Tales of an Almost-Freshman

We recently had a whole slew of end-of-the-school year functions to attend.

First, there were the final Track Meets of the year.

His personal best in the high jump in track this year was 5 feet 4 inches, and he also did pretty well in high jump. He usually came home with medals for both events from each meet.

This year was also his best Cross Country season yet and at the Sports Banquet his Athletic Director gave him the award for most improved.

Here were a couple of pictures of his wrestling team.

Jericho will no doubt go on to participate in some of the same sports in high school, and for that reason didn't seem too sad to see the athletic season come to an end.

Jeff, however, might be feeling a tad melancholy.

Not only have he and Jericho spent the last 3 years riding to and from school together and getting in some good male bonding time, but Jeff has always been one of the coaches on Jericho's various teams.

He was one proud dad these past couple of years, getting to watch his son learn and excel in various sports.

But now...well, the boy is moving upward and onward. Striking out in a new arena, having recently gone out for the football team.

It's probably a good thing, then, that he's been the longtime announcer for the football games at our son's high school.

Getting to announce his own son's football games should help ease him into this new phase of our son's life. =)

:: :: :: ::

Jericho had been in student government at his school for the past two years, and they had their big awards ceremony a few weeks ago, just after the new officers were elected and their terms came to an end.

These were a couple of pictures I took just before the ceremony.

His teacher in ASB did such a great job with them both years. He really learned a lot under her, and she had a really great rapport with all the kids.

Jericho was feeling really melancholy about that chapter of his life coming to a close, because he'd made a lot of friends in that group over the past two years, and now things were changing.

Mrs. R also did a beautiful job with the Awards ceremony itself, having taken time to gather photos of each student from over the past two years worth of ASB events, and put together a collage of each student, which was displayed on the big screen behind them as she gave out their individual awards.

Mrs. R had some very nice things to say about Jericho. Among other things, she said that he was one of the politest young men she'd ever met, had great leadership skills, and also kept everyone laughing.

Now we know our son can be hilarious. At times throughout his childhood, there have been occasions in which we knew we should correct a certain behavior, but we'd look at him just as we were about to mete out the diciplinary action and there would be this impish grin on his face or, worse, barely contained laughter, and I found it absolutely impossible to discipline him when I was trying to keep from laughing myself.

As a mom, though, it was especially meaningful to me to see that others have recognized the leadership potential in him, and that they know him to be polite and well mannered kid.

I'm glad to know our son comports himself in such a way in public, because, although we've worked hard at training him and know him to be fully capable of both, mom doesn't often get to see much beyond the sibling rivalry and the petty disputes it seems I'm always handling here at home, haha.

Later, on the way home, Jericho mentioned that two of the girls in his ASB group (who are going on to a different high school) had come up to him afterwards and said that they always really appreciated that he was such a gentleman towards them.

That totally blew me away. Made me feel enormously proud of the young man he's becoming. The training that has been poured into him his entire life is finally beginning to bear fruit in his life...the boy is growing up!

Ahhhh....makes me hopeful that by the time he graduates, he will in fact be ready to be on his own!

:: :: :: ::

Perhaps the single most exciting thing for Jericho at the end of the school year was when he came home one afternoon saying that he'd been nominated for 8th Grade Court.

The court was to be announced at the dance that evening.

Obnoxious parents that we are, we took pictures of him going into the dance.

It was to be held in the outdoor commons area of the school due to the ASB having selected the theme as "Under the Stars".

I decided that this distance shot simply wasn't going to cut it for scrapbooking and blog purposes, so I asked Jeff if he could go inside and get a close up.

This was the best we got.

Jericho apparently didn't want his dad following him around. I'm pretty sure the kid on the right is saying, "Hey...no parents or teachers allowed!" haha.

Jericho DID make court, too, but to his dismay it wasn't for King.

He did, however, get an overwhelming number of votes for Court Jester.

Perhaps he should have capitalized more on being a gentleman and less on being class clown, haha.