Garden Path

Dear Lila,

When researching middle schools for you, I came across one called Garden School that sounded really good. We went to an information session and toured the school and came away thinking that it would be a great environment for you, so we started the application process last October. Daddy and I assumed we would just have to fill out an application with your basic info (name, date of birth, previous schools, etc.) and pay a deposit. But oh no, it is not that easy to get into Garden! As a prospective student, you were required to write four essays, interview with the admissions director, get letter of recommendations from your principal and two teachers AND take a merit exam. And as the parent of a prospective student, I had to write three essays myself! You worked so hard for months, writing and rewriting the essays (you even wrote an optional fifth essay on top of the mandatory four!), practicing for the interview and studying for the merit exam. Whenever you had free time, you worked on your essays and rehearsed your answers for three dozen possible interview questions that you might have to answer. You spent so much time on your Garden application that MuiMui often copied you, typing on a pretend laptop and telling us, "I working on my Garden School essay" or holding a piece of paper (like the one you had printed out interview questions and answers on) and saying to herself, "I want to go to Garden School because I want to go to Garden School." (Btw, that was not your rehearsed response to the question "Why do you want to attend Garden School?" but I don't think MuiMui could remember the actual one!")

We submitted your application in December and anxiously waited for today, when admissions decisions were announced. We were told decisions would be posted in the afternoon and it was the. Longest. Day. Ever. You told me that when you got off the bus today, you ran home as fast as you could and indeed, you burst through the door and asked me all out-of-breath, "Did I get in???" At that point, I hadn't heard anything yet. But at 4pm, I received an email with the subject line "Garden School Admissions Decision" and when I opened it, it said:

Dear Chan Family,

Good afternoon. I wanted to let you know that we are thrilled to offer admission to Lila for our Sixth Grade Program as a Merit Scholar!

OMG OMG OMG OMGEEEEEE!!!!!! You got in!!!!!! And you got a scholarship!!!!! I was so so so happy and excited for you but I had to play it cool because I wanted to wait until Daddy came home so that we could tell you the good news together! I told him to pick up flowers and your favorite sushi and earlier that day, MuiMui and I had cut up blue and white construction paper to make confetti in the Garden School colors.

After Daddy came home, we told you to sit on the couch and handed you a printout of your acceptance letter. We watched you read the letter--and then jump up exuberantly when you read that you had been accepted!!! Daddy threw the confetti (along with the small tin bucket it had been in, oops) and we started chanting, "Lila! Lila! Lila!" Your siblings were so excited for you and MuiMui was literally rolling around the floor in the confetti and shouting "Yay yay yay yay!"

You were so happy that you actually started crying! I am so proud of you, Lilabear! You worked so hard and you deserve this! I am so thrilled for your future at Garden!

Love,

Mom