PERMIT ME TO KVELL...

Cory's graduating from 6th grade in a couple of weeks. Now, when I was a kid, 6th grade graduation was fairly meaningless, because we knew we'd see exactly the same kids the following year at junior high.

But in the world of private school, 6th grade is a huge deal. Not so much because we need to celebrate the outstanding accomplishment of learning to divide fractions, but because many of these kids, who've known each other for seven years, will not see each other again. In Cory's class, 40 kids are going to 12 different schools, many going to schools where they know no one, or at best, 1 or 2 others.

So when the call went out for kids to submit essays to be read as graduation speeches, I recognized that this was a potentially significant moment in a kid's life, and I encouraged Cory to write a speech.

He wasn't interested at first. After all, the call for essays (besides using that life-draining word "essay" rather than the more invigorating word "speech") suggested they focus on the school's Code of Conduct, or on special memories of the past years. Aren't you falling asleep just thinking about what those speeches could sound like?

Cory, it turned out, was only interested in writing a speech if it could be funny. So we brainstormed and came up with a concept: He would write a speech in the voice of a local health official warning people about a strange new disease or syndrome showing up in northern Santa Monica... "Code of Conduct Syndrome."

He did a great job. ("Could you be infected? Watch for these warning signs: Do you find yourself taking responsibility for your actions? Tucking in your shirt without being asked"... etc.) But given the rather solemn nature of our school at times, we knew the chances of a funny speech (excuse me, "essay") being picked were slim.

But they picked him! Apparently one of the administrators in particular just fell in love with his essay, and they decided it was okay to be funny. Clever, even.

It's a little thing, I know. But Cory has sometimes had rocky times at school, and has gone through a lot of uncertainty in these past few months regarding where he would go for middle school, which has been rough on him. So to be singled out as graduation speaker is a pretty cool thing. And we are proud of him.

Thank you for allowing me this moment to kvell.