In a ceremony that will be remembered by the students for years
to come, Martin Murphy and Britton middle schools promoted their
ninth grade classes in a ceremony on the evening of June 12.
In a ceremony that will be remembered by the students for years to come, Martin Murphy and Britton middle schools promoted their ninth grade classes in a ceremony on the evening of June 12.
Britton Middle School’s principal James McDonald was pleased with the ceremony, saying it went very well.
“It was well organized,” he said. “Mr. (Ron) Wolf and the ASB members did a wonderful job. It was the smoothest promotion I’ve seen in my four years of doing this.”
“It was well attended,” Rhoda Wolfskehl, principal of Murphy, said of the ceremony at the school in south San Jose. “The students had good behavior. There were lots of awards given out.”
The awards were given out through the departments, and, according to Wolfskehl, the choices were hard to make.
“Many students were surprised to hear their names called. It’s hard to decide when you have 10 to 20 good possibilities and you have to choose one. There were many great candidates,” she commented.
Amidst the excitement for the promotion, there was a somber reflection for the students at Britton. The school dealt with a student suicide and the arrest of a substitute, but despite hardships through out the year, McDonald felt the class was one of the best Britton had ever produced.
“The class of 2003 was well behaved. The class went through a lot of tragedy, but they pulled together. We’re going to miss them,” said McDonald.
In her speech to the students, first semester Associated Student Body president Raquel Estrada, reflected on the year that will be engraved on their minds.
“Though it feels good to be moving forward, there are things that I know we will miss. We have all made our memories here and left our mark throughout the halls. Our memories are unique, yet we can all say that Britton ha played a huge part on our lives.”
Like McDonald, Wolfskehl had fond thoughts of the 2003 class.
“It is sad. We’re going to miss the children. Most got along well. They supported one another. This was definitely not a class that we are eager to see leave.”
Both principals were proud of their students accomplishments over the years.
“They distinguished themselves as a scholastically fit class. This class had the fewest number [from Britton] who did not pass. The students need at least 50 credits to pass on. We had the highest number to promote,” said McDonald.
“There were kids who achieved real high. Some were excellent students, though some did struggle,” said Wolfskehl
Though only two students maintained a 4.0 through out the school year, Wolfskehl says that the number of students who did well academically were on the average for Murphy.
“It is very difficult to maintain a 4.0. Because there is ninth grade here and the students are taking college prep courses, the level rises. It speaks highly of those students who were able to achieve what they did,” she commented.
Britton and Murphy awards are on page D9 of today’s edition.
