Parents of the Class of 2019

Homecoming weekend here as well - my son apparently is planning on going camping with a friend of his instead of going. He hasn't been to a school dance since homecoming his freshman year. I keep telling him that he really should go to Prom this spring - that if nothing else, that is one that he'll regret not going to one day. He's still pretty adamant that 'dances are stupid'.
 
@design_mom I think girls do have more drama like this. DD is often caught in the middle with both sides ranting to her. And there is a girl with a bulldozer personality that frequently targets DD to bulldoze. She is rather ready to get out of her small high school!

At window decorating one friend was talking about how sad their "lasts" are this year and DD was like "bring it on!"
 
At window decorating one friend was talking about how sad their "lasts" are this year and DD was like "bring it on!"

DD has been the same way. She's SO frustrated with the homecoming stuff this year - the theme (board games - selected by the admin) is terrible, half the kids in the core group that usually help with everything are so immersed in college applications and the academic drama of having two apparently unqualified teachers in AP classes that no one is collaborating on anything, and it has fallen to a handful of the student council & NHS kids (including DD) to do the hall decorating, chariot painting, etc. Plus she's playing powder puff again, and they're practicing every night. At this point, she just wants homecoming week to end!

The game is Saturday, dance is Sunday. She doesn't have a date but that hasn't stopped the drama - her best friend, who changed schools after freshman year but has come back for every dance since, isn't going because her boyfriend can't come. And I think it was kind of a last-straw moment for DD, who is starting to realize the friendship is at an end. Her friend also blew her off two weeks ago for a much-anticipated "last" trip to the local renaissance festival with an excuse about having to work... and then spent the day posting pictures of herself and her boyfriend at an apple orchard. I can't say I'm entirely upset. This friend is dating an older boy (which is why she can't bring him to Homecoming - our school only allows guests from other high schools, no adults/college students) and I've talked to her a couple of times about the things she's posting on her Instagram (alcohol, vape & pot), so I'd be more concerned if they weren't drifting apart at this point. But it still sucks to see DD so upset over it.
 
Homecoming has never been a big deal, there is a football game, a gathering for alumni, and a few years ago, they started having a dance. My kids showed me the saddest picture on Instagram from the dance - 3 kids attended! The junior formal and senior prom are huge though.
 


I hope everyone has good Homecoming experiences!

DD's was 2 weeks ago (?) and several children ended up with In School AND Out of School Suspension for 2 weeks after arriving intoxicated. DD is being nice and taking notes to one of the girls (who is notably not nice to DD). So much drama :sad2: That said, I'm glad the administration is (finally) cracking down on that behavior. Call me a hypocrite (DD does!) but as an adult I appreciate the danger of teenagers, cars, and substances. Things can go south so easily with one bad decision!

Last night I was hoping for 4 applications down with the college coach...somehow in 90 minutes they managed ONE. I was so annoyed but didn't know until she left the house. I am really not happy with the coach nor DD. That was 90 minutes wasted imho.:mad:

@design_mom -- I like your idea for fall, uniform, etc in October. DD had hers in August right before school started and by the end her hair was limp and she was "glowing." An hour isn't too long and relaxing and hopefully having fun might make it easier to return to the homework/study/application grind.
Of course we don't have fall foliage so that's probably why I like the idea :)
 
Our homecoming was last weekend, and DD went with a bunch of friends and took our exchange student along as well. We "forced" my DS who is a sophomore to go just so he could say he's had the experience, he said he'd want to leave after an hour but he never called or texted to leave, so I think he had more fun than he's willing to admit.

We took DDs senior pictures weekend before last at Lake of the Ozarks over at HaHa Tonka. The castle there is so gorgeous! It also has a natural bridge/cave kind of area, and a coldsprings so we got pics in a couple of different locations. My niece took them and I CAN'T WAIT for the pictures to be ready. Any day now... :o)

We have our next appointment with the college search group on Thursday, and a couple of visits coming up mid-October. Most of the applications have to be done 11/1 or later, and she's got her base essay pretty much complete, so it's just getting little things wrapped up.
 
Homecoming here is not as big a couples event as it sounds like it is for some of your kids, although some people do go with a date. DS is planning on going to the dance (alone...or I should say with friends but not a date) but not the game - the game is on the Friday and the dance Sat. I think my other DS (sophomore this year) did the opposite last year, lol.
 


We took DDs senior pictures weekend before last at Lake of the Ozarks over at HaHa Tonka. The castle there is so gorgeous! It also has a natural bridge/cave kind of area, and a coldsprings so we got pics in a couple of different locations. My niece took them and I CAN'T WAIT for the pictures to be ready. Any day now... :o)

I decided we're doing our own senior pictures because DD has had a terrible time narrowing down ideas, locations and outfits, which is nice because who doesn't love instant gratification. :) So I have the first set in hand with most of the retouching done and have one more shoot planned for while we're in Boston next month. But I still need to get our schedules together to figure out a time for the third and fourth locations she wants - the county fair grounds, where we're going to do some with her rabbit and with her bow, and a scenic park in the city. Fortunately we have plenty of time. The yearbook shot will come from the Boston shoot because she wants something casual and outdoorsy as a counterpoint to the very formal studio headshot the school requires, and that has to be submitted in Nov. But the rest will be for the announcements/party invitations and prints for friends & family, and none of that will be ordered until spring.

Jostens was at school yesterday taking cap & gown orders and pushing their stationery and class-of stuff, even though they don't even have 2019 art available on a lot of their online photo card templates yet. I can't believe they expect us to be thinking about invitations and announcements already. I can't even reserve a date for her party until mid-Jan. because that's when the venue we're planning to use opens their booking for the new year.

But I am having fun digging through lots of older shots for a senior yearbook ad - the layout I think I'm going to use has room for 5 pictures, and DD has given me the green light to do "whatever". She knows I'm not the type to use baby pictures with a super-sappy note (nothing against those who are, I'm just not "that mom"), but I think she's really going to like what I have in mind. The deadline isn't for months but hey, I may as well get started while I'm thinking about it so I don't wind up forgetting entirely!
 
Our Homecoming is tied to basketball, so it will be in late January, but DS has already said he isn't going. No big surprise there, he went to HC with a friend who goes to a different school in 9th grade and said he would never go again.

My husband is a photographer on the side, so DS' pictures can be done whenever and as many times as we need to get what we (I) want. He will be doing the soccer ones soon, and get those out of the way. DS won't want much more than soccer, but I want a few. DH also does custom announcements/invitations, so that will be easy.

I have started going through pictures for his senior slideshow that will be played at the end of graduation--small school, they each submit 15 or so pictures for a slideshow. I have found several good ones, but it will be hard to narrow them down. I would like to start having pictures printed to decorate his table at graduation (another small school thing) too. I know there is plenty of time, but right now I can do this without getting emotional. That may not be the case in May!

Graduation is May 26, which is only 8 months from tomorrow :(
 
Graduation is May 26, which is only 8 months from tomorrow :(

Holy cow! Our graduation is May 19, which is *less* than 8 months from now. I hadn't done the math before now. Yikes!!! Speaking of photos... I need to get on that. I guess parents are supposed to do a "board" for senior night for cross-country. That's coming up in a couple of weeks. They said senior year would fly by. They're not kidding.
 
Holy cow! Our graduation is May 19, which is *less* than 8 months from now. I hadn't done the math before now. Yikes!!! Speaking of photos... I need to get on that. I guess parents are supposed to do a "board" for senior night for cross-country. That's coming up in a couple of weeks. They said senior year would fly by. They're not kidding.
Our xc senior day is in a few weeks at a meet in our town, and then there will be a senior dinner with most likely a student made video. Dd is a captain, it seems like yesterday when she was an incoming freshman, contacting the coach the summer before HS asking about captains practices in August (graduation here is the end of June).
 
Holy cow! Our graduation is May 19, which is *less* than 8 months from now. I hadn't done the math before now. Yikes!!! Speaking of photos... I need to get on that. I guess parents are supposed to do a "board" for senior night for cross-country. That's coming up in a couple of weeks. They said senior year would fly by. They're not kidding.

Ours is the 19th too, which is 236 days in case you were wondering. DD has a countdown on her iPad.
 
DS is a co-captain for his soccer team. Senior night is in a couple weeks, but we bought banners for them to hang at the field, so all I have to buy is a few balloons. I teared up a little when they announced him as a senior at a game the first week, and of all things, I almost lost it when they announced him last week at a pep rally and all of the little kids yelled and cheered for him (very small school, K-12 in one building, I work there). I had to leave the gym.
 
Graduation is May 26, which is only 8 months from tomorrow

Wow, graduation here is May 28th so not too far behind.

let's not even talk about the emotions!!

Ugh, one minute I want her gone, the next I think about our big empty house and I'm sad (and eating chocolate!). I think it's going to be a crazy year!

I almost lost it when they announced him last week at a pep rally and all of the little kids yelled and cheered for him (very small school, K-12 in one building, I work there). I had to leave the gym.

How sweet!

I am seriously over DD's school and the admin. Only 244 days to go!
 
Our xc senior day is in a few weeks at a meet in our town, and then there will be a senior dinner with most likely a student made video. Dd is a captain, it seems like yesterday when she was an incoming freshman, contacting the coach the summer before HS asking about captains practices in August (graduation here is the end of June).
Yup, DS’ cross country senior day is tomorrow and it’s going to be emotional. He is also a captain and it feels like yesterday that he was a freshman who could barely run a mile. Dh can’t make it but we have two more seasons of sports to get through....
 
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We're still working on getting senior pics taken, but the school has everyone take a formal pic for the yearbook as well as a collage they hang in the hallway of all the graduating classes (my boys love going and seeing their mom's picture in the hall :) ). Got the proofs on that and it turned out pretty good...

SeniorPic.jpg

Still a little bummed that he chose not to play soccer this year - especially with senior night coming up soon. Would have been a rough season, though - the team is 1-8-2 right now. :headache:
 
We're still working on getting senior pics taken, but the school has everyone take a formal pic for the yearbook as well as a collage they hang in the hallway of all the graduating classes (my boys love going and seeing their mom's picture in the hall :) ). Got the proofs on that and it turned out pretty good...

View attachment 354149

Still a little bummed that he chose not to play soccer this year - especially with senior night coming up soon. Would have been a rough season, though - the team is 1-8-2 right now. :headache:
Very nice photo! And cool that it will hang in the hall.

Did you not explain to him that your DIS name is "soccerdad"? ;)

Senior night is tonight for tennis. I think this is when it all starts seeming real.

I want to find time soon to go take some tennis portraits for my daughter and some friends. Thanks Pinterest! :p
 

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