Hope of America Award and 6th Grade Graduation

Mrs. Norris emailed me to tell me that she selected Wyatt for the Hope of America Award and that Keith and I were invited to a special assembly to see him get the award.  They keep the awards a secret so they didn't want us to tell Wyatt.  I think he figured it out when he walked in and saw us there!

They had someone from the district and the principal there to hand out the awards.  "The Hope of America Award recognizes and encourages students who have demonstrated academic accomplishments, leadership and good character." Mrs. Norris said, "Wyatt is so deserving of this award."

They asked for a paragraph about Wyatt that they could read and then they had the kids guess who it was.

 

I wrote, "This student is very creative and loves to come up with new ways of doing things. This student likes to take things apart and see how they work.  This student is a hard worker and has big ideas and is willing to work hard to make them happen. This student has a really good memory and can tell you lots of random facts.  This student loves to hang out with friends and considers everyone a friend. This student is kind and compassionate and worries about other people and tries to cheer them up if they are down.  This student is hilarious and loves to laugh and have fun.  This student loves to play video games and watch YouTube videos.  This student loves to fish and ride bikes.  This student loves to try new things and always has a new obsession.  This student loves to break dance and is very good at it.  This student is awesome!"  After he read that, he asked the kids to guess and they all yelled out, "Wyatt!"

Wyatt was the second one to come up so he got to sit up there while the other kids were announced.

Keith had a convention in Salt Lake that week. It was the worst timing! He stayed in Salt Lake Monday and Tuesday night and he drove home Wednesday morning to see Wyatt get his award and then went back to the convention until it was time to come home for Caitlyn's graduation.  I hope my kids know how blessed they are to have a dad who cares so much about them and will go out of his way to be there for his kids.

Wyatt was surprised and happy to win this award.  I'm grateful that there are awards like this to recognize people who are out there doing good and making the world a better place.  Wyatt is such a good kid and does so many good things.  He is always willing to help out and is always looking for people who might need to be cheered up. 

They chose one boy and one girl from each of the sixth grade classes.

We are proud of you Wyatt!

Two days later we had sixth grade graduation.  I really like their principal. This is her first year as principal and I'm really happy with her.  She loves books and is always trying to get the kids excited about reading.  She read them a book at graduation, "The Power of Yet."  She focuses on a growth mindset and I love that.

I saw this sign in the hallway of the school.  It says, "30 things a standardized test does not measure." I love that! Kids have so much pressure on them and they are constantly being compared to other kids, they need to know that the only person you should compete with is yourself.  It's about personal improvement, nothing else.  I love that their school has a growth mindset culture. 

Mrs. Norris has been such a great teacher for Wyatt this year.  She knows Wyatt so well and you can tell she really cares about him. 

She gave out class awards and she gave Wyatt the award, "No Name Champion." Ha!  He never remembers to put his name on his paper. She was really good about helping to prepare the kids for middle school.  She did a great job of helping Wyatt improve while helping him feel good about himself.

They called each student up and gave them a certificate.

The PTA gave each 6th grader a lion, so they would remember that they will always be a Lakeview Lion. 

Wyatt was our first kid to go to Lakeview since Kindergarten.  We have been so happy with the school. I'm so grateful for the amazing staff that makes it such a great place for these kids!

Wyatt had a great group of friends in his class this year.  He has been hanging out with Shae, Parker, Kellen and Dallin a lot lately.  It is nice that he has so many boys nearby to play with. It is weird that Wyatt is finished with Elementary School. He has learned and grown so much.  He has gone from a shy kid who wanted to be home all the time to a social butterfly.  It's been so much fun to watch.