Bid adieu to another school year

Whew!

That's a collective sigh of relief marking the end of another school year.

With summer break and the promise of those lazy, hazy days on the horizon, the last few weeks of school brought a flurry of activities and emotions in schools throughout Pasco County.

Some were the typical year-end events that make parents and educators swell with pride: musical performances, baccalaureate services and athletic, academic and JROTC awards ceremonies. There were moving-up ceremonies for fifth and eighth-graders who would say "goodbye" to their old stomping grounds before moving on to their new schools. Commencement exercises were held for high school seniors who would be shuffling on out to discover the "real world."

There was lots of fun stuff going on -- senior send-offs, ice cream socials, pizza parties, field days and the dressing up frivolity of the senior prom that made plenty of parents pause to wonder "where did the time go?"

Some rather unique rewards were handed out these past weeks for jobs well done. B.J. Smith, principal at Anclote Elementary, made good on a promise by shamelessly performing the Chicken Dance on the school's morning news program for her students, who had collectively read 9,144 books. Students from Stewart Middle School who had reached their reading goals made the trek last week to the local movie theater to see Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones. Those with perfect attendance at River Ridge Middle School were treated to a limo ride and a free lunch at Durango's Steakhouse.

The waning school year also lent some time for reflection. No doubt, youngsters throughout Pasco County took a happy and perhaps solemn look back as they gathered together to write messages and sign school yearbooks, many with covers depicting the American Flag and the Statue of Liberty -- a reminder of the sense of patriotism spurred on by the events of Sept. 11.

During his "boring" graduation practice, Mitchell High School senior Matthew Nisse lined up with his class again and wondered about the decision made earlier in the school year to enlist in the Air Force. "I've been thinking about it a lot -- especially with Sept. 11th," he said. "But somebody's got to do it."

Sean Sendra, who would graduate third in his class at Ridgewood High School, opened a letter he had written to himself four years ago when he was an eighth-grader in Sylvia Peters' class at Bishop Larkin Catholic School. While his expectations for future goals hadn't changed -- "I still want to be a lawyer or a stockbroker" -- he hadn't counted on the injury that would sideline him from playing high school basketball. "That was a nice thing to do," Sean said of Peters' tradition of mailing those self-written letters to her former students during the week of high school graduation.

The last week of school was a mixture of joy and grief for some. At an award ceremony for students attending Fellowship Baptist Academy, it was a happy moment to watch a youngster like Jamie Young, dressed to the nines in a pink cowgirl outfit, claim her trophy for "Class A Christian Behavior." But there was nary a dry eye in the house when Clarinda "Janie" Morrison accepted the Girl's Volleyball MVP award for her daughter, Stephanie, a 2002 graduate, who was tragically killed in an automobile accident on May 21.

Tears were also shed at Mittye P. Locke Elementary -- a school that grieved the loss of two teachers this year -- Henry Mueller and Jane Crawford.

On Thursday, Crawford's fifth-grade students planted two Jacaranda trees and dedicated two sitting benches in their teacher's memory.

"It was a hard year for us," said Sarah Rupnarain, 11, as she comforted her classmate, Ashley Delossantos.

Still, amid the tears, was the presence of courage and the promise of the future.

"These kids were really amazing this year. They worked hard and pulled together. They learned a lot this year," said Susan Smith, a paraprofessional who worked in Crawford's class and dubbed the new garden area as "Crawford's Corner."

"And these trees, someday they will grow tall enough to shade the benches," Smith said. "It will be such a nice place to come and sit."

-- Editor's Note: School's out, which means Top of the Class also is taking a break. We'll be returning some time in August with plenty of stockpiled Newsmakers to help fill the page. A special thanks goes out to those who have been featured in Top of the Class this school year, and those who have worked hard to bring to light the positive news going on in the public and private schools throughout Pasco County.

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