Under a tent and bright sunshine, Crossett Brook salutes 8th graders
June 11, 2021 | By Lisa Scagliotti 
It took a pandemic to rethink the traditional in-person 8th grade graduation at Crossett Brook Middle School this year. But as students, teachers and family members assembled Thursday afternoon under bright sunshine and a sturdy white tent, Principal Tom Drake suggested that not all adjustments sparked by the pandemic have been bad.
“This just might be something we do in the future,” he said looking around at the crowd seated in folding chairs on the grass. “June in our gym is pretty stuffy.”
And so just the fact that over 400 people managed to gather together to salute the 84 graduates was a victory over last year. The 2020 drive-through ceremony early in the COVID-19 pandemic was significantly socially distanced as students drove up to the school entrance with their parents, remained in vehicles as they were handed their certificates and memorabilia.
Drake said planning the ceremony outdoors with some in attendance spilling out from the tent to meet distancing guidelines was risky.
“Even if all we did was read the names of the 8th graders and go home, it would be worth it,” he said.
Given the afternoon, the class got through their entire program with family members seated in “pods” set apart from each other. Everyone wore masks except for speakers and although the full chorus and band didn’t perform, the ceremony even included some live music.
Drake addressed the familiar audience recounting the past year and a half and how transformed school was during a pandemic. He went back to March 13, 2020 when it “kind of came to a crashing close.”
The graduating 8th graders were just past the midpoint of 7th grade at the time when schools were closed for in-person learning in March 2020. The remainder of the 2019-20 school year happened with students and teachers at home connecting over email and some video conferences.
The 2020-21 year handled the pandemic head-on with an all-remote start that shifted quickly to a combination of at-home and in-school learning days. Some students opted for the all-remote academy the school district created and didn’t attend in person all year. Most of the 8th graders attended for much of the year two days in person; that changed in the final weeks when the schedule shifted to four days at school and only one at home.
Drake said in reflecting on the experience, he found more positives than negatives in all of the adjustments the pandemic forced such as opportunities to sleep in a bit before remote school days began, the push to be outdoors more than ever, and remote parent conferences that nearly everyone took part in.
The 8th grade class of 2021 didn't take a class photo this year. Instead they contributed photos for a collage. Courtesy photo.
Still, he said, there were some things he will be happy to see end with the pandemic like morning health screenings, kids playing sports wearing masks, and no snow days - “They’re coming back!” he said.
Overall the year brought many unexpected lessons, the principal summed up. “We struggled and we persevered and the amount of learning in that is huge,” Drake said.
The program that followed included five student speakers. Adleigh Franke offered a land acknowledgement which calls attention to the event being held on land originally part of the Abenaki Nation. The gesture is becoming more commonplace at public gatherings to recognize Vermont’s history before it was a state.
Ava Reagan, Eloise Lille, Addison Thomas and Sadie Benson offered remarks about friendships, school memories, mentors and coaches. Benson recalled her 8th grade year and the ups and downs of learning and living in a pandemic and the relief of seeing that coming to an end.
“I’m happier now than I’ve ever been. Now all we have to do is get through high school,” she said.
Students crossed the stage to receive a certificate and an elbow bump from Drake and Assistant Principal Josh Estes. They each paused briefly to remove their mask for a parent to snap a quick photo.
The ceremony concluded with a musical number by the “grad band” consisting of 8th graders Anna Brundage on vocals, Nate Conyers on bass, Jackson Palermo on drums, teacher Tammy Thompson on guitar, and music teacher Molly Dubois on ukelele. They performed the Taylor Swift coming of age tune “Long Live” sung by Brundage wearing a mask.
It proved an apropos choice in a year where virtually everything had to be reinvented and relearned in ways teachers, students, and parents likely never experienced or even imagined before.
“Long live all the mountains we moved
I had the time of my life
Fighting dragons with you”
The ceremony capped off a busy week for the 8th grade class that included a trip on Monday to Harwood Union High School to meet new teachers there along with new classmates from Harwood Middle School who they will join in the fall.
On Tuesday the class had one last “fun night” celebration with games, pizza, ice cream, and music with a DJ under the tent on school grounds. Several teachers and assistant principal Estes took turns in a dunk tank that drew a long line looking to hit the mark.
The event was a bit of a compromise to get the students together while still being mindful of COVID-19 precautions. Although the vaccine is now available to those ages 12-17, many of the students have only received one dose so far.
So while the tradition for the final day of the school year usually has the 8th grade travel to an amusement park, the class of 2021’s final concession to the pandemic was to forego their trip and start their summer vacation a day early.
Graduation video
Given the nature of the ceremony under the tent, the graduation slideshow was not shown during Thursday’s program. The video is online, however, to watch on YouTube.
Waterbury Roundabout editor Lisa Scagliotti is a parent of 8th grader Anna Brundage.