Rite of Passage

It is a tradition at East High School that after you present your senior project to the judges that you get to ring the bell. It was funny to hear the kids giggling about it being a goofy thing to do - - - but as I stood there yesterday waiting for Katie's turn I noticed the sense of accomplishment on their faces as they each took their own turn ringing the bell. The dreaded senior project. From the time they are freshman they dread the thought of doing it. It is a huge part of their senior year with much time and effort put in along the way to "make the grade". For two days the entire school has half days so that anyone can watch a senior present to the judges. The third floor hallways were lined with students waiting outside of various classrooms for their assigned appointment with the judges. The conversations ran a wide gamut from those starting to breathe again after presenting to those that were getting pep talks from friends that it would be ok once they got in there and started. Megan and I and several of Katie's friends were able to watch her presentation. It went really well and she flew through the Q & A session from the judges. She had a huge smile on her face as she left the room. Onto the ringing of the bell! As she picked up the gavel about to take her swing she looked for me with a sheepish grin. I flashed back to the first day of kindergarten as she took her first step onto the bus. She turned and looked for me with a sheepish grin then, too. That small little smile that says, "I'm scared but excited" all at the same time. How proud I felt to have been to there watch her embarrassed little shrug as the bell tolled for her accomplishments! Rites of passage - time honored traditions to help us close one door and open another.