I grew up in Montville. When I was younger, I used to say I was from West Caldwell, but let's face it, I moved to town just before my sixth birthday. I lost my first tooth living in Montville, learned to drive and graduated from Montville Township High School. For all intensive purposes, I'm from Montville.

This year, I started my freshman year of college at the Rochester Institute of Technology, in Rochester, New York. There were hoards of kids in my graduating class who were very vocal about their excitement to get out of Montville. I always found it interesting in the way that my classmates vocalized their desire for freedom.

"Leave Montville."

Not leave home, but leave Montville. It's natural for teens to want to leave the proverbail "nest" and spread their wings, and I'm not sure about other communities, but I never understood why kids from our community put such strong emphasis on leaving our town in particular.

Montville wasn't a bad place to grow up. I went through our school district, got in to my number one choice college, and even keep up with my Montville news here on the Patch. I just wish that more people my age would understand that they really did grow up in a great community. Sure, there isn't a whole lot to do in town, but it's not like we're isolated.

I just want to say thanks for giving my childhood a setting Montville, and I'll see you during Thanksgiving.