From Our RHK Executive Director: Promotion Time

June is the hardest month of the year for me, and some kids. Don't get me wrong – the weather is excellent, and we have a ton of fun field trips planned for the kids to enjoy, but June is also our promotion month. June is when our Solid Ground kids and teens move up to their next school grade and begin adjusting to the new challenges that come with it.

This can be a scary time for some of them. For example, the new second-graders must leave the Pebbles area of RHK. Pebbles is a smaller area of the RHK building where the younger first and second-grade children learn and participate in their activities. They eat together, have their lessons, crafts, songs, and their own teachers each Monday and Wednesday. After "promotion night," the second graders will move to the Rocks side - a larger area of RHK where the third through fifth graders meet. This can be a scary and intimidating time for them. They are leaving the area they have met in with the same teachers for the past two years, with only first and second graders, to a larger area with a lot more kids, more grades, and teachers they don't know.

The fifth graders are moving from their known safety on Mondays and Wednesdays, where they were the "top dog," to being at the bottom of the totem pole on teen nights. They are beginning a new night (Tuesdays), meeting new teachers, and seeing some kids they don't yet know. Some high schoolers are a foot taller than they are. On their first night, watching the kids who were the ring leaders on Monday and Wednesday come to their first Tuesday teen night is always interesting. They become quiet little mice as they see there is a new ranking. Although this may be scary for them, it is good for them. They learn their place, and they learn to treat others nicer. It's a fantastic teaching moment.

The hardest part of promotion time for me is seeing our twelfth-graders leaving the nest. Seeing our seniors graduate is a mixed blessing. Just like when we see our own children graduate from high school, on the one hand, we are so proud of their accomplishments, and yet, on the other hand, we miss the days when we were able to watch them on the road to this point. This year is no different. My "RHK mama" heart explodes with pride seeing the kids graduate. There have been some graduations where only my husband, myself, and the child's mom supported the child as they walked the stage.

This year, some kids have gone through some fires, but have come through the other side as more than conquerors. They have persevered when many would have given up. Whether it is relationship struggles, a decision that made graduation harder to obtain, struggles to keep their grades up, discouragement, and so on, each person graduating this year has never given up on themselves. They may have had doubts. They may have had moments of defeat. But ultimately, they believed in themselves. Through all their hardships, they knew they had cheerleaders at RHK and cheerleaders in their families to stand behind them. Furthermore, they also knew their worth in Christ.

I am thankful that the Lord has allowed me to be part of 12 years of promotions. This is a blessing I do not take for granted. I pray that someone is reading this right now whose heart is being pricked to want to be a part of this blessing as well. Don't wait one more day! If you even feel the slightest prodding to your heart, call and find out what you can do to be a part of this fantastic opportunity. An amazing kid is waiting to meet you. Will you choose to be someone's cheerleader this upcoming year?

Blessings,

Dee Lacny, Executive Director, Rock House Kids