2023
2023: A Year of Quiet Growth Part 1 Seeds Sown in Stillness I remember when my sister first got accepted into APAAS in early May . We got a letter, my parents played with her a little and told her it was a letter from Mr. Stonebarger, the Turtle Rock Elementary School principle, because she was in a lot of trouble. 6 years ago, they used that exact same trick with me, when I got my letter too. She walked upstairs, and read the letter, all of us watching from outside, with our knowing smiles. Her delayed reaction surprised me a little, but her understanding of what the letter meant posed a question for us all. She was accepted at Westpark Elementary School, not at Turtle Rock. Going into 5th grade the following year, with two more years left in elementary school, did she really want to switch to a new school, with a different schedule, and leave behind her friends and teachers? Her two weeks of contemplation left me wondering what her decision would be. The mind of a 10-year-old is so u