Middle School Honors Eighth Graders, Departing Faculty at Closing Exercises

After Head of School Mark Anderson welcomed Middle School families and friends to the ceremony, eighth grader Abby Wahl delivered the first student address, entitled “Guiding Principles,” in which she described the independence, strength of character, and willingness to take risks that Sanford Middle School has encouraged in her class. “Our class has been instilled with good character by first developing a strong foundation individually,” Abby said. “We accomplished this by learning from our mistakes and taking ownership for our actions.”

After Abby finished, Maddie Cooper performed a vocal solo, the song “I Know Things Now” from Stephen Sondheim’s musical "Into the Woods." Middle School Head Eph Humphreys then presented the yearly art dedication. Eighth grader Gladys Mbugua’s work 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: Sofia Alfieri, Haley Dodd, Claire Jester, Lindsay Colgan, and Abby Wahl. He also named the Scholastic Writing Award winners: Leah Somerville, Julie Schroeder, Nicholas Marcozzi, Krystal Lou, Lexi Hublein, Maddie Cooper, Allie Bloom, and Katie Correll.

To continue the artistic recognitions, MS Dean of Students John Donecker recognized eighth grader Lily Allingham, this year’s Junior All-State musician. Lily placed second in the alto section of Junior All-State Chorus. Finally, art teacher Betty O’Regan introduced the brand-new “Center for Creative Arts Scholarship Award,” a $150 prize given annually to an eighth grade student who “demonstrates creativity, curiosity, and respect for art.” The prize, this year awarded to Angela Kuczykowski, can be used to fund a summer court of the student’s choosing.

Next, eighth grader Katie Correll provided the second student speech of the day, “The Journey We Have Taken.” She described her nervousness at coming to Sanford in 6th grade, and how quickly the Sanford family made her feel at home. “In my case,” she said, “I had some really great friends that stuck right besides me when I needed them, and I could always count on them. When you have that feeling it is wonderful. No feeling alone or depressed over friends. Sanford is one big family.”

Friends and family were then treated to another musical performance, a vocal duet entitled “The Climb” performed by Lily Allingham and Julia Sykora, before Claire Jester delivered the final student address of the ceremony, entitled “Change.” After Claire finished speaking, she presented a gift to the school from the eighth grade class, in the amount of $140, which will benefit the Front & Center Campaign.

Faculty and administrators then 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: Sofia Alfieri, Allie Bloom, Grant Cragg, Santina DeMaio, Haley Dodd, Matthew Friedkin, Zoe LaMonte, Connor Long, Nicholas Marcozzi, Kyle McDonough, Ryan McHugh, and Robert Stafford. Students earning First Honor Roll (GPA at least 3.7 with no C’s, D’s, or F’s) included: Paige Bobka, Maddie Cooper, Latrece Hopkins, Lexi Hublein, Emily Jarome, Claire Jester, Gladys Mbugua, Rebecca Ritter, Elizabeth Vander Laan, Noah Walsh, Padriac Walsh, and Lily Wiesnegger. The following students received Straight A’s in the spring trimester: Lindsay Colgan, Sarah Filak, Katie Correll, Lexi Fotakos, Angela Kuczykowski, Miles Petersen, Evan Sabini, Julia Sykora, Abigail Wahl, and Shelby Ward. Lily Allingham, Leah Somerville, and Krystal Luo received straight A’s throughout their Middle School careers at Sanford.

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

Art - Claire Jester
Band - Connor Long
Chorus - Lily Allingham
English - Lily Allingham
French - Lindsay Colgan
Health - Kyle McDonough
Math - Angela Kuczykowski
Science - Sarah Filak
Social Studies - Paige Bobka
Spanish - Shelby Ward
Girls’ Athletic Award - Sarah Filak
Boys’ Athletic Award - Joseph Williams
Girls’ Citizenship Award - Lindsay Colgan
Boys’ Citizenship Award - Matthew Friedkin
Girls’ Service Award - Claire Jester
Boys’ Service Award - Luke Punturieri
Sanford Award - Gladys Mbugua
Academic Achievement Award - Leah Somerville

Following the presentation of these awards, Mark Anderson took a moment to thank the six MS faculty members who will be retiring or departing at the end of the school year: Michelle Dresser, Amy Haury, Ali Kornfield, Nora Martin, Jane McConnell, and Christine Yasik. The latter two, who are ending long tenures as French and English teachers at Sanford’s Middle School, took a few moments to share their thoughts, memories, and advice with the graduating eighth graders. After individual recognition of each student and 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!