Decisions

So, GraceAnne will be attending Portledge School for her freshman year. Seems like a great fit for her and a wonderful opportunity.

Making a decision on high school was not easy... that's an understatement, making a decision on high school was not easy at all. Grace is leaving a lot of good friends in Glen Cove. They also have a new girl's varsity coach who is a very nice guy as well as an extremely competent and experienced coach. Once a couple of opportunities presented themselves, the quality of the academics and individualized attention she would receive became the deciding factors.

The process of finding a private high school began tepidly last October. Grace expressed an interest around that time and I didn't take it too seriously. I really wasn't into it. Her mother had her take the catholic school test and attend open houses at several of the nearby private catholic high schools, due diligence... not knowing if it would go anywhere, what the process would be like or, if we could afford private high school. Turns out she did really well on the test and that, combined with her high academic scores/record, community involvement and basketball ability, was attractive to several schools. Still didn't take it too seriously, seemed out of reach. We still weren't sure, as a family, what we were going to do.

Turns out Grace had some idea of what she wanted to do all along. She wanted to play with her buddy Grace Stone at Long Island Lutheran. Best girls basketball program on Long Island and class A New York State Champions last year. I wasn't sure she was a good enough player but she had already decided she was. GraceAnne had been going to games, tournaments, had worked with Coach Slater in camps and clinics. She had fallen in love with the program and the Coach. At The Rose Classic Coach Slater had her sit on the bench with the team and later called to tell me she would be welcomed as part of the LuHi family if that was what we wanted. Great opportunity. I was kind of stunned. We still weren't sure, as a family, what we were going to do.

In the mean time, Grace started getting scholarship offers from the Catholic schools, some pretty generous ones. For the first time I took it kind of seriously, we starting thinking "wait, maybe we can actually do this?" so, we began looking into financial aid. We also attended an open house at LuHi and had Grace take the entrance exam knowing that financially it was well beyond our reach. I went to public school, Remi went to public school, my son Blake is doing very well in public school, I'm paying taxes for public school. We still weren't sure, as a family, what we were going to do.

Grace had been working out at Pro-Hoops for a couple months with several of the St Mary's varsity players, Jordan, MeiLynn, LuLu, Taylor and McKayla. She started going to St Mary's games. Great up and coming team. This was fine by me since of the three schools that had made offers St Mary's made the most attractive one. Grace shadows McKayla at St Mary's, loves it. Now, turns out Grace did well enough on the LuHi entrance exam to get a small but very helpful academic scholarship... things are getting complicated. St Mary's has a time constraint on their offer. If we can get enough financial aid maybe we can now get close on Grace's LuHi dream. Now I'm really starting to think public school is fine by me. Grace is doing really well academically, she had a great math teacher, she's starting on varsity as an eighth grader and playing well, Corrine is coaching and getting the most out of the girls, team makes the playoffs for the first time in forever. We still weren't sure, as a family, what we were going to do.

The roof blows off the house.... crazy, I know. The roof blows off the house in a windstorm during the night, Sandy had damaged it and the next big storm whoosh! and.... new driver slams brakes, I crash my car while taking Grace to a training session. Unexpected expenses, the unforeseen, the kind of thing that makes me crazy nervous about over extending my family's meager finances on things like, oh, I don't know... private school? We are a very happy little family and I consider myself rich in many, much more meaningful ways but monetarily... not so much. Public school is looking pretty good. Grace is nominated for and receives all conference honors. Hey! She's a pretty good basketball player! The admissions officer at Long Island Lutheran talks me off of my roof, literally.... we get enough financial aid from LuHi to get us close... pretty close.... it's going to be a stretch with a lot of sacrifices. Do we really want to do this? The other offer is better but... Grace wants to play for Coach Slater.... I'm told the academics are better.... we love the campus and the atmosphere.... her buddy Stone is there... we enroll GraceAnne at Long Island Lutheran for her freshman year. Glad that's over with.

Wait! A man walks into a gym... sounds like the beginning of a joke right? A man walks into a gym, a parent of a Portledge student, sees Grace training, has seen her working out before, he owns the gym, remembers the family, starts chatting about Portledge. Maybe this would be a good fit for your daughter? Maybe. We already have her situated where she wants to be. Done deal. I will follow up. I really should follow up... great school. Very expensive, look at the website, great school.... $30,000 a year!!! Holy smokes! Nothing will come of this... great school though. Well, I said I'd follow-up so.... A phone call, a meeting, GraceAnne visits, Tamara Simpson walks the family around campus, poised, confident, beautiful campus, nice people, friendly, helpful, the birds are singing, the sun is shining. LuHi tuition is due Monday, it's Friday, Portledge puts a package together.... wait, you've got to be kidding me! This will actually work. I call Rich Slater. I could write an entire post about my conversation with Coach Slater. I will just say that on that day, in that moment Coach Slater was what is good and right about this world, integrity, honesty.... he truly stepped up, gave me both time and consideration and talked me through an extremely difficult decision with GraceAnne's welfare being his primary if not his only priority. Once again, we weren't sure, as a family, what we were going to do. But.... this time we had about an hour to make the decision or we were going to be in a hole too deep to get out of. So, what had taken six or seven months of waffling and indecision to incubate takes a week to come to a head..... and we have an hour to decide.

I know, long rambling post but, its form and structure serves as a metaphor for the process we went through. I'll never forget being talked off that roof by Barbara Ward. I'll never forget that conversation with Coach Slater who so obviously wanted what was best for my daughter and family. To all families that have to make similar decisions, best of luck to you! All you can do is your best, open windows of opportunity for your kid and the rest is up to her.

These are good problems to have. Great problems to have, we feel very fortunate to have such "problems". Stressful process but Grace has worked hard and is doing something she loves.... and getting some benefits for all her hard work. If nothing else she has learned that hard work can open doors for you. Lots more hard work ahead.

Grace will do well at Portledge..... Grace will do well.