Each year we hold a 5th Grade Celebration for our students who will transition to the Hartford Memorial Middle School next school year.  I’m so proud of our fifth graders for their ongoing work ethic, for being dedicated students, for the daily acts of kindness shown towards each other and for consistently helping out our younger students.  I am confident that these students will enjoy and thrive in middle school and that they will continue to demonstrate acts of kindness daily. We have so many talented students in this group and our staff always  enjoys hearing about our W.R.S. students’ accomplishments as they move through the HMMS and HHS and beyond. As I always say, “Once a White River School kid, always a White River School kid!” We often have W.R.S. alum stop by after school to reconnect with staff.

In our intimate ceremony, we show a slideshow created by Mrs. Flanagan that shows each 5th grader over time (if he/she has attended W.R.S. over time.)  The students each receive a certificate and their “formal wear” consists of a specially designed t-shirt that many of them ask their classmates to sign.  (Sort of like we once did with high school yearbooks!)