(About a year from first post, Molly is now in 8th grade)
Today was dress up as your favorite book character day. Everyone who pays $1 got to participate. I think that is dumb because there are always a few students left out. Maybe they don't want to participate but these days are basically an excuse not to wear a uniform which I am sure everyone likes, so it is more likely their parents don't want to or cannot pay the $1.
My teacher, Sister Jane, got pulled from class today by Sister Susan our principal. The class talked in hushed tones until both women came back into the room smiling, with Father Steve. He is our Pastor. He usually only comes over for important stuff or to give out our report cards. I think it is awesome how he opens each one up to look at them before handing them to us. But he always shakes his head at me when I don't have an honor card because of my handwriting or behavior.
So they all came in the room and at first I thought it had to do with our "costumes" but they said they had a huge announcement. The diocese has a foundation that offers full and partial scholarships. You can get one for academic excellence or a few other citizen type things and use it for any Catholic High school in the archdiocese. It is a pretty awesome chance because Catholic high school is really expensive. You have to have grades over 90 (out of 100) across the board from 6th grade up til the test in 8th grade to even test to try to get the academic one. Then you have to write a crazy long essay about why you should be chosen.
Five of us qualified to take the test. One bowed out because he was going to private school that was Catholic but not covered. Best boys school in the city. His score would have blown us all away or bumped us down a notch at least so we weren't complaining.
First the announced that a classmate had gotten a partial scholarship for community leadership. Jason is in an actual string band can you believe it? He plays and marches in costume and everything. How cool is that?? he is really nice to everyone even me and doesn't make snide comments at/ about me like most the kids so I really think he deserves it and will be a great example some day to whoever he is around and that is what being a leader is about, right?
Then on to the academic ones. 1600 kids tested of the kids who qualified. Chances are small one of us would get never mind more than one. I gripped my desk sooo hard running over in my head how I need to smile and not cry and congratulate whoever got it if it isn't me. And of course if it is me how I need to be gracious and not be too excited with those who didn't watching.
They announce Steven first. Partial academic! $1000 off each year's tuition! I know his mom will be thrilled she is so nice! Three of us left who took the test...
Paul is next! Full Academic! Our school got THREE of the scholarships available!!! Only 26 academic ones going out this year and we got 2 of em!!
But they weren't done!!! Molly got a full academic! That is me!!! I was in shock! My grace went out the window I was grinning ear to ear! I can go to Catholic school! My part time job will cover my uniform and stuff or at least help enough that it is a non issue! Public schools are starting to wear uniforms anyway.
Only one of us did not get something... Lisa. She seemed pretty upset. I think she needed this as much as I did to be able to go to Catholic school. I don't say much to her as I don't know what to say. But I feel really bad for being so excited in front of her.
Before Pastor an Sister Susan leave they tell me I need to come to the principal's office, not al the winners just me. Anytime you are asked to do that, even if you have done nothing wrong, you get a really heavy scared feeling in your stomach. Well I do anyway. I am always worried I am in trouble for something. My know it all attitude is bad for my health.
I walk in the office and their are a ton of roses on Sister Susan's desk. I can't help but gasp and compliment her on her flowers. Hey I like flowers! Then you won't believe it but she tells me they are for ME!!!! One of the schools I applied to and got a partial scholarship at sent them for me :) They have me call and immediately thank them (and my mom made me call from home again).
I LOVE the flowers but now mom and Sister Jane say I HAVE to go to that school. I mean it seemed a good idea before they offered me the biggest scholarship and offered to help me find aid for the rest of tuition but now I can choose ANY school and I kind of want to research them all. I mean I didn't ask them to send me flowers and never said I wasn't looking at other schools. I even had some other, though smaller, scholarship offers. Ugh I don't know! I guess we will see maybe they will let me look around a bit.
(THE NEXT DAY)
Wow Lisa was REALLY pissed at school today. We were talking about our scholarships at recess and she flipped out saying her mom said if James (the kid who qualified but didn't test because he was going to private school), had taken the test NONE of us would have gotten scholarships. I tried to tell her that doesn't make sense as he would have only bumped EVERYONE who got one by one spot so only one less person of all 26 would have gotten one and maybe someone who got full would have been bumped to partial but she was too upset to listen. She is going to the best public school in the city. It is all girls and you have to "get in" not everyone can go. Well second best i guess there is a magnet program at a co ed school that is really hard to get into and the only way I would have been allowed to go co ed was getting into that program. Anyway not a big deal but was worth noting after my almost essay I wrote you yesterday! Haha I hope whoever finds this one day doesn't think I am crazy! I promise I am not!
Enjoying this!
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