Shameless Bragging

Cumulus fractus; Cumulus humilis ("fair weather clouds")

This is my youngest daughter, Olivia. Olivia is a junior in high school and she is the smartest girl. She's at the top of her class and on Thursday of last week she was awarded five prestigious academic awards for her achievements. They are:

The Harvard Book Award for excellence in scholarship and high character, combined with achievements in other fields.

MIT Network of Educators in Science and Technology 2009 Promise of the Future Award
to honor the student, who through personal initiative, has done the most to promote awareness of science or technology.

Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award in recognition of outstanding achievement and superior intellectual promise in the field of science.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with the Rensselaer Medal Award for outstanding academic achievement in the study of mathematics and science.

CRC Press Award for Excellence in the study of AP Chemistry.

Olivia is so deserving of this recognition - she works incredibly hard and puts out high quality work. To quote the teacher who introduced her as the recipient of the MIT award,

" She is as her teachers and peers put it, "brilliant". Her teachers have said that in all their years of teaching she is the most advanced student they have taught. She is also well rounded in all aspects of her education. She is well read in all subjects. Attempts to plumb the depths of her knowledge have shown it to be boundless. Her written work is described as being impeccable and routinely displays a depth of comprehension rarely seen in other students. She has been known on more than one occasion to spontaneously join her classroom teacher in presenting a lesson. More than one teacher has stated that her knowledge on a particular subject exceeds their own. She also possesses a vast knowledge of botany, plant taxonomy and herbal remedies. All of this is work that she has done on her own. And if that is not enough, and most importantly, Olivia is recognized as being a "regular" student who interacts well with her peers. She has always been more than willing to help a classmate master a difficult topic."

We are so proud of you Olivia! We love you babe.