It's been over a year since blogging. So long the program didn't know me any more. lol
Life has been quite busy and I've been more caught up living it than blogging about it but for the sake of finishing what I started I will try to continue to document the exploits of my children's education since that is what the whole blog was about in the first place.
First I must update the happenings of my oldest boy. When last I wrote we were in the process of visiting colleges and preparing for the application process. Fox and I went to New York City to visit New York University which was his reach school. We had a good time other than a long miserable bus ride and our car being stolen while we were gone.
We did a lot of walking and exploring and went to see a movie of the play Of Mice and Men starring James Franco on campus one night. It was actually pretty cool.
Fox did early applications to NYU and Northwood University. He was accepted at Northwood into the BA/MBA program, an accelerated study that will yield him both degrees in four years, his field is finance. Because he applied early he was lucky enough to be awarded the Presidential Scholarship which is $10K a year renewable for 4 years. In addition to that he competed for the DeVos Entrepreneurial Scholarship in which you had to present a business idea in writing and then a few were invited to the next step which was to do a 5-minute presentation to a panel of judges. He made it through the entire process and was given an $11K scholarship renewable for 4 years. In addition to these, he also received the full amount from FAFSA and signed up as a National Guard Reserve.
In February of his Senior year he started attending drill weekends and did his Basic Training at Fort Jackson immediately upon graduating. Yes, it was quite a whirlwind for a few months as he put everything together but I'm excited and proud over how he made it all happen.
Benjamin finish his freshman year of high school in the top 15 of his class. He played JV Soccer but I was unable to get him to try any other clubs or activities. Last summer he attended a camp at Ferris State University - Grand Rapids about Digital Media Software which he enjoyed. Truth be told I think he more enjoyed staying with his uncle and having some independence away from his siblings and parents. (wink) I'm still trying to steer him to some future plans. He really just does not know what he wants to do yet. I find it interesting that the child who has been in public school the most is the one that seems to have the least direction. Time will tell. He and Ethan volunteered as 4H camp counselors over the summer as well. E helped in day camp and B did his first stint as an overnight counselor and rocked it!
Ben is now almost done with his Sophomore year and he did a double sport for Fall, Soccer and Cross-Country (which he received his first Varsity letter). Since his time with uncle last summer and going to the gym and rock climbing wall and watching American Ninja Warrior non-stop for months he has become quite the body-building enthusiast. He has completely changed the way he eats concentrating mainly on veggies, proteins, nuts, and fiber. Plus he has developed a regular weight lifting routine, finding a good balance (in my opinion) between pushing himself and taking days off. He also joined the Bowling team this year and received a Varsity letter and Most Improved Bowler award.
Ethan my youngest had a pretty uneventful end to 8th grade other than competing in a few Forensic tournaments. He and his friend Noah did a really funny Duo but didn't really get the kudos for it but they did a great job and had a blast working together. Ethan ran 8th grade cross country but did not do track. He did join a rec baseball team but I don't think his heart was really in it.
I will refrain from expounding on my disdain of our home district at this time since I never intended this blog to become a slam book but there have been many things that have eroded over time. Since my daughter first entered the high school back in 2006 up to when my second graduated in 2015 it has lost a lot of programs, classes, and good leadership. Bottom line is the students are suffering for it. Thankfully Fox has always been an independent seeker of knowledge and rounded out his schooling with many online classes. My answer to this decline is school of choice. I really wanted to move both Ben and Ethan to a new school for 2015-16. However Ben is not one who deals with change well and insisted he wants to finish at NBHS. Ethan however, is much like his sister in that he leans toward the creative artistic end of the scale of which NB has nothing much to offer. So he agreed to a brave move.
Ethan started his freshman year of high school at Oxford Community Schools. There were two focuses in the beginning, one their Biomedical program since he always had an interest in medical research as a career, and two, Men's Choir. I won't tell you it was all roses and sunshine. The first couple months were a bit of a struggle trying to fit in and make new friends but he persevered and made a lot of great friends through choir and theater. He participated in cross country, had a small part in the fall production "It's a Wonderful Life," went to choir "Boot Camp," worked on the crew for the spring production "Mary Poppins," and got to be part an amazing concert of Dan Forrest's "Requiem for the Living" with the Oxford Choirs, Rochester College choirs and guest conductor Dr. Hugh Floyd. In fact his musical experiences were so incredible that he has declared that as his career path. He started taking private voice lessons and will be attending Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp this summer to which he received scholarships to cover nearly half of the cost. He has been teaching himself piano and guitar but will get to have some formal training next year in his Piano class at Oxford. This thrills me to no end. I've always wished one of my kids would pursue a career in music. Although I'll not get my hopes up to high....
So that's just a few things that have been going on in Parton World. I'll try to keep better updates for the next few years. Have a great day Wildcats! or Broncos! or Timberwolves!
