high school

Children / high school / high school football / Life in Madison — 6 Comments
8
Feb 12

Musing on my baby’s signing day. Or, Life is just one big photo op.

Photo opportunities.

Moments in life you click away to leave on your phone and never download to disc only to be lost forever when you lose your phone because I never print out pictures anymore.

Hardly ever. But I’ll print one of these.

*   *   *

 

Two of my favorite men in the principal’s office.

 

We were to report at the school at 3 p.m. for pictures of Jake signing his scholarship to play football at Presbyterian College. Go Blue Hose.

Or Go Blue — for obvious reasons.

(Joke. I love the Blue Hose. I am a Blue Hose. Or mother of a Blue Hose.)

Deborah Pritchett in the front office was having a birthday. Or that was the reason she stated having a necklace of one dollar bills. You decide.

A bit before three, a hoard of sweaty boys approached the glass office windows.

 

The entire football team left weightlifting early to come and be a part of moment.

For us, it was like a wonderful surprise party and the boys got out of class 15 minutes early.

Win/win.

Then Fighting Morgan County Bulldog Head Football Coach Bill Malone ushered us into the hallway.

 

 

 

And Jake got to signing.

 

Good decision by me to wear hair in sensible bun.

Didn’t want hair falling down below my shoulders for picture in newspaper prompting comments like — why in the world wouldn’t a woman her age cut her hair? She’d look so much younger.

Yes, I look very sensible, stable mother-of-a-high-school-senior appropriate rather the crazed luny I am.

Group pic.

 

 

Joining Coach Malone for the photograph were Coach Huff, Defensive Coordinator and Coach Robbins, Offensive Coordinator.

And Principal Mark Wilson. The National High School Principal of the Year 2009 (For like all secondary school….one in 20,000). Big woo.

 

I wonder if he knows about the necklace of one dollar bills?

Seriously, from a mum’s viewpoint, it was a wonderful day.

I day I will print out the pictures — and frame them.

Thanks to Coach Malone and staff, Mark Wilson and crew. Can’t believe four years are coming to an end.

Have you survived a child’s senior year?  (And about how many pictures do you have?)

iPhone Photo Phun

high school / high school football / Life in Madison — No Comments
3
Sep 11

Musing on @MorganCoHS v. Clarkston High. Domination.

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That’s how things ended up last night at Bill Corry Stadium.

The Bulldogs dominated.

And I refuse to take all the credit…but I knew it was going to be a strong showing for the Bulldogs after I found myself parking in the same spot I did before last weekend’s win.

As I scurried through the gates, the team was on the verge of scoring their second TD.

I vowed to cover all aspects of the game (and not to sit as a potted plant). So I ventured forth with my camera and did some hard-nosed mom-with-a-blog journalism.

Bulldog Spirit.

The Dog Pound was in full swing. Any resemblance to Woodstock I am sure purely coincidental.

 

I saw these cute ninth graders and had to touch their legs. I wondered if they were wearing Spidey stockings. My reporting uncovered they were painted. I felt touching to be sure was appropriate as I am a mom-with-a-blog and not a man posing as a dad-with-a-blog.

The band had already worked up the crowd and a sweat.

I took this for Sutton's mama.

 

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I wondered who was keeping all these young musicians in good form?

One of my favorite people, Carolyn Smith. (Which was most convenient for I was looking for someone to bail me out at church on Sunday because I lost the book our class is studying. Found out last week, it’s hard to lead a discussion when you don’t have the book.)

She didn’t have book either.

Rats.

I said adieu and moved on with my camera in search of a story.

Waved at Jim Ross (red shirt) who holds the distinction of being my favorite pastor who was never actually my pastor.

Mystery of the Game?

With my reporting senses heightened, I noticed smoke coming from the right corner of the Dog Pound end zone.  Julie Speyer jumped on the case to help me get to the bottom of the smoke.

“

"I see someone tall. Andy Ainslie. They must be cooking something."

 

Indeed, it was Andy Ainslie and I think they were cooking something.

 

So there you have it.

*   *  *

Following in the footsteps of photo journalists who have covered worn-torn Bosnia and infiltrated hidden dens of terror along the streets of Kabul, I approached…

 

The Cannon.

I looked fear in the eyes and walked bravely through barricades….

 

 

I gazed upon the great firing beast known as “Bulldog Bark.”

As Fate would have it,

 

Morgan County scored.

 

Let the record reflect, I was not wearing protective ear coverings and still took this shot.

Play of the Game. 

There were many great plays and many touchdowns scored. In upmost journalistic integrity, I sifted them all through my vacant brain.

In the end, I have to say this interception by #46 and run was my Play of Game.

 

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He stopped short of the goal on the 2 yard line. In post game interview, #46 said the guy just got the angle on him.

That was my Play of the Game.

Of course, I’m just a mom-with-a-blog who gave birth to #46, 18 years ago this coming Wednesday.

 

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To start at 7 lbs 13 ozs, they grow rather large.

 

Picture of the Game.

After searching through reams and reams of game shots, I came to my decision.

 

Alas, I am not some coed with paint on my legs swayed by Steve Speyer’s transparent attempt to capture my eye and the honor.

The Picture of the Game goes to ….

 

Clark Sitzmann.

 

So there you have it. Another Friday night under the lights in Morgan County.

A huge victory for the Bulldogs.

Next week the Bulldogs travel just a hop-skip-and-a-jump over to Monticello.

See you there.

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The moon as I walked back to my car in my very lucky parking spot.

 

Any thoughts on this year’s Bulldogs?

high school / Life in Madison — 5 Comments
30
Aug 11

Today’s Muse. Channeling Mother. College Admission Night @MorganCoHs.

Last night Morgan County High School held a college information session for seniors and parents.

Good news is I remembered to be there.

That’s also the bad news.

But I pulled-on my big girl Romper Stompers and waded into the morass of college selection, admission testing, and counterfeiting bills smaller than 50 to somehow pay for all of this.

 *  *  *

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Pardon me, nice lady representing Georgia College. Could you e-mail the information to my mother? She’s terribly good at organizing things from weddings to cookie sheets.

I’m more of a student of life. I excel at parties, dancing and intramural sports.

Just ask her. She’ll confirm this.

*  *  *

Last night my college admission learning curve sky-rocketed.

I heard about specific schools in four breakout sessions (from 13 choices).

And I learned about a fabulous web site that can help even the most tremulous hiding-behind-her-mother’s-skirt mother — GA College 411.

It covers everything from financial aid, to finding a college and a career that’s a perfect match for your child.

There’s even a college planning timeline that starts in 7th grade. For seniors, it breaks down each month of this last year giving tips on what to do at each point in the process.

There are practice SAT and ACT questions.

They explain changes with the Hope Scholarship.  A useful tool can pull up your student’s transcript and configure how their GPA stands with Hope.

So there is no excuse for not being on top of your game when it comes to helping a child apply to schools.

 * * *

Even me.

Standing here with my Romper Stompers cinched up to my clavicle.

Any advice on how to navigate this process…in 6-inch plastic platforms?