It was “very important” to Nigel Henry that he be at Warring Elementary School’s Fifth Grade Moving Up Ceremony Friday.
The Poughkeepsie High School Senior is eight years removed from his own moving up ceremony at Warring. But, more than that, he and his fellow members of My Brother’s Keeper formed a bond with the school’s young men this year through weekly mentoring visits.
“I just wanted to be there and let them know I am supporting them,” Henry said, “just to show them that they’re not alone.”
Nearly 300 students said goodbye to the fifth grade and their familiar school buildings at four moving up ceremonies held by the elementary schools Friday and Monday. While the location and specific features of each ceremony differed, the idea that the students would continue to feel support as they move on to Poughkeepsie Middle School was a common theme.
“No matter how old you are, or where life may take you, your Warring family will always love, support and welcome you back home,” Warring Principal Nicole Penn told her class of 65 departing students.
In her speech, Krieger Elementary Principal Carolyn Fields noted this was the building’s last fifth grade class; it’s a distinction shared by the class at Morse. Under this fall’s Elementary Reconfiguration, both buildings will exclusively serve grades pre-K through 2.
“You will always be a part of the Krieger family,” Fields wrote in a speech delivered by Director of Teaching and Learning Patrice Woods; Fields was unavailable to attend. “As you prepare for middle school, remember that you carry with you more than just what you’ve learned in the classroom. You bring with you your friendships, your creativity and the values that make you who you are.”
In addition to distributing certificates, the fifth grade ceremonies included many of the same elements, like students delivering class messages and an awards portion in which student achievement was recognized in areas ranging from math to art.
For Warring’s ceremony, Khamari Hardin served as a guest speaker representing the My Brother’s Keeper contingent that visited the school this year. Fellow seniors Henry and Isaiah Williams stood with him as he provided the soon-to-be middle school students with advice:
“Always trust your gut. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t right,” he said. “Doing the right thing may not always be the easiest choice, but it’s always the smartest one. You know what’s right. Keep listening to the voice inside of you and don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself or someone else.”
Several in attendance approached Hardin afterward to compliment him on the speech, which served as evidence for why Penn called the My Brother’s Keeper mentoring “invaluable.
”While, initially, the group simply visited the school every Thursday to help in classrooms, the partnership evolved by early winter. They began meeting with many of the school’s fifth- and fourth-grade boys in the cafeteria or classrooms to talk with them and teach them skills, such as how to tie a tie.
They also taught them how to play chess – perhaps a bit too well for the high schoolers. On June 2, they held a culminating chess tournament between the Warring and My Brother’s Keeper students, and the youngsters won.
“We just spoke to them as young men,” Henry said of the mentoring. “It’s their fifth-grade year, going into the middle school, they should know how they should act and that kind of stuff.” Hardin, in his address, told the students, “All the things you learned at Warring – working hard, being kind, asking questions and not giving up – that will carry you through the next challenges in your life.”
It’s advice that could apply to many of the nearly 300 heading to Poughkeepsie Middle School in the fall.
And though fifth grade is now complete, Penn encouraged her students to continue pushing to meet their goals.
“Always listen to the voice that tells you to strive for excellence,” she said. “Each and every one of you: Your dreams absolutely will come true – but only if you make them.”