001academy's class of 2021 moving up ceremony my name is renee walker and i'm the president of the west side's chapter of national junior honor society would you all rise for the pledge of allegiance i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands one nation under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all please remain standing ready [Music] twilight's last gleaming [Music] streaming [Music] does that star spangled for the land of the free and the home of the bread [Applause] please be seated i'd like to share a few words with you this afternoon first i would like to go back to where it all started the sixth grade i woke up got on the bus then i thought to myself here's my big moment middle
002school as i'm approaching the front doors my heart starts to beat out of my chest my first thought was what am i supposed to do my friend at the time was in eighth grade so i initially go over to him and ask him what am i supposed to do he proceeds to say i don't know what you're doing but i know what i'm doing then walks away as you can tell i didn't have the best first impression of middle school but it just kept getting worse from that day i believe that everyone would be mean and work for themselves but as time went on i got to see the real middle school experience specifically the west side experience this i got to make many friends they got to be some of the best people i
003know to this day i made many memories those i will never forget it kills my heart to think of leaving this school on this day westside has watchmen girl to be the person that you're watching on this podium right now not only has the school watch me grow but a specific teacher too i would like to thank mrs haddad for being the best advisory teacher i could ask for and always acknowledging the good deeds i did from my peers and always asking if i did okay when i looked when i looked upset i'd also like to thank you for the little things you did like printing me a new schedule on the first day of sixth grade after someone's um after someone accidentally took mine it kills my heart to say this but i can't
004believe we're leaving the school on this day i made many friends and i would also like i would also like to thank everyone here for being some of my best people that i could walk across the stage with and possibly go throughout my rest of the high school's experience with this one of my many accomplishments throughout middle school was being president of national junior honor society just from being in this organization i have learned the two responsibilities of being a leader and a role model i am very grateful for the opportunity he has given me i used to think middle school would be go by very slowly and be a never-ending suffering but these have been the fastest three years of my life and i cannot believe that our middle school years are ending but
005as the great tony stark once said part of the journey is the end so if this is our final goodbyes i just want to congratulate all the people walking across this stage today and i just want to say you came a long way thank you all [Applause] i would now like to introduce our principal dr frank leblanca good afternoon everyone what a wonderful afternoon to celebrate all of our eighth grade students and their accomplishments we are certainly very proud of all they have done during their middle school years and they certainly were a very special middle school class 8th graders you are about to experience the next big change in your life the beginning of your high school years before we continue i would like to take a moment to recognize and thank those who
006have helped plan and organize this afternoon ceremony special thanks to mrs sanchez and mrs fanoff our school administrative assistants [Applause] mrs riefberg and mr dara our school counselors for their help mr lewis our music teacher for our special musical entertainment today and certainly our eighth grade teachers mrs near mr rovnak mr savino mrs larosa mrs pokencheck mr prokowski mrs locke mrs cobaita miss joss on you mr mayhew ms ferreira mr o'neill and miss christine and we'd like to thank the pto providing our plaques today the denver public school system has 18 schools almost 12 000 students and nearly a thousand staff members that are united under the leadership of our district we all work together under that leadership toward a common goal to have students who are high achievers independent learners and who make positive
007contributions to both the school and community i would like to acknowledge our special guests today superintendent sal pascarella assistant superintendent kevin walston director of curriculum and instruction carrick has dr kazur carrick casamiro did i miss anybody everybody and also board member and parent rachel celeski at this time i'd like to introduce a very special guest with words for you our mayor joseph calvo thank you principal ivanka good afternoon it's my pleasure and honor to be here with you all today i have prepared a 17-page speech because i figured it was going to be cool today but i'm going to cut it down a little bit just keep it a little bit shorter as the mayor of the city of danbury i can't tell you how proud and honored i am to be here with you
008today the work that you've accomplished over this past year these past 15 months under our covet situation really has been untenable and you have done just a fabulous job with that and we are so proud of you that you were able to accomplish your studies and have your moving up ceremony here today dr pasquerella assistant superintendent wallston and the administration has just done a fabulous job under extremely difficult circumstances and we need to thank your parents as well for the job that they did helping you get through these past 15 months it's been an incredible challenge for all of us and i just again so proud and honored to be with you today as you move up into your new challenges of high school high school will be a piece of cake compared to these
009last 15 months and so you guys are going to do great at that and we're looking forward to seeing some really great outcomes with you in the next four years so enjoy your summer have a great time be safe out there and we look forward to seeing you in your high school years thank you [Applause] throughout the spring a number of students were recognized for special awards they have already received those awards so we ask the following students please rise wave to the crowd and be recognized once again for your outstanding achievements receiving the connecticut association of boards of education awards chloe de jelani and eric go [Applause] receiving the superintendent's award isabella valenzuela and colton kittridge receiving the exchange club service award eileena villa [Applause] and now having received the presidential silver academic award
010those students who have achieved the honor roll there's a lot of you [Applause] and then the presidential gold act achievement award those are students who received high honors [Applause] today i have the pleasure of awarding the principles award the principal's award was selected by me in consultation with eighth grade teachers to recognize students who best represent what we think a model student at westside middle school academy should be the students selected have achieved academic excellence excelled at stem and global studies projects and displayed excellent character and leadership and this year's principles award and if you are called please come forward in global studies ex marisa espinal and in stem david thomas [Applause] we will now recognize our scholar leaders in addition to receiving an award they will have the honor of speaking with you today
011vivian will speak about her middle school experience and ria will speak about the future that lies ahead so vivian hello parents guardians family members and fellow students we've made it three years ago my peers and i were graduating fifth grade now we're going into high school it's been a fun but wild ride and i'm very happy that it was safe for us to have this moving up ceremony in person for me and i'm assuming many of my fellow classmates and students middle school was a time of character growth change in learning we made new friends and discovered more about ourselves than ever before especially with the pandemic we learned to change and adapt to our new surroundings and keep our heads high the class of 2021's experience during these three years has definitely been unique
012and unforgettable and when writing the speech i wanted for us to be able to reminisce on the past and remember the struggles as well as the victories so going back to sixth grade i have very clear memories of struggling to open lockers rushing to get from classic class and trying to figure out the flow of middle school strangely i also remember fearing the 8th graders looking back on it were really not that scary anyway we all got used to our new environment eventually with the help of supportive staff and teachers seventh grade rolls around in the year is off to a good start we had all of our normal activities and everything was great then mid-march came around and i'm sure many of my peers can remember the announcement that said we were all being
013sent home everyone was ridiculously happy oblivious to what the pandemic would bring distance learning began on march 31st two weeks after schools had closed by the end of april a lot of students myself included were feeling stressed and anxious living the same day every day worrying about assignments and not being able to see much of anyone wasn't easy for the most of us this was a new way of living that none of us including parents had ever experienced before it took us time but we found ways to cope the world had changed and the daily lives of the class of 201 had changed with it that brings us to this year we start off the year with remote learning as well as the new schedule and new teachers still though we were already used to
014the world of google meets and online learning tools distance learning in the fall was as close as we can possibly get to an in-person school environment in a remote setting and it was easier for all of us to understand what we were being taught the months went by and on monday january 25th blue court students myself included went back to west side for the first time in almost a year it was such a surreal experience everyone with the mask on and socially distanced as well as being in the building and seeing people in the flesh that hence seems the pandemic had begun after going back i got to know my teachers and classmates better as well a few months went by and that brings us to the day graduation i would like to say that
015overall it's been an amazing three years with you all even if you didn't know me personally i hope that life takes you places that you continue to find and you find yourselves and achieve your personal goals i also want to thank parents guardians teachers and the staff of westside you've helped make the school the place it is for all of us students again congratulations to all the graduates and best of luck in high [Applause] school dear students parents and guardians thank you for being here today students of west side middle school academy congratulations on making it this far into your academic careers it feels incredible to have been able to get this far with all of you and i would like to say thank you to all the amazing students and teachers that helped us
016get this far what we have been through together is no easy feat and i would like to congratulate you all once again on your accomplishments as we began 2020 as seventh graders it is safe to say that none of us were prepared for what was to come however the fact that we managed to pull through despite the most unexpected circumstances shows that we have what it takes to be successful we now understand how incredibly difficult it is to see what the future holds for us i for one did not expect moments of awkward silence on google meets and cameras that were switched off all the time i'm pretty sure none of us did but i see all of you in front of me now having gone through struggles and staying resilient throughout i am confident
017that no matter what life throws at us personal or universal we will manage to succeed i know for a fact that we will all go on our own paths after today at times these pets will converge perhaps at danbury high school where we will have the same math class our paths may fork and it is in those moments that our choices are crucial every one of us has the ability to find success through our own paths but it is up to us to take the necessary steps to find that success i'm sure that we are all wondering what high school will be like but what i can tell you is this in the near future we will be like 6th graders once again small fish and a big pond we will have to build upon
018our previous experiences and we will have our ups and downs on a roller coaster journey just remember how terrified we all were of middle school i think and can confidently say that middle school was not nearly as scary as i thought it would be and i assume high school will be the same no matter how high school may be portrayed i know that high school is an opportunity for you to discover more about yourselves and explore your strengths and weaknesses distance learning was as big of a question mark as high school is but the fact that you all managed to excel despite that shows that high school will be no problem for you i hope to see all of you once again at our high school con graduation showing off all that you have achieved
019and that brings us to the great beyond that follows high school whether you have your entire life mapped out or have no clue what the future holds i know that you can bring your dreams to reality i hope that regardless of where the circumstances take you regardless of all the speed bumps and rocky roads you will eventually arrive at the destination that you hope for and while you shoot for the stars take a break and appreciate the little things in life and everyone that has helped you get to this point your final assignment due at 11 59 pm by the way is to say thank you to your friends your family your teachers and the wonderful people that have been by your side and will always support you let me complete my assignment by giving
020a heartfelt thank you to my parents and little brother thank you all so much and congratulations once again thank you both you did a great job now i'd like to introduce mrs jennifer blue assistant principal to recognize these students all righty thank you we are proud to present vivian lynn and ria parziar with these plaques of recognition for their accomplishments [Applause] all righty i'd like to thank you i'm sorry i'd like you to think back for a moment to when you first started at westside middle school academy many of you were concerned that you would get lost or that you wouldn't be able to handle the homework or you wouldn't be able to make new friends the building looked huge compared to your elementary schools yet here you are and at the end of eighth
021grade you learned how to manage your time how to be creative and how to work in groups to solve problems many of you earned honor roll or high honor roll status at least once while participating in a variety of activities outside of school you have each had your challenges and successes as you move through your middle school years it's time for high school and you are ready the choices you've made and will continue to make will determine who you will be i hope that you will choose to make a positive difference in your family school and community as you leave us today the best wishes of all the faculty and staff at westside middle school academy wishes you good luck to you all so now ladies and gentlemen the moment you have been waiting for
022is finally here the presentation of the west side middle school academy class of 2021 the class will be presented by eighth grade teachers mr o'neill mr savino and miss pokencheck the students will be honored by the administration and eighth grade core academic teachers members of the board of education dr pasquerella mr walleston dr labanca and mrs blue having met the requirements of the danbury public schools for promotion to high school it gives me great pleasure to present west side middle school global studies academy class of 2021 members of the board of education dr pascarello mr wallston dr labonka and mrs blue having met the requirements of the danbury public schools for promotion to high school it gives me great pleasure to present west side middle school stem academy class of 2021. he's gonna go he's
023gonna go first wait ready alberson eileen avila anuya elanky gonit body anna clara almeida jillian bieber alexander anderson darren bengett jayla and duhar jackson bach maria arnell charlotte bouffard ashton beach dominic burns cody benaway gisella bustamente [Music] haley capone dior carr justin castro brianna carvalho chavez benjamin celeski robert cole catherine chicaisa christopher cooney you're good you're good savannah cosquerella simon cordova nathan de silva kiera chambers daniel damato reynelle cruz akem diogun olivia chipkowski chloe jelani silvio d'angelo natalie duque joshua d'souza jacob encarnacion domain arabeira ex mighty's espinal leanne fernandez jeremy espinal daniela forshaw daniel fernandez sarah gallarza lillian gabriel patrick garcia kailyn garabo elizabeth getzei grace gibson andrew george xavier going eva george colin gordon ian goldschein nelson gray eric woe ashley gualpa kevin guzmayo mark guaman alex gutama eliana haddad chelsea guzman alexander hannan
024daniel guzman robert hernandez thomas morneau [Applause] david hirsch mia hatsis lindsey hollister michaela hunter reese layla howard kelsey ayorio carmen jacobs natalie jimenez krishna jacob joy wisela lopes bella karim sandro montero ethan kennedy isabella moran vidal caitlyn lamp manuela moran kayla lorenzo sofia marrera gabriel lopez cameron myrosky emily lopez gibbons ella narciso grace mariano maria nacimento nathan marufi nicholas ochoa addison michalek georgenik ordonez mayara morisse jeremy ortega sebastian morales eileen palomek fajardo melissa nepaman subhadra pisantes joao pedro nunez samuel ramirez diana ponza dante rivera christian podi gabrielle roberts larry red rebound angie sanchez alexia ribeiro larissa rodriguez [Music] beatrice robero matthew rodriguez delaney rodriguez de leon anya roman jenna saltzman jaylene sanchez natalie schmidt maria clara santos jackson seguenza ashley sarcino kellen silva derek bear schoenberg mariana silva adam schrag giovanni smirglio hannah tartaglia sia
025surivasav elise marie tavares allison suarez castro elijah taylor [Music] dashell swift sarah taylor [Music] caitlyn taylor david thomas michelle uzaka sophia toledo perez william valley sydney turner olivia vaz natalie vargas yasmari vasquez jason velasella angel velastegui sarah waters ray neal walker caitlyn zeloski jason white melanio zapata zinay williams cody zoo braden wolfe so i'll take her card she'll read evan wolf diana atrey oh am i stopping now did you read nonsense i did nandan alahari diana atreya shane barton i don't know who this is jeremy barretto sadie bates james bennett peyton brown lucas califano leslie castro zoe faith canada jeremy diaz jules dalstrom v drong kieran edwards [Applause] [Music] kyle jeffers delvin florentino nope kyle florentino vivian lynn sarah giusto [Music] annabelle maichinso colton kitridge elian mercado gutierrez allison lazzaro rosales daniel millen alexandria neighbor
026clara rodriguez [Applause] amanda phillip [Applause] anderson swakanala shang hunter poonsie evan sarajeva gary pribisky jason schmidt karen rivas anna stratitus marianna sousa ariel villa selina stevens eileen valeda william talbot warren webster and isabella valenzuela thank you let's have a big round of applause for the class of 2021. [Applause] on behalf of the faculty and staff of the west side middle school academy magnet i want to thank you for joining us for our moving up ceremony to the 8th graders i wish you good luck in high school best wishes i hope you have a fantastic summer in terms of our recessional today our students are going to head out the field in this direction parents if you want to either meet them in the upper area or down here to take pictures you're more than welcome
027i'm sure our teachers will hang around for a little bit if you'd like to get pictures with them as well congratulations have a wonderful day from west side middle school academy so students see your 81 teacher for your certificate provided you do not have an outstanding obligation to the school my 81 students meet me over here by the flag thank you you