Moving Up and Moving On

This time of year is filled with graduations (or promotions as they are often called now) and students excited to move on to the next challenge in school and life. 

There are times when these ceremonies seem a bit over-the-top, i.e., pre-school promotion, then one year later kindergarten promotion. But as many of us know... as soon as you are watching your adorable little munchkin singing with their classmates or collecting their “diploma” you feel incredibly proud (and possibly shed a few tears). 

This year I get to experience a 5th grade promotion first-hand as my daughter finishes her time at Edison Elementary. At Edison they take promoting pretty seriously, they have kids give speeches, they sing, several students perform a talent show, there is a slide show, and of course the kids walk up one at a time to receive a certificate. As I thought about it, elementary school is a pretty amazing place. It is a place where your child is transformed from a student unable to sit still, stay in a line, read a chapter book or write a paragraph to a fully functioning student who can work with a group on a class project, read a novel and discuss it, and solve complicated math (like dividing fractions). Thse six years transform your child!

And the bonus for me this year is that I feel I am not only watching my 5th grader move up but also the other 150 5th graders I worked with this year in the K-buddy and Jr. Coach leadership programs at Edison, Franklin, and Otis schools. Many of these kids I have known since they were in kindergarten, so it is extra special to have watched them grow and mature. The leaders have been amazing this year. They have not only been helpers but also mentors to the kindergarten students. It warms my heart to watch the K-buddies interact, play, and teach their young peers. The way they work together has helped prepare both the Kindergarteners and the 5th graders for the next chapter in life and school. 

This week at the kindergarten promotion and 5th grade promotion ceremonies there will be a lot of proud parents, siblings, and grandparents watching as their loved ones move on and move up to what is next!

 Cheers to all the grads of 2012!