Moving On and Moving Up

On a clear day in early June the 4th Graders walked into the Moving Up Ceremony, held in the Lower School courtyard. Once seated, Head of Lower School Debbie Miller gave a warm welcome to parents and faculty. 

 

Throughout their time in the Lower School, the 4th Graders have served as leaders to the rest of their Lower School peers. Miller, admiring the class’s growth as both students and citizens, expressed her gratitude for the excellence the Class of 2032 has embodied during their time in the Lower School. 

“We appreciate your personal perseverance, your dedication and the fact that you became your best selves,” she told the students. “Congratulations to this Class of 2032.” 

 

Interim Head of School Billy Peebles took the podium next. The students, he said, have exhibited and embodied tremendous diligence and served as upstanding examples for their younger peers. In his remarks, he encouraged them to reflect on their growth during their time at Collegiate thus far. “As you prepare to move to the Middle School, this is an important day for you 4th Graders. It’s both a significant end and a significant beginning” Peebles said. “In all of your understandable excitement today, 4th Graders, try to take the time to think about and to be grateful for all you have learned in and outside the classroom.” 

 

Following these remarks, students performed renditions of “Go the Distance,” which they practiced and rehearsed before the ceremony.

 

Six students, one representative from each class, followed Peebles’s remarks by delivering sentiments of their own, practicing another form of gratitude by highlighting special moments they experienced during their time in the Lower School. Memories included fond reflections on a student’s first day of school at Collegiate, bonding moments shared with Senior buddies in Kindergarten, wistful yearnings to return to Kindergarten rest days, the excitement of field days, tales of camaraderie with fellow classmates and the lessons learned from a Mancala tournament held in 2nd Grade. 

 

“To the Class of 2032: Take school seriously, but still make sure you get a good laugh every day,” one student remarked in her reflections. Next year, they’ll be across the bridge in Middle School, assiduously learning but never forgetting to find joy in the process of growth.