Attending middle school in Westfield means beginning as a 6th grader and concluding as an 8th grader, marking a memorable milestone. The completion of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade is celebrated with a promotion ceremony, officially recognizing students at the end of their time in middle school.
At Roosevelt Intermediate School’s graduation, several traditions take place. Students dress strictly in white and report to the gym to walk outside in alphabetical order, where chairs are set up.
As long as the weather is suitable, the ceremony takes place outside. If the conditions are unsuitable, graduation transpires later that day in the high school auditorium.
Students participate in a run-through the day before graduation for an hour. Everyone receives a card with a number, corresponding to the number of a chair in which they are assigned.
During the ceremony, many program elements take place. The president of the student body, an elected 8th grader, delivers a speech, while another member of the student council leads the Pledge of Allegiance. Principal Mr. Getchman and Vice Principal Mr. Brunson also addressed the graduating class in their respective speeches.
Musical performances vary by year and may feature the 8th Grade Chorus, Sharps and Flats, the 8th Grade Band, or a combination of these groups.
One of the central parts of the ceremony involves students being called individually to receive their certificate and shake hands with Mr. Getchman and Mr. Brunson.
A past aspect of graduation, the names of those who received straight A’s in 6th through 8th grade were announced. These students would simply stand up when they heard their name and sit back down. When everyone had been recognized, applause would take over.
To be mentioned, students had to work for grades of ninety and above in all of their marking period grades in every class. Anything below will not qualify a student for the ceremony announcement.
This year, the school decided to remove this form of recognition from the promotion ceremony. Students both agreed and disagreed with the choice, but Principal and Vice Principal Mr. Getchman and Mr. Brunson were adamant about the change.
Subject awards, however, were kept. Certificates were given to students who demonstrated their positivity in subjects like science, social studies, and more. Teachers select any number of students, usually from one to four, who stood out to them. These students who received the certificates were given gift cards inside the pouches.
Throughout prior years, certificates were likewise distributed to those who received all A’s, but did not contain gift cards.
Even though many 8th graders are very upset about the graduation A’s being canceled this year, there are some positives. One of the positives is that students don’t have to worry as much about getting all A’s for all the 3 years they’re at Roosevelt.
In fact, that’s not what matters at all, according to principal Mr. Getchman. He explains, “As long as you put effort into all the tests you do, whether you get an A or not, you should be proud of the work you put in.”
Another positive, stated by 8th grader Owen Rooney, is that “people will always get upset.” Therefore, there are no more negative emotions, and people don’t have to stress out about all the work they have to put in to get all A’s.
Many students were already stressing out about their grades, but some might feel as if they are not smart enough to get this award. There are other ways we could have continued this tradition. Instead of just accepting A’s, they could have just rounded up the initial grade.
Stopping announcing all A’s during graduation can also stop kids from feeling bad at graduation that they didn’t get a good enough grade to get this award. Therefore, in some ways, it was a good idea that the school stopped announcing A’s at graduation.
While the change was intended to create a more inclusive graduation experience, several students feel negatively towards the removal of the straight A’s recognition. For students who worked consistently to maintain high grades throughout 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, the recognition represented years of dedication and effort.
Many feel that without this acknowledgement, their hard work goes unnoticed during one of the most important milestones of middle school. Students shared that the straight A’s recognition served as ambition and motivation.
6th grade Logan Sigmund expressed, “I think they should continue announcing the grades because it influences people to work hard to do better in school.” Similarly, Zoey Edelstein added, “I think they should give recognition to people who get good grades because they deserve it. It can also inspire other students to focus on their education.”
For these students, earning straight A’s required sacrifices such as long study hours and balancing schoolwork with extracurricular activities, making the recognition feel meaningful.
Students also took note that taking away the recognition makes their hard work feel overlooked. Jaxson Eskow and Atlas Pektas stated, “It is a bad idea to stop the achievement because it made people proud of themselves, and taking it away from them would make them feel like all their hard work would be for nothing.” Emma Materdomini and Sophie Gootzeit agreed, saying, “If you worked really hard and got all A’s for all years, you should be rewarded.”
As a result, some feel discouraged and upset, believing that an important opportunity to celebrate their academic achievements was taken away. While graduation still marks the completion of middle school, the absence of academic recognition has left students feeling that their efforts did not receive the appreciation they hoped for.
Class polls conducted across 6th, 7th, and 8th grades showed strong student engagement and mixed opinions on the removal of the straight A’s recognition.
In 6th grade, all fourteen in Ms. Morrison’s class participated in the poll. In this classroom, every student agreed that this recognition shouldn’t have been removed. In contrast, other 6th grade students have different opinions. Mona Sarabi claimed, “I don’t really care because you should be getting good grades in general, and you don’t need a shout out for it. That’s just a priority for me in life.”
Additionally, Taylor Palestrini stated, “I’m getting good grades on my own, and I don’t think they need to make a big deal about getting A’s all year. It could cause people who didn’t achieve it to feel bad.”
In 7th grade, all seventeen students in Mr. Bausch’s class shared the same opinion that the shout-outs should’ve been kept. Alternatively, 7th grade Olivia Statler responded to the fact with, “I agree with the school stopping the announcement of A’s because if a straight A student gets ONE B, they won’t be on, even if they always get A’s besides that.”
In 8th grade, all twelve students in Mr. Freeman’s class participated, and each student agreed. Ella Tan claimed that, “Eighth graders deserve recognition for their hard work, so I don’t think they should’ve stopped announcing A’s.” Daniela Perez also argued that, “It stresses people out, but the people who have gotten those grades deserve a shout-out.”
In the end, the poll results show that while some students support the change to reduce pressure, many feel disappointed by the removal of academic recognition, especially after working toward it for several consecutive years.
As RIS continues to develop, changes like the cessation of announcing straight A 8th graders during graduation have transpired. Despite both the disappointment and approval surrounding the change, graduation remains a meaningful milestone that celebrates students’ growth and transition into high school. As Roosevelt Intermediate School continues to evolve, student feedback may help guide how future ceremonies recognize both effort and achievement.