Even though I have two stepsons, its not real often that we find ourselves at school-type functions; spending the evening in a room full of adrenaline filled kids is just not my thing. So, when Jarek asked if we wanted to go to his Sterling Inn banquet, I wasn’t terribly thrilled about the idea. But, he seemed to be really excited, he called both Nick and me several times asking if we wanted to go. His mother wasn’t sure what the banquet was all about – just that it was a 6th grade banquet and that the kids were putting on some kind of ‘thing’ for us.
What the hell. Its been awhile since the last banquet, I’m sure we’ll live through this one too. So, we commited and tickets were purchased.
We were kind of dreading the ordeal tonight – figuring it’d be long boring speaches and whining kids all around. But it turned out to be a kinda fun event after all. For the past 9 years, The Sterling Inn has worked with the 6th grade classes at Havel elementary school in planning their banquet. The whole thing was planned and orchestrated by the kids. They all had jobs (that they actually had to submit resumes and interview for – interviewed by Sterling Inn staff); there was a General Manager, Head of Security, Beverage Manager, Pastry Chef’s, Controllers, Sales and Marketing staff and so on.
When we got there, we found Jarek at the registration table checking people in. Inside the banquet hall were a bunch of 6th grade kids in red tee shirts with white napkins in the belts, seating guests and bringing hors de vours out to tables. When Jarek finished at the check-in table, he became our server and waited on us all night.
It was really awesome to watch these kids be so strong and determined. I was very impressed with the whole event. So many times I see kids and wonder what the hell is going on in schools these days … but nights like tonight give me a little more hope for the future. The school and sterling inn staff found a way to get kids excited about dirty dishes and filling water glasses. Even if only for a night, these kids were treated like responsible human beings. Sometimes we forget what an 11 year old is capable of.
People often ask why I don’t want to have kids. I’m not the maternal type, but I enjoy the hell outta watching my stepsons grow up. I get all the fullfilment I need from those boys. I was proud of the kid tonight; proud, and happy to be part of his life.
This world might turn out ok after all…
