2019 was a big year for promotions for our girls. Annika moved up from kindergarten, Talia moved on from elementary, and Brooklyn is now officially a high schooler. How did this happen?
Here is a three generation photo of Brooklyn, her Mom, and her NomiAnn, taken at her ELP promotion. So radiant. And oh so grown-up.
Promotion from ELP (the Extended Learning Program) is actually a fairly big deal. 7th & 8th grade at West is pretty darn rigorous, with challenging coursework in nearly all of their classes. Homework is intense, and good study habits are a must. Despite indulging in a bit too much pleasure reading*, this gal excelled. We are so very proud of her. Every ELPer received an individual award that matched their interests and personality. Brooklyn's was the "Most Likely to win a Nobel Prize."
*Okay, a funny side note. When I went to Brooklyn's Parent Teacher conference in third grade, her English teacher mentioned that she was doing great, but secretly read under her desk during class. Her Spanish teacher immediately chimed in with "In my class she doesn't even try to hide it. She just puts her book right on top." It's funny how differently we parent each child. For Brooklyn, the ultimate punishment is getting her book taken away. For Eli, his chore is to sit down and read something that isn't Legos.
Back to promotion, here are the girls all getting ready for their big days be getting a pedicure with NomiAnn. So fun!
This was actually a first for each of them.
So what was Brooklyn up to as she wrapped up her middle school years? Well, she had a fantastic time at Disneyland with Junior Choir.
She loved California, and is really looking forward to singing with West's A'Cappella this fall.
She also hopes to go on tour again. Can't imagine why. (This is her choir director, Ms. Benson, and an Assistant Principal, Ellery Jones.)
I don't have any pictures of the five-day ELPer trip she took to Southern Utah (Zion, Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Kodachrome basin, Bryce, etc.) but if I did, it would probably include a lot of bus shots. According to Brooklyn's report, there was lots of travel time, although her perception may be skewed by the extremely lengthy trip home. Due to an unexpected blizzard, two of the buses slid off the road in a snow storm, then one got a flat tire, adding an extra seven hours to their journey.
On the positive side, I do have a photo of the fun art project Brooklyn worked on outside of class with her teacher, Ms. Delfin.
She also performed in the ELPer play, Hamlet. I'll be honest, I was not all that excited about attending a middle-school student-directed post WWII Shakespearean production, but they did a great job.
Best of all, Brooklyn made some great friends.
The cast. Hamlet was extra fun because some of Brooklyn's closest friends performed with her.
It's all worth it for the cast party.
Brooklyn also performed beautifully with the Jack Ashton Youth Chamber Orchestra again, even tackling a solo passage.
Annika definitely looks up to her big sis.
Despite a busy schedule, Brooklyn stayed involved with Girl Scouts this year. Here she is bridging up from Cadettes to be a Senior, along with her friend Lily.
Speaking of Girl Scouts, Brooklyn is currently at a ten-day camp that includes Camp Cloud Rim, Camp Trefoil, backpacking, rafting, high ropes, climbing, and all sorts of other fun. I'd say that I'm jealous, but mostly I just miss her.
Here's Brooklyn helping the other girls light their candles.
Troop 212 will likely disband since their primary leader, Carol Huffman, is struggling with Parkinsons. We w.ill always feel grateful for these wonderful leaders at our Lady of Lourdes (Carol, Maggie, Debbie) and the great influence that they have had on our daughters
Our neighbor's girls are so sweet that it's tempting to have one more...
...but I think we'll just wait for grandbabies. By the way Brooklyn, no rush. We are plenty happy to wait a long, long time. But if some day you blessed with a child, I know you will be a remarkable mother.
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