It was the first day of S1 Senior School by Scottish measure and 7th Grade Middle School by US standards for Brenna. She was off to St. George's School for Girls and yes, it is an all-girls school. Jacob was especially pleased with that particular aspect. I had my doubts about an all-girls school since that concept is completely foreign to me, but the opportunities that it’s provided have been incredible. The school is very different from any of our previous ones (this is her 6th school, poor kid). It stretches over a large campus similar to a small college, and the girls move freely about from building to building managing their own class schedules, lunch, and free time. It is a boarding school, though Brenna doesn’t board, and the school is divided into houses that compete in various events throughout the year, much like our very own version of Hogwarts! Brenna loves the cafeteria and all the food is homemade. The school does feel very homey based on the way the girls are looked after. The uniform policy is very strict compared to US standards. While I've never considered Brenna to be overly dramatic, the uniform did incite some very intense conversation. The idea of wearing a blazer and skirt everyday was not met with enthusiasm and I thought we might have to call the whole thing off when she found out that she had to wear the standard uniform shoes and socks instead of her tennis shoes. They must have their hair tied neatly back and away from their face. Also, no make-up allowed, which I didn't think would be a big deal since she doesn't wear make-up, until we discovered that finger nail polish is indeed included in the school's definition of make-up. She lamented the loss of her hot-pink nails for hours last night!
Senior 1 (S1) is the first year of high school here in Scotland. Initially, the thought of her being a high schooler was a little unnerving. I thought we had more time before that happened! But, she jumped right in with both feet and joined the Charity Committee, Debate Team, Choir, Lacrosse Club, Self-Defense and Judo, and the Field Hockey Team. And that’s after I said no to a whole list of other clubs that she wanted to join! By far, her greatest joy has been field hockey! It’s played on AstroTurf and has very similar concepts to soccer, except you play with a short hockey stick and a small ball. Now we spend every weekend on the hockey pitches
She spent the week before school started in pre-season sports camp at the school showing these Scottish football girls how we play American soccer and in return they taught us field hockey! It was a great way to connect with the other girls and she already had friends at school by the time the first day of school got here. St. George's has certainly been a blessing for us.
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