Our Town
2020 Crane Zoom Graduation Joel Weiss Headmaster Award
by Joanne A. Calitri
Joanne is a professional international photographer and journalist. Contact her at: artraks@yahoo.com
Our Town’s 18th Annual Graduation Issue: Part 2
O
ur community of schools held their 2020 8th grade graduation ceremonies through online Zoom graduations, school drive by parades with their teachers, one in-person ceremony with directives from the Health Department and two schools opted to postpone an inperson ceremony until later this year. The number of graduates are 185: Montecito Union 57, Cold Spring 20, Crane Country Day 35, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel 15, Laguna Blanca Lower 19, El Montecito Early School 23, and Montecito YMCA Preschool 16. The graduations are covered in two parts, this week and last week’s issue on June 4.
Crane Country Day School
The Crane Country Day School 2020 Eight Grade Graduation was held on Friday, June 12 at 10 am, with 14 faculty at 8 am delivering a “Crane Coyote Box” to the homes of each of the graduates who participated in the ceremony from home.
2020 Crane Country Day School Grads Formal (photo by Teresa Pietsch)
The box contained their diploma, a graduation pin, cards from the Head of School, the Board President, Division Head and Advisor, the program, a mini-graduation cake, school colored M&Ms and a mini bottle of Martinelli’s cider. Parents also received a goodie box with instructions for the Zoom graduation. Erika Sellin put the boxes together and
Lora McManus designed and laser engraved each box with the Crane logo and each student’s name. The Zoom graduation opened with Headmaster Joel Weiss at the school under the famous oak tree. He welcomed the students and lauded them for their work to complete their studies from home saying, “This is a class with huge energy and deep roots. It is interesting that 17 of the 34 are lifers, meaning that they’ve been at Crane since kindergarten. And they are really spreading out, heading off to 13 different high schools. Let’s honor the class who are heading off to high school where they will be thriving; this is a singular moment of transition from a smaller world into a much
larger community. A year we will all remember, at home in a digital platform you have learned so much, and have powerful skills that will take you through life. We have so much pride for you and are so appreciative of you.” He instructed the parents to present the diploma to their son or daughter after their teacher read a vignette about them. Photographs of each student with their diploma were taken by parents and organized into a composite at the end of the ceremony. The school song “This is Crane” was performed by Konrad Kono and the students. The students were pinned at home. Headmaster Weiss concluded the Zoom graduation with Ms Peggy Smith, toasting the students with a glass of Martinelli’s cider. Time was given for families to say individual congratulations on the Zoom, and Headmaster Weiss encouraged all the students to drive to the school for a Victory Lap flying their personalized congratulatory car flags, where they will be welcomed by faculty members cheering them on, take a photo op with school photographer Teresa Pietsch, and receive their alumni bag to celebrate their rite of passage. The alumni bag includes a Memories Video that encapsulates their time at Crane since Kindergarten, social media information to stay in touch, an alumni beach towel, an alumni beanie cap and a small plate of home-baked chocolate chip bars by Debbie Williams, Crane’s Director of Development.
Awards Given:
Headmaster’s Prize: Henry Hagerman Amiability Award: Henry Hagerman and Ingrid Lu Art Cup: Leighton Smith and Dan McCaslin History Cup: Christian Gonzalez and David Echols Math Cup: The Mathcounts Team of Melanie Davidson, Christian Gonzalez, Will Hammond and Ingrid Lu Design & Engineering Award: Avianna Gordon and Elizabeth Purdy
2020 Crane Country Day School Eighth Grade Graduates (photo by Teresa Pietsch)
40 MONTECITO JOURNAL
“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” – Mark Twain
18 – 25 June 2020
