6th Grade Graduation

My niece, Makayla, had her sixth grade graduation ceremony yesterday. June 17, exactly 17 years after her mom, Nikki, and I graduated HIGH SCHOOL (Good Grief....). She will be entering 7th grade at Central Kitsap Junior High, where her mom and I first met in 7th grade. Some of our same teachers are still there! This is a huge transition for her, going to a new school where several other elementary schools merge. Obviously, an overwhelming experience for any pre-teen, but I have no doubts that Makayla will handle it very well, in fact she will probably be even more driven. Yesterday, before they presented the promotion certificates, the principal and other faculty recognized a dozen or so students with Education Awards. This came as a surprise to all who were recognized and I am really happy to say that Makayla received one of the top honors for Outstanding Academic Excellence. However, this does not surprise me. Makayla once did a full report on German Shepherd Dogs soon after we got Heidi, for no reason other than to study them and learn more about the breed. She actually asked her teacher if she could share it with the class. I don't even know if she got credit for it, but that wouldn't have mattered to Makayla. She does things like that just to do them. I have never known anyone with so much enthusiasm for learning and it really is inspiring. Uncle Jay is one of her heros because he's always introducing her to new things, gold digging was one of the latest. Jay thinks she is the example of his "perfect daughter" because she is a good student both in and out of school (and she's interested in all the crazy things he does). To top it all off, she is an excellent athlete and just recently made the "A" squad of an elite soccer team. I can only pray that my boys follow the awesome example of their cousin. It is a refreshing realization that good kids like Makayla represent our future. We're so proud of you, Max!!