Yesterday Westlawn proudly promoted 106 students to middle school!

The processed into the gym in pairs while their families clapped and cheered:

Principal Hill delivered an inspirational address:

"I consider it an honor, every day, to be the principal of this beautiful school community. And it gives me great pleasure to stand here in front of you this morning to properly recognize our sixth graders.  

"Sixth graders, there are moments in our lives that we must stop and celebrate. Landmarks. Your parents have been celebrating these landmarks since before you can remember: the first time you smiled, when you learned to crawl, your first step, the first time you needed stitches, your first day of kindergarten, your first best friend, your first report card. Too many to count. And today marks another one of those landmarks. Life goes by fast, and it’s these landmarks we use to remember how to tell the story of your life.

"And we remember you as you were in those landmark moments, through pictures, through videos, and through memories. Today is a new memory, a day your family will remember as a culmination of seven years of elementary school. Right now, your parents are remembering the first day they dropped you off at kindergarten: the tears, the excitement. Helping you put on your backpack in the morning. Tying your shoes. Carrying you to the bus stop on those mornings you were just too tired to walk. And sometime today they are going to think about your kindergarten teacher (because you never forget your kindergarten teacher). For your family this is a day of joy and excitement, but it’s also a day for remembering, for looking back on the kid you were, and the person you have become.  And there might be some tears, and that’s okay.

"Some of you will go on to be firefighters, nurses, engineers, mechanics, teachers, and programmers.  There is no ceiling and no barrier to what you can accomplish.

"You can, and will, change the world. The world is a better place with you in it. I know it, your teachers know it, and your family knows it. Communication, collaboration, resilience, perseverance, confidence, empathy, humility: all those traits, those characteristics that make you beautiful, you learned here at Westlawn. And it is those traits that you will carry with you. Show humility when times are good, be resilient when they aren’t. Be confident, not arrogant. Be brave, not bold. Be beautiful both inside and out. Be trustworthy. Be honest. Be righteous. You may leave Westlawn, but you will always be an Eagle. 

"And remember this: individually, you are unique. But together, we are extraordinary."

The sixth graders in chorus, directed by Ms. Pivetta, sung a stirring rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow:

Numerous students earned the President's Award for Educational Excellence, with gold medals, and the President's Award for Academic Achievement, with silver medals:

And many other students won awards in various categories and were recognized for their contributions to Westlawn:

Good luck to the Westlawn Class of 2023! We love you and we'll miss you, and we hope you'll visit us one day and tell us all about the amazing things you go on to accomplish!