When you finish elementary school here in Albemarle County, which ends in 5th grade, they have what is call a Promotion Ceremony. This is a 2.5 hour long morning event (I fact I was unprepared for the first time I went and took along 3 year old Jonah sans Jared) where kids are given awards for achievements in overall academics, music, art, history, science, and math as well sportsmanship and awards for displaying good character. This year I sat again sans Jared, who was in Denmark at the time, but also without Jonah which made a world of difference. Two years ago, I remember standing in the hallway with a mom who also had a 3 yr old, a much crazier 3 yr old (who was in Jonah's class this past year and is still nutty), and wishing that whoever that girl was who was sharing every tiny detail from her kindergarten class and teacher up until the present time, would just say, "oh, never mind, this is going on way too long....I'm just thrilled that I have finally finished elementary school! Thanks everyone"! But this year we had a poem, one long-winder, and a nice succinct essay and without a 3 year old, I found that I totally enjoyed and appreciated their remarks!
I suspected that Liam would follow Caleb and receive the music achievement award, being that I know of no other 5th grader who can both sing and play a musical instrument at his level, but then he did not and was awarded instead a recognition for his participation in Honors Choir. It was funny to watch the whispering of those around him as they seemed to be as shocked as he was. But he didn't seem too phased, which I appreciated. The final awards were given to a girl and boy from each class by their respective 5th grade teachers. Mrs. Whitmore-Simpson, Liam's teacher, got up to talk about her two picks and how they were always kind and helpful to everyone, took notice of their siblings and family members, and who always seemed to be happy and cheerful. When she said Liam Harris, I was shocked and unprepared to get a snapshot of this event as I had already put away the camera. Not that I don't think Liam deserves this award as he is amazingly kind to all the kids in his class, but it is a particular struggle he has within our home. In fact he was brought to sobbing tears the very evening of this promotion ceremony when he chose to read a Friend article titled "Stop It" and share in FHE how he can apply it's message of kindness and love to his life.
So Liam walked away from 5 years of elementary school with two well-deserved awards, a reminder of the importance of family, and a stellar academic and personal record at Meriwether Lewis. But what he is most excited about is being the summer pet sitter of the 3 chinchillas from his classroom! That will need and deserve it's own post here soon.
Here he is with some of his good buddies and his teacher:
I love this one because he is right smack between two of the tallest girls in 5th grade. The one in the pink is nearly as tall as Jared!
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