A Thirsty Jungle Gets It's First Rain

 Once the rain arrives, the jungle comes alive again.  Photos taken 3 weeks apart.

Trace Graduates Secundaria!

Well, that is a wrap!  Trace has completed "Secundaria".  Secundaria, the Mexico system, are grades 7-9.  I was figuring this out the other day.  Trace spent one year in the public system, 5 years with Escuela del Mundo and now has completed 5 years with Costa Verde.  As much as he complains about school he has always been an A student in most subjects and has always contributed positively in class.

Like his sister before him he will be working with the online highs school program called Laurel Springs for 10th grade beginning at the end of the summer.  Trace is very independent socially but also likes to run with friends at school so we are not sure how the online program will play out for him.  We shall see.

It seems like yesterday we were in the same beautiful location for Trace's graduation from "Primaria"  when he completed 6th grade just 3 years ago.  Since then so much of the world has had to go to school online or in some cases not even gone to school thanks to COVID.  We couldn't have imagined that would have happened to these kids in the last few years.  They have endured a lot and it is clear they have come out successfully on the other side of that mess.

Several of Trace's classmates have followed the same path the last 10 years and graduated the same evening so it was bitter sweet to see these families for perhaps the last time in a school setting.  From there the graduates will scatter.  Some will be online like Trace, some will attend private schools closer to Puerto Vallarta and some will attend "Prepa" the public high school right here in Sayulita.  Some may decide on a different path altogether.  Such are the way of things when these kids complete 9th grade.  

Both of the kids attending online programs next school year will allow for a lot more schedule flexibility. Opportunities to do some of the things we have been waiting to do like really travel will begin to open up as well.  As much as Ashley and I loved our HS experience we know that the kids attending online school will help the develop some skills that will carry over into whatever they decide to do after their high school years.  Pretty excited to see what the future holds for this family in the next year.