001Okay. [Music] And they're still trying to do like the building is around like and then once the graduation Everybody. [Music] I look around like I know. [Music] All right. Good evening. Before we get started tonight, um part of going to the high school is they will have different things that they do as a class. uh in the activity interest where you came in, there is a signup sheet to work various concession stands. If you are interested in helping support the class and your your child as they go through high school, please make sure that you sign up out there. Um thank you to Justin and Selena King for starting that um because it will go fast and so they play pay for prom uh and all night prom and things like that so that money
002does not go to a waste. We're going to start with celebrating the class of 2029. If you haven't already, please turn the volume down on your cell phones. For those of you that are wondering, uh the Burlington High School Wildcats did win in game one tonight and I know that's going to be starting uh here shortly. Students, I know this is a special night for you and you're ready for summer and wondering what to expect in the fall when you begin high school, but I need just a few minutes to recognize some special people in your lives. Parents, would you please stand? Thank you for sharing and trusting your child with us daily. Thank you for your flexibility this year. Thank you for helping your child be a good person. Kids, here's your chance. Find
003your parents. Wave at them and say thank you. Thank you, parents. Thank you. Next are two individuals that without their help, this would not be possible and that is Jamie Ferguson or Jamie McManis, excuse me, and Debbie Schmidt. These two ladies are amazing assets to our BMS family. Thank you for them for their organization, not just for tonight, but also throughout the year. Thank you, [Applause] [Music] ladies. Will the following members of the eighth grade team please stand if you're present? Leah Peterson, Jordan Salsbury, Chuck Schustster, Ashley Holler, Natalie Spangenberg, Maddie Wilson, Charlie Whitworth, Aubrey Carris, Tammy Vanderpool, Julie Dawson, and Dan Buck. These individuals as well as the other teachers of Burlington Middle School, if you're present, please stand, have done a great job in supporting our students in their journey here at BMS.
004Thank you, [Music] staff. Now, at this time on to why we're here, the class of 2029. We've enjoyed watching this class grow and mature from fifth grade to now eighth graders. Parents, some of them may still have a little working in progress signed above their head, uh, but you should be proud of them. Thank you, class of 2029, for four great years at BMS. Thank you for your good attitudes, your hard work, leadership, and making Burlington Middle School a better place. Each member of this class has a bright future ahead of them. I encourage you to take advantage of the opportunities you may have and apply yourself to the best of your abilities. The class of 2029 will be an excellent addition to the high school in the fall. Thank you for a great year.
005At this time, I would like to recognize this class for several of their achievements throughout the school year. This class had a collective GPA of 3.43. In cross country, we had a league champion. The scholars bowl team placed in the top five in every meet, claiming two first place finishes. The volleyball team finished fifth in the league tournament. The football team took third in league with a 51-1 record. The girls wrestling team took third. Boys wrestling had eight, finish in the top three and two league champions. Girls basketball finished third in league. Boys basketball finished as co-ch champions. Two students were recognized this morning at the national level for their artwork as part of the Daughters of the American Revolution art contest. In track, girls placed third and the boys placed second in the league
006with two school records being set, five league champions, and one league record being set. Finally, out of the 12 or 12 of the 13 extracurricular activities recogni recognized by the Kansas High School Activities Association, the class of 2029 was recognized as distinguished in 12 of those categories. To be distinguished, they have to have a collective GPA of 2.5 to 4.0 or higher. Those that were involved in at least one activity in their time during 8th grade, which is art, band, vocal, or activities, their collective GPA was 3.61. This class of 2029 has been both great in the classroom and within activities. Thank you for your hard work. [Applause] We will first recognize individual students receiving the following awards. The Presidential Award of Educational Achievement, the Presidential Award for Educational Excellence, the Kansas State High School
007Activities Association Citizenship Award, and the American Legion Award. Any student that receives these individual awards, we ask at the end of the night to meet behind the podium for a picture. We will first recognize students of the Presidential Achievement Awards. The President Achievement Awards were founded in 1983, honoring students in elementary, middle, and high school for their achievement and hard work. This program has provided individual recognition from the president and the US Secretary of Education to those students whose outstanding efforts have enabled them to meet the challenging standards of excellence. Each year, thousands of elementary, middle, and high schools part participate in recognizing the those deserving students. This time, I will read a letter from the president of the United States. Congratulations to the recipients of the 2025 President's Education Award. The first lady and
008I are pleased to join your teachers, family, and friends in recognizing this wonderful achievement. For more than 40 years, this award has honored students who have exhibited exceptional work, work ethic, and determination. My administration remains committed to a culture of excellence in our country where hard work is rewarded and enormous potential of our students is unlocked. In this vision for a strong American future, students like you who represent the best traditional American values like perseverance and individual achievement will go on to become the influ influential leaders, innovators, and pillars of our society. Our nation will look to you for guidance and leadership. Together, we can launch the greatest and most successful era in the history of our country, a true golden age. We applaud the families, educators, administrators, and other community leaders who have been
009there for you every step of the way. You have made them all proud, especially your parents, caretakers, and who want the best education for their children. As you pursue your dreams and passions, we wish you continued success. We look forward to seeing all that you accomplish. President Donald Trump. We will first recognize the Presidential Award of Educational Achievement. The purpose of this award is to recognize students who show outstanding educational growth, improvement, commitment, and intellectual development their subjects. It is meant to reward students who work hard, give their best effort in school, and demonstrate high academic achievement. As I say your name, you will come to the front and get your certificate and pen from Mrs. Salsbury. Our first student, Bailey [Applause] Dawan, Kenna [Applause] Hernandez, Brett Henman, [Applause] Abigail [Applause] Kelly, Sophia [Music] Matney,
010Kevin Munoz, [Applause] [Music] JC [Applause] [Music] Reed and Ava Slezer. [Applause] The next award is the presidential award for educational excellence. The purpose of this award is to recognize academic success in the classroom. To be eligible for this award, a student must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 or higher and must have scored in the 89 85th percentile or higher in the fastbridge math or reading. Our first student, Jace Allen, Charlotte Deck, Cash Hanley, Maya King, [Applause] Jackson Nessen, [Applause] [Music] Austin [Applause] Grievous, Grace Renie, [Applause] Jace Repper, [Applause] Brazen [Applause] Spring, Elena Wong, [Applause] and Marshall [Applause] right. We'll now recognize two students for the Kansas High School Activities Association Citizen Citizenship Award. This award is voted on by the staff of Burlington Middle School. The criteria for this award are shows respects respect
011for all citizens, school, community, flag, and country. Demonstrates tolerance and respect for the beliefs and convictions of others. Assumes a responsibility to build school and community pride through active participation in various projects and shows a reverence for life. This year's recipients of the Kansas High School Activities Association Citizenship Award goes to Jackson Nessen and Elena Mason. Our final award for our individuals for the class of 2029 is the American Legion Award. This award is also voted on the st by the staff of Burlington Middle School. The criteria for the American Legion Award is very similar to the Kansas State High School Activities Association Citizenship Award with the additional criteria of courage, honor, leadership, patriotism, scholarship, and service which is necessary for the preservation and protection of the fundamental institutions of our government and advancement of
012society. This year's recipients of the American Legion Award goes to Cash Hanley and Helena Long. [Applause] At this time, I would like to recognize and welcome Miss Mallalerie over to a gra to address the class of 2029. Maller Mallerie graduated from Burlington High School this last Sunday with the class of 2025. She is the outgoing president of the student council. She is involved in theater, forensics, cross country, track, scholars bowl, mind over matter, national honor society, FBLA, and FCA. This year she led the VHS forensics team to their first runner-up finish at the state competition and was part of the state qualifying scholars team. Next year, Mallerie will attend the University of Oklahoma working toward a bachelor of fine arts and acting. Please join me in welcoming Miss Mallerie Over. [Applause] I'd like to start
013off by thanking Mr. Spring and eighth grade teachers for asking me to speak tonight. I am no expert, but there are a few thoughts that I would like to share with you as you prepare for high school. First of all, congrats on surviving middle school. That is an accomplishment. And your reward, four more years of school. The good news is that high school will provide you with so many different opportunities that can be so fun if you do it right. On Saturday, I walked across the stage at the high school graduation. And recently, I've caught myself reflecting over the last few years. There are a few things that jump out to me that I will share with you tonight. Things that I hope will help you as you begin high school in August. To do
014so, I'm going to share one of my favorite quotes. Don't let the pressure to fit in prevent you from standing out. I remember when I started my freshman year, I was worried about whether or not people would like me and if I would fit in. I think that's probably pretty normal for freshmen. But I'm going to really encourage you to focus more on growing as an individual and following your own passion instead of just trying to fit in. For me, it was discovering theater and forensics. Those were activities that many students didn't do. But for me, I'm glad I didn't only do what my friends were doing. Take risks next year and join clubs so that you can be involved. It seems like those who wait until their senior year to start trying things always
015say, "Why didn't I do that sooner?" There truly is something for everyone. I challenge you to find the activities you enjoy regardless of what others do. Don't let the pressure to fit in prevent you from standing out can also apply to how you participate. There might be a lot of your friends taking the sport with you next fall. You will have all different experiences. Some of your teammates might play more than you do, but I believe that the activity and being a part of a team really needs to remain the priority as you go through high school. It's really fun getting to be on a team with all four grades. And there are so many things that you will enjoy if you focus on what you can do and not just going along with the
016crowd. And standing out from the crowd sometimes means improving your attitude. This idea also applies to the classroom. I'm not sure if you have heard this year yet, but your classes your freshman year will not be easy. And that's okay. As my mom would say, it's character building. Learning to stand out in the classroom and make the right choices instead of just fitting in is something that I think set my graduating class apart from the other classes. The class of 2025 is pretty awesome. In our classes, we didn't think it was funny to be disrespectful to teachers, and we didn't think it was cool to blow off assignments. We worked hard. I challenge you to I cl I challenge your class to follow in our footsteps and take pride in standing out in a positive
017way. Yes, your freshman year will be challenging, but I promise you that the teachers will like you more, will have more fun with you, and will help you out a little bit more if you make the right choices. And remember, it's okay if you make mistakes. That's just part of growing up. Just take ownership and learn from it. And lastly, don't let the pressure to fit in prevent you from standing out can be applied to how you treat others. You will find your group. You will find your friends. Even when it feels scary, I encourage you to put yourself out there and try to meet people. And as you do, stay stand out by being kind to others. That type of attitude spreads to those around you. Be kind to your teachers, your classmates, your
018families, and yourself. As I finish up, I just want to share how fast the next four years will go. Enjoy it. Make memories. Go to the ball games and dress up in the crazy things. Volunteer for class concession stands. Help with the homecoming float. Sign up for a new activity. Get to know your teachers and the upper classmen. And put yourself out there and just have fun. I've been told that you guys are a fun class. And from those of you that I know, I believe it. Stay that way and enjoy the next few years. It goes fast. But be before you know it, you will be walking across the stage at your own high school graduation. And next fall, as you start your time at BHS, you might be nervous like I was. You
019might be worried about whether or not people will like you or if you will fit in. That's understandable and that's normal. But I encourage you to just keep this in mind as you start your journey as a VHS Wildcat. Don't let the pressure to fit in prevent you from standing out. Good luck, class of 2029, and thank [Applause] you. All right. At this time, we'll begin recognizing each individual student student for the graduating class of 2029. We'll recognize students for the following: earning all A's for all four quarters of 8th grade. Being on the high honor role, all four quarters with a 3.6 or higher, and nothing lower than a C minus. The honor roll, all four quarters with a 3.1 with no grade lower than a C minus. an academic letter. Students that are
020recognized for those formentioned will receive an academic letter. The top 5% in the following subjects: social studies, pre-alggebra, algebra, career and life planning, science, computer applications. We will also have the certificate of excellence which is based on their performance on the fast bridge assessment where students must score above the 90th percentile in math or reading. and finally what they're most proud of while at Burlington Middle School. I would now ask the first row to please stand to receive your awards. Our first eighth grader, Jace Allen. Jace was on the high honorable all four quarters. or receive an academic letter and was above or at the 90th percentile in math. Jace is most proud of his athletic growth in sports this year. Jace [Applause] Allen Ivy Becker. Ivy was on the high honor roll all four
021quarters and will receive an academic letter. Ivy is most proud of trying and keeping up for new grade keeping up with her grades. Ivy Becker, Michaela Brandon. Michaela is most proud of the growth she has had in her learning. Michaela Brandon, Lane Bryant. Lane is most proud of keeping up with his grades. Lane [Applause] Bryant. Tessa Carter. Tessa is most proud of being able to make new friends. Tessa [Applause] Carter, Rodie Clark. Rodie is most proud of the friendships that he has made in middle [Applause] school. Cassidy. Cassio was on the high honor roll all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Cassidy is most proud of being able to finish the year with good grades. Remington Cole. Remington was on the honor roll all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Remington
022is most proud of being able to compete in basketball this season without getting injured. And Gavin Chris is not with us and he is most proud of his final in math. Mackenzie Krooks. Mackenzie was on the high honor roll all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Mackenzie is most proud of learning from her mistakes and growing from [Applause] them. Charlotte Deck. Charlotte had all A's all four quarters will receive an academic letter. She was top 5% in ELA, top 5% in science, top 5% in social studies, and top 5% in career and life planning. Charlotte is most proud of her academic achievements. Nehemiah de Santiago Enriquez. Nehemiah is most proud of running through the year with his [Applause] friends. Bailey Dman. Bailey was on the high honorable all four quarters and will receive
023an academic letter. Bailey is most proud of passing her math final. Max. Max was on the honor roll all four quarters and received an academic letter. Max is most proud of becoming league champions in [Applause] basketball. With the second row, please stand and come get your certificates. [Music] Brigham Phelps. Brigham was on the honor roll all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Brighgam is most proud of being league champions this year in [Applause] basketball. Joseph Gford. Joseph is most proud of growing athletically. Cammy Gazny. Camo was on the high honorable all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Cammy is most proud of her growth and knowledge. Jacob Jacob was on the honorable all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Jacob Jacob is most proud of how much he has
024matured throughout middle school. Cashling Cash was on the high honor roll all four quarters will receive an academic letter. He was top 5% in social studies, top 5% in computer applications, and above the 90th percentile in reading. Cash is most proud of playing at league [Applause] band. Logan Harris. Logan is most proud of his grow the growth he has made this year athletically, academically, and socially. Brand Grant was on the high honor roll all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Brand is most proud of improving in javelin by 17 [Applause] ft. Levi Levi is most proud of his overall athletic accomplish accomplishments with [Applause] weights. Kenna Hernandez. Kenna Kenna was on the high honor role all four quarters will receive an academic letter and was in the top 5% of pre-alggebra. Kenna is
025most proud for growth in [Applause] learning. Brett Henman. Brett was on the high honor roll all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Brett is most proud of having good [Applause] grades. Abigail Kelly. Abby was on the high honor of all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Abby is most proud of passing her math final. Maya King. Maya was on the high honor roll all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Maya is most proud of improving in all of her sports throughout the [Applause] year. Ken Mark. Kaden was on the honor roll all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Kaden is most proud of keeping his grades [Applause] up. Victoria Martin. Victoria is proud of how much she has grown and matured over the [Applause] years. Elena [Applause]
026Mason and receive an academic letter. Elena is most proud of her one pager she did in ELA and [Applause] maturing. In the third row, please come forward to be recognized. Sophia Matney. Sophia was on the high honor roll all four quarters, will receive an academic letter, and was top 5% of pre-alggebra. Sophia is most proud of the new friendship she's made this [Applause] year. Maddox May. Maddox was on the honorable all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Maddox is most proud of getting good grades. Eston was on the high honor roll all four quarters and will receive an academic ladder. East is most proud of passing his math [Applause] final. Darren Smith. Darren is most proud of the things that he has learned, the friends he has made along the way, and the
027teachers that have helped him. Constance Mo Constance Constance is most proud of putting her main priorities first. Gabrielle Gabby was on the honorable all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Gabby is most proud of improving her art [Applause] skills. Kevin Nunes. Kevin was on the high honorable all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Kevin Mo is most proud of getting good grades. And Murphy is most proud of trying a new sport. Andrew Myers. Andrew is most proud of being part of the civil air [Applause] controller. Jackson Ness. Jackson was on the high honor all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Jackson is most proud of his athletic accomplishments. Sophia Sophia was on the high honor role all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Sophia is most proud
028of getting another record in track and field. Grayson Taylor. Grayson was on the high honor role all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Grayson is most proud of the people he has met trying new things and success in eighth grade. Max Morano Pinto. Max is most proud of his family supporting him throughout the [Applause] year. Austin Maras. Austin was on the honorable all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Austin is most proud of the friendships he has [Applause] made. Grace is ready. Grace had all A's all four quarters, will receive an academic letter, was top five pursuing in career and life planning, and top 5% in computer applications. Grace is most proud of working hard and keeping her grades [Applause] up. Will the last row, please stand and be recognized. Jaci
029Reed. Jaci was on the high honor role all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Jaci is most proud of having a positive attitude over the years. Jace Greer. Jace was on the high honor roll all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Jace is most proud of earning an A on his final in [Applause] match. Grayson Rigs. Grayson is most proud of finishing the year strong and having good [Applause] grades. Carly Schwabback. Carly was on the honor roll all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Carly is most proud of getting better at things that she is not great [Applause] at. Landon Shin. Landon is most proud of getting first in discus at [Applause] least. Ava had all A's all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Ava is most
030proud of receiving all A's this [Applause] year. Bren Brenn was on the honorable all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Bren is most proud of passing her math final and having good grades. East Sal East was on the honor roll all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. East is most proud of how much he has matured from seventh to 8th [Applause] grade. Raising spring raising up on a high honorable all four quarters will receive an academic letter top 5% in computer applications and 90th percentile or above in reading. Brazen is most proud of his growth during his middle school years. Tate Stall. Tate was on the honor roll all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Tate is most proud of his middle school athletic achievements. Ethan Mario. Ethan was
031on the high honor roll all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. Ethan is most proud of the friendships that he has made. Bo Thompson. Bo is on the high honorable hall all four cores and will receive an academic letter. Bo is most proud of passing middle school with good [Applause] grades. Zayen vest. Zayen is most proud of making it to the end of the year in good standing. Helena Wong. Helena had all A's all four quarters will receive an academic letter. was top 5% in ELA, top 5% in science, top 5% in social studies, top 5% in career and life planning, top 5% in computer applications, top 5% in algebra, and above the 90th percentile in both math and reading. Elena is most proud of becoming more outgoing and making more friends. Marshall
032Wright. Marshall had all A's all four quarters and will receive an academic letter. He was top 5% in ELA, top 5% in science, top 5% in pre-alggebra, and above the 90th percentile in math. Marshall is most proud of jumping 52 in high [Applause] jump. Before I present to you the class of 2029, those that received the individual awards, please meet behind here at behind the podium. With the class of 2029, please stand. The staff at BMS, thank you for your legacy on BMS and want to wish you all a great summer and best of luck. Your future is bright. Staff, family, and friends, I present to you the class of 2029. Thank you for joining us tonight and we hope you all have a great summer. Thank you. [Applause]