In our school district, kids received their high school letters last night – not for football, soccer, or lacrosse - but for achievement in the ARTS. It was like our own mini-Oscars. The title of this post comes from the T-shirt worn by one of the attendees.
We clapped loudly and often for high achievement in rocking-chair-woodcrafting, costume-crafting and decorating skills, yearbook creation, photography, painting, music, drama, visual arts, and robotics. Here Ian receives the award from his excellent art teacher, Mrs. Rogers. Since it’s his 3rd award, he got a little gold bar to put on the actual chenille letter. While you don’t see the arts kids swaggering through the halls with their leather-sleeved letter jackets, menacing the jocks with their ultra cool hipsterhood, the point is, you COULD.
This is one of my favorite school ceremonies. You see kids you’ve known since babyhood developing huge talent and achieving great success, and being nurtured and supported by the school district – which refuses to cut funding for the arts, no matter how tight things get.
And Ian had an extra fan in the crowd – his 8th grade confirmation mentor. She’s kept in touch with him over the years and made a point of joining us for dinner and the ceremony last night. Which makes us grateful for the support networks created by our church.
I was pleasantly surprised to see this blogger at the award, because her kids are very little. Turns out she, her husband and her children were there to support her nephew. That’s the kind of night it was.
Speaking of arts and letters, here’s the list of books recommended by you all, organized in no particular order. I think I got them all but apologize for there are any sins of omission.
Night Navigation, Ginnah Howard
The Twilight Books
A Death in the Family, James Agee
The Memory of Old Jack
A Wrestling Season
The Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood
Mystic River, Dennis Lehane
A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving
Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden
The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
Joy in the Morning/A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith
Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger
Like Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen
Rebecca, Daphne DuMaurier
Peony in Love/Snow Flower & The Secret Fan, Lisa See
Out Stealing Horses, Per Petterson
Saving Fish From Drowning, Amy Tan
Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
Pope Joan, Donna Cross
A Thousand White Women, Jim Fergus
Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson
Escape, Carolyn Jessup
American Gods, Neil Gaiman
