District to recognize fifth- and sixth-grade classes moving onto
middle school next year
As the school year inches forward to its end, Gilroy schools are
in the midst of planning ceremonies honoring their graduating
students.
District to recognize fifth- and sixth-grade classes moving onto middle school next year
GILROY – As the school year inches forward to its end, Gilroy schools are in the midst of planning ceremonies honoring their graduating students.
As is typically the case, a majority of pomp and circumstance will be flowered upon students exiting the 12th grade and entering the university and working world. But this year, elementary schools around “garlic town” have reason to make their celebrations a little larger.
Next school year, Gilroy Unified School District elementary schools will house kindergarten through fifth grade only. This means the schools will not only recognize their sixth-graders moving on to middle school, but their fifth-graders who will be moving on, too.
“We’ve always given awards to fourth- and fifth-graders on one day and then do a promotion ceremony for sixth-graders another day, but since we’ll no longer have sixth-grade we’re combining the fifth- and sixth-grade ceremony,” El Roble Principal Mike Nebesnick said. “We’ll still be giving awards to the other classes. In fact, we’ll do something probably during a lunch hour for kindergarten and first through third grade.”
At Gilroy High School, Assistant Principal Joni Madolora says planning for their June 13 ceremony is just getting under way. The school expects to announce its valedictorian and salutatorian by May 23, Madolora said.
There will be roughly 475 graduating seniors this year. GHS will hold its commencement exercises Friday, June 13, at 6 p.m. in the school stadium.
Most GUSD elementary schools will be using their sites to hold the promotional ceremonies, but at the middle school level both Brownell and South Valley will say farewell to eighth-graders at Gavilan College in the gymnasium.
Both schools will celebrate Thursday, June 12. South Valley’s ceremony begins at 5 p.m., Brownell’s at 7 p.m.
Outside the GUSD celebrations will be taking place, too. Saint Mary Catholic School will hold its ceremonies one week prior to most of the public schools.
On Friday, June 6, a baccalaureate mass will be held for the entire school at 10:45 a.m. That will be followed by a 6 p.m. graduation ceremony for the school’s eighth-grade class which will move on to high school next year.
Both ceremonies are held in the church.
