The kids headed back to school on September 2. (They are one of the last in the country, since Virginia has a law requiring the start of school after Labor Day.) Both of them are at new schools this year--John is a 7th grader at Mark Twain Middle School, and Lyn is a 9th grader at Edison High School (Yes, high school!!! Ack!!).
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| First Day of Middle School! |
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| First Day of High School! |
All has gone smoothly for Lyn, but John's transition was another story.
When Lyn was at Twain, Margie kept hearing about a program called AVID. You would see signs about them at school, they were always sponsoring activities, and every time there was a group of kids in charge of something, it seemed to be AVID kids
Margie decided to look into it more and discovered that AVID is a nationwide program designed to help kids take a leadership role in their own lives (AVID stands for "advancement via individual determination"). The specific goal is to get kids to attend college, but along the way they teach key skills such as organization, taking notes, and learning how to learn. The AVID kids encourage, uplift, and look out for each other, and each is assigned a teacher mentor to help them and guide them throughout the school year. It sounded like exactly what John needed!
Margie encouraged John to sign up, and he agreed. Unlike many of the other electives, we were told that they were always looking for people and that it would be no problem getting in. However, when we got his schedule at the orientation, AVID wasn't on it!
The principal told us to talk the school counselor, and when we did, we were told that AVID candidates were recommended by their 6th grade teachers and go through an interview process to make sure they are right for the program. Well, we certainly weren't told that--nor were we contacted when we put it on his class selection form last year!
Margie spent the next week writing some heated emails to various people in the school and finally resorting to sitting outside the counselor's office for an hour in order to address the problem face to face. (What a mother wouldn't do for her child!) Meanwhile, John was wasting time attending a class he didn't belong in.
By Friday, John was in AVID, with only a minor schedule change. Whew!
On Thursday during that first week of school, John went to the temple for the first time with the boys in his age group (12 and 13) at church. This is a very exciting milestone, as it indicates his willingness to live according to very high standards. Margie couldn't be more thrilled.
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| John prepares to go to the temple. |
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| John chats with the other Deacons (boys 12 and 13). |
In the temple, our hearts are turned to our ancestors (as we read in in Malachi 4:6, "And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers."), and this has spurred a renewed interest in our family genealogy. As it happens, the previous month, Margie's father David had sent her a stick drive chock full of genealogical information about his mother's side of the family, in preparation for her 100th birthday next summer. It has been really exciting to go through it!
Also during that first week of school, John began meeting with a boy scout merit badge counselor specializing in electronics. Since he had spent the previous year in electronics club, we figured he would be able to pass this easily. It wasn't quite as easy as we had initally thought, but after a few meetings, he was able to get signed off on all his requirements. Yay!
Beginning the second week of school, Lyn started attending early morning Seminary--a religious education program for high school students. It begins at 6am, and afterwards all the kids head across the street to the high school together. She is handling the early mornings well!
Also during the second week of school, Lyn auditioned for Anne of Green Gables, which will be the fall drama production this year. Unfortunately, she did not get in, but she decided to help out with costumes to stay involved. Lyn is a gifted seamstress, but she hasn't really shown any interest in pursuing it. Margie is secretely hoping that this is just the spark she needs!
Speaking of theater, Dan's next show coming up is Rocky Horror Show, for which he is both designing and building the set. Though due to the...ahem...very adult themes, Margie is staying far away the production, Dan is very excited about it since he gets to build a science lab, a space ship, and a car (his third!). This month he has been busy working on the design, as well as attending production meetings and rehearsals. The actual build won't begin until October.
On September 12-13, the family joined with our church congregation for our first ever ward camp out. Held not too far away at Prince William Forest Park, the leadership had arranged for everyone to stay in rustic cabins. We much preferred our tent! Our tent is large and cozy, and for the most part, we can control what gets in! Margie said that if she were to do it all over again, she would come the day before and clean out the cabins and the bathrooms. It was all pretty disgusting.
We had been worried about getting down there in Friday afternoon traffic, but it turned out to be a breeze, and we ended up being one of the first families to arrive. After checking in and getting settled in our cabin, we were asked head to the dining hall to help chop vegetables for dinner. Margie didn't realize that she would end up spending the whole evening in the kitchen!
After dinner, there was a big campfire and variety show. John (with Dan's help) had been asked to be in charge of the sound system and did a great job. It's always nice to be needed.
The next morning, Margie helped a little with breakfast (the job she had actually signed up for), we broke camp, and headed home. We were all exhausted and looking forward to a hot shower and a long nap!
That evening, Dan, Margie, and John attended the wedding reception/open house for a friend she went to church with ages ago. John spent the evening playing/watching video games with the other kids, while Margie had fun catching up with old friends. Dan enjoyed the many yummy desserts!
Lyn, meanwhile, was attending a friend's 15th birthday party--with boys!! She had a great time.
The following week, Dan and Margie attended back to school nights for both kids and got to meet all their teachers.
First was John's middle school. Before the formal meetings, AVID sponsored a dinner for the parents. It was an opportunity for us to learn more about the program and be introduced to the various adult mentors. We learned that among the things I've already mentioned, AVID kids stay out of trouble (discipline issues disqualify them from the program) and are ambassdors for the school. They provided dinner, which the kids were instructed to serve us. It was really cool! Afterwards, Dan and Margie followed John's schedule and went to each of his classrooms and met his teachers. Meanwhile, John and all the other AVID kids were stationed throughout the school helping parents find their way to their classrooms--their first demonstration of ambassadorship!
The next night, Dan and Margie attended the back to school night at the high school. Since Lyn is only taking 4 classes this semester, it was kind of short. It was particularly good, however, to meet the band teacher. Lyn is in Percussion Ensemble, but not in Marching Band, and since this is the height of football season, it's been kind of confusing as to what exactly she is supposed to be doing. Her teacher assures us that it will all get ironed out.
The following weekend, we had a busy Saturday. Our church was involved in the National Day of Service and put together over 600 "Power Packs". These are a weekend supply of food for children who typically only receive food at school. The organization that distributes them hands out 2000 every single Friday to children in our very own school district. As you can see, though we worked long and hard, we barely made a dent in the need!
During the service project, John went with his scout leaders to a local swimming pool so that he could (finally) take the BSA swim test. As you may recall, John is not a strong swimmer, and the test has been holding back his rank advancement. He passed wth flying colors! Well, not really. Actually, he barely passed. One of his leaders said, "At least he won't drown." Good news!
That same Saturday, Dan and Margie attended the Capitol Home Show. It was a great opportunity to check out products and ideas for our upcoming remodel (which starts next month!), as well as meet with some landscape/hardscape people to get estimates for the outside work.
Meanwhile, Lyn attended her very first church dance!
The next week, on Thursday, September, 25, Dan and Margie celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary. We didn't do much to celebrate the milestone, however, as we're pinching pennies due to the remodel. Margie made a pumpkin cake with chocolate pudding filling and buttercream frosting--the same as our wedding cake--and Dan brought home a rose.
Other than that, it was life as usual, as Margie attended her first Drama Booster meeting, which was followed by a meeting of parents with kids involved in Anne of Green Gables. She was also supposed to attend a middle school PTA meeting, but she couldn't fit it all in!
On Friday, Dan, Margie, and Lyn all so Streetcar Named Desire at LTA, while John stayed in the office (we're not going to spend money on a ticket for a show he's not going to be interested in!).
The following day was another busy Saturday. The AVID kids hosted their first car wash fundraiser. John was really excited to handle money or sell snacks, but he was disappointed that those jobs were reserved for the adults. He ended up being of the kids on the street attracting the attention of the cars, as well as taking a turn rinsing.
That afternoon, Margie attended a practice for the annual Primary Children's program. She was in charge of the snack, and since we have soooo many kids with allergies and other dietary restrictions, it was a challenge to find something they could all eat. She ended up making a trail mix which was a huge hit!
That evening, Lyn and Margie attended the annual General Women's meeting at our church. It included a light dinner (though it was a good thing we ate beforehand, since there was nothing vegetarian) and a worldwide broadcast from church headquarters in Salt Lake City. One of the best parts of the evening was the children's choir from Korea. They were soooo cute!
On Sunday, the Primary Children presented the program and Margie got to just sit back and watch. It was the first time in 10 years that neither Lyn nor John were participating. They're all grown up now! Sniff, sniff...
Dan helped strike the Streetcar set in preparation to build Rocky Horror, and that was the end of September!
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| September 29 was a teacher inservice day (no school), so Margie got up to catch the sunrise on the Potomac. She was well rewarded! |
