Last Day of School for Seniors

My oldest son is a Senior in High School.  Yesterday was their last day of school.  I greeted him with a sign that said "Happy last day of compulsory K-12 school!" 

We talked at length about his last day of school.  The Seniors had plans to forma Conga Line at 2:15, but when the rumor hit the school administration, the kids were reminded that they could still serve detention on this, their last day of school.  He talked about his teachers, who have worked so hard and pushed him to do more and learn more than he thought possible.

These past two weeks have been a week of lasts:  The last orchestra concert.  The last track and field meet.  The last banquet.  The last... well, you get the idea.  It's been a time of reflecting back on everything that was, and has been.  It's been fun, remembering back to his first day of Kindergarten, laughing over the battles he had with his first grade teacher over the creation of fossils, the second grade teacher who yelled at him about reading ahead of her in the textbook.  We also reminisced about that fabulous Mrs. G. who convinced him that he could do more than he thought he could.  Mrs. M. who taught him Math for three years in elementary school, pushing him 2 levels above grade level by the time he was finished.  For the first time, he was challenged in Math, and thrived beyond all of our expecations.

He has taken as many AP classes as he could for his entire high school career, for a total of 10 AP classes.  He has continued to play his Viola, and he recently ran in his first and only Regional Track Meet.  He didn't qualify for States, but he did set a personal best at that meet.  He was the only distance athlete to do that, and he was very, very content with that result.

But, instead of looking backward at what our kids have come through, I'd like to look forward for a while.  These are kids that we, as a group of parents, have nurtured together over the years.  We've chaperoned them on field trips, had them sleep over in our houses, and gotten after them when we've seen them out and about without their parents and their behavior is... well... not what it should be.  I feel like all of these kids are mine, too!

I got my wish at our final orchestra concert this week.  Our band director, Miss J., read off a list of the Seniors.  Each student was asked to state plans for the future, major, etc.  I loved hearing the list of hopes and dreams.

The last three students were getting ready to approach the microphone, and I was feeling the bittersweet nature of the moment.

The first kid approached the microphone:  "I have earned a free ride through the Coast Guard Academy, where I am going to major in saving lives!"

The second student: "I am going to U**, where I will be majoring in Pre-Med, and Minoring in Awesome!"

The third student:  "I am going to U**, where I will be double majoring in Business Administration and Glory!!"

The past was fun, but I am looking forward to the stories of glory that we'll be hearing in the future.

Congratulations to the Class of 2011!