True as you entered High School as when you went Home...

This was the introduction Lanette and I wrote for Ian - to introduce him, our thoughts of him, to his teachers at Anderson High School.

Love you Ian - this was true, and is true still.

We, as the parents of an amazing young man, IAN POGUE, desire to see him grow to love learning, think “big thoughts,” and cultivate “big dreams.” Here is a bit about Ian….

Intelligent:

Ian is smart and clever. He enjoys good stories, colorful characters, and hand’s-on learning. He sometimes needs to be motivated to engage his whole faculties in a learning task, but is always capable of highly creative work and excellent outcomes.

Athletic:

Ian is a natural athlete. He started for four basketball teams while in Junior High, mostly playing point guard, but was willing to contribute wherever his team asks him. Ian is excited to play football for Anderson’s freshman football A team, where he plays defensive line and special teams. Ian has always wanted to be a professional athlete – he will face a challenge to fulfill this dream with his compact build. But if anyone has the tenacity to see this dream through – it is Ian.

Neighborly:

Ian has never met a person who was not a friend. Open, gregarious, talkative and helpful – all characterize Ian’s approach to his classmates. Ian views his best moments when he can invest in or share with his friends.

Plucky:

Ian is a hard worker who lives with his whole heart. His is courageous – we often watched him as point guard drive the lane, challenging players much bigger than himself, and successfully getting off a shot or making a clean pass to a teammate.  When challenged, he can draw upon resources to find solutions and exercise the perseverance to see them to completion.

Obstreperous:

Ian can be noisy and disruptive by his overdeveloped friendliness muscle and his energetic approach to group activities. When this tendency is recognized, one can use it to benefit a class – to increase interpersonal discussion, inclusion of all members of a group and stir the best ideas to surface for a project. His energy leads him to be somewhat disorganized, but is willing to receive help in this area.

Guitarist:

Ian has developed into a good musician this past summer, focusing on the bass. He taught himself to slap and pluck like Flea and play in tempo, holding the back-beat steady. Ian participated in “Rock Band Camp” this summer and led his group with solos in each of the three songs they played to a packed audience at Antone’s.

Understanding:

Ian shows great empathy. He feels the hurts of others’ deeply, while soaring high with their joys. He truly models the Scripture’s encouragement of Christians to “rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.” This characteristic makes Ian a quiet leader – a person that his classmates respect and follow.

Exuberant:

Ian approaches life with enthusiasm and passion. He is easy to get along with and eager to please. Engage him with exciting topics and he will respond with energy and hard work. Capture his imagination with “big concepts” and he will gladly remember the details. There is no goal that Ian cannot reach, no one that is outside his concern and we believe you will discover as we have, that he is an amazing young man.