During our Sixth Grade Celebration last week, George, who came to Waverly in the middle of the year, spoke emotionally and eloquently about his transition from public school and what Waverly has come to mean to him. Please enjoy his heartfelt words!
I first arrived at Waverly Elementary School 7 months ago, fresh from [a] public school I had attended for the first half of the school year. I hadn’t fit in very well there, so I was eager to come here, especially since I’d made friends during my shadow day.
I was already expecting Waverly to be great, and within the first few days after I’d arrived, I knew I’d made the right choice coming here. The curriculum was much more challenging and fun than I was expecting, but the best part is I have many, many friends.
As soon as I arrived, I was instantly taken in, shown around, and introduced to everybody in the school. Now, I can’t go anywhere in Pasadena without running into someone I know from Waverly.
I realized how lucky I was during our camping trip to El Capitan. We’d been told by the teachers we were in big trouble with the campground officials for leaving trash on the ground. We were walking to where we were supposed to have a talk with the camp manager, and it turned out that it was actually a surprise birthday party for one of the students. Nothing like that had ever happened at my old school, and I realized just how special a place this was. It was the nicest feeling in the world.
Thanks are due to several people here had the biggest hand in making this such a nice place to be. Those people are my teachers, so I’d like to thank them. Erin, Cheri, Kerry, I don’t think I’ve ever accumulated as much knowledge as I have this year since I learned to talk.
I also want to thank my other teachers, Ken, Adriana, Josie, Michael, Eddie, and Billy for teaching me to make marionettes, present projects in Spanish, play Ultimate Frisbee, and learn new songs of every kind. I’ll remember you all my life.
One of the secrets to Waverly is that every teacher knows every kid’s name, they’re always friendly, and they’re always helpful. I wish I could have been taught by all of you, but sadly that’s not possible.
However, graduation isn’t just about looking back, but looking forward to be ready for what lies ahead. And judging from how much I’ve learned and how fun it’s been here, I know that I am ready for middle school and that it will likely be just as fantastic as this year has been.
The only reason I’m ready is that this school has prepared me. I am more grateful for that than you could possibly imagine. Thank you, Waverly, for the best school year I’ve ever had.