Our Girl

She is amazing.  Our girl. Our daughter.  Not only is she beautiful in appearance but she is gorgeous inside!  She is thoughtful, helpful and kind.  She is serious and on the flip-side of that coin, she is a real clown. She is responsible and ambitious.  She tackles her homework and special projects without us asking about them (although I do, nightly).  She is creative.  She is growing up and even though I try, I can no longer deny the inevitable.  And to top it off, this September, she’ll become a teenager!

In school, her grades reflect the time and effort she puts into each subject.  Her reports come home with comments such as “a pleasure to have in class, an active participant, completes assignments on time and in detail, etc.  She was honored last year by being inducted into the National Honor Society.  As a member, she is required to volunteer her time. And volunteer she has.  Last fall, she made baked goods for the S-VE Youth Association concession stand, she made banners for the teams, and now she is volunteering her time at the local library and the elementary PTO meetings.  She volunteers once a week at the library.  She cleans, finds books that are on the retire list, and she has even learned to check books and materials in and out.  When I went to pick her up after her first afternoon at the library, there she was, sitting at the circulation desk with a huge smile on her face! She was so excited and has enjoyed her Tuesday afternoons at the library.  She doesn’t get to man the circulation desk now; instead she is cleaning and doing other assigned duties.  She also volunteers to babysit at the elementary school once a month so parents can attend the PTO meeting without looking for daycare.  She enjoys that as a friend volunteers as well. They had three kids the first time they volunteered and Olivia said the one kid was terrible.  So told me all the things they did to try to get him to play or be good, I thought, this is the first AND last time she’ll babysit.  She proved me wrong.  That pleased me – she doesn’t get discouraged and keeps a positive attitude.   

I wrote the above some time ago.  We have received another report card and once again, Olivia’s grades are high.  We can say nothing but wonderful job; we are so proud you work so hard.  She leaves no room for discussion! 

Olivia stays after school and attends a wonderful program.  They work on their homework, have or make snacks, play games and learn new crafts.  Often, a group of students from Cornell visit and they participate is various activities with these students.  Lately, she has been spending time in the technology classroom as she loves that class and the fun projects they do. She is spending that extra time on their current project.   Last week, she brought home two opportunities through the after-school program. Wonderful opportunities, I might add.

The first being a day trip to Albany.  They will visit the museum, take a tour of the capital building and then take a 90-minute cruise on the Hudson River.  I so want to go as a chaperone but, as my luck played out, they don’t need any chaperones.  This will be a long day for her but a great learning experience. See, they have to keep a journal and they have a list of 15-22 questions that they have to answer.  Learn they will.

The second opportunity, a career explorations conference, is a three-day, two-night stay at Cornell University.  While staying on campus, she will attend classes, meetings and every night after dinner, they have free time. During this time, she can go to the pool, bowl or participate in other fun activities they have planned.   I cannot wait to hear about the whole program after she attends.

These are great opportunities from a small, rural school. I am thankful for the teachers that take the time to find learning opportunities for our youth. For the time they take to research and then write grants so these opportunities become a reality for our children.  Day-trips and career conferences – she is still in seventh grade but keep these opportunities coming. We appreciate them – and all the individuals that make these happen.

Thank you!