<p>The “evolution” of friends around our kids is fascinating. For the first 3 years of HS, D hung around with one group of girls, and much of that could be attributed to the fact that they were thrown together because the were in all of the “Honors” and AP courses. This year, she dropped the elite choir for several reasons, including the fact that the management of the group had deteriorated to such a degree as to make it unsafe for serious vocal students and would have ruined her voice during college audition season. Unfortunately, this had the effect of of putting her into a position of being attacked by two small-minded teachers, but the benefits were much greater and far-reaching than she or I could have imagined. Last night, at the Awards Ceremony, she pretty much cleaned up on everything from math to music to a couple of history awards, but I noticed that she was sitting with different girls than usual. When I asked her about it on the way home, she told me that dropping that one course had let her discover girls she had never known past a nod and a smile in the hallways. She had a study hall with them and this group has had the chance to discover their similarities and share diverse interests. She is no longer called the “brain” or has to tolerate the snarky comments of girls that are angry when she destroys the curve in an exam.While she still has the same lunch table and most classes with her old friends, this year has really expanded her circle and given her options that she never knew she had. Good prep for what is to come in the fall!</p>