Unleashing Her Inner Cowgirl

Is it possible that this little lady was born in Texas and not in Ohio as she claims? Because she looks like a bona fide cowgirl if ever I saw one!


Last Friday night was the 2nd annual 5th grade banquet. I say "2nd annual" because prior to that, 5th graders didn't get a big blowout to end the year; 5th grade was just another bump in the road. But because PCA decided to move 6th graders to Middle School beginning last year, the 5th graders now get a big send-off before they move up into the big, scary world that involves walking the halls with junior high kids who think 6th graders are still babies, and high school kids who would just as soon beat them up as look at them.

Wait a minute . . . that's not right. Middle School is a fun place! A happy place! A place where everybody gets along and seniors and 6th graders can be best friends!

Not.

Actually, PCA is probably a little of both; and I can say with certainty that IF Tyler were still in school when Sawyer hit 6th grade, they would doubtless be just as thick as thieves. In other words, some things never change. But Tyler will graduate before Sawyer hits Middle School, which makes my heart hurt just a little, so let's change the subject and get back to the matter at hand.

So Darcy and her classmates were feted Friday night and, as anticipated, the evening did not disappoint. I'm not sure if stories from last year circulated or if the parents responsible for putting the whole thing together simply had more foresight, but the biggest change from last year to this year is that, rather than having all the tables set up across the gym floor with two narrow ribbons of space along the sides for the kids to roam around, the tables were placed diagonally on both ends of the room, leaving the entire gym floor open. The whole thing appeared more spacious to begin with, but it soon became apparent why the configuration was decidedly different. The gym floor, you see, was transformed into a dance floor.

Last year, at some point during the evening the "Chicken Dance" suddenly came booming over the loudspeakers and naturally the kids spontaneously gathered together to whoop and holler and do a jig. Actually, I guess a "jig" is the last thing you do at a western-themed banquet; a "hoedown," perhaps? Anyway, it was clear from the get-go (and the printed agenda provided a BIG clue) that dancing was going to be the main attraction this year, and dance they did! They did the Macarena, the Hokey Pokey, the aforementioned Chicken Dance as well as some dance set to the music of Miley Cyrus, aka Hannah Montana, at which point Darcy and her friend Cheyenne left the dance floor on principle. Seems Hannah Montana has fallen out of favor with the tween set.




























After the kids got plenty hot and sweaty (note to self: remind planners to move dancing to end of evening so as to prevent offending the olfactory senses of the parents), the teachers gave gifts to each student. That remains my favorite part of the evening, because I love getting a glimpse into the personality of each student. And I couldn't have been prouder when Darcy was given a certificate with the honorable character trait of "Integrity." Her teacher commented on her spirituality, her relationship with God, the way she conducts herself with friends, and her prayerful nature. Neat stuff.


The evening closed with a Father/Daughter or Mother/Son dance, which was a feature that had been added since last year. Darcy was not inclined to participate at first, but when she saw the packed dance floor (and her best friend with her dad), she decided to give it a whirl. I started to get a little misty-eyed as I watched them together until Chey's mother said, "They look like Thumbelina and the Green Giant!"