Six for Six!
Posted on June 10, 2010 Posted by John Scalzi 64 Comments
Allow me a moment of complete parental pride here as I note that Athena has been awarded her sixth consecutive end-of-the-school-year creative writing award. This means she has a clean sweep of the award for her entire elementary school career, which is a nice trick if you can manage it. This year she actually is a co-winner of the award, as her friend Emma also got a certificate, and I think that’s a grand thing that there are two very creative kids in the same class. And Athena as you can see is pleased. She is the most award-winning author in the Scalzi household and I’m perfectly delighted about it. It closes out her elementary school years on a high note, and you can’t beat that.
Sounds like it’s time for a collection of her short stories.
Have you ever let her blog here? I think it’s high time she did, if she hasn’t already! :)
Go Athena! What a nice way to launch your summer.
Way cool!
Will there be a smoothie celebration?
Congrats!
Whatever you do don’t let waste all of her “winnings” on pickle juice. Its a gateway preservative!
Rabid
Congratulations to her and the people who clearly raised her right.
She looks rather insufferably pleased with herself. What do you think she will be like when she turns pro?
Good heavens, what are they teaching kids these days? Writing? I suppose next you’ll tell us she’s learned reading and arithmetic.
Seriously, though, congratulations Miss Scalzi! That’s quite an accomplishment.
Congrats to Ms. Scalzi!
That is really cool – super congratulations to Athena. I also think it’s great that such an award exists — kudos to the school. I remember a few elementary school fiction assignments that were very influential on me.
I hope Tor is paying attention!
Laura Resnick, Joe Hill, and some day soon, Athena Scalzi?
Congrats to the Scalzi household and Athena! It’s amazing what some shared DNA can grow into!
This may be an American vs. Canadian nomenclature thing… but how many grades does elementary school have down there? Ours is Kindergarten through Grade 8. Or is it that junior highschools are ubiquitous in the US?
Congratulations to Athena!
I guess she made good use of the month home in the snow.
And classy too. I notice that the pinky is held out at the proper angle…
Nice job Athena.
My daughter was just elected President of the writing and lit club at her college. I understand the massive parental pride John, and wanted you to know that it just keeps going and getting better as the kids grow up. Which you knew already.
@10 — “Athena Scalzi” *would* look quite fine on a dustjacket, I think. :-)
I approve!
I am delighted to see this. I am, of course, looking forward to a second generation of Scalzi offerings to appear on bookshelves soon!
Congratulations young lady!
– Scott
Congratulations, Athena!
Sweet. She totally needs to do a teamup with Alexa Kitchen and do a graphic novel.
We need to hook her up with CC Finlay’s boys. The age gap might be a tad large at the moment, but it will be perfectly acceptable in a decade.
Very awesome. Congrats to Athena.
Guess the acorn did not fall far from the tree eh?
So I guess her next step will be Creative Consultant?
Creative Consultant to “Stargate: Omniverse”?
Ah, but the real questions is, will she take over writing novels in The Old Man’s War universe once John is no longer capable? Hmmmm….
Tell her congratulations :)
–E:
The parental shudder I just had suggest to me that the words “hook up” are not the ones to use in the context of my daughter and boys. Makes me want to reach for the cattle prod, it does.
You go girl!!!
That is wonderful! Nice job, Athena!
John..this pic shows the family resemblance in the eyes, especially. And the talent, of course.
-Barbara
My daughter got the “Best Actress” award this year. I figure that’s the nice way of saying “Most Dramatic.” My son got “Best Singer” and my other daughter’s teacher didn’t do awards.
Congrats, Athena! That’s a great accomplishment.
Forget the cattle prod. The batteries could run out at a critical juncture. A nice solid hardwood baseball bat would work better, or, if you want to get fancy, try out a bokken or sword. Either way, it’s a more green solution to the problem.
Way to go Athena!!! A sight better than I did when I was in school I MUST say…
DaveD@11 asked
“how many grades does elementary school have down there?”
The answer is . . . It depends.
Seriously, in some places the school grades are divided 6, 3, 3. In other places they are divided 5, 3, 4, and in still other places they are divided 8, 4. (I have heard a rumor that there are also places where they are divided 6, 2, 4, but I have no personal knowledge that this is true.)
You pays your money and you takes your choice . . .
Wow, well done :D
John@24: Yikes, that’s right. You have an impending 13-year-old.
Now might be a good time to develop an interest in sharp, pointy, shiny things that can be displayed prominently in the living room when the young gentlemen come calling.
That cattle prod sounds practical though. Wish I’d thought of it when my girls were that age.
(Another Elaine, not the Elaine @#25…Just call me Elaine in Fresno):
Congratulations, Athena. Keep up the good work.
# – et
DaveD@11 asked
“how many grades does elementary school have down there?”
I’m from So Calif, and I went to 6-2-4!
Elementary, Jr High, and High School.
-Barb
(now, in Austin, TX)
congratulations to athena. :)
Have you taught her to say “Oh, you won a Hugo, Daddy?” in either a patronizing/distracted or fake-enthusiastic voice yet?
Congratulations to Athena! That is quite an accomplishment. Are we going to be treated to any samplings of her creativity?
Oh wow, congratulations to Athena. She needs to start writing acceptance speeches, too, because I think she’ll have to deliver a bunch of them when she’s older.
Well done, Athena!
I will not be at all surprised to find myself reading a book by Ms. Athena Scalzi (or whatever name she chooses to use) in the coming decades.
Yay Athena!
Has she ever blogged on here before? If not, she should! I, for one, would be thrilled to read a monthly(ish) guest blog somethingorother from a six-time creative writing certificate winner! :)
Congratulations, Athena!
Congrats to Athena, and second Teresa@40’s call for a guest blog.
That’s terrific!! Congrats to Athena. Well deserved, I’m sure.
Good to see that her elementary school still gives out awards. The one my son attends stopped doing this. It makes me sad.
‘Fess up, Scalzi. She ghosted “The Last Colony” and “Zoe’s Tale”, didn’t she?
Congratulations! The only sad note is that she is ending her elementary school years. I love my 16 year old dearly but I still miss her younger days. Enjoy these years!
Congratulations to Athena. It’ll be interesting to see what she comes up with in a few more years.
congrats to Athena! I too would be interested in seeing her creative talents in the blog if she is interested in sharing.
John, to intimidate boys I don’t think you need weapons. My dad is 5’10 or so, fit but not muscly, (or was when I was a teen, he says he’s fat now, but he’s not) and not particularly intimidating at all. But every dude I have ever dated has been terrified of him. And no, he did not have any time alone with them to talk about his gun collection (nonexistent) or how the Navy taught him to kill a man with one touch (also not true) or anything like that. Just being a dad is enough, it seems. (My mom was always the one to do any threatening.)
I don’t recall them having these types of contests when I was a kid. A contest every year? Never heard of that. I had never h
It sounds like you guys live in a pretty good school district.
Congratulations to Athena.
I keep imagining the award ceremony.
Judge: Congratulations, Athena, you’re our winner!
Athena: Thanks!
John: Good job, kiddo! The bad news is, right now, your writing does in fact suck.
Athena: (rolls eyes) I know, Dad. You keep telling me that… and telling me… and telling me…
As far as guest blogging goes, if she feels inspired to do so, I’d love to read it.
Why does the creative writing award have a paint brush on it?
Also, congrats.
Congratulations, Athena!
Ben@51 — the brush is used to form letters, not just in the Oriental languages, but historically in western writing and typesetting design. The pen is an “advanced” form of brush that does not require the same amount of control as a brush, and allows for faster writing.
Athena Scalzi is a pretty catchy name for a science fiction writer.
Congratulations, Athena! Keep writing and give boys a pass for now. Just smile enigmatically at them now and again to pique their interest in case you want prom dates later on.
Our school district is 5-4-4 (K-4, 5-8, 9-12).
Congratulations, Athena! That’s a heck of a streak you have going. Keep up the awesome work. Bonus congrats to Emma. It’s great to have creative friends, isn’t it?
– et – @31: I’m from NY and went to a 6-2-4. Though due to space issues and a middle school expansion, they’ve moved it to 5-3-4. (This is not counting kindergarten, of course. And I’m not sure how long that 5-3-4 arrangement will last, given that the middle school is already out of room again, even with the added wing.)
I bet John did her homework for her.
Wouldn’t be the first time – I
am starting the rumourhave heard he used to contribute to the team writing under the “Asimov” identity too.Congrats to your lovely daughter. Boasting on the achievements of one’s progeny is a strong and sublime pleasure reserved for those who have worked hard to create the circumstances for the occasion to occur, and I mean to include foster parents specifically too!
Enjoy your work and perspective,
Mike –
She’s also jolly good at getting all Joe Pesci on zombies with a baseball bat.
*chortle*
You should be proud, dude!
I’ve always wondered — how are you able to tell teenagers that their writing sucks when your own pre-teenage daughter has so many more writing awards than you do?
Congrats, Athena! Hope you can keep it up through middle and high school and thus keep up the pressure on the Old Man! ;-)
Datapointing on school districts: Where I grew up, the schools were divided K-7th and 8th-12th, with no middle school.
Yay Athena! And definitely adding to the chorus of Athena as a guest blogger. Hey Maddie Gaiman was hijacking her dad’s blog at 12 so Athena’s around the right age.
Went to several different school systems (Dad kept being promoted and transferred); most were 6-3-3. I’ve heard arguments that it should be 6-4-2, or even 6-2-2-2, to keep the 11th & 12th graders separated in dating from the 9th & 10th graders (and them from the 7th & 8th), but that would really goof up the training of athletic teams, so it probably won’t happen. Dad went to an all-in-one school; he was the first person to tell me that the way to learn a subject was to teach it to someone else.
Mr. Scalzi
I had no idea who you were until my upstairs neighbor flooded my bathroom a few weeks ago. She heads the building’s book group and she brought me down ‘Your Hate mail will be Graded’. I haven’t laughed so hard or so much in a LONG time. In ‘Fun with the GMH’ your decision to combine a man and a bichon frisee…well I had to put the book down to avoid wetting the bed. Enough said.
I really appreciate whomever had the idea to put some of your choice blog entries into a book. The Internet overwhelms me on a daily basis, and for that reason I could never be a real ept blog follower/user whatever it’s called. As you can see this post is a comment to your entry about your daughter’s award…I don’t even know how to comment appropriately. Congrats Athena, by the way.
Anyhow your book is great in case you are wondering. Thank you for making the blog o sphere accessible to a techno peasant like myself. I could go on & on but I’m typing on my iPhone. I don’t even have a computer, ha!
Finally, the piece about Mussolini…should be required reading for 8th grade history. Hilarious with primary sources! Genius! So thanks
Sincerely, Jordan
I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be named Athena. The Goddess of Wisdom, eh? I’m sure your daughter will grow up to be merit of that name. Perhaps she already is, what with earning six writing awards and all. Perhaps the Goddess of Writing might have been more appropriate.