So Long School Year!

 About a month ago, I was feeling like everything was going too quickly and I wasn't ready for the school year to end, but then the last two weeks it all hit me and I was totally ready! There were even a couple of days last week when I felt like I couldn't get out of bed. I don't ever feel that way, but those couple of days I was so tired and didn't think I could make it through. 

I was so happy to have a more "normal" school year. It was a very good school year. Erik is still super helpful and a "strong "student, as his teacher described him. I recently volunteered for something at the school and was working with another mom of a girl in Erik's class and she said her daughter talks very highly of Erik. I'm so happy he's a good friend and student. I'm also happy that he loved riding his bike to and from school, rain, snow, or shine. Jason had to drive him for a while in the dead of winter when everything was just too icy, but other than that, he very safely rides his bike. 

Last day!

Erik didn't want to wear his new shoes until after school ended. He wanted to wear these till the end!

As I stated in Austin's birthday post, he was thriving this school year! He also has been thinking about his near future and decided to end his time in choir and join the band, playing percussion. He has mentioned a few times being able to one day play all instruments, so I guess he's going to start now. He's also going to be a WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) leader next school year. That means in August he will go to a couple of trainings and then he will help lead a camp for the incoming 6th graders and be a mentor to them through the next school year. Good choices!

Austin's awesome science teacher took pics of her students with their phones and had them text them to a parent. Such a great idea!! She must have teenagers...

Kai has really loved high school, as crazy as PCEP (Plymouth Canton Educational Park) is. I think a lot of that was the connections she had made at the beginning of the school year in Color Guard and also being a member of the Arts Academy. She enjoyed going to seminary, though it was super early, and enjoyed riding with Victoria in the train of cars from seminary to school. She was one of two violists in the concert orchestra and enjoyed that role as having to hold her own part with only one other supporting player.

Liberty Fest last night with CJ.

Victoria had an awesome year training with the track members and even the track season, even though it was a rough road after covid. She too loved her orchestra and seminary experiences and the connections with friends in those classes. She survived her Junior year, barely, which is always the hardest year. I think for her it was even harder than we all expected.

We're so done with this school year!

The downer about this school year, mostly for the high schoolers, was that there was that shooting a few school districts away at Oxford around Thanksgiving time. From then to Winter break the environment at the high school wasn't good. We had our major threat that I had posted about and everyone was on pins and needles until the break. During the break was when we had our stressful covid experience and it turns out a lot of people here had it at the same time, they were just here experiencing it, not in a different country. A lot of school was missed for that. Victoria had a dislocated shoulder around that time, and then around March, when her shoulder finally recovered, she started experiencing long covid. That was also around the time that threats were going around PCEP from white supremacists and we had some smaller-scale threats there and special assemblies and meetings to try to combat that. A lot of kids at the high school and parents were still riled up throughout the rest of the school year. A few weeks ago, an angry mom stormed the school during passing period, when she could enter without going to the office first, and was chased off by security. The rumor is she was either mad about her son failing a class, or about her son being bullied. She caused quite a scene but luckily was unarmed. Just totally out of control. 

I feel like there were a couple of other incidents, but you get the picture. The second half of the school year was very disruptive and Victoria wasn't pleased. Our high school usually has a very good reputation and is one of the top 15 in the state, so I don't know if it's just going downhill, or if these things are happening everywhere. 

Covid has had far worse effects on everyone other than the actual sickness. It's very sad to see. Unrelated to the high school was another incident that affected my preschool slightly. Two weeks ago there was a gunman in Downtown Plymouth. He had a lot of guns and ammo and had sent threatening letters to a cement company building supervisor that is there, just 5 minutes from Red Bell. The police surrounded his home, which is just across from the cement co. building. They put all the houses in the surrounding area on a lockdown and the elementary school, middle school nearby, and Red Bell on soft lockdown. Meaning, that we just had to stay inside, but we could continue doing what we were doing, no barricading necessary. They just wanted to make sure there were no students outside at recess in case the guy fled and decided to do some harmful things to any kids outside. We were all disappointed as we were about to go out to recess and then eat lunch out there when we heard about the situation. The man fired four shots in the air, but nothing else came of it. I don't know any other details, but it made us realize even more that any school, even preschools, aren't totally safe and that we need to have a plan as to what to do in these situations. We've got a better one now and we'll just hope and pray that we'll continue to be protected from these situations. 

On that happy note- we're excited about summer and a different kind of schedule!

I'm always spoiled by my sweet students and their families.