John's Next Step

Ready for the celebration We have been practicing and preparing for the graduation celebration for some time. On Monday we worked to get the church ready.  It was almost perfect for graduation of Tuesday.  I just had to reattach some wall decorations and we were ready for everyone. Prayers for the graduates  Sixth grade class The valedictorian gave a very nice speech  Words from a well dressed teacher And from the principal Awards for the pre-KG And for the 6th graders The ceremony was nice. We were somehow able to gather together funds for awards and a lunch for students, teachers, and guests. We are a small school, but it was a first class affair as noted by a principal from a large school who attended.  Everyone in the 6th grade class passed the standardized placement test to continue on to high school. We had 4 students moving up to KG. Congratulations to all the students in the school in all the grades who wo...

I never saw those two girls in the front actually sleeping during KG nap time. Finals are done and the grades are in. The kids did well and had a few days to relax last week. We still have two weeks of school. The major thing next week is graduation and packing up to move, because it looks like its official – the new school will be handed over the last week of school. We also had last Thursday off. Corpus Christi A full chapel for the celebration Starting the procession Thursday was a holiday on Grenada for Corpus Christi, the Catholic celebration of the Body and Blood of Jesus. Corpus Christi is the Thursday after Trinity Sunday (which is a week after Pentecost (which is 50 after Easter for Latin or Greek scholars (Easter is based on the lunar cycle as so changes))). In the states and some other countries the feast day is moved to Sunday if you want to keep track. Holy Cross parish is composed of the church in Munich and two daughter churches. One of the...

Happy Father's Day  Father’s Day. Another day to remind me to miss my children and grandchildren, family and friends, as if I needed one. I do feel bad at times that I’m not a normal father and grandfather. On the other hand, with the cards I was dealt “normal” left the station without me. Happy Father’s day to all those normal and not so normal fathers out there. We are still in school for a few more weeks, so on Friday afternoon the students were able to make Father’s Day cards. I even got one from the staff, which was very much appreciated. Before the Father’s Day cards the students had an exam in the morning. We also had the island wide reading day, involving an assembly, skits, and reading activities. I'm having to hold up my small speaker so the kids can better hear The students have been working hard. We have a few more days of finals this week. The second part of my math final is on Tuesday. Most of the students are in pretty good shape af...

A nice home for many years. Some Peace Corps volunteers, particularly those in the 50+ crowd have considerations before and during service that are uncommon among volunteers recently graduated from college. Many own houses.  Some rent them out during service. After service they may decide to continue to keep it as an investment property, move back in, or sell it. Some volunteers go through downsizing and selling their house before going into service. I had planned on keeping my house and selling it after I returned from Ghana and before my tour. As with all big decisions there were many factors involved in not selling it before leaving for Africa. And with most plans this one changed so I wasn’t ready to sell it when I returned from Ghana either. This also means goodbye to the community center and pools I am happy that I kept my home for a bit longer. However, around last Christmas it was time to put it on the market. I went home and organized a few things b...

Assembly This was supposed to be an easy post, planned over a month ago. I was to have pictures of the new school and of the Prime Minister and various other dignitaries opening it up to happy parents, excited children, and relieved teachers. And this was still the plan when I left for the COS conference.  The plan was for Monday and Tuesday this past week to be set aside for final packing and teachers moving the school over while students enjoyed an extra long weekend. We were certainly going to have the opening ceremony on Wednesday or Thursday. And then we could start revisions in the new school on the following Monday. When I returned to school on Monday there was a decided lack of packing. Rather, I found students coming to school expecting a lesson. So much for communication. I haven’t discovered why it didn’t happen. No one seems to know. On Wednesday one of my students asked expectantly if the Prime Minister would be coming that day so I realized that t...