By Jen Myers
Like the Boston Celtics, the Robinson Middle Eagles soar under the slogan “Different Here.”
Most of the Class of 2024 entered middle school from home in the midst of a pandemic, with only 25 percent of them learning in person. In their second year, they all returned to school wearing masks and experiencing school in a new way.
“There’s been a lot of talk that somehow students returning from Covid were coming back different,” Assistant Principal Dr. Michael Rossetti said at Friday’s eighth grade graduation. “For a while I didn’t know what to believe, but seeing you now after what I would say was an amazing year – you’re not different. Because like the Celtics, it’s different here.”
“When the Celtics described why they chose that as their slogan they said their team was different from its competition – the culture is different, their standard of success is different, and the place they call home has a different atmosphere and feel,” he added. “I feel this way about the four walls of this building, but more importantly about the people inside it.”
Rossetti said this class of eighth graders has improved attendance by leaps and bounds; excelled academically, seeing their growth rates increase by 100 percent or more; the school’s sports teams have made it to championship games; and students have shown intense interest in and dedication to the arts, the district Science Fair, and Civics Day.
“We will definitely miss the Class of 2024,” Rossetti said. “You’ve helped establish the culture of acceptance and equality here at this school, of giving back, of exceeding in the classroom, and along the way you taught one another. You taught me and the other staff too to open my ears, my eyes, to listen and to take my dedication to this place like you do every day one step further and never give up. I have no doubt that you will make us proud, that you will represent the values of being a Robinson Eagle and you will soar to new heights.”
LPS Notebook 