J.S.B. Asking

This last week, the "asking season" for the Junior-Senior Banquet officially got underway.  The Junior-Senior Banquet (JSB) is essentially like "Prom" but all teachers (but no parents) as well as students from Grade 10 and up are invited.  It is on Friday, April 25th this year.  The time that boys can officially start asking girls was  from March 20th chapel onward.  Some of the Grade 11 students came into chapel dressed as waiters and then the Junior class president officially invited the Senior class to JSB and that signals the start of things.  I have never seen a boy ask a girl to be his date for JSB although Garth and Hannah have.  It is usually made to be a big deal.  I got my first look at things though this past Wednesday when a JSB asking took place in the elementary courtyard.  That day at recess all the elementary students were treated to ice cream sundaes by the Senior class (a special treat for no particular reason) and then there was an extended recess when the Grade 12's played with the students.  This was the backdrop for a Grade 12 student to ask a girl to JSB and we all got to watch.  One of my students - Jeremiah (pictured below with the sign; he also goes by the name of J.T.) - was part of the ruse.  Holding a sign that had a word puzzle on it, he motioned for the Grade 12 girl to follow him to a nearby table and to solve the puzzle.  The answers to the word puzzle formed the sentence:  Will you go to JSB with . . .  (she had to check the back of Jeremiah's shirt to find out who was asking her.  On the back of Jeremiah's shirt it had the Grade 12 boy's name and two boxes that she was supposed to check with the marker.  One box said "yes" beside it and the other box said "yes" beside it ("no" was not an option obviously).  Of course she checked "yes".  It was quite touching and a bit romantic, even for me who is not the romantic sort.  Jeremiah's baseball cap has the Grade 12 boy's favourite basketball team on it (borrowed from him).  Most of the elementary students didn't know what was going on, just intent on picking up their ice cream, although my students did know about the situation as Jeremiah, their classmate, was part of the plot.  It was lovely to see all this.

The girl and boy in Grade 12 are looking at the sign.  Jeremiah's mom is in the white shirt taking a picture (she's a teacher at the school).  The Grade 12 boy's mom (a counselor at the school) is on the right side of her with the big camera.  Garth is in the far right of the picture