On June 9, 2022, the fourth grade class looked out from the Assembly Hall stage with smiles of pride, and certainly some wistfulness, as they listened to celebratory remarks from Head of School Jody Reilly Soja and Head of Lower School Amy Vorenberg. This moment — the 4th Grade Moving Up Ceremony — marks the end of their academic journey on the Lower Campus. In the fall, these students will embark on the next phase of the IMS experience: 5th-9th grade on the Upper Campus. 

Speaking to each of the Lower School graduates, Mrs. Vorenberg drew on the Lower School theme this year, which was BUILD.

“If we think about your education as a building, these years in the Lower School are your foundation.Your foundation as a student is strong. You can all read, you can write, you are mathematical thinkers, and you are scientists. You have also learned to be respectful, to be kind, to be responsible. This foundation is strong and will serve you well, long into the future. What wonders you will find await you!

After the ceremony, there were plenty of hugs, tears, goodbyes, and see you soons. And with that, summer break began.

 

This is a big milestone for the IMS fourth graders, some of whom have been learning at the Lower School since Pre-K. A trio of 4th graders summarized their experience in this poem:

All The Things

By August S. Mia S., and Fanny R.

Fighting over the dome top,

Playing caldrons, singing pop.

All the high-swing underdogs,

Playing games, and catching frogs.

All the corny jokes we told,

Now they feel like treasured gold.

Plucking leaves from the willow tree,

Having fun just us three.

Walking through the nature trail,

Best friends will never fail.

All the train games on the slide,

All the silly times we’ve cried.

Scared to sled down the hill,

A thousand pages we could fill.

All the friendship bracelet beads,

In the garden planting seeds.

Playing horses under the climber,

Gosh I was a really bad rhymer.

Twirling under a rainbow beam,

Obsessed with Tye-die and ice cream.

Before there was a Ga-Ga pit

The three of us will never split.

You were Evie and I was Mal,

Gosh you are my favorite pal.

These are all the things we did,

I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

View More Photos on Flickr