Woodhull’s school community came together this June to celebrate the collective successes of its students in grades pre-K through sixth grade during a special graduation and year-end concert.

During the ceremony, each member of the sixth grade class was individually honored and commended for their achievements before being presented with commemorative moving-up certificates and tokens of appreciation. In addition to honoring those moving up to middle school, the district also honored the school’s youngest scholars who completed pre-K this June. Donning miniature graduation caps and gowns, the students received certificates of promotion and took the next step in their educational journey.

After an opening performance of the national anthem by second grader Catherine Philippe, the spring concert continued with performances by the concert band. The group played such pieces as the theme from “The Avengers” movies and Dvorak’s New World Symphony, which featured solos by each of the sixth grade students. Later, younger students sang together accompanied by the third graders on ukulele, and then the fourth and sixth grade joined as the whole school performed “The Teeny Tiny Boat” in English and Spanish. Olivia Asaro-Apsley, Cailee Couch and Ariel Vizcarrondo performed stirring solos, followed by a return of the concert band to perform Camila Cabello’s “Havana” with improvised solos. Finally, the whole school performed the song “Try Everything” from the movie “Zootopia,” which ended the concert on the familiar themes of perseverance, curiosity, kindness, optimism and enthusiasm.

The annual sixth grade trip to New York City did not disappoint, as Mrs. Donovan and her students enjoyed beautiful weather and a memorable performance of “Wicked” on Broadway. The students also visited Madame Tussaud’s wax museum while in the Times Square area. This was the first Broadway experience for some of the students and certainly provided countless memories for all.

Enterprising Woodhull first grader Lydon Cole put his skills to use for the greater good by donating half of the proceeds from his lemonade/seashell stand to an organization that rescues and rehabilitates marine life – an initiative sparked by a field trip to the Long Island Aquarium. With the help of his friend Kai Sitone, to date Lydon has sold $25 in lemonade and seashells, and he plans to continue the project throughout the summer.