Published: Jun 18, 2016 12:00 am
Housatonic Valley Waldorf School hosted a graduation ceremony for its tenth class of eighth grade graduates on Saturday, June 11.
The event was held under a tent on the school's Newtown campus.
The Class of 2016's teacher, Janelle Beardsley, led the graduation ceremony. This was Ms Beardsley's third graduating class at Housatonic Valley Waldorf School. At Waldorf grade schools, teachers stay with their class over multiple years. Ms Beardsley taught the eighth grade students since sixth grade. She was joined by MaryBeth Thomas, who taught the class from first through fifth grade, to lead the ceremony.
The ceremony included student reflections, recitations and musical performances, as well as tributes by parents Charlotte Bergmans and James Stringer, and HVWS founder Melissa Merkling. Trustee James McFarland presented a gift to Office Manager Diane Rockwell, who is retiring from the school.
The morning also included a "Reverse Rose Ceremony." Each year on the first day of school the eighth graders present first-grade students with a rose in an all-school assembly. At graduation the reverse happens, with the first graders presenting their graduating buddies with a rose. The weather held until after Ms Beardsley presented a diploma to the final graduate, Aiden Usher, who also happened to be the school's 100th graduate.
After the ceremony the assembled guests moved indoors to view a selection of student work stretching back to first grade.
The HVWS Class of 2016 comprises Aiden Usher, Brady Knuff, Conor McCann, Danny Schum, Ellery McFarland, Emily Stringer, Forrest Anderson, Kira Schoenberg, Maya Goode, Monika Mihok, Pauline Fernandez, Quinn Siddiqui, Ryan Greguski and Timothy Redpath.
Housatonic Valley Waldorf School members of the Class of 2016 stood with the first grade students at the school, during their graduation ceremony on Saturday, June 11.
Some of the Newtown Middle School Odyssey of the Mind members from coach Kristina Tartaglia's team at World Finals. From left are Maddie Hintze, Mackenzie Hughes, Lenie Urbina, Joseph Tartaglia, Luke Sordi and Willem Doherty.
Newtown High School Odyssey of the Mind team members coached by Robin Fitzgerald, from left, Quinn Fitzgerald, AJ Salaris, Connor Munro, Alex Watson and Owen Walsh, posed at World Finals.
Middle Gate graduating fourth grade student Annika Bozentko was named by library media specialist Suzanne Hurley as earning the school's Nutmeg Award, for reading the most Nutmeg Book Award-winning books, at an assembly on Monday, June 13.
Sandy Hook Elementary School's geography program participants who completed all eight of the program's tests gathered together after an assembly on June 9. (Bee Photo, Hallabeck)
Head O' Meadow Principal Barbara Gasparine, left, presented student Lucia St Lorenzo with a certificate of recognition from Secretary of State Denise Merrill and the Connecticut Citizenship Fund at an assembly on June 8, as Lead Teacher Carol Danenberg looks on. (Bee Photo, Hallabeck)
Hawley graduating fourth grade student Deirdre Smith was announced by Principal Christopher Moretti, right, as the 2015-16 Principal's Award recipient at an assembly Friday, June 10. (Bee Photo, Hallabeck)
Students who passed a number of tests in Head O' Meadow's geography program were honored at the June 8 assembly. (Bee Photo, Hallabeck)
Fraser Woods Montessori School teachers Wendy Musk, pictured far left, Zachary Brown, and Tonya Burchette applaud their eighth year graduating class during their commencement ceremony on June 8. (Bee Photo, Silber)
