One hundred and thirty eighth-graders graduated from I.S. 89 on June 19 at a ceremony in the school’s auditorium. The graduating students will go onto an array of city high schools including Bronx Science, Millennium High School and Eleanor Roosevelt High School.
A special feature of the graduation is that it was planned and executed primarily by students. Christiana DiZebba, a teacher, said in the weeks preceding the graduation, the eighth-graders busied themselves in their graduation committees discussing and organizing the event. When the planning was done, the students had created an hour-and-a-half-long celebration that included dance, music, skits, student films and student speeches.
Many of the performances dealt with the themes of sadness, excitement and moving on that are associated with graduating.
“This graduation showed that we can really work together,” said one of the event’s student hosts, named Shana.
“The kids did it, that’s the main thing,” teacher Carol Shirai said. “This graduation is the culmination of what we have taught these kids to do for three years — their work is very student driven. We don’t tell them ‘do it this way,’ but instead let them make their own decisions.”
I.S. 89 was also the only middle school in the city to win a national No Child Left Behind award for its high reading and math scores.
At the end of the ceremony, the entire graduating class reconvened on stage and joined in song.
“The graduation ceremony was an hour-and-a-half of complete lack of cynicism,” parent Kim Landsman said. “It was a really great way to end the day and the middle school experience; they are extraordinary students.”
After the ceremony, graduation co-host Shana also expressed some hesitation about the milestone. “I’m really, really sad. Graduation is like goodbye to a lot of my best friends. I feel like I’m growing up now.”
— James S. Woodman
