of her Special Ed. teacher from fourth grade coming in to sub and saying ”Let’s do some reading.” When Maya took out her book, her teacher was shocked: “You can’t still be reading that! That’s where you were when you left me!”

Learning was happening around me but I wasn’t a part of it.

Thinking back on that interaction, Maya realizes now that as a sixth grader with many talents and friends, she knew she wasn’t learning how to read and she was ready for a change that could help.

“I remember going home and feeling discouraged. Now I come home and feel like I’ve accomplished something every day. Everyone deserves to feel that way.”

Her first term at Landmark was also the first time she had finished a book. Now her teachers describe her as an avid reader. When asked about it, she says: “If you told me that I would have read seven books last year, I would have looked at you like you had ten heads!“

Now I come home and feel like I’ve accomplished something every day. Everyone deserves to feel that way.

Maya has made a deep impression on faculty and students. Librarian Linda Sylvester sums it up beautifully:

“Maya is a ‘woman of substance.’ She chooses reading material with themes pertaining to global experiences and the human condition and sees the world around her in terms of personal responsibility—how she can make a difference. She is ever cognizant of those around her, consciously including anyone she perceives on the periphery. Along with a deep-thinking maturity and intelligence, she also is fun-loving: wherever Maya is, frivolity and laughter are to be found.”

And then of course, there’s basketball, where Maya’s passion has led her to join two town teams and to lead a revival of girls’ basketball at Landmark EMS this year. If you’re wondering how the Brookwood game came out, Maya popped the three pointer with just under two seconds left, and - - - Swish! Landmark wins 21-19!

And Landmark wins by having students like Maya Najjar in the community.

basketball