Thu, 06/16/2022 - 12:14 pm

BILL PEARSON

Edgecomb School Committee’s Heather Sinclair claims her son had a regular size tie when he left for school on June 16, but she is all smiles as she awards Myles Ian Sinclair-Whitfield his sixth grade diploma. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Sixth grade graduate Jackson Zehm receives his diploma from Principal Dr. Christina Boursaw. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Jax Marshall receives his sixth grade diploma June 16 from Principal Dr. Christina Boursaw. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Sixth grade graduate Rick Wyatt Jones beams as Principal Dr. Christina Boursaw presents him with his diploma. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Edgecomb Eddy sixth grade graduates received class gifts ranging from star crayons to sunglasses. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Edgecomb Eddy third graders present sunglasses as their graduation gift. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Graduates display their shades during the June 16 graduation ceremony. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Sixth grader Eliza Chase gives a heartfelt good-bye to Edgecomb Eddy. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Music teacher Jennifer McIvor leads a group sing-a-long of the Edgecomb Eddy song. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Guidance Counselor Haley Bezon presents Marshall Carpenter with a certificate recognizing his best personal trait, helpfulness. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Sixth grade teacher Nicole Ellis presents Riley Mullins with a certificate recognizing his best personal trait, determination. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Graduates Skyler Spofford, right, and Gabrielle Cassidy sing “High Hopes.” BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Jackson Zehm, left, and Simon Hubbard display their Rubik’s Cube skills. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Jax Marshall, left, and Jackson Zehm received the Edgecomb Eddy Academic Award. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Arabella Hodgdon receives her sixth grade diploma from Principal Dr. Christina Boursaw. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Sixth grade graduate Jackson Zehm receives his diploma from Principal Dr. Christina Boursaw. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Jax Marshall receives his sixth grade diploma June 16 from Principal Dr. Christina Boursaw. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Sixth grade graduate Rick Wyatt Jones beams as Principal Dr. Christina Boursaw presents him with his diploma. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Edgecomb Eddy sixth grade graduates received class gifts ranging from star crayons to sunglasses. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Edgecomb Eddy third graders present sunglasses as their graduation gift. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Graduates display their shades during the June 16 graduation ceremony. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Sixth grader Eliza Chase gives a heartfelt good-bye to Edgecomb Eddy. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Music teacher Jennifer McIvor leads a group sing-a-long of the Edgecomb Eddy song. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Guidance Counselor Haley Bezon presents Marshall Carpenter with a certificate recognizing his best personal trait, helpfulness. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Sixth grade teacher Nicole Ellis presents Riley Mullins with a certificate recognizing his best personal trait, determination. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Graduates Skyler Spofford, right, and Gabrielle Cassidy sing “High Hopes.” BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Jackson Zehm, left, and Simon Hubbard display their Rubik’s Cube skills. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Jax Marshall, left, and Jackson Zehm received the Edgecomb Eddy Academic Award. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

Arabella Hodgdon receives her sixth grade diploma from Principal Dr. Christina Boursaw. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

For one Edgecomb Eddy sixth grader, graduation, on June 16, proved to be a Shakespearean experience. Eliza Chase was one of two student speakers. She described how much her time at Edgecomb Eddy meant. “I’m not ready to leave. My classmates have helped me in so many ways, through tough times, and we shared smiles in good times,” she said. For Chase, the graduation experience reminded her of a beloved play. “I’d like to quote Juliet Capulet, “parting is such sweet sorrow.”

Chase was one of 16 graduating sixth graders. Each year, the school follows a traditional ceremony which includes gifts from the lower classes. Pre-kindergarten class melted their used crayons into star crayons for reminding graduates, “be bold, bright and dazzling.” Kindergarten made a special scroll with advice such as “always be amazing.”

First graders presented owl pillows. Second graders made pouches. Third graders presented a pair of sunglasses to each graduate “because your future is so bright.” Fourth graders presented individual bookmarks for marking graduates’ place in time. Fifth graders made graduation mortarboards. Teacher Nancy Rose reminded students mortarboards dated back to the 14th century. “This marks one more step on your educational journey. So wear this with pride as you move on,” she said.

Nicole Ellis teaches sixth grade math and science. She presented graduates with a book about their sixth grade experience.

Another tradition is the staff presenting graduates with certificates marking their best personal traits: Abigail Babineau, observancy; Matthew Carpenter, helpfulness; Gabrielle Cassidy, friendliness; Chase, ambitiousness; Ethan Clark, reliability; Isaac Fanslau, generosity; Simon Hibbard, patience ; Jax Marshall, compassion; Riley Mullins, determination; Arabella Hodgdon, consideration; Rick Wyatt-Jones, creativity; Spencer Perry, artistic; Myles Ian Sinclair-Whitfield, thoughtfulness; Skyler Spofford, caring; Brandon Seigars, cleverness and Jackson Zehm, perseverance.

Marshall and Zehm received the Eddy Academic Award, which is based on overall student performance and standardized test scores. “I’ve watched Jackson grow from a quiet kindergartner to a cheerful sixth grader,” Rose said. “He has done consistently well. Whenever he encounters difficulty, he takes his time to work his way through.”

Marshall has only attended the school one year, but he made a strong impression. “Martin Luther King once said, ‘Find time to do right.’ Jax embodies that creed, and someday we can all say ‘I knew him when’.”

This year, the Eddy Arts Award was renamed as the Eddy Ensemble Award which recognized students for their contributions to the student concert video. This award went to Chase, Hodgdon, Wyatt-Jones, Marshall, Sinclair-Whitfield and Zehm.

The Sarah Leone Citizenship Award went to Chase and Hodgdon. Art teacher Robin Macready praised both students. “Eliza is thoughtful, caring and curious about the world. She is not afraid to speak up when it needs to be done. Arabella has a strong moral compass that guides her as she grows,” Macready said. “She is always there when anyone needs her help.”