Dear Artemis,

As I write this, we’ve just picked you up from Mubby and Skitter Week. You and your siblings stayed for a whole week at your grandparents’ house, and from the sound of it, you were extremely busy and had a lot of fun. That all technically occurred after your month birthday, so I’ll include photos from it next month, but I must say it was very strange not having any kids in the house. We weren’t sure if you’d want to go, being a mature high schooler and all, but you chose to. I’m really glad you did, partly because it’s good for you to get out of your room and do some different activities, and partly because I know Mubby and Skitter really appreciate the extra time with you.

After an overall lazy summer, these last few weeks before school starts have been extra busy. You had band camp a couple of weeks ago, which you claimed was torture, but you always seemed to be in a good mood at the end of the day. At your school, sophomores and up in the marching band take a more active and involved role than the freshmen, so this is your first year as a full-fledged member. The rest of the family got to attend a showcase of your band camp efforts, and the marching band sounds spectacular as ever. The music program at your school is truly impressive, and I’m very glad you’re a part of it. The band directors also highly prize creating a supportive and inclusive atmosphere, and I think you’ve found it a comfortable place to be. As your dad pointed out, sometimes it seems like the band directors get a little overly excited about the more esoteric elements of their jobs. I got excited when I heard you start to play the Brubeck classic “Take Five,” and you played it well. However, at the showcase, you and your bandmates just stood in a semicircle and played. Things could get a lot trickier when you try to march and play a song in five-four time. Having never been a marching band member, I can’t say for sure that it will be a disaster. Nonetheless, I’ve been in enough dance environments where people are accustomed to counting to four or eight that throwing a five in the mix seems like it could mess people up. I’m intrigued to watch the halftime show this year, that’s for sure.

With band camp and Mubby and Skitter Week done, you have one more week of activities before the school year begins. Your longtime favorite camp, the FilmScene Animation Camp, runs a special class about building (and maybe filming) miniature sets. It’s your first time doing it, but the advanced animation camp conflicted with band camp, so you decided to give this one a try. You’re also taking a sculpture class in school next year, so I’m looking forward to seeing what you do in the 3D visual arts.

This is still a long way in the distance, but I recently figured out that you and your little brothers will all graduate from various levels of school at the same time. The year you graduate from high school, Tobin will finish junior high and Callum will finish elementary school. We’ve been throwing around the idea of a great Clarke-Crall Europe trip for some time, and that might be just the year to do it. You seem to be doing very well in your French studies, so hopefully after having finished four years of study, you’ll be competent to handle a France leg of the trip. I feel confident in Spain and passable in Italy, so between our skillsets, I think we could have a pretty good time.

I also think it would be a good learning and leadership opportunity for you to be in charge of some of the trip. Presumably after taking multiple years of French, you’ll have some insight into where would be good places to visit, and you can be part of the planning process. Once we’re there, you can handle our interactions with shopkeepers and waiters and hotel clerks. It sounds far off in the future, especially because it will mean you’re almost ready for college, but I know it won’t take long to arrive. Having a really great vacation to look forward to will help me not sob every day about you growing up and going off to college.

You say that people keep asking you where you want to go to college and what you want to study, but you don’t seem to have much of an answer just yet. Based on the electives you choose in school and the areas in which you excel, I would anticipate something in the humanities. You are taking Honors English, Honors French, and AP World History, as well as music and art classes, but you’re going the standard route in math and science. I feel like you would enjoy computer programming, because you enjoy video games that have a design component to them. You’ve made countless games using the Scratch programming language, and you were in a big Mario Maker phase for a while there. That’s a game that allows you to create different games in the various styles of the Super Mario Brothers universe. You were planning to take a computer programming class some time ago, but the teacher left and the school was unable to replace him.

I could get into the sorry situation our public schools are facing, but that frustration so far hasn’t touched you too directly (except possibly the elimination of the computer programming class). I hope you are still allowed to read whatever books your teachers think would be valuable for your personal edification, but just ones they are sure won’t be on a banned list. Several schools in our state, and not just small-town schools who fit book-burner stereotypes, are facing challenges from groups who want books banned. Our state elected officials have put teachers in the terrible position of policing their students’ names, pronouns, bathroom use, and book access. I hope you know that in our home, you can be whoever feels right to you and read whatever you find interesting. I ache for the kids who don’t feel comfortable in their own homes and hoped to find safe haven with an understanding teacher who will now be unable to provide the kind of support they need.

We have your back one hundred percent, always.

Your current favorites: playing chess, online and in real life; swimming; telling jokes and making witty rejoinders; bingeing TV series like Breaking Bad and Lost; mini-golf; pasta; French fries; poker; and not brushing your hair. I think you do wear deodorant, though. The band uniform room has a sign that says “Wear deodorant! Don’t be a stinky Little Hawk!” As far as I can sniff, you’ve followed that advice. It’s good for everyone.

Your hair is a little outrageous. But you know what? It’s your head, and while I can make suggestions that brushing it would be a good idea, in the end I have to trust you. You’ve proven yourself to be a thoughtful and interesting person, and I am honored to be part of your growing-up process. May your sophomore year be full of intriguing ideas, friendship, music, and good jokes.

Love,

Mom