IEYMS Celebrates the Completion of Middle School and the Excitement of Starting High School
Eighth grade students from Isaac E. Young Middle School (IEYMS) celebrated the end of their time at the Castle with a bittersweet ceremony June 25 at the New Rochelle High School gymnasium. The 351 students and their families nearly filled the room to capacity.
The ceremony opened with a processional and a performance of Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again” by the 8th grade chorus before district leaders addressed students.
“That song from the movie franchise ‘Fast and Furious’ is fitting,” noted Superintendent of Schools Dr. Corey W. Reynolds. “I need you families to buckle up because the next four years are going to be fast and furious. To you, young people, I want you to get ready because the ride doesn’t have to be bumpy. It can be as smooth as you want it to be.”
Board of Education President William Iannuzzi congratulated the class. “This is a milestone moment; a celebration of all you have accomplished in your middle school years and a launching point for all that lies ahead. Today we recognize not only your academic achievements, but your growth, your resilience, your friendships, and the character you have developed through these pivotal years.
Class Valedictorian Josiah De La Roca addressed his classmates, “Everybody in this room should be proud of their accomplishments. At times you may not think that any good will come to you, but with hard work, in time, it will. You can do the work with friends or a study group. This year’s events were memorable not because of what we did, but because of who we did them with – our friends.”
IEYMS Assistant Principal Plinio Trujillo expressed pride in the outgoing class. “I watched you walk into our building as sixth graders and have watched you grow, make great decisions, make some poor decisions, and learn from those decisions, and that’s the important part. We all make mistakes. What is important is now what happens when we fall. It’s what happens when we get back up.”
Principal Dr. Tawanda Robinson introduced class leaders for final kudos.
Class Co-President Mika Hyttinen said, “Many of my peers put a lot of time and effort into a whole variety of performances here, including the wonderful play ‘Matilda.’ There were also stunning musical and visual arts performances by performing and visual arts students.”
Class Co-President Yawavi Dosseh added, “This year, this group of our peers exceeded expectations placed on them by miles. Our academics were our crowning achievement. We had a whole host of students excelling in advanced subjects and participating in high school courses.”
The Co-Presidents presented the class to New Rochelle High School Principal Dr. Dagoberto Artiles, who enthusiastically accepted his Class of 2029.