Christmas Party

Hey!

Hope everyone's doing well. Here's the info for the Christmas party from Mrs. Hoover!!

It's going to be on Saturday, December 30th, at the Emelio's house. The time is from 6:30-10 p.m. Parents are welcome, but due to space, we don't have room for siblings to attend. Guys, please bring a dessert, and g i r l s bring appetizers.

Also, come ready to make a decision on your grad speaker - we've got to get this one resolved pretty soon!

RSVP here. And spread the word around for those who don't check this much anymore... make sure they get on and let us know if they can come!

Mrs. Hoover

Next Event

Hi all. Welcome back from Thanksgiving break. I just figured we'd get a head start on our next event and come up with a few ideas now. Some previously suggested ideas were doing a big dinner or swing dancing.

Movie Night

Okay everyone, Taylor has proposed having a movie night at his house this Friday the 17th at 7:30 (for you Godspell people, rehearsal ends at 5:30). So who would be able to come to that? What movie would everyone like to watch? We could watch an action movie, a comedy, a war movie, a fantasy movie...it's up to you guys. Let's throw some movies into the ring.

By the way, Ice Age 2 is out on video now...just a thought.

Corn Maze and Future Events

Well guys, it looks like going to a corn maze isn't going to happen. Apparently, all the corn mazes in the area have already closed down for the winter. So... what are some other good ideas of events we can do? There was some talk earlier about a movie night. In addition, it would be great to hear what times would work best for you.

If your wondering what I'm doing on here, I've volunteered to coordinate activities for the class. I'm thinking we should do something at least every two months. Also, if we could get an event planning team of maybe three or four people that would be great. Responsibility will most likely be pretty small and would vary depending on the event.
- Jimmy

A new speaker...

Okay guys, we're back to soliciting your ideas about your graduation speaker. We'd like everyone to post again regarding your top choices for speaker. We definitely will need to get on this as soon as we're able. Looking forward to seeing your choices! Mrs. Hoover

Don't forget, some potential choices could include Mark Dever, Al Mohler, John Piper, Chip Grange, Bob Donahue, or Mark Altrogee; here's a rule of thumb, though: in your list, feel free to reach for the stars (i.e Al Mohler) but give at least one that's not quite so lofty (i.e. Mark Altrogee).

Class Rings

Hey guys, just a question to throw out to you: who would be interested in getting class rings? (I'm asking for my mom, so I have no idea what it would involve, but in theory, wouldy you like to have class rings?)

Let me clarify: a class ring is a special ring that the entire class would get at graduation that would have our class on it (think a Super Bowl ring). It's just a memento that we could have.

More about Broadway (Mary Poppins!)

First, just so everyone knows, nothing is set in stone yet. We may or may not be going to New York or Broadway, this is purely conjectural at this point.

So, having done some topical research, I have determined that all the shows we are interested in are around $110 for a ticket. If we have a group of 15 or more, though, we can get a major discount. So, here are the shows that are still in contention (in no particular order):

• Beauty and the Beast
• The Lion King
• Wicked

It seems that, by popular vote, no one wants to go to Tarzan, and I just found out that Fiddler on the Roof is leaving Broadway in November.

However, I have also just found out that Mary Poppins will be debuting in November, and it looks really good as well. So that's another show that could be a possibility.

Also, for all of you who want to go see The Lion King, I must warn you that there is one part that has some very sensual dancing in outfits that make the dancers look almost nude. The part is only about two or three minutes long, but it is a problem, and might mean that we won't be able to go see it.

Finally, for anyone with concerns about Wicked, I have talked with several people who have seen it and they have told me that it is completely clean, and does not portray good as evil and evil as good, as the title might suggest. Instead, it merely states that the story has been mistold for generations, and the Wicked Witch was actually the good character. If anyone has Mr. Cairns' email address, he has seen it and I would like to get his opinion on it.

So these are all things to keep in mind as we're considering which show we'd like to see (and remember, it's all hypothetical at this point).

Broadway

Hey everyone,

So if we end up going to New York, we'll probably be going to see a Broadway show. And if we got to see a Broadway show, we'll have to buy the tickets extremely far in advance. So here's my question to you: what show would you like to see? Here are the ones that I'm aware of that will be playing in April/May/June (when we'll be taking the trip) that we could actually go see:

• The Phantom of the Opera
• Fiddler on the Roof
• The Lion King
• Beauty and the Beast
• Tarzan

Les Miserables will be coming back to Broadway for a six-month run, but the run ends in March, so we wouldn't be able to see it.

And for all of you people who can't believe I just put Beauty and the Beast on that list, let me add that, like Lion King, it is one of those shows that loses it's childish stigma when it enters the Broadway stage and is supposed to be absolutely fabulous. If I missed any shows that are viable options, mention them in the comments.

What would you like to see?

Senior Pics Are In!

Hey Everyone - Janelle has delivered the senior pictures. I will have them tomorrow night with me at the 10:31 meeting. Look for me in the church lobby. Bryce will have them Sunday at church if you can't catch up with us Saturday night. After that, you can call and arrange to pick them up from our home. - Mrs. Hoover

Oops, I guess we need to vote YET AGAIN

Well, it turns out that my mom and I had a misunderstanding when I posted the choices, so I left out the most important one. So here are the new choices, please recast your vote again according to these new choices.

#1: Gold for everyone

#2: Black for the guys, white for the girls

#3: A special mixed black-and-white tassel for everyone (this is where the misunderstanding came from)

So please recast your vote one more time, please. (By the way, gold was the winner last time by a vote of 10-8)

Tassel vote, UPDATED

My mom realized that she didn't provide as many choices as were available. So here are the updated choices (the only real goal is to have all the boys pick a color and all the girls pick a color):

#1: Gold tassels for everybody

#2: Gold tassels for the boys, white tassels for the girls

#3: Black tassels for the boys, gold tassels for the girls

#4: Black tassels for the boys, white tassels for the girls

#5: White tassels for the boys, black tassels for the girls

So please recast your vote according to these choices. Thanks!

Homeschool Diploma Link

Hey everyone, here is the link where you can pick up your diplomas, invitations, and other graduation-type materials. The link is actually specifically for our group, too. Comment if you have any questions, and my mom will try and answer.

http://www.homeschooldiploma.com/groups/clc.fsp.htm

inappropriate comment...

Hi guys,

Last night someone put a very concerning comment on the Speaker post, so I have blocked all commenting temporarily. We are probably going to send an invite to everyone so that only team members can comment, not anonymous users.

Stay posted, we should have it back up fairly soon.

-St3ph

Official Speaker Votes

Okay everyone, please post with your name and just your speaker choice (please, no additional comments). Let's try to get some concensus going here on who you would want to speak at your graduation. Some great names have been mentioned since Mr. Mahaney isn't available, and the likelihood of Al Mohler and John Piper coming in is sketchy at best. Here's who some of you are nominating: Steve Shank, Dave Harvey, Mark Altrogge, Mr. Veith (Sam's favorite choice), & Bob Donohue. Anyone else? Give compelling reasons. Let's try to hear from as many of you as possible....and the sooner the better!

Mrs. H.

Mr. Mahaney is out :-(

Hi Everyone,

I've got a couple of items I need to let you know about:

1) I've been in touch with Mr. Mahaney's office with the invitation to speak at the graduation. I figured I'd better ask sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, he has had to decline, but he was very honored to be asked.

2) While you all are discussing the senior trip, I need to let you know that the final decision to even take a trip is with all the parents. The parents will need to discuss the whole idea before a final decision is made.

Lots of Miscellaneous Stuff

Okay everyone, several items here:

1) It looks like Mr. Mahaney and Al Mohler, with John Piper in third place, are your top picks for grad speaker. We'll let you post your comments on this up till the October 8th meeting and then we'll start with your top choice and go from there. I was telling your parents at the senior picnic that we are working with a budget, most of which will need to go towards your reception food. We are looking at planning a reception for 400-500 people. If Al Mohler or John Piper accepts, we'll have to find a way to fly him in here and pay for hotel/meals, etc. (Sorry, the practical details do have a way of altering plans!) I've already checked with the church office to see if they have anyone coming into town the weekend of your graduation. They haven't planned that far out yet. And if Mr. Mahaney remains your top choice, we'll certainly approach him first. Keep posting your ideas. After the holidays, we'll start posting our questions asking for food preferences for your reception so we can begin the work of pricing that out, but don't post yet about your food preferences. Plenty of time for that later! Right now, our focus is speaker, white/black gowns/senior trip.

2) Janelle has asked for a little more time to complete your discs from the senior pictures. You all will be receiving a disc with approximately 450 pictures on it. She's done quite a bit of work for very little money, so be sure and thank her when you see her!

3) Shoes for graduation - That may be one of the decisions the parents make. The type of shoe you wear can diminish a ceremony meant to be dignified, so I'll be asking the parents for their input on this one.

4) It looks like the votes are in for the girls to wear white. One of our fall deadlines will be to measure and order your caps/gowns, so that decision has to be final by October 8th. Keep posting on this one girls.

5) Just to let you know that Mrs. Poelma is doing the research for your senior trip to NY. So, what would you like to see there? Lion King is running on Broadway (Drew Jones said it was fantastic). Start posting your ideas. (She has been checking into hotel accommodations in New Jersey to save $$$, so you can do other things.) Parents, any thoughts as well on this?

6) Do you all want to do any fundraising to pay for your trip or outside speaker's expenses? Post ideas, but we'll leave the initiative and work of that up to you all. Someone will have to step up to the plate on this one. I do know that Brewster's Ice Cream (on 355) and Krispy Kreme Donuts Shoppe do offer fundraising ideas you could look into. Can't miss with ice cream and donuts! You could sell them at all the sports games this season! Or, I think Krispy Kreme sells gift certificates you can buy and give as gifts, but you can make $$$ on the sale of the gift certificate.

And kudos to Mrs. Hartnett for being the first brave MOM to post! Seniors - this blog is also for your parents' feedback as well, so we want their ideas too.

Thanks for making the blog so interesting to read! And Taylor, try to stay away from fashion statements, okay?!
Mrs. Hoover

Picture People

Hi All - Just wondering who the photographers are among you. I know that Taylor, Lauren, Lydia, and Kristen all take pictures. Anyone else good with a camera? I'm asking because I want to make sure that lots of events get coverage this year: team sports, beginning with the girls varsity volleyball team and varsity soccer teams, then the basketball teams, golf and baseball teams. I'm trying to think ahead to events we would want pictures for. Here's what I've come with so far: team sports throughout the year, Harvest Party, 10:31 banquet, senior trip, caregroups, and any other times you all get together to hang out. Is there any event I'm forgetting here?

Could you post if you'd be willing to take pictures and of what event? If you'd be willing to make a disc of pictures and turn it over to Michael Hartnett for your slide show,that would be great.Thanks for your help on this!

Hey, would you all like a big group picture at the Banquet? Let me know so we can arrange for that.- Mrs. Hoover

Senior Pics

Hey Seniors - I wanted to give you a quick answer to the question about getting your senior picture disc from Janelle. She'll need some time to convert the pictures, so you'll have both black/white and color pictures on your disc, plus the class picture, plus all the candid and group shots. Then she's individualizing each disc for you, and creating two masters, one for the slide show and one for the seniors doing the graduation booklet. She'll turn all the discs over to me, and I'll notify you all when they come in. We can then work something out for you to get your disc. Hope that helps! - Mrs. Hoover

Graduation speaker Part 2

Hey Everyone - Mrs. Hoover here. You're all giving some great suggestions for graduation speakers. Continue to let us know your top choices and why. To answer Taylor's question about schedule - he's right. Mr. Mahaney's schedule may not allow him to speak. That's why we need to know your top 3 choices by our October 8th meeting. Once we've solidified the top 3 (and we may need to go on to 4,5,6,etc. depending on speaker availability) we'll contact the top choice. Hopefully, an 8-month advance notice will serve their schedules but previous graduating classes have let me know that even that is not enough notice and they are already booked. And don't forget to pray and ask the Lord to give us the right person for this special event!

Also, just to clarify, anyone who does not identify themselves in a comment will be automatically deleted.

Rules about posting

Okay guys, I guess we need to establish a few ground rules about commenting. Here they are:

1) Always identify yourself in the comment. We'd prefer that your actual username reflected that (i.e. Sam B., Katie V., Jimmy S., etc.), but if you refuse to change the name (i.e. Steph) please sign your name to the bottom of the comment.

2) We would like to ask that only seniors and their parents comment on the blog. Whoever Purple Monkey is, we appreciate the fact that you're interested in this, but this really is the senior's blog, and is for getting information out to the seniors and getting feedback from the seniors.

3) On a related note, try to keep the discussions at least partially serious. Humor is great, but this blog is meant for a practical purpose, and it needs to serve that purpose. So try and help us out by keeping the discussion on topic.

Thanks everybody for participating and embracing this whole blog idea! And make sure you continue to leave your comments on the below post, since we still need a lot of people's votes.

Graduation Speaker

Okay guys, we talked about this at the meeting, so here's what we'd like you to tell us:

• Give us your three choices for your graduation speaker and why.
• Should we do a senior trip or several special activities throughout the year? Whichever you choose, give us your ideas for trips and/or activities.
• Do the girls want white or black graduation gowns? (sorry guys, you all get black, hope you're not disappointed)

Welcome!

Welcome Parents/Seniors of the FSP Graduating Class of 2007!  This is your blog and during the course of the next ten months, we’ll need your input, ideas and suggestions as we plan for your graduation.  

The purpose of this blog is to provide an avenue for communicating announcements, deadlines and information about your graduation.  Also, we’ll be soliciting your opinion on preferences you might have regarding certain aspects of the actual ceremony/reception.  Rather than clogging everyone’s e-mail boxes with this sort of information, we thought the blog would be the best way to go, especially since you’ll be able to see what everyone else is saying too.  

For the parents:  The blog will be our primary means of communicating with you regarding necessary information and deadlines.  Please make sure you’re aware of what is being posted.  

For the students:  Keep a lookout for the posts where we need your input, ideas and suggestions!  For some decisions you’ll be making regarding your graduation, we will be tallying up the responses and going with what the majority of you are saying, so it’s important we have your input.  

For parents/seniors:  Please ensure that this blog does not become a chat room.  Responses to preference questions or serving slots we need to fill should be limited to that.  

The FSP graduating class of 2007 is the largest ever – 30!  A parent administrative team has been formed that will oversee all aspects of the graduation and reception.  We will need our seniors to help with some administrative tasks, set up, decorating, food preparation, and creative ideas for the slide show, program and possible yearbook.  We’ll also need the help of every parent of a graduating senior!  That’s why we need you to keep on top of the blog and make sure you’re aware of what’s being posted.

We’ll be getting some initial information out to you through the blog regarding an upcoming senior picnic, senior pictures, and our first deadline in the fall:  measuring for caps/gowns.

Our thanks to Stephy for creating the blog for us!  

Rita Hoover, Tracy Branchaw, Clara Boisvert and Michelle Emelio
Your graduating class administrative team