<p>I think it is like my D2 first day of FT kindergarden, I was sad, felt lost for about 2 days then was like Wahooo time to myself. My sadness will dissapear first time she calls for money. My H is already wanting me to fly home and him to drive separately, funny if he’s the one to cry as I have gotten it sll out already.LOL</p>
<p>As for college choice: We are thrilled and am glad he chose as he did. I am hopeful it will be a good fit. I only wish it werent so far away, but maybe he chose that just so we wouldn’t pop in unannounced! But where D had gone to school was only about an hour or so away from where H had a customer so he could stop in.</p>
<p>As for neighbor. When there are five neighborhood kids graduating in town (some are no longer neighbors), I figure I will run into her at those and H said it wouldn’t be right. We like the husband, so I go there when I ask myself “why?”</p>
<p>Our awards assembly is tomorrow morning. All the kids have to go (all school assembly). It’s really boring for the younger grades, but D will HOPEFULLY clean out her locker. They also get back their test grades from finals last week. (not seniors since they don’t have them).</p>
<p>Last night was senior sharing night and S & partner presented in the main auditorium. He and another classmate made a movie over the three week program. Really good (if not a tad dark - think Quentin Tarantino) Granted his partner is going to NYU and I am sure S learned a great deal from him vs the other way around. In fact, I know it because S said it. Still it was ambitious and as part of the main stage, it was pretty nice. </p>
<p>Mother and her husband, My inlaws and sister all arrived yesterday and made it to senior sharing night. We went out to dinner afterwards. I like large group activities and am glad the next few evenings are really busy. Still, the days are something all together different and right now I am hiding in my room acting really busy. :)</p>
<p>D was super excited this morning to find out that they posted Fall room assignments, she friend requested her roommates on Facebook. See, she CAN be productive at 6:30am before school! :lol:</p>
<p>Tonight is Yearbook Exchange, tomorrow a class trip to Six Flags, Thursday night a Senior cruise along the Delaware River, Saturday morning Awards Breakfast. Next week finals, the week after that graduation, and then week after that (6/23) is Orientation and move-in for Summer session in college! </p>
<p>It hasn’t hit me yet.</p>
<p>Deja, fallgirl, I don’t understand why schools would not want to recognize their successful scholars. It is because of omissions like these that I’m not teary-eyed about the upcoming graduation. At our school, academic teams aren’t being recognized the way that they should be (sparse or no team recognition, name omissions, etc.). Heaven knows who else they have failed to recognize; I only comment on accomplishments I know of personally. I’ve concluded that certain teachers and administrators don’t care. It’s strange.</p>
<p>Good luck with your efforts!</p>
<p>Modadunn - what a nightmare of a graduation party story! I’m actually pretty contolling myself about things like that, but I certainly know better than to co-host something in areas where I can’t just go with the flow.</p>
<p>FallGirl - do you know what your school recognizes at the awards ceremony? Some are just the highest grade in each class - if your D is making great grades in all APs, there are probably others making a half point higher or something. Also, participation by teachers is optional - so if your child happens to get the highest grade in the class of teacher who doesn’t do awards, too bad.</p>
<p>At our underclass awards ceremony (held during the school day), they distributed a list to the teachers of who was supposed to get out of class to go. Only they didn’t include the list of kids being recognized for straight As until a very last second email went out. Some teachers didn’t see it so those kids weren’t at the ceremony. The office may have multiple lists/categories of honorees and just skipped invitations for one of them.</p>
<p>When D was in 6th grade, at the 6th grade awards ceremony they recognized the boy who got the highest grade in the district on some math exam. Later, D laughingly told us that she had received the second highest grade on the exam. Many months later I googled her and found she’d received not only the second highest in the district, but the second highest in the region and the 4th highest in the state…none of this was worth a mention at the awards ceremony.</p>
<p>HMW–every time I read this or the '09 thread I’m blubbering over something–school plays, newspaper articles, party invites, etc. etc. Plus, I can find my own things to cry over, thank you very much. Kleenex are being purchased and used at an alarming rate! I think in an attempt to “go green” we’re all going to have to buy hankies. (or dish towels, or H’s sleeve…)</p>
<p>
Academic teams aren’t recognized here, either. The quiz bowl team doesn’t have any sort of recognition, and the debate and forensics teams are recognized with a pizza lunch for the kids (they don’t even have anything in the evening anymore for the parents). </p>
<p>The quiz bowl team had some pics under “Social Studies” because the coach is a history teacher. The debate team didn’t have a picture or any mention in the yearbook. No pics or mention of forensics, either.</p>
<p>One more reflection on the awards ceremony: At our school, they recognize each student who has received a merit scholarhip that they accepted from their college. So, Son - top 20% - got a nice merit scholarship from his college. Note, however, that he could not have been admitted to UT had he wanted to. If a student was admitted to UT, he or she was in the top 10% of the class but likely received no merit aid, since they give out so little. So my top 20% son would be recognized, but the top 10% kid would not.</p>
<p>Fallgirl, unfortunately I suspect that they just don’t include most of the things that those of us on CC consider accomplishments during awards night. Ours was over 50% sports awards and another 40% local scholarship awards (which my D wasn’t allowed to apply for since she had full tuition already). There was a bogus history department award which D wasn’t even nominated for because her views are too left of the very right-wing social studies dept (even though she was definitely one of the top students in the dept). Other than national merit commended and finalists and valedictorian, I don’t think there were any other true academic awards.</p>
<p>I try to ignore the small-mindedness of this type of ceremony but I know that’s very difficult.</p>
<p>I looked at the letter D received, it says “awards and scholarships”. She applied to a number of local scholarships through the high school but has not heard if she won any (some friends have heard) so I don’t know if they tell you in advance or if it will be a complete surprise on Saturday morning (at the Awards breakfast). She is not a top scholar in her school so I’m thinking that the Awards Breakfast is just for those that applied to outside or sports scholarships (D applied for both) or if you are a val or sal.</p>
<p>Son was among seven who received a small scholarship from the choir booster club. I emailed the GC’s office to see if anyone had let them know about the choir scholarships. No. Not the choir teacher. Not the booster club president or anyone on the scholarship committee. So after I let them know, they got the list from someone. It will now be part of the awards ceremony.</p>
<p>So but for this over-involved mom sending an email, the recipients of the choir scholarships would not have been recognized. This probably happens with lots of awards. The teacher or group giving the awad has to take the intiative to tell whoever is organizing the ceremony about the awards. I often think this is why groups such as the academic teams,etc. aren’t recognized…the sponsor doesn’t bother to turn in the list of awards to anyone.</p>
<p>I’m just catching up after days of not reading through these posts so I’m digging up an old topic (yesterday’s!). We are very happy with our son’s college, and he is excited, but we, the parents, are both nervous. Our son is our second child leaving for college; he has actually been the classic second child since he was a baby, and once again he must follow in our D’s huge footsteps. He is not nearly as organized, ambitious, perfectionist, or outgoing as she, and we worry most about how he will manage his time once he’s got a full load of college courses to deal with. Although he is very easy going, he is reserved and I worry about him making new friends. I fear that he won’t hear an alarm clock and make it to the 8AM math course he is planning on taking. To all of this, he says no problem, but I am not reassured. He is at least working on the pre-orientation materials, but they are not completed by a long stretch.</p>
<p>Last year I was sad to see D leave, but very happy because I knew she would be able to adjust to college life easily. And she did it all and then some. This year I am happy because I love the school S has chosen, but I am very anxious. I know S has all the smarts and tools he needs to excel, but will he??? S’s school provided a reading list for anxious parents of children entering college. I just received three books (much to my D’s and S’s amusement) that I will peruse over the next few days, but I am strongly resisting the urge to extend the helicoptor arms over this kid. I recognise that this issue is mine. Anybody else?</p>
<p>
This reminds me of a time earlier in the school year, when we attended the recruiting session for geek_son’s high school. As one of the very few students there and a graduating senior, he was asked about his college application results. He explained that he’d applied ED and told them he’d be attending Mudd with a merit scholarship of $10,000 a year. Then the school rep who was running the session piped up, “And another of our students got a forty thousand dollar scholarship!” From the number of “Oooo” responses, I’m thinking the school’s summer math camp is going to be busy in future years!</p>
<p>I recall one year at graduation, the principal introduced the valedictorian… then, as she was walking up to the podium, he hustled back to the microphone and added, “It was really, really close between these two [val/sal].” I had to pick up my jaw from the floor. The salutatorian did have a remarkable story, but that fact could have been shared when introducing the sal instead of when introducing the val!</p>
<p>Can’t let little stuff like that get to you. Almost every time, it’s not malicious – it’s just the kind of goof that happens when people aren’t quite prepared or informed.</p>
<p>
I’ve observed this too, as have the kids – to the point that geek_son comically makes predictions about the awards, and often nails it. One year I got an insider’s account of the tussle among faculty over making the year-end awards; after hearing the details of that, I realized what a farce the whole process is, and I didn’t care any more.</p>
<p>Modadunn, congrats to your son on the movie!</p>
<p>Fallgirl, good luck with the next phone call. Hard to fathom there’d be a student ranked that high who’s not invited to a school awards ceremony, but it probably will help to at least find out what they’re recognizing at their little awards thingy. (That’s what I’d start calling it – the little awards thingy – because that’s about the scope of it and its implications for your terrific daughter in the long term. ;))</p>
<p>moda - a budding film-maker eh? Sounds like it was quite the project. You deserve to be proud.</p>
<p>so great to see how many of us are happy with our kids’ choices in schools.</p>
<p>Awards - I know S will get at least one, because he won a local scholarship and that organization is coming to the school to make that presentation (they let us know so we would be sure to be there), but I suspect the “usual suspects” will be getting the bulk of the accolades, all the pins and letters and certificates of achievement. The usuals will make many treks up to the podium.</p>
<p>If we’re lucky S’s big merit scholarship will also be mentioned. But I would not be surprised if it was lost in the shuffle. </p>
<p>Awards takes place right after Baccalaureate. </p>
<p>Final Choir Concert “Showcase” tonight. Always entertaining. It is truly almost over! gulp</p>
<p>Word received today that D received a local scholarship. this was nice as she attends a private school. but it really will help.Will not be announced because grad is over. Funny already now that graduation is over is the realization that it all starts anew. Our Hs gives a mix of awards, academic, sports and character, and a mix. I would not say the jocks are favored. I’ll have to ask my friend about the public school policies though she did mention the “townie” aspect of it all. I think everyone here should/is so proud of our children and it is nice when they are recognized it;s nornal to be frustrated for work well done</p>
<p>GC called me into his office and asked if twinE was going to be attending the awards ceremony next week. She is apparently getting a monetary award 
and the granting agency wants to make sure she will be there to get it. </p>
<p>The thought that a student has to be invited to the awards ceremony is so foreign to me. Everyone is welcome at ours which is mostly a scholarship awarding night.</p>
<p>congrats to downtoearthD!</p>
<p>
As I read somewhere recently, “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”</p>
<p>Remember the beginning of high school? The beginning of middle school? The beginning of elementary school? Preschool? </p>
<p>How do we extricate our middle-aged selves from this time-warp?</p>
<p>
Hair color and margarita mix!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>And for the students like mine who are hesitant about this new beginning, there is no option to stay with the old. Were they to decide not to go away to school, they still wouldn’t still go to high school and their friends would still be gone. When Son talks about being afraid to go to a new place where he has no friends, come August, home will be a place where he has no friends. Is that too depressing to tell a kid that?</p>