Bronxville Parents, Students Celebrate Middle School Milestone

It was a night for looking back, but also looking ahead, as the 131-member class of Bronxville Middle School celebrated their 8^th grade graduation on Wednesday in front of family, friends and faculty members.

The boys, decked out in khakis and sports jackets and the girls in summer dresses, processed down the aisles of the packed middle school auditorium, while music played by the school's orchestra accompanied them.

After student government president John Flannery led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance, principal Dr. Barry Richelsoph made a few remarks about the class.

"As we held rehearsal for this evening's celebration, I shared with these students how much they have meant and will continue to mean to me. I have been with them in Williamsburg and Washington. At teen center's, concerts, sporting events. I've observed them in a variety of academic arenas, classes, seminars, advisories. It has been my privilege to know and work with them and maybe have some opportunity to help to constructively shape their lives," Dr. Richelsoph said.

He continued, "Their energy, their enthusiasm, their talent, and most of all, their character, fills me with a sense of pride and optimism. If they are the window to our future, then our future looks very bright indeed."

Dr. Richelsoph also introduced two teachers who will be leaving the school next year: Social studies teacher Linda Orsenigo and science teacher Dennis Davan.

"These two individuals are truly beloved by your children and I believe some of you sitting in the audience may have even had the pleasure of having them in class," he quipped. "They're going to be sorely missed."

Superintendent Dr. David Quattrone also spoke to the graduates saying, "My wish for each you, members of the class of 2014, is that you find a home at Bronxville High School. That home could be in a science lab, in the gym, on the stage, in a computer lab, on a team or carrying out a service project. Your job over the next four years is to figure out where you belong the best."

In what Dr. Richelsoph called a "cherished tradition," at the school, six members of the class spoke about their middle school experience.

Touching upon educational experiences, friendships forged, challenges overcome and relaying fun stories—from making togas out of bedsheets to science class dissections—that happened throughout their time at the school, each student spoke with poise and confidence.

After the presentation of diplomas, the audience watched a video created by members of the class and their parents. Featuring a filmstrip theme of photos from the past three years, nearly every class and faculty member was depicted.

The evening concluded with another Bronxville Middle School tradition: a reception on the lawn put together by the 7^th grade parents for the grads and their families.