2022 Life Logs, Day 196: Jonah’s Graduation from ASLP
Date: Friday, July 15, 2022
Weather: Sunny; High 79, Low 61 degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The Advanced Studies & Leadership Program (ASLP) held its graduation for the class of 2022 and Jonah Biggs Goldstone was in the graduating class.
This was a 10-day college-like program that emphasized leadership as well as project-oriented classes in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) plus the humanities for Cape Cod students entering grades eight and nine in the fall. It is sponsored by the Cape Cod Collaborative and takes place on the Massachusetts Maritime Academy campus with their cadets serving as counselors. For Jonah, the greatest part of the experience had nothing to do with the classes. It had to do with social interactions. Students were up at 0630 every morning and to bed at 2200 (10 pm) every night, with very little free time. They were involved in classes or social activities all day and evening. Students were not allowed to bring phones or any other electronic devices–and they survived. The total focus was on positive face to face interactions with other students. There was no contact with parents for ten days. 
Jonah was beaming when he saw his mom and dad, but I don’t think there was time to miss family. Jonah was too busy making new friends. On the way home he did share that he won’t miss getting up at 6:30 am every morning!
I will spend my weekend getting ready for a visit from my friend Lynne Kirwin. She arrives on Monday!!! Jed and Ollie are away at Cub Scout camp this weekend. Ollie will come home on Sunday with a friend and Jed will continue on to Boston for a flight to DC for a conference. He returns on Thursday night. On Friday, if all goes as expected, Heather and Jed, and maybe Jonah and Ollie, will head to Brooklin, Maine to officially take possession of Eider, the 36-foot Cape Dory sailboat, they have been trying to buy for a couple of months now. Closing should finally take place on Monday. So, fingers crossed that all goes smoothly. I have said it before, but I will say it again. It is going to be so exciting to have a sailboat in the family again.
