Good-bye, 8th Grade!

 Although the idea of an 8th grade "graduation" is silly to me as moving on from 8th grade to high school is not necessarily an accomplishment as much as it is an expectation, it is still fun to take a moment and celebrate the end of Staley's middle school era as she moves on to high school next year.

Staley had a successful middle school career.  She excelled with academics.  She made good friends.  She shined on stage with Drama Club.  She played in the band, sang in the choir, served on the student council for a few years, and attended fun field trips.  She filled her free hours with cross country and dance team and track.  There were so many fun moments and good memories from her middle school years.

Staley's 8th grade promotion was a short and sweet opportunity to celebrate these achievements and the end of this era.  Nothing too big.  Nothing too flashy.  Nothing drawn out.  Just a few opportunities to reflect on the middle school years and look forward to the high school years.

I know that Staley is ready to move on to high school.  She is excited for the new challenges, the new friends, the new coaches, the new teachers, the new teammates, the new opportunities.  And it is helpful that she has a solid group of friends who will be with her along the way, in her classes and on her teams.

I'm so thankful for the schools in our district.  I'm thankful for the teachers and administrators and coaches and staff who have poured into Staley, encouraged her, and guided her along the way.

Staley's dance coach, Ashleigh

Staley's teacher and track coach, Ms. Haggerty

Staley's youth group small group leader, Alicia

I am also so grateful for the way that our families are always there to support our kids in anything they do.  Staley has spent her entire middle school career with grandparents and aunts/uncles/cousins in the stands or the track or the course for sporting events and dance competitions and band concerts and plays and choir concerts and special school events. 

Although middle school "graduation" is not something we felt the need to celebrate, it is appropriate to celebrate the successes and fun that have filled Staley's middle school years.  It is appropriate to reflect on all the moments that have shaped Staley into the woman she is becoming.  It is appropriate to thank God for the gifts he has given Staley and the way she has used them.  And it is appropriate to enjoy the end of this era and look forward to what high school has in store.

So proud of who Staley is and can't wait to see what high school has in store for her!

Good-bye, 8th grade!!  High school, here she comes!!

Track

Staley finished her middle school athletic career with a fun and successful 8th grade track season.

Staley ran the 800, 1600, and 4 X 400 relay throughout her season.

She improved all her times and PRs from her 7th grade year, as well as from the beginning of the season to the end.  Her 800 PR for the season was 2:36, her 1600 PR was 5:57.54, and her 4 X 400 relay PR'd at state with a 4:31.07 with Staley running a 1:07 split.

Staley won her fair share of individual races and relay races throughout the season, with her highlights of setting a big PR in the 800 at the Hornet Invite, winning the 1600 at the Pontiac Invite with a new PR, and narrowly advancing to state in the 4 X 400 relay at Sectionals.

Staley made some new friends throughout the season with some of the girls she ran against on a regular basis including the distance girls from El Paso and Washington.

I volunteered to help out with the distance kids for track this season.  I put together their work-out plans, helped out at practices when I was available, and cheered them on at the meets.  It was a lot of fun to get to help coach Staley and enjoy her successes with her.

Staley chose to just run the 800 and 4 X 400 relay at Sectionals as those were the 2 events she was most likely to qualify for state.  She placed 3rd in the 800, missing state qualifying time by less than 2 seconds.  However, she used that as fuel to help propel her relay team to a qualifying state time by .01 seconds!

This was Staley's same state qualifying relay team from last year.  It was so fun for them to get to enjoy another trip to the state track meet as a fun group of friends and teammates.

Qualifying for state is always a celebrated achievement.  There is a state send-off, state goodie bags, state merchandise, state signs.  And Staley and her relay friends also enjoyed a night-before state meal and hanging out at our house.

The weather at state was perfect and the girls ran an over 2 second PR to end the season on a high note, placing 15th in the state.

It was a great season, and I loved that it ended on a high note with big smiles from this group of girls.

I loved seeing Staley embrace this sport that I love, work hard, and then see the fruits of her labor in the successes she experienced on the track.

It was a great end to a great middle school running career.

Look out, high school.  Here she comes!!

Madagascar, Jr.

Madagascar, Jr. was the spring Stage Kids show that occupied our lives and our evenings over the course of several weeks in late April and May.  All 3 kids were involved in the show with their own casts, with Adelie and Staley also helping behind the scenes and filling in for various casts over those weeks.

Adelie and Briggs were part of the Eureka/Peoria cast.  They were both penguins, which was so fun as the penguins are some of the best characters with the best lines in the whole show.  Adelie was the head penguin, Skipper, while Briggs was Private.

Adelie had lots of lines, Briggs had a few lines, and they were both featured in a couple of different songs that the penguins sang.  One of my favorite lines from the show was when they were heading out to rescue a friend in trouble, and Adelie turns to Briggs and says, "You...probably won't survive."  Both Adelie and Briggs did a fantastic job of creating these fun characters on stage!!

Staley was part of the NCC-Thursday cast as King Julien, head of the lemurs.  She also got to fill in for this role on the second night of the Eureka/Peoria cast, which was perfect for those coming to see my kids as they had one night where all 3 kids were in the same show.  Winning!!  King Julien was a fantastic part full of funny lines, a great Jamaican accent, and fun character moments.  Staley sang the songs "Welcome to Me" and "I Like to Move It, Move It".  It was such a very fun part, and Staley rocked it!

Staley has had a number of favorite parts in shows, but this one was up there.  It also gave her the opportunity to showcase her dancing....and her fitness to both sing and dance during high energy songs.

Staley and Adelie both also teched for some of the other casts and were given various roles to play.  In every cast they teched for, Adelie and Staley were both tap dancing steaks.  Staley only got to tech for one of the other casts because of her track schedule, but Adelie teched for all 4 of the other casts.

In the Tremont cast, Adelie filled in as a foosa as well as a steak.

Staley cameoed as animal control for that cast.

In one of the NCC casts, Adelie filled in as Mason.  She had to learn all the lines and blocking for this character with only a day's notice, and she did great...even if she was a little embarrassed about her poochy monkey belly costume.

I love that the girls have gained the confidence of their directors and get asked to help in a variety of roles and aspects of both on-stage and back-stage help.  It's such a testament to their hard work, dependability, responsibility, and skill that they display.  I'm really proud of them for being the type of kids that get asked to do extra.

Generally when the girls are helping backstage, so am I.

This was such a fun show, and all 3 kids had such fun parts, so I'm glad lots of friends and family got to come see them perform.

Grandparents are always there to support them.

So are great aunts...

aunts, cousins,...

favorite teachers,...

and friends.

NTA friends make the best friends!!  I love that my kids' friend circles continue to grow with their NTA friends, both new and old.

It doesn't matter if there are age differences or school differences...each show gives opportunities to spend time with friends...

including post-show hang-outs at Culvers.

I am so thankful for the opportunities my kids have to do something they love with people they love.

I am so thankful for the directors and teaching artists that pour into my kids and share their time and talents with them.

My kids have grown as singers, dancers, performers, and helpers through their years with NTA.

I'm so proud of my kiddos and loved getting to watch them shine in such fun roles in this show!!