Since she was very young, Sydney Bagley knew that her golden birthday would come and that her parents would make it special for her. Bagley was born Dec. 12, 2000, and last Wednesday she turned 12.
The day started early with her best friends coming to her home for a traditional 'Shanghai' wake-up call. First period for Bagley was Lisa Gruen's sixth grade core class. There, the Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School student was totally surprised by what awaited her: balloons, whistles, and a lot of excitement before the class broke into a joyous Happy Birthday song.
"This is a very well-behaved class," said Gruen, "so it made sense to give them a little party time. This triple golden birthday is a rarity, the next time someone will be able to celebrate his or her 12th birthday on 12/12/12 will be in 2112."
The teacher sat everyone down and took the opportunity to quiz the class about the different meanings and symbols of the number depicting a dozen. "What element has the atomic number 12?" she asked. "Magnesium," answered a young girl - pretty good for a sixth grader! "What is 12 dozen called?" "One hundred and forty-four," answered a boy.
"Yes," added Gruen, "but it has a specific noun associated with it; do you know what it is?" The answer is a 'gross.'
Bagley's parents were there as well because, after the core class period, the family headed to the airport. Destination: New York City. "We had been talking about this for a long time," said Bagley's mother, Renee. "Sydney is a real theater buff so we decided on New York."
"I will never forget this day," Bagley said.
The day started early with her best friends coming to her home for a traditional 'Shanghai' wake-up call. First period for Bagley was Lisa Gruen's sixth grade core class. There, the Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School student was totally surprised by what awaited her: balloons, whistles, and a lot of excitement before the class broke into a joyous Happy Birthday song.
"This is a very well-behaved class," said Gruen, "so it made sense to give them a little party time. This triple golden birthday is a rarity, the next time someone will be able to celebrate his or her 12th birthday on 12/12/12 will be in 2112."
The teacher sat everyone down and took the opportunity to quiz the class about the different meanings and symbols of the number depicting a dozen. "What element has the atomic number 12?" she asked. "Magnesium," answered a young girl - pretty good for a sixth grader! "What is 12 dozen called?" "One hundred and forty-four," answered a boy.
"Yes," added Gruen, "but it has a specific noun associated with it; do you know what it is?" The answer is a 'gross.' Bagley's parents were there as well because, after the core class period, the family headed to the airport. Destination: New York City. "We had been talking about this for a long time," said Bagley's mother, Renee. "Sydney is a real theater buff so we decided on New York."
"I will never forget this day," Bagley said.
Reach the reporter at:
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA