The Class of 2031 enjoyed a warm and heartfelt send off from the Lower School to the Middle School during the Fifth-Grade Closing Ceremony, which took place May 31. Students from all Lower School grades joined their teachers and fifth-grade families for the occasion. 

The Lower School String Orchestra played “In Prospect” as the fifth-graders, organized by homerooms and led by Head of School Doreen Kelly and Head of Lower School Jen Baccus, processed into Warner Arena. Fifth-graders Jozi Brandon and Nyla Ward led the assembly in singing the national anthem, then Lower School fine arts teachers Katie O’neill, Amber Hitchcock and Tasi Matthews led the singing of the Ravenscroft anthem, “Behold Our Banner Waving Aloft.”

Assistant Head of Lower School for Student Life Sarah Wright then gave the invocation, followed by a welcome and remarks from Head of Lower School Jen Baccus. Baccus shared the names of Lower School personnel who have been recognized with awards as well as for milestone years of service. 

She then turned her attention to the fifth-graders, noting that they had taken full advantage of “opportunities for learning, leading and serving” and navigating with a growth mindset many of the transitions and new experiences that being in the fifth grade brings. She then read from the book “I Wish You More” by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld, noting that she was changing the word “I” to the word “we”:

The “we” I am talking about is everyone you are now looking at — your families, your Lower School friends and all of your teachers. It is this collective “we” who have walked alongside you as you have grown up in the Lower School and “we” wish you more!

Following the reading, the assembly enjoyed a performance of “For Just a Little While” by the fifth-grade Raving Ravens.

Then, homeroom teachers announced the names of their students one by one and they received their certificates from Wright and Assistant Head of Lower School for Student Learning Erin Cole ’04. They crossed the stage for a photo with Baccus and Kelly before being greeted by Head of Middle School Bernardo Guzmán.

Following the presentation of certificates, the Lower School String Orchestra played “Ode to Joy” as Baccus and Kelly led the Class of 2031 — now rising sixth-graders — out of Warner Arena and into the dining hall of the Olander Center for Student Life at the A.E. Finley Activity Center, where they met their families for a smile-filled reception.

Congratulations to the Class of 2031!

View the program here. Enjoy photos from the event on our Flickr page.