Geography Bee

Saturday, February 08, 2014

Geography Bee

Sometime in December Ammon was excited to tell me about a game he plays on the IPAD at school. If I remember correctly, it is called, "Stack the States". It was a geography game and he was loving it. I was excited about that because Santa had just been considering getting him a geography based game (non-electronic) and it was great to hear that he seemed to have an interest in that kind of thing.

In January Ammon came home from school every day for about a week telling us about the elimination rounds his class was having as they competed for the opportunity to represent their class in the school geography bee. Day after day Ammon was making the cut. And the more it went on, the more interrupted his sleep started to be. He was excited and NERVOUS. It was taking over his life. Finally it got down to the final two people. I think Andrew and I were at LEAST as nervous as Ammon was. We kept telling him that we were proud of him no matter what - just do his best. We were so worried that he would have a hard time dealing with it if he had gotten this far and then lost.

The morning of that final elimination he decided it was just too much pressure and that he just wanted to step aside and let his classmate take the spot. He was afraid of failure and wanted to just quit.

Andrew wouldn't hear of it and told him that he would do great and would win.

I nervously waited all day, not sure whether Ammon would come home happy or distraught. As it turned out, he marched home with a note informing me that he would be participating in the school geography bee the following Wednesday! He had won!!!

The date of the geography bee just happened to be on Andrew's day off, so that worked out beautifully. We were both able to go and cheer Ammon on.

He looked SOOO nervous! (All the kids did.) Ammon was the first contestant in the bee. He was the one who got things started! The several of the kids got out in the same round. Then another round of kids were eliminated. Ammon held on for a few more rounds past that. It got down to the last five, and then the last four.

Everyone was SOOO impressed that a 4th grader held on in the competition for so long and made it to 4th place. Ammon handled his loss REALLY well. We were happy to have him come sit with us and hold Laurie as we watched the rest of the competition.

After the geography bee was over, we went back to Ammon's classroom together. His classmates had made posters to cheer him on. Once we were in the classroom, he was invited to sit at the head of the class and hold Laurie. The other students were invited up one at a time to see his little sister.

While they were taking turns meeting the baby, Ammon's classmates also took turns raising their hands to compliment Ammon on how well he had done in the geography bee. Several of the students remarked on how classy he was and said things like, "Even though you loss, you walked away like a winner."

It was an awesome day for my AMAZING AMMON, thanks in large part to a really REALLY awesome teacher.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Family Proclamation

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.