Middle School Closing Ceremony
Led by the traditional bagpiping of Middle School Assistant Director Tony Breen, BB&N’s Class of 2029 processed into the final stop of their Middle School career this June for their Middle School Closing Ceremony. Director Mary Dolbear warmly welcomed the students and attendees, noting the joy she felt at being able to have everyone gather together one last time.
“This class is special, for lots of reasons. So much happens on Sparks Street, maturing, growth, connections, trying new things, and taking risks…things you all bravely embraced. But you are all part of something larger,” she noted. “This morning is indeed about celebrating your time here, but it’s also about looking ahead beyond our campus…we are so proud of you!”
The ceremony continued with a beautiful version of Count on Me (by Bruno Mars) sung in two-part harmony by Siran Arakelian ’29 and Anna Gorman-Huang ’29. Their voices and musical accompaniment perfectly captured the sentiment of the day before Head of School Dr. Price welcomed the attendees.
Price lauded the class 2029, pointing out the many activities and accomplishments they had achieved throughout the year. “You have really left your mark on Sparks Street, and your commitment and drive will serve you well in years to come.”
Student-chosen faculty speaker, Ethan Rossiter ’93, then addressed the audience. In a speech both funny and sincere, Rossiter dug deep into the Middle School zeitgeist to explore something near and dear to his heart as an English teacher, the Middle School vocabulary.
Running through a “top five list” of his favorite student expressions, Rossiter landed on his favorite: “let me cook,” which loosely translates to “let me shine, I got this.” He noted how when he arrived at BB&N as ninth grader he was “far from cooking,” but through the guidance of a teacher and coach, he turned things around. Rossiter never forgot that feeling of a teacher giving a student space and encouragement to succeed, and stressed to students the magic of empowering others to realize their potential and “let them cook.”
“Earlier this year, I was about to interrupt a student in one of my classes when another student exclaimed, ‘Mr. Rossiter, let him cook!’ So I did, and he did,” Rossiter recalled. “And the secret is…in many ways that peer-to-peer boost of assurance is the most powerful.”
Following Rossiter, student speakers Evelyn Marks ’29 and Alex Cederbaum ’29 took their turns at the podium. Marks spoke to her classmates about community, and how “through empathy, understanding, and striving to be better as a whole,” the Class of 2029 helped turn their community into the beautiful space that it is.
Cederbaum echoed Marks’ sentiments of community, noting that “BB&N is a place where a kid is only a ‘new kid’ until his second day at the school,” and stressed how the kindness and support of the students and teachers around him allowed him and his classmates to take risks and try new things.
The ceremony closed with the presentation of certificates, before the (now former) BB&N eighth graders joined their families and friends to celebrate, smiling and ready for the next challenge.
