I remember when I was a kid (it was oh so many years ago now... decades! Eons -- well not quite), and what Labor Day meant for me: the end of summer, the beginning of (gulp!) school, and the last big weekend for going crazy and doing 'Kid' things.

So I guess what this Tree is about is this: a place to wax philosophic about the joys of summer and the thrills (or horrors) of the upcoming school year.

Now, this can be done in a first-person or non-fiction way so it feels more 'Personal,' or you could come up with a fictional group of kids planning one last bash of the summer or something.

Hopefully, we'll get some good stuff on this Tree, but I'm leaving it up to our younger Monkeys to make this sucker grow.

Good luck!

	22:24 EST   Aug 14th, 2009 – by Camille Strauss As a child going into high school for the very first time, I can say that this tree really relates to me. It'll be an interesting tree to say the least.
	00:15 EST   Aug 15th, 2009 – by Kole Oh, snap! The last tree I planted was originally supposed to be a young adult tree. It wasn't the Essayist, of course, but I thought it might be cool...Ah, well! Great new tree! :D
	06:54 EST   Aug 15th, 2009 – by ElizabethP Ah so this is the significance of Labor Day. The recognition of the start of the academic year. What an interesting concept on which to have a Day named! Good luck with your tree Chris. It relates to me too but I'll leave it to the younger ones as you say.
	12:50 EST   Aug 15th, 2009 – by Jess Xie Wow! What a great idea - I think this tree relates to almost everyone, old or young. But I think the kid's point of view will make this tree fascinating. Thanks for such a great tree, Chris!
	22:01 EST   Aug 15th, 2009 – by Chris Sadler I had been thinking of doing a Young Adult Tree, but didn't know what to plant until I saw a Back-To-School ad the other day ('Labor Day Savings! Wow!'). I was reminded about how dreadful that holiday felt to me when I was younger, while some of my friends couldn't WAIT to go back to school. I thought this might appeal to some of the younger Monkeys, so I'm glad you like it, Jessie.
	17:31 EST   Aug 16th, 2009 – by Paulina A. Ug! I'm going to pick up my class schedule this week and Im mega nervous that im not going to have any classes with my friends but i am looking forward to enjoying my last year of middle school :D
	15:58 EST   Aug 19th, 2009 – by Kole Hmmm...I'm frustrated. No one has actually left it so that it could be under middle-school age. Gargh!!! This was originally intended to be a 'kid' deal, not a teenage drama!
	10:04 EST   Aug 24th, 2009 – by Jess Xie WEll, think of it this way, Kole. Is there a monkey that you know (that actively participates on MM) who is under middle-school age? If such a monkey existed, I'm sure they would have started their own branch. And I'd be happy to turn one of the offshoots of 'Commencement' into a more elementary-aged branch.
	10:11 EST   Sep 4th, 2009 – by Beckzy Bogardas This is a really promising tree. The only problem I see is, like Kole pointed out, the differnt age groups. I'm not sure where I should add since I'm starting my junior year. Although I could talk about what starting high school was like for me...