Emilie got the Principal’s Award for academic achievement. We went down to that dinner a couple of weeks ago. Two weeks later there was another awards evening for Seniors and she was given the “most improved writer of the Senior class”. Last night was Scholarship night for the Seniors and she was awarded a Memorial gift from the local Harley Davidson group. ( For a moment I was dreaming that she got her own hog)
She is dyslexic and did not find academics the easiest thing to navigate. She is also very tall. 6′1″ and has pretty big feet, men’s 12.
In spite of her challenges, she managed to pushed through and win the Governor’s Award for Academic Achievement and Citizenship in the 8th grade. Only one kid at each middle school in Vt. is given that award.
She spent a good deal of her Sophmore year on crutches having both knee caps cleaned out from arthritis. 
She managed to shear just a couple of weeks post-op. You an see the bandages on her left knee taken right after surgery.
At the end of her freshman year she was accepted at the Governor’s Institute of Asian Studies and she traveled to China for a month when she was 16.
Just a week before she was to take off, she and her sister T-boned a Subaru going 30mph. The girls were in a golf cart. Lucky to survive. In the ambulance, both girls strapped to backboards, Em says ” hey Liz, do you think I can get extra money from Dad for China because of this?’ I was thrilled to hear the scheming. Higher executive function meant that the girls were going to be fine.
She mustered, got her brace and headed off to Mongolia and Beijing
There are about 250 kids graduating tomorrow morning from Kennett High School in North Conway New Hampshire. At the first awards dinner there were about 12 kids in the Senior class that got the award for all A’s and only 1 B for the school year. 3 kids that got the “Grades almost good enough, but your effort at work is worth recognizing” award, and one kid got the most improved award. Em got the middle award. Mostly A’s and one to many B’s to get the top award. But still worth recognition.
For the dyslexic kid, this is one hell of an achievement.
What a wind-up to the big day tomorrow. At 10:00 am Miss Emilie Anne will have a cap and gown, most likely flip flops and shades. She will march with her mates. Take a seat and try to soak it all in. I remember that a classmate’s father spoke at my graduation 25 years ago, but I couldn’t tell you what he said. I was looking forward to the party that going to follow.
Emilie has decided not to go to project graduation. She has mentioned that she is going “camping” with buddies. HA.
She went to project prom and hated it, so there is no chance that she will give the organizers another shot. She has a good head on her shoulders, so I am not too worried.
When we went down to the awards thing last night I brought her English teacher, Ms. Kittle a book with a picture of Emilie that was taken the first day of Kindergarten. On the inside of the book I thanked her for helping my daughter to find her voice in the written word.
I got all choked up. I even choked up reading the card I got her for graduation. I didn’t think I was going to make it through the evening without blubbering. Before we went down, I blubbered off and on all day. I am sure that at the graduation, I will blubber. I cry pretty easily at emotional things. This is going to tip me right over. Emilie is expecting it and will laugh.
That is a good thing. What a relief that she got through High school in one piece and that she is planning to go to college in the fall.
She wants to be a farmer, dairy, I won’t hold that against her. She came in top 6th in Vermont Dairy Quiz bowl and this winter took first in New Hampshire at the FFA (Future Farmers of America) in the Diary Quiz Bowl and in Dairy showing.
She has a good head on her shoulders. Much much better then I at her age. I am so excited for tomorrow and the ceremony that transitions all of us onto the next phase of her life as she goes off to college to become a farmer. (Shhhh don’t tell, she already is)
