The Night of the Kid

Tuesday night, MBA held a graduation ceremony for the eighth grade class.    

It was a night to celebrate the successful completion of two challenging, yet rewarding, years of middle school for the eighth grade boys.  A night to congratulate the boys and allow them a chance to hear their name called, walk across the stage, and accept a certificate that marked the end of middle school at MBA. An ending and a beginning, as high school looms across the summer divide.  

It was also the night of the Kid.

JP has worked so hard the past two years.  Every night, without fail, he came home from whatever sport he had been practicing or from a game - cross country, soccer, basketball, and baseball - took a shower, and started studying upstairs in his room.  He took a break for dinner, then he studied until almost bedtime.  Another break - 30 minutes or so - to watch a game with me on television, then off to bed.  Every single school night.

On weekends, he had a bit of free time.  Still, he missed most of Joe's basketball and baseball games, because he stayed home and studied.  He skipped Belmont basketball games, sometimes, to study in "the Grind House" (the name he gave his room in the beginning of seventh grade).

Never once in two years, through all of seventh and eighth grade, did Jude or I have to remind JP to study or check in to see if he was on top of things from an academic standpoint.  He did the work.  He prepared. He studied.  He completed his projects.  He grinded because that's what JP does.

He was on the privilege list every quarter of seventh and eighth grade, which is reserved for boys who have an A average across all of their classes.  Those boys get a little more freedom during the school day to study in different places and roam the campus a bit.  JP's final report card for his eighth grade year was stellar, as he finished with all A's for the year.  No small feat, to be sure.

I won't recount his athletic exploits in this post because I've written about them in this space many times before.  Suffice to say he's worked hard to get better at all of the sports he's played at MBA and he's contributed to every team on which he's played.  JP burns with a competitive desire that's unique.  He wants to get better and he wants every team he plays on to succeed.  This year, by necessity, he's been a leader on his teams, and that's not necessarily something that comes easily or naturally for JP.  

As Jude, Joe, and I sat together under the trees and out of the late evening sunshine Tuesday evening, what I mostly felt was pride and gratitude.  Pride in how hard JP had worked the past two years and in the example he had set for Joe.  Gratitude for my family and for the fact JP has the opportunity to go to school at MBA and be a part of the MBA community.  It's the perfect place for him, really.

As per tradition, before the eighth graders are recognized individually for graduating from the Junior School, a variety of awards are given out to seventh and eighth graders.  Everything from Presidential Fitness awards and citizenship awards to various academic awards.  A lot of awards.  When a boy's name is called, he walks up front, is recognized, and receives his award as the spectators and his classmates. applaud.

Although he never told us it was the case, JP really wanted to receive the award for Eighth Grade Athlete of the Year.  Joe wanted him to receive it more than anyone because he is JP's biggest fan and number one supporter.  As I've always said, JP is Joe's superhero.  More than anyone, Joe wants everyone to know how great JP is.  It's a special relationship, to be sure, that the two of them have as brothers.  

Driving over together to the event, I reminded Joe that in our family, we don't work hard to get awards.  We work hard to get better, academically and athletically, and the reward is in the journey not the outcome.  I also reminded him that in my view, it's difficult for a seventh or eighth grader to be the best athlete at MBA if he doesn't play football which, of course, is the bell cow of sports at MBA.

Still, when it came time to announce the best athlete awards, the three of us leaned forward slightly, almost imperceptibly.  I surprised myself a little bit with how badly I wanted JP to be awarded the Best Athlete for Eighth Grade.  I wanted it not for myself but for him, because I know how hard he worked, how much he cared about winning and making the teams he played on better, and how hard he took his teams' losses.  

When the announcement was made - "JP Newman" - Joe grinned widely, started clapping, then fist bumped Jude and me.  Jude and audibly sighed in relief, as JP walked up to get his award.  A couple of friends of mine with boys in JP's class immediately texted me congratulations.  Gavin O'Hare, sitting a couple of rows in front of me, turned around with a grin on his face and fist bumped me.  He was as happy for JP as I was, which meant a great deal to me.  

For us, the night was complete.  Except that it wasn't over.  Not yet.  What happened a few minutes later was something I will remember for the rest of my life. 

To close out the evening, Brad Gioia, the longtime retiring head of school at MBA, walked to the podium to announce the winner of the Best Boy of the Seventh Grade and the most important award of the night, the Walter Noel, Jr. Outstanding Boy of the Junior School.  

JP's baseball teammate, Will Brock, was named the Best Boy of the Seventh Grade.  His dad is a teacher and assistant football coach at MBA and one of JP's favorite teacher.  Will is a great kid, so we were pleased to see him get the award.

Next, Mr. Gioia began a long description of the winner of the Walter Noel, Jr. Outstanding Boy of the Junior School, the suspense building.  He described a boy whose hard work in all of his classes set and example for his classmates.  He described a boy whose humility, friendliness, and quiet sense of humor made all of his classmates feel comfortable around him.  He described a boy who competed like no other on the athletic fields in a variety of sports and who, according to his coaches, "was the very soul of every team he played on."  

Tears came to my eyes when Mr. Gioia said, "MBA is a better place for having this boy here.  The winner of the Walter Noel, Jr. Outstanding Boy of the Junior School is . . . JP Newman."  In fact, tears come to my eyes as I write this on Sunday morning sitting in Dose having coffee.  

Jude and I were stunned.  She teared up and Joe cheered.  My cell phone exploded with text messages, again, from friends who were there and I just shook my head and smiled.  I watched in a state of disbelie as JP walked up to receive the award and shake Mr. Gioia's hand.  

As a father, I've watched JP grow up.  I've seen him take over a soccer game against his USN classmates in third or fourth grade and will his team to victory with a second half performance that remains one of my favorite sports memories.  I've seen him strike out batters to end games.  I was on the field when he won a state championship in baseball at age 11 and was name to the all tournament team.  I've seen him win cross country race after race.  

I've also seen him fail, then pick himself up to try again.  I saw him take too big of a turn around second base in an all-star game in Bellevue and get picked off to end the game - and the tournament for his team - when the centerfielder threw behind him.  I've seen him get out kicked by his eighth grade teammate, Cade, at the end of the HVAC cross country championship in his seventh grade year.  I've seen him in tears when as he struggled to figure out how to lead the basketball team and get the most out of himself, and his teammates, during a tough stretch of games.   

I've seen all of that and more.  

Watching JP receive the Walter Noel, Jr. Award, though, was probably my proudest moment as his father.  

I called Jon Meade on the drive home.  I wanted him to know about the awards that JP had received and, more importantly, I wanted him to know that I felt Carley's presence there with us.  I also wanted him to know that all of the time Carley spend with JP when she nannied for us and all that she taught JP about how to be curious, how to be friendly and kind, how to love life and love others - all of that was an important part of JP's accomplishments at MBA in the two years he has been there.  

I was emotional as Jon and I talked and he was, too.  It was a special moment.

Price and gratitude.  I still feel those emotions.  

What a night for JP.