Not that too much was going on in 5th grade classrooms at the end of the May anyway, but Field Day had arrived and the kids were happy to be a part of it. And now that they were on top of the school, they were ready to stake their claim to athletic prowess.
The group of girls that Callie has become friends with over her time at Cassidy was always growing, which was a perfect way to prepare for middle school. There were certain constant friends throughout, but they were always happy to bring others into the fold.
The end of May also brought the end of soccer, and the four girls pictured here certainly earned the McFlurries that Maddie's dad bought them on one of the last night's of practice. We have said it many times before, but this crew build strong bonds over this soccer year and are definitely the better for it.
So finally the last day of 5th grade arrived, and we were ready to start celebrating the momentous occasion. First up a picture of the sisters who would have their last official day together at Cassidy. For three years Callie was there to look out for her sister and for three years Reese assumed that Callie's friends were hers as well.
And of course, it was Reese's last day of 2nd grade, which meant saying goodbye to Mrs. Martinez, another great teacher. Reese had a wonderful year in her classroom and now she was officially halfway through her Cassidy career.
We also had to get a picture of Callie with her 5th grade teacher, Mr. Ward. Callie was excited when she learned that she would have Mr. Ward, but her initial explanation was that it was so cool how he had a futon in his classroom. Fortunately, Mr. Ward had many other reasons to be considered a great teacher, and Callie had a great year with him.
Reese enjoyed her last day and was okay with saying goodbye with her friends since we had already arranged summer camps that would allow her to spend special time in the summer with them. It was going to be an overnight with Ella and a tennis camp with Zoey.
Meanwhile, in Cassidy's gym, the 5th graders were taking part in their big promotion event. Pictured here is Callie receiving her certificate of completion from the principal, Mrs. Fister. It was a very neat ceremony, especially since we knew so many of the kids. For six years we have seen many of them at chorus concerts, back to school nights, and all sorts of other elementary school milestones, and it was clear that all the parents were a little weepy.
The kids, on the other hand, were all smiles. All spring long they were checking off the boxes of all the things they got to do that they had seen previous fifth-graders do, so this was just one more great day for them. Callie was even willing to smile for numerous pictures, especially with friends like Emma Jane, who she knew would be with her on the next part of the adventure.
Like it or not, we had to admit that the next stop of the adventure was middle school. These girls definitely seemed ready for it. And with the support of each other they were ready to tackle whatever they might face the following fall.
And although we have smiles on our faces in this picture, there were many emotions running through us at the time. It was hard not to be proud of Callie even as we would not have minded if the elementary school years just kept going. However, this next step certainly meant she was growing up.
This threesome have been a part of each other's lives since kindergarten. And what makes it more incredible is that the only year she was in class with one of the Preston twins was kindergarten when she and Kennedy both had Mrs. Bradley. There obviously was a connection that continuously pulled them together no matter what else was going on in their respective lives.
The folks at Cassidy did a great job of setting up numerous backgrounds for parent photo ops. We couldn't resist capturing one with Eli Powell, who has also been a constant in Callie's world even before elementary school. And although they will be going to separate middle schools, we feel lucky that they have church events to feed their relationship in the years to come.
We can honestly say that every single staff and faculty member at Cassidy made a positive impact in Callie's life. We can remember numerous times that Callie would come home and talk about Mr. Chandler, the head custodian. As you can see in this picture, Mr. Chandler is a Georgia fan and loved to spar with all the loyal kids of the Big Blue Nation who ran through his halls. And he never had anything but kind words about both Callie and Reese, which certainly gives him a special place in our hearts.
The promotion ceremony was over but the party had just begun. The next stop was the Rosenthal house for some food, fun, and a precious video slide that included pictures gathered from the different families for each one of the girls. It was a great way to have a more intimate recognition of all of the girls.
But of course it didn't stop there, and the entire 5th grade class was invited to go to a local club pool for a couple of hours. The weather cooperated with us and the sun was out long enough for everyone to get enough pool time. One of the best end of year moments was when the entire grade got shoulder to shoulder on the side of the pool and jumped in together - almost the perfect metaphor for their jump into middle school.
Needless to say, the big day and all of the moments leading up to it put even an 11-year-old to the test. For the record, this picture was taken at 5:30pm. You have to get your rest for what's to come, Callie!
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