Parents of the Class of 2019

[Colleen27]

Welp, graduation finally made me cry... DD's didn't do it, as proud as I am of her, but her two BFFs both graduated yesterday from our community's alternative high school and their graduation had me crying enough that taking good pictures was tough at times. One of the girls has been a part of our lives since she and DD were both 4 years old, when we were neighbors; she calls us Mom & Dad and spent holidays with us at my inlaws' house when her mom had to work. The other has "only" been around since the girls were freshmen, but she and DD were practically sisters at first sight. They've both had tough roads - the former has a wonderful mother but no father in the picture, and moved around a lot as her mom tried to find affordable housing and steady income; the latter lost her mom at 12 and lived until 17 with an abusive father who pulled her out of the school DD attended after a teacher contacted CPS on her behalf, then ran away from home and ended up staying with a good friend of mine (who her dad didn't know) for her last year. Both went to three different high schools over their four years, and if you'd asked me a year or two ago, I wouldn't have said with any confidence that either of them would graduate. Not only did they both make it, one of them received the school's top academic award and delivered the commencement address!

Softball season is still dragging on... today's drama was having to be on a bus to play half of a make-up playoff game that was interrupted by severe thunderstorms on Saturday (one inning before it would have been an official game, thanks to a rain delay of the game before ours), while simultaneously waiting for a decision on the LLC she applied to and trying to sort out an error in her placement test scores not transferring over to the registration system. But it is all sorted now. She was accepted to the LLC, which we've been told is a really good reference to have for next year when she plans to apply to be an RA, she got a hold of someone who could transfer her scores manually, and she got the classes she needs for fall. Getting into the LLC also means we finally know which dorm she'll be in and that she'll have a double room, so I'm sure she'll be jumping into the Pinterest décor planning with both feet when she gets home.

 

[g00fy!]

Congratulations to all the parents of the high school class of 2019. It seems just yesterday my son was graduating high school and on to the class of 2019 at college.

The 4 years goes by so much faster than high school.

 

[Eureka]

Graduation went well Friday - got a beautiful day for it and the whole thing was done in like 1 1/2 hours. Here's the grad with his 'little' brother (who's catching him quickly )

That's awesome! I got a great picture of my boys right after the ceremony, totally unplanned/unposed but it's my favorite picture of the day.

 

[soccerdad72]

Well, dorm room is now picked, so things are starting to feel a little more real as far as college goes. Our son and his roommate went online last night and picked out their room. I think they're fairly pleased with where they landed - got one of the few A/C dorms, wanted a co-ed floor so they're a little higher up (5th floor) than they would have preferred (ugh, moving day ) but they're right by the elevator and right across from one of the bathrooms (which may or may not be a good thing).

Now he just has to do an online math placement test and some other survey sent by the engineering school. Schedules come out in July sometime, I think.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Major excitement in the Gumbo house. DD was just awarded a $10,000 renewable scholarship . Combined with grants and her other scholarships, this brings her annual cost down to about $9,000/year - assuming she’s able to maintain her grades well enough to renew everything. We’re now in position to potentially get her through school with zero loans. HUGE weight off our shoulders for now!!!

 

[bjscheel]

Major excitement in the Gumbo house. DD was just awarded a $10,000 renewable scholarship . Combined with grants and her other scholarships, this brings her annual cost down to about $9,000/year - assuming she’s able to maintain her grades well enough to renew everything. We’re now in position to potentially get her through school with zero loans. HUGE weight off our shoulders for now!!!

That's amazing!!!

 

[Hillbeans]

Major excitement in the Gumbo house. DD was just awarded a $10,000 renewable scholarship . Combined with grants and her other scholarships, this brings her annual cost down to about $9,000/year - assuming she’s able to maintain her grades well enough to renew everything. We’re now in position to potentially get her through school with zero loans. HUGE weight off our shoulders for now!!!

Fantastic news, huge congratulations!

 

[bjscheel]

@Gumbo4x4 Out of curiosity, was it awarded by the college or is it an outside scholarship?

 

[TB'sWidow]

Major excitement in the Gumbo house. DD was just awarded a $10,000 renewable scholarship . Combined with grants and her other scholarships, this brings her annual cost down to about $9,000/year - assuming she’s able to maintain her grades well enough to renew everything. We’re now in position to potentially get her through school with zero loans. HUGE weight off our shoulders for now!!!

Congrats to you an your family that is awesome!

 

[TB'sWidow]

Our graduation was yesterday , it was a long emotional day for the both of us. I am one proud mama

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

Congrats to all of the new grads! The pictures are all awesome. I'm really surprised that I didn't cry at graduation, I figure I'll be a mess when we drop her off.

Gumbo, nice job on the scholarship! Knowing that your kid can get through all 4 years with no loans is a major plus for them, they'll have a great head start for the rest of their lives!

 

[mom2rtk]

Major excitement in the Gumbo house. DD was just awarded a $10,000 renewable scholarship . Combined with grants and her other scholarships, this brings her annual cost down to about $9,000/year - assuming she’s able to maintain her grades well enough to renew everything. We’re now in position to potentially get her through school with zero loans. HUGE weight off our shoulders for now!!!

Congrats to your daughter! That’s awesome! You deserve to be incredibly proud.

 

[Eureka]

DS has been living the life of leisure this week but is going to get bored soon. He did not get the internship he wanted, which is a bummer. He hasn't heard from the other place he interviewed at but went back to last year's place to find out about getting on the schedule, so hopefully that will work out. He has his college orientation next week and I know he's supposed to take his math placement test online beforehand but he is challenging me on that and says I don't need to worry about it. I also know at some point he needs to upload a vaccination form and suggested he look into that with his doctor's office before he goes, and he has rolled his eyes at me. My other DS tends to be more like this, but not this one. Wonder if it's all the changes, let down, etc. happening. We have a busy weekend with swim time trials and his graduation party. DH is finalizing his work's contract rebid this weekend so I am on my own with all of it. I was glad he could take the time he needed last week at least.

 

[Eureka]

Our graduation was yesterday , it was a long emotional day for the both of us. I am one proud mama View attachment 406565View attachment 406565

Congrats! My kids ran their regionals track meet at that high school a few weeks ago!

 

[MerissaAndMomLoveDis]

A big congrats to all of your children (and parents !) as you have survived graduations, parties, orientations, and summer job searches. I have been very derelict in posting, but I usually read along every day and wanted you to know how amazing it has been to follow all of your journeys. I've learned a lot from all the sharing that goes on here, and more often than I'd like to admit have said to myself "oh crap, I need to do that too" when I read some of your posts.

My D graduated on May 25th. It was such a beautiful sunny but no-too-hot Texas day. As Student Council President, my daughter and her vice-pres led the opening of the ceremony with a welcome, pledge, and moment of silence. The kids had asked the admin's to allow three of their teacher who meant a lot to them to speak instead of a keynote speaker, and I thought what the teachers said was really special. My D ended up Sal and her speech was really good. I did not know any of her speech in advance, and when she said some really nice things thanking me, my eyes teared up a bit. She ended it with some wise words from Winnie The Pooh

@Eureka--my D is usually a great kid who needs little prompting too, but boy was she a lazy bum the first week after graduation. I know she was tired after the 4 year grind of high school and all of her ECs and being SC president, but dang! And she was hanging out with her high school friends more than ever. I was getting irritated because she had a huge amount of work to do on her pre-Orientation forms for Stanford (due tomorrow), and she was gone all the time not doing her chores. Then on Friday she got in gear and got a job--her dual credit Econ teacher asked her to apply to tutor in the tutoring center at the college which worked out and she is working 8-6 M and T. She finished and submitted her Stanford stuff late last night, and did most of the accumulated chores. I say all this to say--my kid was also doing stuff that bugs me and uncharacteristically did not want to hear what I had to say, but she came around and is getting things done in her own time. I definitely understand where you are coming from! And I do agree, I think a lot is just from all the changes happening--lots of lasts, thinking about high school friends all moving on, a little scary to think of going off to college. Good luck with your grad party!!

 

[bjscheel]

I got transcripts from the DE classes sent to her college this week. Need to fill out the health form and have it ready to take to Orientation in a week. We're leaving tomorrow for vacation, come back Friday, and go to Orientation on Saturday.

Even though we're going to a National Park, which DD says is her dream job, she's also a little sad to be missing work! Also she's had a bunch of social invites, a soccer banquet, and a babysitting opportunity for the upcoming week which she'll miss. Hopefully some of them can happen after we return. Seems like she gets invited to everything at once and then nothing. She's soaking up time with the boyfriend today, he just got back from vacation and now she's leaving. This week apart will be easier for her since she'll be the one having fun this time!

 

[yeahdisney]

DS grad party for kids is tomorrow.
It’s a pool party, with all the rain it is still not clear water but the pool store said the water was good today. But there is 60% rain for tomorrow, if that happens it will move into the farm shed. We have 2 corn hole games, the super size Jenco game and stuff like that.
Kids were putting up open invites in the choir and band classes and DS did that too-so I have no idea how many are coming!
We are doing: walking tacos, ice cream buffet and 3 poke cakes.
Tonight I baked the cakes, prepped all toppings. And started cooking the taco meat. I scooped the ice cream.
A few decoration tomorrow when the weather makes up its mine.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

@Gumbo4x4 Out of curiosity, was it awarded by the college or is it an outside scholarship?

Outside. She had previously received 3 renewable scholarships direct from the school and one smaller outside one.

 

[mjkacmom]

Dd received 4 additional scholarships at awards night bringing the total of community scholarships up to 6, totaling about $10,000. She was definitely one of the top receivers out of about 100 students. Prom was Thursday night, she texted me a picture of her at Hawaiian day at the prom house, looks like the party started at noon. I expect she will be exhausted when she returns tomorrow night. Went out to dinner with a dozen of the prom moms after the bus left on Thursday, trying to get 50 kids in a photo wasn’t easy (we did take pictures of the close friends first at another house, only 12).

 

[bjscheel]

Yesterday was orientation day at college! I had DD drive so she would better remember the route. It's easy, mostly on one highway. She got her schedule and is happy with it. One class from each of her two majors, 2 gen eds, and a freshman seminar. All falling between 9:00 and 2:00. She met more potential friends and had a good time.

After the activities, we went to her dorm to see the sample room. Then we went upstairs just to see her hall and door. Turns out the door was unlocked so we went into her actual room! That made it pretty real, knowing we were standing in her new home. We also located her class buildings and then some important places in town (Walmart, church, restaurants...). Next time we go it will probably be for move in!