The Bayview Avenue Elementary School opened its annual moving-up ceremony with Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" and made rainbows the central theme that perfectly set the tone for this celebration of the Class of 2012.
"I am exceedingly proud of all of you. I look at you and see you becoming the top ten for Freeport High School," gushed Principal Odette Wills in her opening remarks. She was making proud reference to the fact that half of this year's top ten high school graduates are Bayview School alumni. Ms. Wills was followed at the podium by one of those former students, high school valedictorian Brea Baker. "If you want to be successful, you have to work for it," was the central point of Brea's keynote speech.
A vibrant tribute to the fourth-grade teachers was coupled with brief speeches about positive character traits, singing and a slideshow recalling the fun times at Bayview Avenue.
Students were then called one by one to receive their diplomas, a handshake and a hug from Ms. Wills and Assistant Principal Alma Rocha.
The program closed with the students performing one final song before heading up the auditorium aisle one last time. The next stop for this group of students is Atkinson Intermediate School, where they start the next phase of their academic career with graduates from Archer Street, Giblyn and New Visions elementary schools.
