Evendays

Yes, here she is, the beautiful blonde in the middle, in a dress (YES, in a DRESS!) thrilled after having her High School diploma.

She’s a gem and we’re proud of her, for more reasons than I can tell you in just 200 words. 

On Tuesday evening, Wife, Daughter and I were heading home from the Marseilles Chorale concert in Geneva when the 10:30 PM news came on the radio. The reporter announced the arrest earlier in the day of a senior from Daughter’s High School at Daughter’s High School. The young man was pocketing a loaded pistol, along with two extra, full magazines. In his backpack left in his Home Room were extra munitions. Immediately we asked Daughter why she had said nothing. She said that they had known something was up, but that when teachers came by to explain later, they said the student had wanted only to take his own life. They did not mention that he was fully equipped to kill himself many times over. So the thing had slipped her mind.

Daughter said yesterday was a media circus. Barriers were put up to separate students from press. Reporters would interview any student who had anything to say. Rumors flew.

Wife and I could do but one thing: Thank our Lord for the protection of all the students. Praise to him for a brave teacher who kept the student talking. And gratefulness to the Father for the police who got it all right, and fast.

Daughter did a great job defending her Senior paper on materials used in the Abiocor® replacement heart. We were a small crowd but she kept us on the edge of our seats with clear explanations and a super overhead presentation. Her guiding instructor was very much with her every minute of the presentation, but the “outside expert” played the devil’s advocate asking some tough questions (and several that were off subject) but Daughter took a deep breath, brushed back her hair, and gave a logical and clear defense of her 30 page paper.

I had the camera ready for the moment, then realized that the thing won’t function WITHOUT BATTERIES. My heart failed me.

Now we wait for the results… Hearts racing, of course.
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I leave for Burundi tonight. We covet your prayers. I may be able to post once or twice, so don’t give up on Evendays.

In the first year of Swiss high school, those who continue on to college get assigned a class according to their “major”. As you regular Evendays readers know, about 25% of high school students actually go on to college, and those folks must chose an emphasis early on. (sciences, humanities, languages, economics, etc.) In tenth grade, Daughter was assigned a class in the math-physics division with 17 boys and 3 girls.

As a senior, the class makes their Senior trip. I imagine the goal, years ago, was to educate students, visit museums and learn hands-on about stuff they’d been studying in class. Son 1 and 2 both went to Italy and visited volcanoes and ancient cities. Daughter and her class went to Marrakech, Morocco, during Ramadan.

She enjoyed the spices and a trip to the beach and being with friends. Much more difficult were the constant buzzing of peddlers and the uncomfortable-ness of eating lunch when Muslim Moroccans were fasting. (She said she learned to “skip” lunch out of respect for the locals…) She got back on Saturday night, loaded with spices for couscous, a bag of tea and coffee… Happy to be home and sleep in her own bed.

It was a big day at the Evenday’s household yesterday. Son 2 graduated from Beaulieu High School and received the award for best student for the option Math-Physics, a prize that not only honors him, but also puts $250.00 cash into his pocket.

We got to talk to his principal and a couple of his teachers. They spoke of his character and his positive influence on his classmates. We are very proud of him!

Tonight we will celebrate at our place with 20 of his classmates along with half a dozen of his teachers. Beaulieu High School has been good to all of our kids, and for that we are thankful.

Son 2 will leave for Marseilles, France on September 15 in order to follow the spiritual internship that Son 1 received in 2005-2006. After, Lord willing, he’ll start university at Harding, which has offered him a huge, four-year scholarship.

Congratulations, Smiley. We love you. You are a wonderful blessing to our lives. We’re already missing you… 

The latest student report from our household:

Daughter will pass her junior year in high school with great grades. She’s been out of school for almost a week. She’ll have two friends over from Geneva this week, then she’s off to Marseille for a week with a buddy from Lausanne to do the mini-spiritual internship there.

Son 2 is in the middle of his finals to get out of high school. He’s done very well. Did I tell you he got 1560 on his math-English SAT scores? (He takes after his aunt…) He’ll have some time off before serving as a counselor at the two-week long kids’ camp. Then he’ll do the year-long spiritual internship in Marseille starting mid-September.

Son 1 begins his exams on Thursday. He has worked very hard, and is working hard, preparing for these exams and the ones at the end of August. Only 30 of the 150 students will be allowed to continue into second year. He won’t have much of a break this summer… A sincere “poor guy” escapes my lips. Really.

Of course, our futures are in God’s hands. Bless his name!

(My mistake. It was 1540, not 1560. My math scores weren’t that good.)