Finally, we decided to go to a day camp session this summer at one of the local nature centers. Aleks chose the swamp session in August, so Bastian will go to the younger group who meets at the same time. The guy who gave me the pamphlet about all this when I was tabling for the Food Co-op at a Beyond Pesticides forum told me that they have scholarship funds and that to his knowledge, they didn't usually use them all.
I held onto the pamphlet for awhile then tried to call the woman who was in charge of scholarships. I called her 7 times over a couple of weeks and finally got through today after never hearing back. Of course, the scholarship applications were due April 1st and have all been awarded, but there may be additional funds coming in, so she suggested I apply anyway.
As it turns out, this application is ridiculous. The regular application is just fine, but apparently the scholarships are achievement-based rather than need-based, as I had anticipated. Thus, more than a simple check-mark next to the session(s) we wish to attend is required. In fact, much more than I could have suspected. In addition to the application for the camp, plus the application for the scholarships (including a demand that you "comment briefly on any volunteer experiences or applicable circumstances you feel might strengthen your application for achievement-based aid" and provide a reference contact from your child's school (or another person in the community)), a letter from the child explaining why they'd like to attend is required as well as a letter of recommendation from someone who is not a family member. Good lord. You'd think we were in Manhattan and not Cleveland.
Bastian is permitted to draw his letter of explanation, which is fine except that I have to help him know how to draw since he doesn't know how to, or rather, has not yet become willing to experiment much on his own. So I had to hand-hold both boys through the process. For Aleks' letter, to ensure correct spelling, he first dictated what he wanted to say to me, then copied it onto a separate page. Both boys got very bored very quickly. Sigh.
They look happy in the photo anyway.
2 comments:
Ugh..that whole procedure sounds wretched. This is where things become a *strain* isn't it? lol
I know I've painstakingly jumped through the mainstream hoops to get S into things she's wanted to do (dance class -- ARGH!! Imagine yourself in a viewing room with upwardly mobile soccer moms discussing their kids' extracurricular schedules...omfg it was TORTURE)
It's the *principle* of the thing that irritates me -- the assumption that all families function in the same way etc etc.
She's just started riding lessons and I'm predicting a corresponding cash hemorrhage...but at least I can retreat to the barn and hang with the horses should the company in the parent's area become difficult...;)
It is. It's one thing though, so it's no worse than say, coordinating Aleks' health care. In fact, it's not anywhere near as complicated. Just hoops I wasn't expecting to hop through. Aside from the couple of hours we spent writing and drawing (spread out over days), it was one letter, so their part was minimal and I mostly bear the brunt of it, which is fine.
Riding lessons - yeowch! Cash hemorrhage indeed! Horses can be better than upwardly mobile soccer moms though for sure. lol
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