Children of Alaska,
Tonight is your night, the night of Absolutely Incredible Kid Day. Now seems like a good time to call out just a few of your achievements—but only a few! It turns out you’ve been busy.
Three months ago, we rang in the New Year. Since then, you have hosted pop-up restaurants, participated in Battle of the Books, and learned how to ice fish. You spent Christmas climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, and received an invitation to sing at Carnegie Hall. You dominated the stage to sing, breakdance, and act. Some of you reinvented the lemonade stand, and upgraded its business model until it needed to reintroduce itself as a newly-minted, sustainable non-profit.
When you saw that there was need in the world, you put on an art show and donated all proceeds to the Children’s Hospital. Almost simultaneously, you hosted bake sales to help the victims of a house fire. Your achievements and your dreams and your stories are all special, all unique.
We are proud of you. We watch you as your family, your teachers, and your friends. We see you and what you have accomplished, and we are amazed equally at what you have done, and what you may go on to do. We are proud of you for your kindness, your intelligence, and your creativity—but most of all we are proud of you for your courage to try new things, and to persist in defiance of all obstacles.
We are proud of you for your determination, when you keep slapping a puck until it whizzes into the goal. We are proud when you practice ballet until you’ve perfected your pirouette. We are proud when you memorize all the state capitals, so we as adults can rely on your superior information. We are proud, and relieved, when you finally learn how to tie your shoes.
You care for each other and for yourselves. You are as likely to stand up for your friends, as you are to defend your opinions. You listen, and you learn, and you care. You are gentle as you play with your younger sibling, and as you raise a garden, and as you care for your pets. You have good hearts, and it is your hearts that continue to amaze us.
I, Boomer, along with everyone here at the Aces, would like to thank for being such Absolutely Incredible Kids.