2023 Lower School Closing Ceremony
Monday, June 5—In a ceremony that was about reflections, next steps, and new beginnings, Class IV students had their moment of celebration inside the David E. and Stacey L. Goel Theater. Class IV students, each holding a single white rose, processed in pairs to Pachelbel’s Canon in D and mugged happily for an audience of fellow students and families before taking their seats.
Messages about moving up, reflections on 1970s-era TV shows, departing words from fellow students, and a rendition of Taylor Swift’s song “Long Live” made up the program that signaled the end of the 2022–2023 Lower School year.
Marking her fifth closing ceremony, Head of Lower School Sharon Jones Phinney gave some pointed and practical advice to departing students. As they embark on summer break, she asked them to look forward and also to reflect and honor what worked and what might not have worked.
“On any journey, you can only take so much luggage with you. Today and through the summer, I implore you to think about what you intend to bring with you and what you want to or even need to leave behind,” said Phinney. “Through your reflections over the course of the year, you have a pretty good idea of what helped you make progress and what hindered progress. So, I suggest taking the summer as an opportunity to think about what made this year a success and pack it in a suitcase to be opened the day before your first day of school.”
Head of School Sarah Pelmas reminded students of how far they have come in four years and how proud everyone was of their rich accomplishments.
“You arrived on campus as tiny little Is, or medium little IIs, or even bigger IIIs, and you have since then dazzled us on a fairly regular basis with your analytical skills, your determination, your generosity, your humor, and your sense of justice,” said Pelmas. “You played your hearts out in sports, you threw yourselves into theater and ensembles, you made truly lovely art, and you read voraciously. And, speaking of voracious, boy, can you guys eat! Grilled cheese, make-your-own-pho, delicious dishes of all sorts from around the world — you fill up and then go back for seconds! As I said, I’m very proud.”
Pelmas talked about how two 1970s-era television shows—The Brady Bunch and Room 222—gave her a somewhat warped view of high school.
“I couldn’t wait for high school because I was sure I would have great hair, lots of amazing friends of all kinds, and books that were big and made me look smart carrying them. My parents would suddenly become hip, and I would have profound conversations with my history teacher about the meaning of life,” said Pelmas.
“Imagine my surprise when I arrived in high school with my regular boring hair, clothes that were not at all hip, the wrong shoes, and the same parents! To top it all off, thinking was harder than it had seemed in Room 222, and our problems didn’t resolve themselves in 30 minutes or less. I felt cheated.”
Pelmas went on to tell students that, when she looks at the Lower School, she sees students with an abundance of cachet, just like how she viewed and looked up to students on television when she was younger.
“Look around at the friends sitting around you right now. They look amazing, don’t they? And think about the cool, smart, impressive, talented things they have done this year. Picture for each person near you one thing that really impressed you. It’s pretty easy to do, isn’t it?” Pelmas said.
“And I suspect it’s a bit harder to believe that they think it about you. But let me tell you: You are amazing. Everyone around you right now can tell you one amazing thing about yourself, something you might not even fully believe. But it’s true. You are remarkable.”
Class IV speaker Emma Roffman ’27 described her class as a jungle, “chaotic and comedic, dramatic and exciting, but most of all, fun.”
Roffman reminisced about how the class all showed up as potatoes, using Snapchat filters, during a remote Zoom, or how quickly everyone learned their lines for the Class IV tradition of staging a Shakespeare play.
“All of these are examples of how our class jungle makes everything so much more exciting and fun than I could ever imagine. Now that we’ve navigated the jungle of Lower School, I can’t wait to make our exciting way through Upper School together,” said Roffman.
Representatives from Class I, Class II, and Class III each shared some heartfelt memories for Class IV talking about how much they looked up to them and how “kind and organized” they were.
Incoming Class VIII President Nathalie Cooper ’24 implored students heading to the Upper School to take advantage of all that high school has to offer and reassured them that they will be warmly welcomed when they start a new school chapter in the fall.
“So, congratulations! You’re leveling up, and you’re ready for it. Be proud of yourself, and don’t forget to thank all of your friends, teachers, and parents who have helped you on the way. And don’t blink, because high school will be over before you know it,” said Cooper.
After receiving their certificates and ringing Miss Winsor’s bell to officially end the school year, students from Class IV filed out to the patio and field for pictures, refreshments, and lots of hugs for their families and friends.
Congratulations Class IV!
