Thunder, lightning, rain don’t thwart Crossett Brook ceremony
June 19, 2023 | By Lisa Scagliotti
Afternoon thunderstorms let loose once everyone was under the tent and the 8th grade graduation ceremony had begun. Photo by Gordon Miller
Of all the awards being handed out in schools this time of year, if there was one for “best use of a tent,” Crossett Brook Middle School’s class of 2023 would be a strong contender.
Early Wednesday evening, the skies turned very dark, thunder rumbled, and flashes of lightning bounced off the surrounding hillsides as the crowd of family and friends gathered for the eighth graders’ graduation celebration. Timing was fortuitous as the rain held off until everyone was seated or at least at the tent pitched on the lawn beside the school.
Following the musical opening by sixth- and seventh-grade band members playing “March of the Majestics” and the seventh- and eighth-grade chorus singing “These Green Mountains,” the Vermont state song, Principal Tom Drake spoke loudly and quickly over the din from thunder and the heavy rain pelting the tent overhead. For Drake, who is stepping down from his position at the end of this month, it was his 13th time leading the annual rite of passage. He spent one of the past 14 years as the school’s leader temporarily filling in as principal at Warren Elementary School.
Seventy-four students are moving on from Crossett Brook this year, Drake pointed out. He said he often is asked why the school holds a graduation for eighth graders. “Birth to 2 is the biggest period of development in your life. But, who remembers that?” he asked the class. “Nobody, right?”
After that is ages 10-14, he continued, the exact ages of students in grades 5-8. A celebration is in order, Drake told the crowd, “to mark the second-biggest period of growth they’ve ever known.”
He pointed out that some of the finishing class had spent four years at Crossett while others arrived after fifth grade, including students who live in the Mad River Valley towns in the school district who opted to attend Crossett Brook instead of Harwood Middle School for seventh and eighth grades. Add in the COVID-19 pandemic and all of the upheaval that touched off in schools and the past four years in particular have been tumultuous. “You all have been through the wringer. The fact that you’re even sitting here tonight is remarkable,” Drake said.
Quoting from a book on adolsecent development titled, “Yardsticks: Child and Adolescent Development Ages 4 - 14,” Drake shared its descriptions of 14-year-olds being “funny, creative, highly energetic and often very loud” as well as “less-mercurial” than 13-year-olds. He described the age as the time when youngsters move “towards peers and away from parents and teachers” and their desire to fit in and connect with their peers.
Turning to the students, he asked, “Is this you?” Looking out at their families he said, “Is this your kid?” The writers of the book conclude that adults require “restraint and patience” to navigate working with young people in this age group and to appreciate the “wonder of an adult personality emerging before our eyes,” Drake quoted.
“Being 14 is hard work,” the principal concluded. “The pandemic made it leaps and bounds harder, but being a 10-to-14-year-old is never easy. A lot of us as we get older erase it from our minds, but there’s a lot of learning to be done and that’s why we’re here at Crossett Brook Middle School doing that.”
Crossett Brook Middle School Principal Tom Drake is master of ceremonies at his last 8th grade celebration. Drake steps down at the end of June after 14 years with the Harwood school district. Photos by Gordon Miller (click to enlarge)
Student speeches
Class members took the commotion from Mother Nature in stride as several students stepped up to the microphone to deliver remarks recounting middle school memories and offering classmates well-wishes.
Eighth graders Natalie Folsom and David Rodgers address their class and the gathering. Photo by Gordon Miller
Natalie Folsom and David Rodgers spoke first. The two eighth-graders were members of the school’s grade 7-8 Prodigy Team. They thanked their parents and their teachers for their support and encouragement and highlighted some recent favorite new memories they have from the end of this school year. The class luau a couple of days earlier was particularly special, Natalie said, with music, food and games, a fire pit and a photo booth. “I couldn’t have asked for a better night,” she said.
David mentioned the class trip to Great Escape amusement park the week before that didn’t turn out as expected. “It was down-pouring rain and rides were closed. But we had fun with what we had,” he said. “That part for me was better than all the rides. It showed that we were able to make anyplace fun with each other.”
To her younger self or to younger kids, Natalie said their message is “don’t give up just because you feel down or you’re stuck. Fight through it and you’ll come out 10 times stronger.”
Charlotte Burks and Sophia DeSanto share their middle school reflections. Photo by Gordon Miller
Titan Team students Charlotte Burks and Sophia DeSanto also addressed the gathering. They recounted memorable moments from each of the four years at Crossett Brook.
Charlotte started off a list of recollections of how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced their middle school years such as learning to communicate through email and over Zoom “including how to skip online gym class,” and “how to half-heartedly sing ‘we’re all in this together’ with 80 other kids.”
Sophia continued, “In sixth grade, we learned how to wake up five minutes before class started and how to manage being isolated from socialization with classmates and friends, and this led to learning how important being in person and in contact with peers and teachers is to your education and mental health.” Just as important, “We learned how to stay sane while being stuck in our homes with our families during quarantine — just barely,” she added.
“In seventh grade, we learned how to go back to school in person five days a week after being online for nearly two years,” Charlotte recounted. “We all learned how to do an at-home rapid COVID test — even if we just had a headache — and we learned to be brave enough to take our masks off in school and see each other’s faces in person.”
By eighth grade, school had returned to “normal.” The most recent lesson? “Learning how hard it is to say goodbye to Crossett Brook Middle School,” Charlotte said.
The chorus performed one more musical number, “Stands Together,” before school librarian Jen Hill joined Drake on the platform to announce and distribute a number of academic, school and community awards. Then one-by-one, the class members crossed the stage — decorated with balloons in both Crossett Brook green-and-white and Harwood Union black-and-gold school colors — to receive their certificates and congratulations with parents snapping quick pictures as they filed past.
After reminding the audience that this was his last 8th grade class to send off, Drake listed the 11 other school staff members leaving at the end of this academic year: seventh and eighth grade science teacher Henry Shepley, language arts teacher Sarah Peruzzi, and social studies teacher Grace Gilmour; paraeducators Val Morse and Lenny Warwick; special educators Anne Cassels, Hayley Fitzgerald and Lisa Hodgson; student support team staffer Rebecca Baruzzi; school nurse Kathryn Saunders and administrative assistant Meg Libby.
Crossett Brook will have new co-principals next school year. Harwood Assistant Principal Duane Pierson moves from overseeing Harwood Middle School and new to the district is Jennifer Clark Durand; both start July 1.
Half of the eighth grade class. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
CBMS Class of 2023 Honors
American Legion Awards
Graduation program cover courtesy CBMS
Americanism: First to Sophia DeSanto, second to Julia Cisz. This goes to two students for essays on the topic, “How can we address the health and well-being of our veterans, military and their families?”
Citizenship: First to Sophia DeSanto, second to Charlotte Burks. To two students for essays on the topic, “How have family, freedom and friends played a role in my life?”
Outstanding Student Medallion: To Sophia DeSanto. This goes to a student who writes both of the essays above and and demonstrates strength as a student in academics and work ethic.
Chorus: Raine Diller
Band: Charlotte Burks
Matt Clancy Music Award
To James Jenni. Named for the school’s first band teacher and given to an instrumental student who excels in band and jazz band, showing interest in different musical styles as well as collaborating with others.
CBMS Choral Award
To Julia Wulff. Awarded to a chorus student who takes advantage of every opportunity while bringing musicianship, positivity and energy to chorus.
Click to enlarge
Library “Top Patron” Award
To Sophia Henzel, for checking out the most books this year.
New England League of Middle Schools Scholarly Leader Award
To Charlotte Burks and Sophia DeSanto. Given to students who exemplify teamwork, respect, dependability, service to others and respect for diversity.
Harvard Prize Book Award
To Remy Guertin. Recognizes a promising student chosen by their teachers for their curiosity, determination, character and contributions to the school and community.
Ken Page Award
To Julia Cyr. Named for the school’s first principal, it honors a student who makes positive contributions to the school community, shows strong work ethic and progression toward their goals.
Volunteer of the Year
To Brian Carter and Bam Bam, his English Mastiff therapy dog. The award goes to a parent or community member who goes above and beyond.
Photo by Lisa Scagliotti