School's Out for Summer

The Alice Cooper oldie but a goodie, School's Out, has been running through my head all day. That's because it's the last day of Summer Term. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to "having a proper lie in" (aka "sleeping in") for the next month and a half.
As it was the last day of term, it was also the Senior School Speech Day. This is sort of like graduation day, but the Upper Sixth Form students (aka "seniors") don't wear caps and gowns; the teachers do! And it's not so much the graduating kids who are honored but all of the Years' achievers. Each Year has an overall cup winner (each Year has a different named cup/award) and then an award is given for the highest achiever in each academic subject and sport.

I am about to brag about the stellar performances of every American child who goes to the Senior School. Firstly, every single American child was in the top ten of their Year (of about 70 kids per Year) in Maths. Most were in the top five, including Finn McCarter in Year 7 who won a Gold Certificate for achieving the best score for Year 7's on the Maths Challenge and third best score in Key Stage Three (KS3 = middle school)! Another American in Year 8 came in first overall so US kids were two of the three top spots in KS3. Awesome. Evan got a Bronze Certificate in Maths and was #6 in Year 10. Many American kids took away top achiever in a variety of subjects and three won overall cups. I should note that the prize is an actual trophy cup.

It was a sort of bittersweet day because the Headmaster was stepping down after nine years in his present position. The guest speaker was interesting. She was a confidante of Princess Diana's and ran Tiffany's of London for awhile, but is now an advocate for developmentally delayed children in the UK and Bulgaria.

Before Speech Day begins, the guests bring their own picnic lunch or pre-order a barbeque lunch from the school. Everyone sits on the lawn. It was just one of those British things. Oh, and there is a Pimm's tent run by the PTA. From Wikipedia: "Pimm's No. 1 Cup is based on gin and can be served both on ice or in cocktails. It has a dark tea colour with a reddish tint, and tastes subtly of spice and citrus fruit. It is often taken with 'English-style' (clear and carbonated) lemonade (aka Sprite - my addition), as well as various chopped fresh ingredients, particularly apples, oranges, lemons, strawberry and mint. Pimm's is also mixed with champagne (or a sparkling white wine), called a 'Pimm's Royal Cup'. It is 25% alcohol by volume." They also add cucumbers here which is why I think I am not a fan of Pimm's but most people enjoy it.

Craig and I ended the afternoon walking down to a nearby pub to wish one of his British colleagues bon voyage as he is moving to Colorado. We grabbed take away curry and burgers for the kids and headed home.