Westerly School, a K-8th Grade independent school in Long Beach, recently celebrated the promotion of its 20 eighth grade students, now bound for high schools across Long Beach, Orange County, Los Angeles County, and Santa Barbara.
The intimate June 16th graduation ceremony, held outdoors and in person on the Westerly campus grounds, featured a number of traditions unique to Westerly School, beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance led by the graduates’ younger siblings. In line with the school’s commitment to whole-child development and student success, each graduate penned and presented a speech to commemorate the 2021 graduation. Additional speakers included: Dr. Lauren Plant, Head of School; Dr. Shalu Gupta, Board Chair; Dr. Casey Quirarte, Middle School Humanities Teacher; and Mr. Pedro Jimenez, Dean of Students.
The end-of-year graduation ceremony, which occurs on the last day of school, is an important tradition to Westerly as the entire school is involved in the celebration. Kindergarten through 7th grade students get to participate in a “Moving Up” ceremony, in which they officially advance to their next grade level in front of their peers and families. Kindergartners also present flowers to the 8th grade class, who have served as their mentors by way of the school’s mentor-mentee program (students in grades 5-8 are individually paired with students in grades K-4 to serve as mentors for an entire year). It is customary for the entire school community to come and watch the ceremony on campus. Because this was not possible due to COVID-restrictions, it was live-streamed for the first time in the school’s history so that community members could participate remotely, allowing families and loved ones to tune in from other states and even other countries.
Other noteworthy events from the graduation included the recognition of two class valedictorians, Leila Holland and Anya Murrell, who each earned the highest GPA possible in Middle School, as well as a Core Values Award honoree, Noah Jimenez, for embodying the Westerly Core Values of Responsibility, Adaptability, Respect, Kindness, and Honesty. The ceremony also incorporated Westerly’s prolific Music Performing Arts program, as the students had the opportunity to perform two songs — a strings performance of “See the Light” by Alan Menken, and a vocal/percussion performance of “See You Again” by Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa, accompanied by Music Teacher, Ms.Susan Geiser, on the piano.
As Westerly proudly sends off its newly anointed alumni toward their next academic chapters, its administration, faculty, and staff congratulate each graduate for their incredible achievements in academics, athletics, arts, and leadership. The graduates leave the Westerly campus with the skills and confidence they need to excel in challenging programs in various high schools across the region:
Cate School – Santa Barbara
Mater Dei – Santa Ana
Millikan – Long Beach
Polytechnic (CIC and PACE programs) – Long Beach
Sage Hill – Newport Beach
Servite – Anaheim
St. Anthony – Long Beach
St. John Bosco (Computer Science program) – Bellflower
St. Joseph – Lakewood
Vistamar – El Segundo
About Westerly School: Westerly School is a non-profit, non-denominational, independent school accredited by WASC and CAIS located on a five-acre campus in the heart of Long Beach. The school’s mission is to develop the whole child through a challenging and stimulating program in an inclusive and diverse community. We ignite within each child a lifelong love of learning by encouraging them to discover their full and unique potential every single day.
Westerly School is accepting applications for the 2021-22 academic year. To learn more, contact [email protected], call 562-981-3151, or visit the website at www.westerlyschool.org.