2025 Lower School Closing Ceremony

Processing to Pachelbel’s Canon and holding a single white rose tied with a red ribbon, Class IV students made their entrance to the David E. and Stacey L. Goel Theater for the 35th annual Lower School closing ceremony. The event marks the end of the school year and is particularly meaningful for eighth-grade students as they finish their time in Winsor’s Lower School.

“This ceremony is about reflection, looking back on a year of accomplishments and considering next steps or new beginnings,” said Head of Lower School Sharon Jones Phinney, who provided the welcoming address to assembled families. Offering advice to the departing class, she encouraged students to pay attention, stay curious, and ask questions as they move forward in life. “By being present, you not only learn about the world, but you also learn how to be a better friend, classmate, and citizen… By staying curious, you open yourself to new possibilities and deepen your understanding of both yourself and others… When you ask questions, you become an active participant in shaping a community that values knowledge, respect, and compassion,” she explained.

Recalling a conversation she had with Theater Director Jeremy Johnson ahead of a Twelfth Night performance, Head of School Sarah Pelmas shared that Mr. Johnson called the eighth grade “a joy to work with” in large part because they are a “close and supportive group.” Ms. Pelmas added her remarks to the special occasion sharing, “I have been thinking about happy endings—fairy tale endings, if you will—and I realize that my wish for you all is indeed a fairy-tale ending, but it’s not what you think.”

Summarizing The Paper Bag Princess, a children’s book that reverses the princess and dragon stereotype, written by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Michael Martchenko, Ms. Pelmas recounted the story of Princess Elizabeth who sets off to rescue her fiancé Prince Ronald after he has been captured by a dragon, only to realize Prince Ronald is not the sort of person she wants to marry. 

Ms. Pelmas explained, “I know you live in a world where the traditional way of doing things will be inadequate, or just plain wrong, and where you will need to be the one to see that. You will have to figure out how to arrive at a happy ending… And, perhaps more importantly, you will clarify your own values and sense of purpose through this work.”

Using a second fairy tale to illustrate her point, Ms. Pelmas drew wisdom from one of the fables in Zen Shorts written and illustrated by Jon J Muth. A story based on Zen meditation, “The Farmer’s Luck” details a farmer who encounters seemingly bad luck (his horse running away) only for his luck to change (the horse returns, bringing with it two other wild horses). When nosy neighbors label his luck as “good” or “bad,” the farmer just replies, “maybe.” “I have found myself relying a lot on the ‘maybe’ when something happens,” said Ms. Pelmas. “When is the moment in which we decide whether something is good luck or bad luck? Does that change our sense of power and responsibility? Or what if we decide that there is neither good nor bad luck, but just events in our lives—events that call for us to see life as a gift, a precious series of joys and heartaches, of loss and connection, that call on us to see the deep humanity in all others we encounter—and answer it with our own?”

In the end, fairytales allow “the hero to find magic, purpose, friendship, and perhaps a little subversive upending of norms,” Ms. Pelmas told the Class of 2029. “You deserve no less, and in fact, no one is in a better position to change the status quo, create a brand-new, fairy-tale ending, and make the world a better place… You are incredible. I am so proud of the people you are; you have made everyone here very proud of you!”

Selected by Class IV, this year’s musical offering was “I’ll Always Remember You,” originally recorded by Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus) written by Mitch Allan and Jessica Alexander. As the song concluded, the eighth graders shared a touching moment on stage as they wrapped their arms around each other and started swaying to the music. 

Class of 2029 speaker Judy Liu ’29 began her speech to a round of enthusiastic applause from classmates and other Lower School students. Referring to the Winsor Promise Campaign, which ultimately gave the Winsor Community the Lubin-O’Donnell Center in 2015, Judy often wondered about the engraved silver plaques on the back of the theater benches—what is the Winsor promise? For Judy, “The Winsor Promise is a promise of finding your people. When I first came to this school in Class I, I never could have imagined how close I would become with you all.” Calling her grade “crazy, fun, supportive, competitive, silly, dramatic, and kind,” Judy quoted Gossip Girl’s Blair Waldorf, “As long as we have each other, we’re gonna be okay” and received a chorus of “awws” from classmates. 

Interspersed throughout the program, each Lower School class offered tributes to the departing eighth graders. In a particularly sweet moment, three representatives from Class I shared a collection of “I will remember…” tributes from their time interacting with Class IV, who decorated their lockers for Halloween and again ahead of the Class I play, shared snacks, and were arguably Class I’s biggest supporters.

Outgoing Lower School Council heads Isha Vachhani ’29 and Ani Andersen ’29 transferred school leadership to the newly elected Lower School Council Heads Dani Peskin ’30 and Carys Musto ’30, and also offered advice to their Lower School classmates. “Don’t take everything so seriously. Do your best. Be yourself. Take chances. And make time to enjoy being here. You only get to do Lower School once, so be present and make it count,” said Ani. Isha urged, “Seek opportunities and try new things…because you might find yourself doing something you love.”

Incoming 2025–26 Class VIII President Liana Min ’26 added her own words of wisdom drawing on her high school years and, like Isha, encouraged students to try new things. “The class I put at the bottom of my course requests ended up being my favorite class I’ve ever taken,” she confided, encouraging students, “Keep an open mind and don’t be afraid of change, because you never know if something great is just around the corner.”

“For the past two years, it has been a pleasure to witness your class form friendships, bond together, and watch each of you grow as the funny, slightly chaotic individuals that you are and that we adore,” said Class IV Coordinators Annie Huntoon and Mary Butcher, who offered remarks and advice as well. “When things feel hard, make the best choices you can with the information you have. Please remember to make room for the unexpected—often, the best learning and growth comes from places you don’t expect.”

After Ms. Phinney and Ms. Pelmas conferred the certificates, new Lower School Council Heads Dani Peskin ’30 and Carys Musto ’30 rang Miss Winsor’s bell to officially close the school year. The students left the theater to “I’m Walking on Sunshine” by Kimberly Rew, originally recorded by Katrina and the Waves.

Congratulations to the Class of 2029!