News from Peg McCarthy

Here is a note I received from Peg McCarthy:

Hi! This is Peg McCarthy writing in; I haven't updated for awhile. Hope this isn't too long.

I still live in my hometown, Topeka, Kansas. I was re-elected to the board of education for my local school district, the historic Topeka Public Schools, a high-poverty urban district rich in diversity. I also continue my private practice in clinical psychology. My time on the school board has been deeply rewarding, despite the wretched challenges facing our educational system. School boards truly have the power to make a significant difference in children's lives. I would encourage all of you to consider the opportunity to serve; it is interesting, challenging, and terribly important work.

My husband and I just shepherded our oldest son, Sam, through the college admissions process, and I wanted to share with others what a positive journey it was. I was alarmed by stories I had read (and heard in my office) about the conflict and heartache families experience. But in our case, it worked just the way it should have. As we visited schools with Sam, we had many wonderful discussions, and his thoughts became clearer about what he wanted from school and from life in general. We quickly discovered there were many, many fine colleges well-suited to his needs, which took the pressure off of everyone. He (and we!) matured in the process. He pared his list to a dozen small liberal arts colleges, was accepted to all but one, and selected his original top choice, Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he currently is having a terrific experience. He had previously attended a writing workshop there, which I highly recommend to any young writers.

He had a lovely Cinderella-like experience along the way that helped lessen the stress of the college search. He submitted a short story to the Young Arts competition in the fall and promptly forgot about it. He was named a finalist in writing, attended week-long workshops in Miami and New York City, and ultimately was selected as a Presidential Scholar in the Arts--a great end to his high school career. He would like to write but also loves science and technology. You can imagine how he enjoyed talking with our classmate Carl Zimmer at our 20th reunion. I should point out that in our own class of '87 we had a Presidential Scholar in the Arts--the accomplished Kevin Berlin.

We really miss Sam--it is an unsettling experience to end such an intense phase of parenting. He is not the only one who has been searching his soul; we have reflected on the years and asked ourselves, Did we teach him what he needs to know? Should we have done this or that differently? But we are all adjusting to the new family dynamics, and our two remaining sons are absorbing the extra parental attention good-naturedly.

The whole family attended the Presidential Scholars week in Washington, D.C., in June, but first my middle son, Joe, and I took a quick sidetrip to New York, where we saw some shows and caught up with my old roommate, Sarah Zimmerman. Sarah and her husband, Wim Vanderhoof, have two gorgeous children, Julia and Kai. Sarah is the same dynamic, sharp, exhilarating gal we knew at Yale, and it was a treat to spend time with her again. She and her family have just re-located to Princeton.

Thanks!
Peg