Woodward Elementary holds fourth-grade promotion, presents academic and character awards

Woodward Elementary School held a fourth-grade promotion ceremony to mark students’ completion of elementary school and their upcoming transition to Central Mountain Middle School. The event featured a class video, musical performances, presentations of character and academic awards, and public thank-yous to staff and volunteers.

The event host opened the program by saying, “We are so proud of who they are and who they are becoming,” and asked attendees to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance before students performed and a class video created by Michelle Hannah played.

The ceremony included multiple student recognitions. The Kindness Award winners named in the program were Libby Long (Mrs. Welchann’s class) and Gunnar Smith (Mrs. Long’s class). Faculty-selected Citizenship Awards included Andrew Coker and two tied winners in Mrs. Long’s class, Wesley Johnson and Hamil (surname not specified in the transcript). The school also presented the President’s Education Awards for Educational Excellence (gold certificate) and the President’s Education Award for Educational Achievement (silver certificate).

According to the announcement, students qualified for the President’s Education Award for Educational Excellence by meeting national assessment thresholds cited during the ceremony: a score of 221.14 or higher on the ELA assessment or 226.07 or higher on the math assessment. The silver certificate (Educational Achievement) was described as recognizing growth; the transcript lists growth thresholds of 16.32 points or higher in ELA or 21.92 points or higher in math.

Multiple students were named for the gold and silver awards across classroom rosters called during the ceremony; examples announced include Addison Graves, Allen Smith, Jace Williams, Elliot Zellers, Wesley Johnson, Peyton Nicholson, Aurora Kovanhagen, Andrew Coker, Lathan Polk, Sawyer Hammond, Everett Crook, Gabriel Rigo, Kylie Killinger and others. Student ambassadors and a longer roll call of promoted students were also read aloud during the program.

Speakers and program leaders used the closing moments to thank contributors. The host thanked Michelle Hannah for producing the fourth-grade class video; the technology staff members Jesse and Colton for providing the livestream; the Dunstan Fire Department for use of the facility; and school volunteers Terry Markle, Bonnie Owens, Amy Heberly, Terry Papadans and Brad McCloskey for decorations. The host also thanked fourth-grade teachers Erin Rothfans and Carol Long and asked families to remain seated as students recessed and returned to their seats for sign-out procedures.

The ceremony emphasized transition and encouragement for students moving to Central Mountain Middle School. The host offered advice to the graduates: “always believe in yourself,” “never be afraid to ask for help,” and “be kind to one another.”