Issue link: http://latinschool.uberflip.com/i/246730
UP FRONT Lower School Class Day The lower school community came together on May 31 for a Class Day celebration filled with song, sentiment, Dr. Seuss and many heartwarming goodbyes. In addition to the fourth graders officially departing the lower school, the event also served as a final farewell to long-time teacher and Lower School Director Sally Ott. After fourth graders Luke Andresen and Rachel Schofield welcomed families and faculty, Ott started the program by praising members of the Class of 2021 for their leadership, thoughtfulness, creativity and talent. She also shared advice from senior kindergarteners about how best to adapt to life in the middle school and asked the graduates to come back to visit often. Head of School Randall Dunn helped everyone remember what a wonderful place the lower school is with his customized version of Dr. Seuss's "Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!" Renamed, "Hooray for Latin Lower School," Dunn declared, "Oh, finest school in all the city/ the funnest one as well/ We love you, Latin lower school/ Much more than we can tell. You are so Latin-looferous/ It gives us joy to say/ Three cheers for Latin lower school/ Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!" In a walk down memory lane, classmates Alex Laverty, Alessandra Kaestner and William Furlow recalled highlights of their Latin experience starting in junior kindergarten. They recounted the many unforgettable milestones the class has experienced as a group, including mastering the art of lowercase letters, telling time and learning to read. Molly Canfield, Megan Lorenz and Sujan Garapati extended heartfelt thanks to teachers, staff and parents: "We are so grateful – the teachers here are awesome." Music and song were woven throughout the program, beginning with the entire student body singing, "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" from the recent Annie production. Since the fourth grade class is the last to have learned French in the lower school, the entire lower school bid au revoir by singing, "Champs-Elysees," then Olivia Katz led the fourth grade in, "You're Going to Miss Me When I'm Gone," as a special goodbye to their senior kindergarten buddies. Lastly, they sang the traditional "Round of Goodbyes," which was dedicated to Ott. Before the fourth graders received their certificates, the other grades were officially promoted. One by one, each class answered a series of questions asked by students in the grade above, based on their curriculum for the year. Not surprisingly, everyone passed! n 8 L AT I N M AGAZINE