High Pass

As one could probably glean from previous posts, Elizabeth had an amazing experience at Choate.  She met people from all over the world, made so many new friends and was overcome with sadness when it was time to leave.  Emily and I were able to attend the final presentations for her class, which were very impressive.  It was also neat to meet so many of her new friends - and I must say, it filled me with pride when person after person told me that they loved our Elizabeth and that she was such a good person.  Elizabeth felt like, for the first time, she was with "her people" - kids that thought that it was cool to be serious about school and who loved to talk about Percy Jackson, Harry Potter and other book series.

Last week, we received Elizabeth's final grade for the Writing Workshop.  The Choate summer programs grade, from low to high, as follows: Fail, Low Pass, Pass, High Pass and Honors.  Of course, Elizabeth was determined to get an Honors grade, so you can imagine the disappointment in our house when she learned that her final grade was High Pass.  We found the teacher's criticism of Elizabeth's work to be spot on: issues with revisions brought her grade down; she needs to give herself time to more fully support and expand upon her content; she often had interesting ideas, but didn't push herself sufficiently to revise and develop her thinking enough.  Her teacher also said that she shows true promise as a writer; that her outgoing personality helped create a positive classroom dynamic; that she was a positive presence in the class; and was always willing and excited to participate in activities.

Despite Elizabeth's disappointment in her final grade, Lee and I were pleased with what she accomplished a Choate.  A wise friend pointed out to me that if she achieved the highest grade while with exceptional students, Elizabeth could come to the mistaken impression that she will always be at the top of her class - which could result in her being unable to cope with the disappointment she is sure to encounter in high school.  Moreover, the great challenger, from our perspective, was whether she would be able to survive away from home for two weeks, generally cut off from communicating with us but for a few minutes every evening.  And she didn't just survive, she thrived.  She loved just about every minute of her two weeks.  Her dorm advisor reported that she was diligent with her time during study hours; dutiful about her responsibilities in the dorm; attentive and respectful during dorm meetings; got along well with the other girls and took advantage of all of the organized social activities.

While she would love to go back again next year, I think that Elizabeth realizes that this summer was a "once in a lifetime experience" (as she told Emily the other day) and that she will spend next summer studying for the SSAT and other school entrance exams.  Our girl has big dreams. 

Elizabeth's teacher welcomed us to the final presentations.  He actually mentions Elizabeth in his little speech.

Elizabeth's final presentation, which was about Ireland.  They were only supposed to speak for 45 seconds or so.

Elizabeth's section of Writing Workshop, with Mr. Olins. 

Sign in the window at her dorm. 

Elizabeth and her friends, working on their last night before presentations. 

She took a lot of photos on the last morning. 

Saying goodbye to Choate.