Middle School Honors Eighth Graders, Departing Faculty at Closing Exercises

Head of School Mark Anderson welcomed Middle School families and friends to the ceremony. “I first met most of our 8th graders when I arrived at Sanford in 2011 and they were 5th graders,” he remembered. “What a pleasure it has been to watch this group mature, change and grow up.”

Next, eighth grader Patsy Donahue delivered the first student address, entitled “We Are Proud,” in which she remembered fondly the adventures—on the field, on trips, and even in the classroom—that she and her peers have had together. “As a class, we will change, as people we will change,” Patsy said. “But today, we are the best we can be.” Following her speech, Aaron Lafferty gave the first student performance, a moving rendition of the Beatles’s “Yesterday” on guitar.

The program moved on to artistic recognitions for this year’s eighth grade class. Middle School Head Eph Humphreys presented the yearly art dedication. Eighth grader Zach Stevenson’s hand-tinted photograph was selected by the Art Department to become part of the Middle School’s permanent collection. In addition, Mr. Humphreys recognized this year’s Regional Scholastic Art Award winners: Riley Whipple, Chloe DiCamillo, Laura Pellicano, Jordan Baerga, Taryn Jenkins, James Lin, and Max Scheiner. Finally, Middle School Dean John Donecker recognized this year’s Junior All-State Musician, Christopher Keiser, who sang in this year’s Delaware Junior All-State Chorus.

Grace Johnston delivered the second student speech of the day, “Progress In Time.” She described the class’s growing independence throughout the years as they learned self-reliance. “It is okay to be wrong,” she said. “When we are wrong then we learn why, and what we can do to prevent our same mistakes. That is real knowledge and one of the life lessons that our teachers have tricked us into learning.”

Friends and family were then treated to another musical performance, the Mozart piano solo “Rondo alla Turca,” performed by Katya LInton. Jack Leo then gave the final student address of the ceremony, entitled “In the Middle,” comparing his time as a Middle School student to his experiences as a middle child.

Faculty and administrators proceeded with the honors and awards section of Closing Exercises, beginning by recognizing eighth graders who earned Honor Roll.

Students earning Second Honor Roll (GPA between 3.3 and 3.64) were: Patsy Donahue, Christian Fears, Jack Flairty, Taylor Gerard, Grace Johnston, Katya Linton, Max Scheiner, Peter Schwarzkopf, Trent Wahl, and Kendra Warren.

Students earning First Honor Roll (GPA at least 3.7 with no C’s, D’s, or F’s) were: Olivia Carswell, Nicholas Chilson, Ian Civiletti, Chloe DiCamillo, Nithya Gadde, Thomas Harach, Taryn-Marie Jenkins, Christopher Keiser, Aaron Lafferty, Jacob Lafferty, Hannah LaPoint, Phoebe LaPoint, Laura Pellicano, Ali Rosenthal, Riley Whipple, and William Zimmer.

Honor Roll recognition was followed by the presentation of awards for excellence in each discipline taught at Sanford. The winners were as follows:

Art - Riley Whipple
Band - Christopher Keiser
Chorus - William Zimmer
English - Jack Flairty
French - Olivia Carswell
Health - Jack Leo
Latin - Aaron Lafferty
Math - Jacob Lafferty
Science - Nia Gadde
Social Studies - Ian Civiletti
Spanish - Chloe DiCamillo
Girls’ Athletic Award - Patsy Donahue
Boys’ Athletic Award - Tommy Bloom
Girls’ Citizenship Award - Hannah Bescript
Boys’ Citizenship Award - Trent Wall
Girls’ Service Award - Ava Pierson
Boys’ Service Award - Christopher Keiser
Evergreen Award - James Lin
Academic Achievement Award - Ali Rosenthal
Sanford Award - Patsy Donahue

Following the presentation of these awards, Mark Anderson took a moment to thank the entire Middle School faculty and staff, and in particular the five faculty members who will be retiring or departing at the end of the school year: Matt Brandt, Sandra Cahill, Susan DeSantis, John Donecker, and Sarah Kuwik.

Each eighth grade student was individually recognized and presented with a white pine pen with the Sanford logo to mark the end of their Middle School years on campus. Finally, the students welcomed departing Middle School Dean John Donecker, who they had selected to speak to them for the last time. Mr. Donecker delivered a simple message: “You are special. Don’t ever forget it.” Finally, After brief closing remarks, the students processed out of the Quad to begin their celebrations.

Thank you Middle School students and faculty for another successful school year!

Special thanks to Sanford parent Ted Rosenthal for the images featured in our Middle School Closing Exercises album.

Additional photos are available on our facebook page.