Levittown Eighth Graders Move Up To High School

LEVITTOWN, NY — Eighth grade students at Jonas E. Salk and Wisdom Lane middle schools celebrated the start of the next chapter in their academic careers during their moving up ceremonies on June 13 and 14, respectively. The two ceremonies were joyous events as students marked the milestones alongside family members and reflected on the years spent with their peers so far.

At Salk Middle School, Dr. Tonie McDonald, Levittown's superintendent of schools who is retiring this year, urged students to enjoy their time in high school. She attested to the quality of the district’s teachers, noting that her own children attended Salk Middle School and General Douglas MacArthur High School.

Salk Middle School Principal John Zampaglione encouraged students to continue to face their challenges head-on as they have done throughout middle school. “This bumpy road with many mountains brings us to today,” he said. “A day of looking forward and soaring to new heights all while learning from our past experiences.”

Members of the eighth grade chorus and chamber choir performed the national anthem and “Rise Up” by Andra Day. The winners of awards for academic excellence, scholar athlete, character, community and more were also announced. Eighth grade class president Nicholas McGee reflected on his and his peers’ time spent at Jonas E. Salk and their many steps towards the future.

In his opening remarks, Wisdom Lane Principal John Avena reflected on the “pursuit of normal” that students experienced as they adapted to new social and educational practices. Relating the students’ “pursuits of normal” to Orville and Wilbur Wright’s invention of the first motorized airplane or the founding of Apple, Mr. Avena encouraged students to keep reaching to exceptional heights.

Jocelyn DeGruttola addressed the class and noted that their achievement that day would not be possible if they did not keep pushing forward. “The lessons that we learned and friendships that we made here at Wisdom are those which will last a lifetime,” she said.

Michelle Sinchi also gave an eighth grade address and reflected on how much she and her peers will miss Wisdom Lane. “We didn’t get as many trips and we missed out on a lot,” she said. “Despite the fact that we missed out, we still made some wonderful memories here at Wisdom.”