PEABODY — Since schools shut down in mid-March, there hasn’t been very much for students at the William A. Welch Elementary School to celebrate.
That is until Tuesday.
For the first time in more than three months, 70 fifth-grade students, along with their families, teachers and friends, came together for the annual Fifth Grade Moving On ceremony, rolling-rally style.
“We want to make sure that we acknowledged the students every way we possibly could,” said Principal Michelle Massa. “We wanted to make sure to give them just a little something. We did have parades and videos and read alouds and birthday celebrations to help them feel they are still connected, but this was the first time that the kids had eyes on each other since March.”
A slow-moving caravan of cars — many of which were decorated with colorful balloons and signs — made their way past the front of the school where the windows had been decorated by teachers with special signs of appreciation. The cars then passed through a balloon arch to the back of the school where fifth grade teachers presented the students with Certificates of Promotion and other special memorabilia and personal effects.
The procession lasted more than an hour, following which students and families gathered together in the parking lot to socialize and, in some cases, say good-bye for the summer.
“It’s not the typical moving on ceremony they’re used to, but we knew we had to make sure their transition to middle school goes well and that they know they can always come back to us for guidance and hugs,” said Massa. “Plus, remote learning was hard for us in the sense that we are a huggy, lovey kind of school, we need that constant physical interaction, so doing it remotely was a stretch for us because our kids are like a second arm for us. The virus that is going around is weighing on their social and emotional well-being the most.”
School adjustment counselor A.J. Grube said seeing the students together again was a sign of their resiliency.
“An event like this just shows off what positive spirits the kids have,” he said. “They took remote learning in stride, and that was a huge task so to be able to come today, while it’s not your normal ceremony for them to make the most of it and celebrate, just highlights their resiliency.”
Students Laihanna Duran and Chanel Swanton said that, while they were happy to be with friends again, they are excited about moving on to the Higgins Middle School next fall.
“I think it’s going to be so much fun because with so much space, it will be great to get to explore the school,” said Swanton. “I’m excited to go there, but will miss my teachers here. I didn’t know how much I missed my friends and today I was just so happy to see them all again after so long.”
“I am really excited about going there, and I don’t think it will be that hard because it’s going to be new,” said Duran. “The best part will be meeting so many new people. Today was very special and it was so much fun to be able to see my friends and teachers again.”
Massa said she has no doubts that these fifth graders will make a successful transition into middle school, pandemic and all.
“The middle school does a great job of welcoming them in and has had multiple Google meets and virtual tours for the kids to get used to the lay of the land and will be doing more over the summer as well,” she said. ‘And we’ve been grooming them since the beginning of school so I am confident that, even with this virus, they’ll be able to make a smooth transition.”
