Oh, those elementary school days! They believed in the power of individual motivation, and he was often showered with certificates and awards, enough to earn him the title of ...Captain Clean-Up!
Then came Junior High, and honors grew sparse. He might get one or two for different academic areas, but frankly, other students dwarfed what he got.
In high school, honorifics, in general, were significantly reduced. He got one certificate for all A's when he attended the Honors Banquet as a Sophmore. We did not go to his Freshman or Junior Honors Banquets.
So we had low expectations for this last Honors Banquet. He did get the certificate we expected - All's Senior Year, but we were surprised when he also got one for All A's for all of high school! We knew his grades were good, but we kinda lost track. Neither Alison nor I were all A's in high school, believe me!
That means Benjamin got both of the only certificates offered that night. There may have been a few for those who weren't there, but he was one of only 12 who publicly received their All A's through high school certificate.
We had entered Benjamin's application for one set of scholarships, and he did not get one of those. We thought we were done for the night. Benjamin has had several academic rivals throughout school, and he was finishing behind them.
Then a new scholarship group, Pierce County Foundation for Excellence in Education, announced their scholarships, and the first one they named was...BENJAMIN STRAIT!
His $500 scholarship was at or around many of the scholarships won, and we were stunned and happy parents!
Benjamin ends his public school career just as he began it in elementary school...as that dynamic academic superhero .....
Captain Clean-Up!!!
Amazing! Congratulations, Benjamin!
ReplyDeleteIt was a great event. Can't believe as parents we didn't realize he had All A's all through high school! I guess we were just looking at one semester at a time, and not thinking of the cumulative.
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