Possible New School

Yesterday, C, K and I went to Discovery Day" at North Carolina School for Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) in Durham, NC.

What you may ask is NCSSM? It is a State funded residence type High School for students with an aptitude for Science and Math. To get into the school, each of the 13 congressional districts are approximately represented equally. This prevents any one High School from dominating due to high achievement area (like Raleigh area or Chapel Hill) The average congressional district initially gets about 25 offers to students, but all must qualify to the standards. There is no backing down the standards.

Should a student decide to decline the offer, the offer goes to the next highest qualifying student, not necessarily from the congressional district. This way, the school gets the best students available, while fulfilling the mandate for balance from each congressional district.

C really liked what she saw, as did K and I. The HS is run like a college, with most classes being chosen and specialty concentrations available. The thinking is that C is really unchallenged in her HS and this will help prepare her for the demands of college. She is the one that chose to investigate this school.

The State of NC funds it, so there is no direct cost. No cars are permitted. It will require a notebook computer.

The people that we saw did NOT look like geeks and nerds. All were very bright kids, but no pocket protectors, slide rules, and the stereotypical crazed looks. It would be like going to a HS where all the kids are high achieving kids. There are many varsity sports to join, like basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, swimming, all the normal HS sports except Football.

The final advantage of going to NCSSM is that tuition for any NC State funded University is waived for 4 years upon graduation from NCSSM. Books, Room and Board are extra, but tuition is free.

It is a very competitive process, one that has been very interesting for C. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she will find out in Mid-April.

Somebody came home for a day.

A came home from college Friday night and spent part of the weekend with us. She went back on Saturday evening, after Mass and dinner. While she was home, I took the opportunity to snap a few pictures of C and her. A came home to get her hair cut, which is why she has straight hair, it make it easier to cut, and to ask questions about her physics homework. She also made a cake for K's birthday, although it is not until Tuesday. Hope you enjoy the pictures, the cake was good.

The SAT

With little to no preparation, C took the new SAT about 2 weeks ago. She is trying to get into the NC School of Science and Math, a magnet school for students with abilities in Math or Science, and taking the SAT is part of the entrance requirements. The results came back this morning. She received a 640 verbal, 680 math and 610 writing scores.

Her local HS thinks it is good if the total score is over 1800 (1200 for the math and verbal) and this totals 1930. We think she did good!

Only by attempting the absurd can we achieve the impossible. Have a wonderful day.

Work Post, February

I am a bit confused.

My manager talks with us regularly about what is happening, giving appropriate direction, etc. The President of our company says "we must get out of our comfort zone", what ever that means. The President is trying to do the Marketing, National Sales Manager's (3 of them), District Sales Manager's, and Finance (he's a Chemical Engineer with no financial training) jobs, and sending out motivational email telling us the sales performance and that the exchange rate is having an adverse effect on profits (like any of us can do anything about the exchange rate)

The big question to me is: Who is doing the President's job, while he is busy doing tasks his people are to do?

Another weekend, another swim meet, the last

C had the final HS swim meet for the year today. She swam the 200 Free in the NC 3A HS state championships. Due to her qualifying time, she got stuck in lane 8 in her heat. After swimming, she indicated that she felt like swimming in a milkshake, no matter how hard she tried, there was tremendous drag. She finished 21 out of 24.

We are still very proud of her and look forward to doing this again, next year though.

This weekend, Part 2

K and I attended the funeral of my Aunt in Athens, GA. She was 81. She and her family are some of our favorite people to visit as they are always positive, going somewhere people. Aunt L was a picture of dignity, grace, and poise. A nurse by training, a wife by marriage, mother to 3 and grandmother to 5, she was the embodiment of a Proverbs 31 woman, and it showed by the number of people attending her funeral.

Cousins B (from NC), J and a brother of Aunt L's did wonderful eulogies, speaking of growing up with Aunt L as mom or sister and the strength of Aunt L, even to the end.

Unfortunately for everyone, I neglected to bring my camera after unloading if from the car from the previous day at the pool (see the previous post), so pictures of Uncle J, B, B, J and their families are unavailable.

To my brother and sisters, I passed along your love and sympathies for Aunt L. I bragged about you, your accomplishments and your families, bringing everyone up to date on your lives and activities as I know them. Uncle J, B, B and J pass along their thanks and appreciation for your love, prayers, support and best wishes over the past couple of months as they went through this illness with Aunt L.

Together, we are all saddened at the passing of a wonderful woman, Aunt L, supportive of Uncle J and our cousins in their time of mourning and comforted in the knowledge that Aunt L is no longer in pain, made whole by the healing power of God.

This weekend, Part 1

After traveling all week, I got home Friday night at about 9:15PM, only to get back in the car and drive another 150 miles to the Regional Swim Meet for C's HS. She had to be there at 7 AM, so we decided to spend the evening there to make the trip easier.

In all 3 events C swam (medley relay, 200 Free and 500 Free), she or her team qualified for the evening session. Between sessions, we had reserved our hotel suite for 2 nights, so all of the swimmers hung out in our room watching movies. There were 9 people there, so it was lively with 7 girls and 2 boys.

In the evening session, C qualified for the State meet in the 200 Free. She went low at about the 300 point during her 500 free, missing qualifying for State by 2 places and about 3 seconds, but still cut 3 seconds off her qualifying time. Her relay team also missed qualifying for the State meet, although C swam a great opening Backstroke.

We are very proud of C and the hard wok she put in to do this. On to the State meet, next weekend.

I tried to take pictures, but given how far we were from the action, the pictures are less than useful. Sorry