Renaud winter performance wrap-up

Josie holds flowers after a performance of “Nevermore.”

In early November, Josie made her high school acting debut in the role of “Sissy Clemm,” the teenage bride of Edgar Allen Poe, in the musical “Nevermore.”

She, and all the STEAM High actors, gave a wonderful performance. Poe’s life is pretty depressing, but Josie did a great job of showing Sissy’s lightness and spark. She looked at home on the stage.

A few weeks later, Ludi performed for the final time with Miss Kathey’s Academy in the “Christmas Is…” shows held in Orlando and St. Louis. She’s been part of MKA for seven years, and has grown enormously in her confidence and stage presence each year. It was bittersweet to see her on this stage with these folks for last time, but we’re thankful for she’s been able to have this amazing experience.

Ludi holds flowers after a performance of “Christmas Is…” in St. Louis.

Riding bikes in the Thanksgiving parade downtown

Joseph and Josh take a selfie on Market Street with the Arch in the background, just before the BWorks group began riding in the parade.

About a year and a half year ago, Joseph earned a new bike through the BWorks program in St. Louis. Since then, he and I have enjoyed a number of biking adventures through BWorks’ alumni rides, including riding the Riverfront Trail, and then canoeing back downtown.

But this November, BWorks sent us a very unexpected last-minute invitation: Did we want to ride our bikes in the Thanksgiving parade downtown?

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Remembering Jadzia at the Class of 2023 graduation

Josh and Yoli stand with Jossie after the graduation ceremony.

Tonight was a bittersweet milestone for us: the STEAM Academy High School class of 2023’s graduation. We were excited to see Jadzia’s friends and classmates receive their diplomas, particularly her dear friend Jossie who was a valedictorian.

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Joseph joins marching band

The STEAM Academy middle school marching band

Joseph (who just turned 13 last month) marched with the STEAM Academy Middle School’s band in the Valley of Flowers parade! He began playing clarinet last fall, and we’ve been so impressed with his progress.

This was a new experience for everyone — Joseph, us, even the school.

STEAM was one of the last groups in the parade, and I was stationed near the end of the route, so it took a LOT of waiting to see him. Once he came past, I shot some video, then kept sprinting ahead to try to get photos. After doing that several times, I started getting the stinkeye from the kids.

Joseph plays his clarinet as he marches with the STEAM Academy middle school marching band

The temperatures reached 93°, which is pretty hot for early May. Joseph later said that the parade experience helped him learn “that cold water was 1,000,000× more valuable than gold.”

Watch this short video of Joseph and the band:

Ludi the conductor

Ludi conducts the STEAM High orchestra during the 2023 spring concert.

Last night Ludi was one of several student conductors at the STEAM High spring concert. It was pretty amazing to see her lead the orchestra, waving the baton.

You can watch and listen here:

The mystery of the missing clarinet

Joseph plays his clarinet on Thanksgiving for a school assignment.

Last fall, Joseph began playing clarinet with the STEAM Middle School band. This was a new instrument for Joseph, and for our family. We accepted an offer from Mary Ann, a friend at church, to use her daughter’s old clarinet, a beautiful old Buffet Crampon model made in France.

To our delight, Joseph has learned very quickly, making enormous progress since the fall. We enjoy hearing him practice, and it’s been fun to see him in the fall and spring concerts.

But disaster struck on a recent Thursday.

When Joseph and Josie came home on a recent Thursday, Joseph didn’t have his clarinet.

Yoli was certain she had seen him leave the house with it early that morning. Joseph, meanwhile, insisted he didn’t have the clarinet with him when he walked into STEAM Middle that morning.

A thorough search of our house didn’t turn up anything. When Yoli checked with the bus driver, she hadn’t found it. Nor was it in the school’s lost-and-found.

We began to feel desperate. Joseph needed to practice for his spring concert, which was just days away, and would count for a grade.

It was time to go full-on Inspector Morse … or Lynley … or Foyle … or Miss Scarlet. (We watch a lot of British inspectors)

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