Danny as Author

Third grade is kind of a tedious year compared to the excitement of second grade (First Communion! Cursive!), but one of the highlights is definitely the Author's Tea. This is the culmination of several weeks of hard, but fun, work on the students' parts as they each write and illustrate an original book. These books are complete with hardcovers, dust jackets, and "about the author" blurbs. Although tempted to write something in the sports genre, as approximately 90% of the boys did, Danny eventually decided he would write a sequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He titled it, "Swords and Rings," and it is jam-packed with action. Had I been willing to read this trilogy, I'm sure I would appreciate his creation a bit more, but regardless I'm proud of his hard work (even if he did dedicated it to his dad, "a really nice guy.")

At the tea, family members had the opportunity to go around reading and signing books. Laura was happy to oblige on this - but just for Danny. And I think mostly because she got a cookie afterwards.

Before we know it, Laura will be writing her third grade book! I'm going to guess she'll go in a slightly different direction...

Out with a Bang

As Clare's first year at Marist draws to a close, we can say it was an unqualified success! During these final weeks, she performed in her first-ever theatrical production, "Sherlock Holmes and The Speckled Band." This was the junior high musical, and she loved the experience! Here she is above, with fellow thespian Isa, after one of their performances.

She also concluded the year on an academic high by receiving the Foundations Award for 7th grade Social Studies. Her stellar performance in both Geography class as well as the Geography Bee were cited as the reasons behind this acclaim. We are so proud of her achievements, both academically and personally as she tried so many different experiences this year. Way to go, Clare Bear!

Guardian Angel III

For the third time, today I observed one of my favorite rites of passage at CKS: the meeting of the rising kindergarteners and their Guardian Angels. Although she professed to be "a little bit nervous, and a little bit excited," similar to Danny before her, Laura marched right into the school as though she belonged there - similar to Clare lo these many years ago.

Katie, Laura's GA, is a joy, and as the eldest of two siblings clearly knows how to interact with little ones. Laura seemed quite pleased with her, and immediately showed off the thread bracelet that Katie had braided for her. She later reported that they played duck-duck-goose!

Also similar to Clare, Danny was delighted to see Laura out on the playground, and disrupted his four-square came to come running and picking her up in a squeeze. I suspect he won't maintain this enthusiasm throughout her career at CKS, but it's a nice way to start!

A Decade of Danny Boy

Time keeps flying, and suddenly Danny is in double-digits! To mark this momentous occasion, we threw a party for his crew at Slingshot, a giant entertainment venue featuring a fairly massive ninja obstacle course. It was a huge hit!

The boys played their hearts out, and I have to believe they all slept very well that night!

As his cake attests, Danny's heart is pretty committed to basketball these days - he plays to have a career in the NBA. Dream big, Dan-o!