Knox, this year we are awarding you the “I’ll Be There for You” Award. Throughout the year, you’ve been a loyal friend to your peers. While you might have been frustrated with a few of them from time to time, in the end, you always worked it out and found a way to move on together. When a friend was struggling with other kids, you stood up for him and asked those kids to leave him alone. When another friend was having a hard time with tics, you were the one he wanted to spend time with and, while you were with him, his tics decreased. You earned a Citizenship Award this last 9-weeks, proving that you are a role model at school and a pleasure for your teachers to have in class. Ms. Jaco told us at your fall conference that you always have something positive to say and a way to look at the bright side. Even away from school, you’ve had to endure long baseball games or practices, sit through some of Dad’s campaign events, or tag along to band concerts and a fifth grade celebration. They were boring and annoying to you, but you made it through! You notice when Mom’s upset or looks frustrated, and you offer a hug or snuggle to help her through it. You have watched Tova heal from surgery and wanted to comfort her through it. Time and again, you show up for others, and this makes us so very proud of you!
Quinn, your final year at Hightower comes to a close tomorrow. We hope you can look back at the past 6 years and feel proud of yourself for all you have accomplished. We hope you can say you have no regrets and left no stone unturned. We believe you can say that, and that’s why this year we are awarding you the “GO-GETTER” Award! The definition of a “go-getter” is someone who works very hard and very much wants to succeed. This is you. You worked hard to get all A’s this year, to challenge yourself, to try out new activities, and to volunteer where others chose to sit out. Helping Hearts, Spelling Bee, Bluebonnet reading, and cooking club, volunteering to sing – and auditioning for and securing a rap solo – at fifth grade celebration, leading your grade level numerous times in a mob dance of “Bye, Bye, Bye,” and always being a great role model and leader at school… these are ways you have shown up and given it all you’ve got. And it hasn’t just been at school. We saw you overcome your fears at bat after getting hit by a ball that left its imprint on your back. We saw you get up on stage to join the lip-syncing contest with Dad on our cruise. We saw you take your time with your instrument selection for next year, asking to have a second fitting to be sure. We’ve seen you struggle with knowing the middle school options for next year simply aren’t ideal but then embrace the change and the excitement of what’s to come. We have no doubt you will do very well as a middle school student, but we also know that change is hard, and leaving elementary school and the memories of your younger self behind pulls at all of our heart strings. As much as you want to stay at Hightower or to never grow up, the inevitability is that you must go on. And we know that’s what you will do, and you will give it all you’ve got every step of the way, because you are a “go-getter!”
Banner, your award this year is the “Persistently Tenacious” Award. Persistently means consistent and ongoing. Tenacious means a firm clinging or holding on and not letting something go in a determined way. Let’s start with Algebra. You could have easily given up and not cared about doing well. But you agreed to get a tutor to help you all year long with the concepts, especially since the past two years of math instruction were pretty meager. There were days you would have rather not stuck with tutoring, but you pushed through it. Drumline. The Wednesday night practices weren’t fun, but you endured them and made some new connections to other kids and got some good percussion practice in, too. We love that you tried to attend Middle School Mornings at Hightower as often as you could, when you otherwise could have slept longer. We love that you salvaged a friendship that could have easily been destroyed early on in the school year. You learned from last year that perhaps doing a science fair project on your own was a better option, and you pushed through that with determination, too. Even when you weren’t sure which BBYO chapter was for you, you have stuck with it, made new friends and attended some fun events. You went on the Civil Rights trip with Temple and grew interested in a time period that isn’t easy to learn about. You held tight to the lessons you learned there and made the most of that incredible trip – asking for photos with special people and not being afraid to ask questions. Baseball. Initially it was just an idea your friend group had, but you’re the only one who ended up joining a team. You didn’t care that you might not know anyone, and you happily started lessons with Leo. You want to improve, to practice and get chances to pitch and hit and show off your new skills. You are willing to put in the effort, time, and sweat to making your dreams come true. We’ve seen such growth over the last 3 middle school years, but this year, we’ve seen such maturity and a deep desire to do well and do what you need to do to get to where you want to be. We are beyond proud of all you’ve accomplished and earned this year.
Tova, this year, you earned the Patient Patient Award. I have lost count of how many times I’ve taken you to the vet this year. You’ve been so brave with all of your appointments where you were poked, prodded, and put under – from having your teeth cleaned, to having a few urinalyses, to blood work, to biopsies, to having a tumor removed. You’ve endured 2 straight weeks with a cone on, and we’ve changed your food a couple different times this year. You have been so patient and flexible through it all. We’ve had to give you so many medications, and you take them with ease now. We’re currently giving you ear drops for an ear infection, and you don’t even mind it – especially because it comes with a relaxing ear massage! We don’t like seeing you in pain, but we will do anything we have to to keep you healthy and active! We love you so much and appreciate all you’ve tolerated this year!