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College?? Already??

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Contributed by: jeanie mcdonald carlson on 5/6/2007

What do you do with a 16-year-old too young for college yet too smart for high school?
That was our concern with our daughter Kristen Julia Carlson.
Kristen graduated from Thornton's Horizon High School in 2006.
Many teachers and counselors worked on her behalf and she has fond memories. When asked who influenced her the most , "it was Mr. Weitzel". She just loved him and his fun way of adapting Math to the "real world". She still remembers winning the competition of engineering a catapult."Team Kristen"broke school records for the farthest "pumpkin launch". Her claim to fame!
There were other opportunites for Kristen to be creative at Horizon. She attended a photography class that took her to downtown Denver's 16th Street mall with the task of photographing the city. This opened her eyes to new perspectives. Have you ever considered a bicycle horn? Me neither, but to see it through her lens is amazing.
Movie making was big at Horizon. Every student jumped at the chance to make a film for any project assigned. Kristen was no exception. There were lots of special effects at our house. Smoke bombs in the pond for the French Revolution. Stuntmen climbing garden rock walls to storm the Bastille. And the blood; oh, no, not more Karo syrup with red food coloring, that stuff stains!!
These days, Kristen is busy at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. She has completed two semesters and is applying to the Art Department this fall. She has found college to be harder than she thought it would be. At 17, she is young, putting her in the minority, but surrounded by professors who support and eagerly help her, we see great progress. This is a growing time for all of us. Like her,I am looking forward to her years of study ahead and for those moments when her creativity can "flourish". Just lock up the syrup!

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Submitted By: Gerry Benner

posted on 5/20/2007 @ 7:16:49 AM

Rated Story

Excellent story. It's nice to see our kids trying hard, and making the best of school AND their life. I'm sure Kristen will surface from all of her experiences without any stains.

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jeanie mcdonald carlson

Thornton , CO

jeanie mcdonald carlson has posted 1 story and 0 comments since joining on 4/20/2007. jeanie mcdonald carlson 's average story rating is 5.

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