Another school year is well underway. I did the math for my family and this year was my 20th year of dropping my kids off for their first day of school at ACS. Twenty years of packing lunches. Twenty years of saying “Have a great day!” as they jump out of the car. Twenty years of school pictures, messy hair, and retakes. Twenty years of tuition payments.

Twenty years is a loooong time. There isn’t much new or exciting at this point is there? But in a way, that’s part of the charm.

While we are always striving to adapt and modernize and change for the better, there are so many things we have done well for years that keep us coming back. My younger two boys are full of anticipation. These things may be “old hat” for me, but they have looked forward to them for years. They’ve been watching the older boys and can’t wait for their turn. So we made a list of things that have stayed the same over the years.

Twenty things that haven’t changed since Caleb started ACS:

1. First day and last day of school chapels. A gym/learning commons full of children singing is the most beautiful kind of worship.

2. School supply lists and the inevitable box of Kleenex listed at the bottom. Though in Canada, there are no more Kleenex, so I guess it’s knock off tissues for the kids from now on.

3. Jumping out of the car to a friendly good morning from a teacher opening the car door or holding the stop sign for them to cross safely.

4. Meet the Teacher BBQ. What began as wrinkled hot dogs and a bag of chips at the elementary has continued in some form, culminating in a 70th anniversary party with bouncy castles and gourmet hamburgers. But in the end, it’s the welcoming in and the opportunity to connect with the larger ACS community that drew us back each year. Can’t wait to see how they top it next year!

5. The Transportation Field Trip. The trip that gets even the dads to take a day off and accompany their 5-year-olds through Vancouver via trains, planes, and automobiles.

6. 2:50 grid lock. Our elementary school rivals big city traffic for the grid lock we produce on Old Clayburn Road.

7. The overflowing lost and found which is 100 times more lost than found.

8. The excitement of Hot Lunch! What began as hot dogs wrapped in a napkin transformed into pizza and crazy bread. But no matter the menu, hot lunch day is still eagerly anticipated by the kids and a welcome break for parents who pack lunches (except for those of us who invariable pack a lunch anyway because we forget).

9. Class pictures where all the short kids get the shaft in the front row. Knees together, back straight, smile!

10. Mr. Gary Verbeek. The man, the myth, the legend. He has been teaching shop for well over 20 years and it’ll be a sad day when he hangs up his coveralls.

11. Excellent teachers. From Susan Dykshoorn who was the first to welcome Caleb into her kindergarten class to the countless new teachers and veterans who have made ACS a safe and engaging place for my boys to grow and learn.

12. Dedicated EAs. No matter if my kid was at the top of the class or the bottom, the educational assistants were an extra set of hands/eyes to encourage and support them from K to grad day.

13. Principals. I have always appreciated their approachable nature and connection to students all while maintaining their authority. Being sent to the “principal’s office” still carries some weight, whether you are in kindergarten (Owen), and you decide to hide in the bushes after recess is over or in grade 12 (Drew) when you decide to climb on the school roof. A visit to the principal’s office has just the right amount of bringing the hammer down while extending grace.

14. The ACS Auction. A highlight for many, whether you can afford to buy your family a pancake breakfast or have the means to spend $1500 on a piece of cheese. It’s an ACS tradition to be sure! Just be careful where you leave your bidding number, or you just might have your child spend $1000 on a WII. Caleb, I’m looking at you!

15. Wearing the Knights jersey with pride. Some of Owen and Levi’s earliest memories are of sitting on mom’s lap in the stands watching Caleb play volleyball. And now they get their turn to wear the Knight’s jersey with pride. Though their big disappointment this year was walking into the gym to discover the Knights on horses had been painted over by big squares. Owen is still scratching his head over the logic there. Guess he doesn’t have the marketing vision yet.

16. Track and field at Rotary Stadium—rain or shine. I’ve experienced my fair share of both, but cheering on kids as they round the corner of the track never gets old.

17. It seems to be a right of passage to get your first recorder in grade 4. And parents can’t truly be called weathered until they have endured the squeals and squeaks of a 9-year-old belting out, “My paddle clean and bright…dip, dip, and swing” over and over and over.

18. Parent teacher conferences. Rushing from one classroom to another to make your 15-minute appointment and then nervously waiting to hear what surprises might await you this time.

19. Newcastle and raccoon duty at night. I can’t actually say whether this grade 7 overnight trip has been around for 20 years, but it has been a highlight for all of my older boys and their dad. Levi is anxiously awaiting his turn to face off with a raiding raccoon.

20. Our mission. And it truly is “our” because that’s the beauty of ACS, a school that comes alongside parents and works together to engage, nurture, and shape. The fancy words on the wall may have changed/evolved, but the mission is the same 20 years ago and today.