High School Graduation
Marking the end of one chapter in their lives and the beginning of another, the senior class of 2009 graduated from Ross School during a beautiful commencement ceremony in the Great Hall on June 13. The Commencement Address was given by Pedro Noguera, from the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Development, Metropolitan Center for Urban Education. Despite all the "doomsday soothsayers" in the world, Noguera said he was optimistic. Four special awards were also given out. Science teacher Patty Lein received the Courtney Sale Ross Award, given in recognition of the faculty member most exemplary of the Ross School vision of leadership, academic excellence and personal integrity. The Ross School Board of Trustees Award was given to Grant Monahan, in recognition of a senior who demonstrates outstanding leadership qualities. Skyla Winters received the Anders G. Holst Award, in recognition of a senior who demonstrates courage in creativity. Finally, Ingrid Cardona received the Steven J. Ross Humanitarian Award, given in recognition of a senior who demonstrates the pursuit of excellence, magnanimity of intention and personal integrity.

Eighth Grade Graduation
The seniors at Ross were not the only students to mark a new beginning. On June 16, the eighth grade had its graduation, also in the Great Hall. The commencement address was given by author, editor, arts educator and Ross parent Emma Walton Hamilton, who offered some words of wisdom. "Be the person that says, 'wow' everyday," she urged them. "Keep listening to your elders and peers; choose to be here now, everyday - Dare to be happy."

LongHouse Reserve 2009 Student Annual Awards
The arts have always been a critical component to the Ross School curriculum. This artistic focus yielded an extraordinary response as Ross students swept the LongHouse Reserve 2009 Student Annual Awards recently. A ceremony was held on June 17. Located in East Hampton, the LongHouse Reserve enjoys sharing its space with students in grades Kindergarten through 12. This competition asked students of all ages to respond to the space artistically, using LongHouse as a veritable muse. Ross students won awards in video, photography, painting, drawing, ceramics and performance. Aside from the awards ceremony, which was held on June 17, the students' accomplishments will be published on the LongHouse website and in their summer newsletter.

In the high school category, the performing arts award went to Ross teacher Sheryl Hastalis's students for their original dance piece "Spring in Eastern Paradise." In fact, a video of the performance was created by Gabriella Vera-Abassi, who in turn won a LongHouse videography award. A shortened version was performed at the ceremony, featuring Alaya Brown, Camille Coy, Jessica Federico, Trevor Green, Vanessa James, Rebecca Kiembock, Alia Knowlan, Hannah Levy and D'Ashley Wilson. The awards in painting went to boarding student Wu Qing Hipsch, who received a Certificate of Merit, Gabriella Vera-Abassi, who placed second, and Shu Wu, who won Best in Show. Awards for works on paper again went to Ben Potter (third), Noah Engel (second and first), and Abigail Cook (first).

Additional awards were given out in landscape architecture and design and photography and the students in Ms. Carmack-Fayyaz and Kerry Sharkey-Miller's Career Connections classes won them all. These classes were part of a collaborative program where East Hampton High School students visited Ross School every week to receive training in a specific discipline under the expertise of Ross teachers. Kindergarten students Madeline Grabb, Max Grotstein, Harry Prager, Nicholas Saunders, Niko Sansevere and Lilah Yektai also won awards for their ceramic fairy houses.

End-Of-Year Ceremonies
Embarking on new, exciting journeys, Lower School students graduated to the next grade and celebrated these milestones with End-of-Year Ceremonies. The students in Early Childhood, from Pre-nursery to Pre-Kindergarten, had their ceremony in the Fieldhouse on June 15. The Pre-kindergartners passed under an arch, signifying their move up to Kindergarten in the Elementary School Division. Each was given a sunflower after passing through. The next day, on June 16, an End-of-Year Ceremony was held for the Kindergarten through fourth, also in the Fieldhouse. The Kindergarten through third grade sang "I will Remember You" and "Happy Together" before passing under an arch, signifying the end of the school year. Again, each student received a sunflower on the other side. Head of School Michele Claeys then presented the Teacher Award to Alison Aldredge, who was chosen by a silent vote among faculty members.

Legacy Day
In May, Ross Lower School also had Legacy Day for the fourth grade, an enriching experience for the students who were leaving for a new campus. They each received a certificate that described the qualities that would be remembered by their fellow classmates. Later that day, they painted the seats of the stools in Ms. Allegra's Art Studio in acrylic so that their designs would be their "legacy" for years to come.