Weller Elementary Promotion Ceremony

More than 70 sixth-graders were "promoted" today in a ceremony at Weller Elementary led by Principal Damon James.

In addition to cerificates, awards were presented to students for student council, yearbook, perfect attendance, honor roll, among others. This year, James introduced the Carolyn Sunada Award, in memory of Weller's Assistant Principal who succumbed to cancer this year.

Vivian Pham and Alaric Benting received the award on the basis of three criteria, said James. Hard work, altruism and being a role model.

Weller students, whose mascot has been the Mustang for the past six years will transition to Wolverine next fall. Russell Middle School Principal Laura Foegal introduced herself to the parents on stage.

She challenged the incoming 7th graders to read this summer, and would give a prize for those students who read four chapter books by the first week of school, she said.

The closing activities brought a group of  students on stage to lead the room in song. As the lights turned off, the lyrics to Graduation Song by Vitamin C appeared on the projector screen.

Following the sing-along, a slide show drew giggles from the sixth graders seeing photos of their classmates on the screen. Some were candid shots, others were school portraits and the ones that got the most reactions were yearbook pages--from their Kindergarten years.