Moving Up

Grade Five and Grade Eight Celebrate Citizenship and Mark Transition

Summer 2019
Students
Published On August 1, 2019

On the last day of the 2019 school year, the Lower School marked the transition of fifth grade students to Middle School with its culminating Meeting for Leaving. Following tradition, after the Meeting, each fifth grade student rang the Lower School Friendship Bell.

On the same day, the Middle School celebrated its eighth graders at the 2019 Meeting for Leaving, a ceremony during which eighth graders cross a symbolic threshold as they complete their Middle School years.

*The Class of 2026 gathers for a group shot after the Bell-Ringing Ceremony.*

Middle School Students Recognized for Citizenship

During the last week of school, the Middle School held its annual Citizenship Awards Ceremony, recognizing and celebrating a handful of eighth graders in the Class of 2023 for their contributions as citizens to their school community and to the community at large.

Three awards were distributed, with each award honoring the qualities that are at the very heart of the mission and Quaker values of the School.

*Middle School Citizenship Award winners (from left) Gemma Kent, Janie Lytle, Molly Allen, Lauren Coss, Milan Goyal, Julian Abreu, Marcus Chiang, Melania Diah*

The Ida Hill Cahn Award for Peace Through Service was awarded to Lauren Coss and Milan Goyal. The Frank M. Groff Award for Sportsmanship and Friendship was awarded to Janie Lytle, Julian Abreu, and Melania Diah. The Jacqueline Frances O’Neill Award for Enthusiasm and Spirit was awarded to Molly Allen, Gemma Kent, and Marcus Chiang.

Alexa Quinn ’98, Middle School Principal, shared “I think of citizenship as the way in which our students practice and live out our school’s Quaker values. It’s one thing to feel that doing service for others is important, but it’s actually doing service for others that makes one a good citizen. Likewise, these awards give us an opportunity to recognize students who have been exceptionally strong or stand-out examples of how we can put our values into action in ways that benefit our school and the wider world.”