Heat Doesn't Dampen Spirits of Middle School Grads

The heat in the gymnasium of did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the 768 graduates of and their families during Monday's ceremony.

Although principal Nancy Mahoney and Superintendent of Schools Michael Schilder spoke to the graduating class, the talents of the students themselves were highlighted during the event. 

The school's Select Choir sang the "Star Spangled Banner" to kick off the evening, and graduate Anne Wang read her own poem,  “A Wheel Through Life.”

Fellow graduate Tess Jacobson read her speech “ Do One Thing Every Day That Scares You,” encouraging her classmates to embrace change. In her speech, Jacobson said that her middle school experience helped her to learn that personal growth comes through facing one’s fears.

“It’s a milestone,” said Michelle Rubbo, mother of graduate Nicholas. “It’s crossing the threshold into high school.”

Vice principal Jackie Loughridge echoed those sentiments.

“It is the closing of one chapter in their lives and the opening of the next,” she said.