Tolland's Fifth-Grade Students Graduate

Tolland Intermediate School graduated its fifth-grade class Friday morning, celebrating the students’ time at the school with a sing-along, funny stories and a slideshow that wowed the 500-plus parents who attended.

Principal James Dineen spoke to the assembled 243 students and reminded them that he was also starting fresh as the school’s principal when they were in third grade.

“You and I started together at Tolland Intermediate School. Two years ago I said the letters should stand for ‘together we invent a new school,’” he said. “And together we did start a new school.”

Students and parents laughed aloud as Dineen read some of the fifth-grade teachers’ favorite moments with their students. Dineen said that Mr. McCarthy would fondly remember how his class applauded his artistic abilities by naming a dog he drew as ‘Ernie the Eel.’ Dineen went on, announcing that Mrs. Racco would never forget her class’ snow creature, dubbed SpongeBob with Bieber Fever; and Mrs. Storozuk and the Tolland Fire Department will always laugh about the day a fog machine went rogue in science class.

While the parents couldn’t fully appreciate those ‘had to be there’ stories, everyone enjoyed the slide show that Asst. Principal Phil Stevens created. The show featured baby pictures for each student, paired with recent candid shots, dramatically showcasing how far the fifth-graders have come.

Parent Scott Maramo appreciated the hard work that Stevens put in to make sure every student was featured.

“The fact that they made sure every single child was in the slide show was great," he said.

After the slide show and song performances, parents were invited to the fifth-grade classrooms to watch their children receive their certificates.

Dineen said that the annual ceremony is an important part of recognizing the students’ hard work.

“It’s a wonderful ceremony to end their elementary experience,” he said. “It’s a huge accomplishment for the kids.”

The school has also looked ahead to make sure its students transfer smoothly into middle school.

Joanne McVeigh’s daughter was nervous about middle school initially, she said, but has started to feel more comfortable after the fifth-grade orientation.

“What really helps is that orientation that they do,” she said, adding that she will probably make another visit with her daughter during the summer.

With all of their hard work completed, the staff at Tolland Intermediate wished their students good luck on the next step in their education.

“We wish you the best of luck in middle school, “ Dineen said. “ I hope that all the things that we’ve done here will help you in some way.”

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